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Product Description

Question Based Selling ( QBS?) is a commonsense approach to sales, based on the theory that "what" salespeople ask - and "how" they ask - is more important than anything they will ever say. This technique makes sense because in order to present solutions, you first must learn your customer?s needs.

How do you uncover a prospect's needs? By asking questions. But not just any questions. You must ask the right questions at the right time. And this book provides a step-by-step, easy-to-follow program that does just that.

With this proven, hands-on guide, you will learn to:

--Penetrate more accounts

--Establish greater credibility

--Generate more return calls

--Prevent and handle objections

--Motivate different types of buyers

--Develop more internal champions

--Close more sales...faster

--And much, much more

Customer Reviews:

• Powerful Sales People Ask Questions
  An excellent resource for anyone looking to connect with the needs of prospects, customers... and just people in general. I think the following is from this book (I have it posted to my wall): "You've probably heard that they best sales people are those who listen most. And that is a lie. The most effective persuaders are those who ask powerful questions that draw people out and get them to keep talking and revealing more about themselves."...more info
• Adequate
  Not for the pro. A bit wishy washy. Still a good addition to your library....more info
• It's a must have!
  If you are truly serious about selling, this book is a "must have". It is written in easy to read, understand and implement language and will improve your success dramatically. I have been a successful, professional salesperson for 22 years and found the insight in this book effective. One caution: it is written in such a easy flowing style be cautious not to overlook or underestimate the messages being conveyed. An example that comes to mind is the section regarding the "Have I caught you at a bad time?" lesson. It reads very quickly, but is an extremely important and effective tool....I would highly recommend this book....more info
• If you only read ONE sales book, Read this one!
  This is perhaps the best all-around sales book I have ever read. While other books point out much needed information, or say the same thing with a different perspective that is sometimes necessary to understand a point, this book should be THE starting point for any sales professional. This book has helped me greatly in my success as a sale professional. It is a sales book, a persuasion book, and a psychology book all rolled into one. Everyone seems to try to start people off with "You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar" by Sandler, but this book is everything that book is and then some.
  
  Where are the differences? Other books take an elementary strategy to the sales process. First you prospect, then you get the appointment, then you interview the customer, then you give your presentation, then you handle objections, then you close, close, close! I have even heard one person ask what the point of "step 1" is....and his answer was to get to "step 2". while this is somewhat useful to understand, it doesn't help you DO it, it doesn't tell you what to do and how to do it, and it's little more than an outline.
  
  Secrets of Questions Based Selling gets down to the nitty-gritty. He brings things to the table that you may never think about if you don't read this book. He talks about how people interact, how they need to ad value, how they mismatch, how different types of questions serve different purposes- some are solely for the benefit of the person doing the questioning and ad no value to the person answering (i.e.- What CRM product are you currently using in your company?), while others provide more value to the customer (How many customers do you think you are losing because you do not have voicemail and people are hanging up?), etc.
  
  I have read A LOT of books on sales, and I keep finding pieces of this book in all of the other works. High Trust Selling, Sandler's work, Selling with NLP, SPIN selling, etc. They may build on things differently, but this book IS the foundation.
  
  So, as yourself these questions:
  
  1. Am I EVER going to read a sales book? (If so, this should be the first one)
  
  2. Have I been reading sales books, but haven't read this one yet? (If so, this should be the next one you read)
  
  3. Have I been reading sales books, but haven't quite found a useful one yet? (See #2, and this will be a useful book- if you learn it)
  
  Overall, this is a GREAT book that provides a GREAT foundation to your sales knowledge. However, always keep in mind that you have to use what you learn (which means you have to LEARN it first), and that you can't hit a baseball by reading a book. Use the books to learn the mechanics, but then get up and swing the bat a few times, and then get out and hit the ball!...more info
• No Question about it
  This is a Great Book that every salesperson & Manager should own. I have 30 years of sales experience in Corporate as well as Small business to business & individuals. I wish I'd had this from the beginning...more info
• An excellent book with an extremely slow delivery
  A good book with a lot of good ideas. But for some reason he takes a long way home with his points. The only thing I do not like about this book is the fact that it is extremely slow. I had gave up on it but a good friend asked to give it another chance and go thru the first 50 pages before you give up which I am glad that I did. ...more info
• One Secret Question
  Have you ever wondered why you sometimes feel as though you're not getting anywhere with a prospect because you don't know what to say next to make the person want to buy from you? If you're like most people talking comes very easily for you and when somebody asks your opinion, via directly or indirectly, you immediately go off into sales mode and then somewhere down the road you catch the prospect looking at his watchand telling you that he needs to "think it over."
  
  If so, then a book written by Thomas Freese entitled, "Secrets of Question Based Selling: How the Most Powerful Tool Can Double Your Sales Results" might very well provide you with the ammunition you need to separate yourself from the competition and give you the tools to get the job done. I'm going to offer you something fun...something exciting...something you've never heard before. Are you ready? Sales professionals talk too much!
  
  Yes, it's true; part of the reason why some people have disdain for people like sales professionals is because we won't shut up. Rather than learning more about a prospect and his needs, fears, hopes and dreams, we regurgitate the same canned sales pitch that we used on the last 10 people that had the same effect. Rejection without accomplishment!
  
  This books does a very good job at illustrating a basic paradigm, a foundation shall we say, about what is needed to win...that is, to get a sale and help the client feel proud and secure.
  
  Have you ever wondered why people some seem to flock to the gas stations every summer when gas prices go up $.05 like flies to honey? How about the beanie baby rave or the dot.com crash?
  
  Thomas uses his sales experience to illuminate a basic social psychology principle entailing what motivates people in a group. The sad fact is that most people would jump off a bridge if everybody else did! But you're not like everybody else right?
  
  Everything we do when were prospecting, selling, etc. can be stripped down to its core. Namely, we need tools that will enable us to increase the probability of succeeding. Thomas does a good job at illustrating ways to build credibility through asking questions, avoiding mismatching, using a social psychology theory (herding) to generate interest and using rewards and risk aversion to sell a product.
  
  Surrounding prospects with the perception that "everyone else" is already moving in a certain direction is a very powerful QBS technique.
  
  Let that sink in for a moment. He explicates that in order for a sale to be made; credibility must be built; questions must be asked and addressed; interest must be peaked; while building value in a presentation so a the proper solution can be offered that will help a prospect find a reward and avoid risk.
  
  Thomas uses 259 pages to illustrate exactly what I said in the preceding paragraph. He even throws in a chapter about cold calling that is a must read for anybody serious about taking some stress out of cold calls. He says that the success rate for contacting prospects is between 2-5 person!
  
  That means that out of every 100 hundred sales calls, the average performer can expect to generate only a small amount handful of opportunities. The other 95 to 98 percent of these calls end in rejection. Some food for thought.
  
  In conclusion, I give this book 4 stars. The only reason why it's not a 5 is because he needed more examples of his questions that didn't rely on his computer background. I spent about a week reading this book, making notes and making some changes to my presentation and cold calling techniques. I had a hard time correlating some of his computer questions to my field (insurance).
  
  I stopped watching Star Trek about 10 years ago (movies excluded), so I'm not up to speed on quantum-flux capacitors and how they relate to insurance. This is a book that I'm proud to add to my library though despite not being perfect. ...more info
• A must for every sales professional
  I found this book a real must for every sales professional. I am not saying that it reveals something brand-new; however, it really shows a power of questions in sales....more info
• Well written
  This book is a well written, easy to read guide that will improve your sales success. It provides a logical system that is simple to follow. Questions are packed in the pages that narrow your focus and entice customers to engage in conversation. You will find a simple sales style for every salesperson in any field....more info
• Great book for novice
  I read the book and found it very informative. The system works but is not really for the beginner. I felt the book could have helped more on developing the questions as well as implementation. The book was great that is why I still gave it 5 stars
  ...more info
• Question Based Selling
  This is a great reference book but don't pay more than the MSRP. This book retails at Barnes & Nobles for $16.95....more info
• GENUIS!!! YOU WON'T FIND A BOOK LIKE THIS ANYWHERE
  If you love to build rapport with your clients or reach audiences and not just be an order taker, then this "formula" is for you. You must have tolerance and a open mind for this down to earth peice...
  
  You will most likely have to start from scratch like making the dough and throw away the store bread if you desire to take the approach from SBQ...
  
  Yes, it's a sacrifice, but its worth the effort to become consultants to help your clients meet their needs in order to depend on your business and not the competition...
  
  In closing, SBQ is all about how you approach clients in a way for them to spill their needs out to you so that you can leave them with no choice but to do business with you. Case and point!...more info
• Add this one to your tool bag
  There is no one right way to sell. Different customers require different selling strategies. To add to one's tool bag of selling strategies, the author, Thomas A. Freese, offers Question Based Selling (QBS) Question Based Selling is a systematic framework, using questions as its primary tool, which strives to increase the probability of making a successful sale.
  The author sees two great risks in sales. One is the risk of rejection. The author explains that by asking questions, the seller can then send out signals to prospective buyers and evaluates the response. The second risk to sales is "mismatching." Mismatching is defined as the tendency of people to automatically contradict what someone says. In this case, both the seller and perspective buyer can be guilty of this. The author demonstrates a method to disarm the mismatching reflex. The strategy includes:
  ¡¤ Asking more questions and making fewer statements.
  ¡¤ Build credibility to gain confidence from buyers
  ¡¤ Leverage curiosity.
  
  The authors see the key to building effective relationships relies on a methodology known as Conversational Layering. Conversational Layering is designed to ask people the right questions at the right time. Specifically it is designed to:
  ¡¤ Spark curiosity in products and services
  ¡¤ Earn credibility
  ¡¤ Build relationships
  ¡¤ Uncover needs make effective sales presentations
  ¡¤ Secure a commitment to buy...more info
• Excellent Sales Training
  This book is a must have for anyone serious about selling. In fact, the concepts and principles are excellent for anyone that has to work or live with people on a daily basis. It challenged my thinking, not just in my professional interactions, but also the interactions with my wife and children. This is a MUST HAVE book....more info
• Can I ask you a Question?
  ... Do you have a lot of sales books on your shelf already? Are you thinking about buying this book because you still haven't found a consistent and reliable system for selling yet? .. tell me more about that. To what extent is being a better salesperson important to your business? **** This book is one of the best ive ever read and other sales people Ive shown it to all agree. Its almost cult-ish as we refer to it as simply "QBS" now, as if it were the FBI, or DEA or something. lol. The only drawback is that these techniques do take a little time to permanently embed into your behavior and mindset. I recommend it highly for anyone serious about sales. Its very easy to read and Tom is a great writer and at times very funny. I also recommend "Secrets of Power Persuasion: Everything You'll Ever Need to Get Anything You'll Ever Want." Quite a few gems in both titles. Improve your performance with the QBS system without wasting a lot of time reading multiple other books with half the results. Would you like to move forward and order now, or is there any reason you would want to wait on getting this education? :)...more info
• Very similar to other books and still teaching traditional selling methodologies.
  As a sales trainer for 14 years, I've read a lot of books on selling. Tom's books, especially Question-Based Selling, have a few ideas the reader may find helpful because of the way Tom states them. The ideas are not new compared to others out there however, he is attempting to take the methodology of question-based selling (something that has been around for many years) and put a new spin on it to help those who have not quite been able to grasp it yet.
  
  My issue with Tom's book is that he still teaches some of the more traditional sales methodologies that no longer work simply because prospects have been aware of them for years. For example, Tom still teaches "the impending event close." The problem with Tom's material is that it's not different enough to truly help you set yourself apart from others in a world where we're all attempting to find ways to differentiate ourselves from our competition.
  
  There are proven systems out there that also help you set yourself apart from your competition and have an impressive track record for success. I haven't found that to be true with Tom's material.
  
  In most books, you will find a nugget that will be helpful to you. Tom's book may do that for you. And that nugget may certainly worth the money and time spent to find it. I didn't find that to be true for me personally....more info
• A very good rethinking of SPIN Selling
  A worthwhile book that does a better job of translating many of the SPIN Selling concepts into action. The ideas he has about effecting curiosity and instructions about interactive questioning are insightful and refreshing. Not revolutionary but a very good, practical update and reassembly of sales skills that are very appropriate for today's market for big ticket sales....more info