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Instead of Asking ‘Do You Have Hiring Needs?’ Wrap Your Expertise Around Your Question

Instead of Asking ‘Do You Have Hiring Needs?’ Wrap Your Expertise Around Your Question

The key to effective prospecting and uncovering sales opportunities is asking good discovery questions.  When prospecting for new business, most salespeople in the staffing and recruiting industry tend to ask questions like: 

  • “Do you have any needs?”
  • “What are your hiring plans for Q4?”
  • “Are you looking to hire?” 

Sales reps who ask these questions are seeking out pre-defined, budget approved job orders.

They are trying to find business. 

This is a big problem. Here is why.

When you ask, ‘Do you have any hiring needs?’ you’re only discovering opportunities that already exist.  Asking about hiring needs only uncovers what’s already obvious to the client. This is the definition of being an “order taker.”

When you visit the doctor, the doctor doesn’t ask, “do you need medicine?” Instead, the doctor asks questions to uncover symptoms, identify underlying problems, and then offers a solution.

Think of yourself as a doctor, and your client as the patient. If you ask, ‘Do you have hiring needs?’ It's like asking a patient, ‘Do you need surgery?’ It doesn’t help identify the real underlying issues. Instead, you should ask questions that help the client uncover problems that they might not even realize they have. For example, ‘What’s your biggest challenge in hitting your team’s goals this quarter?’ This opens up the conversation to explore areas where they may need help but don’t yet have a solution.

Remember, a hiring manager never gets approval to hire just because they ‘want’ more staff or have a 'need.'  They must justify it by showing how (the hire) will solve a business challenge. Your role is to help them identify those challenges, such as meeting production targets, managing workloads, or improving team performance, which will build the case for bringing on more staff.

Sales Pain Probing Questions

In the context of selling, a pain probing question  is a type of open-ended question designed to uncover a prospect's underlying problems, challenges, or pain points that may or may not be immediately visible. These questions help salespeople dig deeper into the customer’s current situation, revealing areas where the customer is struggling or where there are inefficiencies, which can then be linked to the solution the salesperson is offering (such as getting a job approved or hiring their candidate)

When engaged in  a sales prospecting call you can’t just ask vague or generic probing questions like ‘What is keeping you up at night?’ These types of questions come across as cliché, self-serving, lazy, and insincere. And they fail to provide enough context for the customer to offer a meaningful and actionable response.

Wrapping Your Expertise Around Your Sales Probing QuestionsTop Sales Prospecting Techniques That Book More Sales Meetings

In the context of selling, 'wrapping your expertise around your questions' means framing your questions in a way that demonstrates your knowledge and authority in the industry or subject matter. It involves embedding insights, data, or relevant context within your questions to showcase your understanding of the customer's challenges and provide additional value.

Instead of asking generic questions, you show that you have done your research and understand their situation. This approach helps build credibility, engages the prospect in a deeper conversation, and positions you as a thought leader.

For example:

  • Instead of asking, "What challenges are you facing with remote work?"
  • You might ask, "With the shift to remote work becoming more prevalent, many companies are struggling with ensuring their teams stay fully integrated and connected. How has this impacted your organization?"

In this example, you demonstrate that you are aware of common industry challenges and provide a context that makes the question more meaningful to the prospect. It shows that you are well-versed in the topic, prompting a more insightful and engaged response.

Additional Examples:

  • Basic Question: "How do you handle customer feedback in your organization?"
  • Expertise-Wrapped Question: "With customer experience increasingly becoming a key differentiator, I've noticed that the most successful organizations have formal feedback loops that drive improvements. How is your team currently gathering and utilizing customer feedback to enhance experience?"

In this question, you reference customer experience as a differentiator and imply that successful companies are proactive, which helps frame your question with authority. 

Wrapping your expertise around your questions is more effective at uncovering a customer’s pain point because it prompts deeper thinking, builds credibility, and creates a conversational context that makes the prospect more comfortable sharing their real challenges. Here's why this approach works better than asking a basic question:

1. Sets the Stage for Specific Pain Points

When you provide context before asking a question, you guide the prospect’s thinking in a particular direction. This increases the likelihood that they will reflect on specific, relevant pain points rather than giving a surface-level response. Basic questions often don’t set the stage effectively, leading to generic or less thoughtful answers.

Example:

  • Basic Question: "What are your biggest challenges?"
    • This is very broad and may prompt a vague answer like "reducing costs" or "efficiency."
  • Expertise-Wrapped Question: "Many companies in your industry are facing challenges with integrating remote teams effectively, especially when it comes to communication and productivity. How has remote work impacted your team's performance and collaboration?"
    • By including a specific challenge that many others face, you direct the customer’s thoughts towards that particular issue, prompting them to consider if they have similar struggles
2. Demonstrates Understanding and Builds Trust:

When you demonstrate expertise, the customer sees you as someone who understands their industry, and they are more likely to open up about their challenges. It shows that you “get it,” which builds trust and encourages honesty. Customers are often reluctant to share their real pain points unless they believe the person asking genuinely understands the context and can help.

Example:

  • Basic Question: "Are you satisfied with your current software solution?"
    • The customer might give a simple "yes" or "no" without elaboration.
  • Expertise-Wrapped Question: "With rapid advancements in software automation, many companies are finding it challenging to keep their systems updated and fully integrated. What limitations are you experiencing with your current software and meeting customer expectations?
    • Here, the question shows that you understand potential limitations and gives the customer the confidence to share their specific concerns, knowing that you are familiar with them.
3. Invites Detailed, Insightful Answers:

Basic questions tend to invite short or generic answers because they lack depth and do not encourage the prospect to explore their situation in detail. In contrast, wrapping your expertise around the question shows that you understand the nuances of their challenges, which prompts the customer to provide a more detailed answer about their specific pain points.

Example:

  • Basic Question: "Is your team facing any issues with productivity?"
    • This might get a response like, "Yes, sometimes."
  • Expertise-Wrapped Question: "We’ve found that a lack of effective project management tools is a major productivity barrier for many teams, especially in hybrid environments. How is your team managing productivity, and what challenges are you facing with your current tools?"
    • This provides more context and relevance, prompting the customer to think about specific barriers they’re facing rather than giving a brief, general answer.
4. Helps Surface Hidden Pain Points:

When you use your expertise to frame a question, you can introduce issues the customer may not have consciously considered or might have been hesitant to acknowledge. This approach can help surface underlying pain points that a basic question wouldn’t reveal because the customer may not recognize or feel comfortable discussing them without being prompted.

Example:

  • Basic Question: "How are your sales processes working?"
    • The customer may think everything is fine or may not want to admit to problems.
  • Expertise-Wrapped Question: "With the current emphasis on personalized customer experiences, many companies are finding that outdated sales processes are leading to missed opportunities. How are you adapting your sales processes to meet these expectations, and are there any areas where you feel improvement is needed?"
    • This question helps the customer recognize potential issues related to evolving market demands and prompts them to discuss any gaps in their current approach.

Benefits of Wrapping Yur Expertise Around Your Questions:

  1. Establishes Credibility: It shows that you are knowledgeable and have insights beyond surface-level information.
  2. Encourages Deeper Responses: Prospects are more likely to provide detailed answers when they see that you understand their challenges.
  3. Differentiates You from Competitors: Instead of asking generic questions, you demonstrate that you’re invested in understanding and solving their specific issues.
  4. Positions You as a Consultant: Instead of appearing as a salesperson, you take on a consultative role, which helps build trust and stronger relationships.

By wrapping your expertise around your questions, you create context, build credibility, and guide the conversation in a way that makes it easier for the customer to share their pain points. You are not just gathering information—you are leading the customer to explore the challenges they may have and helping them see you as someone who can help solve those challenges. This leads to a more honest and insightful conversation that reveals the true pain points, setting the stage for meaningful engagement and potential solutions.

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