Sales:  Twenty One Questions to Ask about the
               Buyer’s Decision Making Process^*

March 21, 2005

   One of the largest contributors to sales success is not in how you sell, but in understanding how the customer buys.  If you learn how and why customers buy – you will improve your sales results dramatically.  There are many people who can say ‘no’ to the sale who cannot say yes.  In many sales, you may not even meet the final decision maker who approves the buying decision.   These questions are excerpted from the book Close the Deal, 1999 by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman^*.  Put them to work and you will increase the productivity and profitability of your selling process.

With Regard to People 

1.       Who are the key players involved in making the buying decision?

2.       Who in that group will be the most influential?

3.       Who are most in agreement about the process to use in making this decision?

4.       Who are most in disagreement?

5.       Who has the biggest stake in the decision?

6.       What does each key player want out of the decision?

7.       Who from the outside will be involved – lawyers, consultants, accountants, or others
    – and how much influence will the have?

8.       How much influence with the CEO or CFO have?

9.       Who will make the final decision?

With Regard to Process

10.   What criteria will be used to make the decision?  What is the single most important one?

11.   What internal political issues may affect how this decision is made?

12.   What procedures will be followed? Face-to-face meetings? Teleconferencing?

13.   Are serious questioning and debate likely to occur? Will there be a vote? Public or Private?

14.   What can I do to provide the information people need to make the decision
  as soundly and as quickly as possible?

15.   What other companies are bidding for the business?

16.   Is anyone already leaning toward a particular supplier?

17.   In the past why have bids typically been rejected?

18.   If we are not chose, what other supplier is likely to get the business?

19.   Will a single supplier be chosen or will the winners split up business with other suppliers?

20.   When will the decision be made?

21.   When do you hope to achieve a final solution to your problem?