The Role of Questions in Your Sales Process

Asking questions is fundamental to your sales process.  That's become an accepted fact in sales training over recent years.  Long gone are the days when trainers coached sales people in only asking questions the prospect would respond to with a Yes, thankfully.

There's a couple of articles in Customer Collective which suggest the role of questions is establishing a conversation with the buyer.  Dave Brock tells us It's Not About The Questions, It's About The Conversation and Paul McCord writes about Questioning the Value of Questions in the Sales Process.  Both report on the same discussion, with their own perspective on the subject.  And of course they're both absolutely right, but there's another perspective we can add to the discourse.

Only a couple of weeks ago Bob Apollo asked Is Your Organisation Paying the Penalty for Poor Sales Qualification.  His contribution explains why sales people need to look for the reasons why prospects are in buying mode.  Knowing why an organisation is buying  - the business imperative - is critical to both a decision to bid and the strategy for the sale.  Of course, we agree.

This is where the two streams of thought come together.  One says we need to create a conversation with the objective of engaging the client.  The other suggests we need to create the conversation to find out why the customer will buy, something.

Our contribution to the topic is we need to ask questions to find out How the customer will buy.

Dave and Paul rightly explain this interaction is about turning You and We into Us.  Bob explains there's a basic dimension of Why.

And our addition is sales people need to find out the How.

1. Is there a budget?
2. Who makes the final decision?
3. When will the selection of a vendor be made?
4. Who will be considered for that selection and why would you buy from them?
5. How will that selection be made?
6. What do we need to do to get the decision in our favour?

This is a completely different set of questions which achieve 3 objectives.

• We agree with the prospect a joint Buy/Sell process.
• We can decide whether we are in to win it, or keep somebody else honest.
• We can work out how we are going to win it - our sales strategy and our sales plan.

Sales people who ask questions create a new level of relationship with the prospect .  They can decide whether to bid, or walk away.  And if they decide to engage they'll be able to plan how they'll win. We describe this as Sales Probability Process Management.

On it's own conversation won't guarantee the sale.  Knowing why won't either.  But engaging in a conversation about why and how sets the foundations for a win for both buyers and vendors.

Why Everybody Needs a Sales Coach

Everybody needs a sales coach, even the most experienced deal maker.  A second opinion about strategy and tactics always adds value, even if it's just cause to check any assumptions.

But that's not the point of this particular article.  The sales coach we're talking about here is the internal coach - somebody on the inside who wants to buy and will help the sales person know what's being said inside the prospective customer, and how to respond.

We explain this in some detail in the Principles of Professional Selling describing the three emotional phases the buyer goes through during the sales process.  At first the prospect is quite open, ready to talk about requirements, and selection process, and influences.  In the second phase the prospect becomes more guarded, offering less information about how colleagues are thinking.  Provided the progress of the buy/sell process builds confidence the buyer will move into the third phase - coaching the sale.

In the background the buyer has decided a particular vendor's offer will meet the needs and persuaded others involved in the decision to agree.  Now her job is coaching the sales guy into shaping the deal to something acceptable to all of the interested parties.

The sales representative who understands how this happens has an advantage over the competition.  Recruiting the internal coach becomes a milestone in the sales plan.

This should be built in to every sales strategy.  Deals in which there is no internal coach rarely result in contracts.  Recruit a coach and the reverse is true.

The first question sales managers need to ask in the bid review is "who will be our coach?".

Worried you’ll get Alzheimer’s? Then follow these seven steps

 

Of the seven factors, low education and and lack of mental stimulation are considered the most significant

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Wednesday, 20 July 2011

REX FEATURES

Keeping your mind active could be one of the most effective ways of fending off dementia despite brain degeneration.

Playing chess in old age and going jogging or swimming could be the best preventative measures against the development of the degenerative Alzheimer's disease that affects one in 14 people aged 65 or over.

 

Along with five other factors – controlling weight, blood pressure and diabetes, avoiding depression and quitting smoking – keeping mentally and physically fit could dramatically cut the incidence of dementia, which is becoming a major human and financial burden around the globe. Mental and physical exercise are most important because they influence the others, by keeping weight and blood pressure down, reducing the risk of diabetes and depression.

People who can do all this and avoid smoking substantially reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's. Worldwide, an estimated 33.9 million people have the condition and that number is expected to triple in the next 40 years.

In the UK, an estimated 500,000 people are affected, with one in six over-80s succumbing to the disease that strips sufferers of their dignity and personality.

A review of research presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Paris yesterday, and published in the medical journal The Lancet, concluded that up to half of all Alzheimer's cases worldwide are potentially attributable to the seven preventable risk factors. Of these, low education and lack of mental stimulation in old age are considered to be the most significant.

Deborah Barnes and Kristine Yaffe, of the University of California at San Francisco, who wrote the review, say that education and mental stimulation throughout life are believed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia "by helping to build a cognitive reserve that enables individuals to continue functioning at a normal level despite experiencing neurodegenerative changes".

Post-mortem examinations have shown that people who were mentally active throughout their lives, with no sign of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, nevertheless had the same degeneration of the brain seen in those who suffered serious dementia while alive. The implication is that the despite this neuro-degeneration, mentally active people manage to stave off the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Overall, the researchers estimate that the seven factors potentially contribute to more than 17 million cases of Alzheimer's worldwide, or 250,000 in Britain. A 25 per cent reduction in all seven risk factors could prevent as many as three million cases.

In a report on the study, Laura Fratiglioni, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said none of the seven factors were proven to cause Alzheimer's but that "accumulated evidence from epidemiological research strongly supports a role for lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors." Large-scale trials to change these risk factors in populations at high risk, as has been done for heart disease, should now be implemented, she added.

 

Worried you’ll get Alzheimer’s? Then follow these seven steps

 

Of the seven factors, low education and and lack of mental stimulation are considered the most significant

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor

Wednesday, 20 July 2011

REX FEATURES

Keeping your mind active could be one of the most effective ways of fending off dementia despite brain degeneratio

Playing chess in old age and going jogging or swimming could be the best preventative measures against the development of the degenerative Alzheimer's disease that affects one in 14 people aged 65 or over.

Along with five other factors – controlling weight, blood pressure and diabetes, avoiding depression and quitting smoking – keeping mentally and physically fit could dramatically cut the incidence of dementia, which is becoming a major human and financial burden around the globe. Mental and physical exercise are most important because they influence the others, by keeping weight and blood pressure down, reducing the risk of diabetes and depression.

People who can do all this and avoid smoking substantially reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer's. Worldwide, an estimated 33.9 million people have the condition and that number is expected to triple in the next 40 years.

In the UK, an estimated 500,000 people are affected, with one in six over-80s succumbing to the disease that strips sufferers of their dignity and personality.

A review of research presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Paris yesterday, and published in the medical journal The Lancet, concluded that up to half of all Alzheimer's cases worldwide are potentially attributable to the seven preventable risk factors. Of these, low education and lack of mental stimulation in old age are considered to be the most significant.

Deborah Barnes and Kristine Yaffe, of the University of California at San Francisco, who wrote the review, say that education and mental stimulation throughout life are believed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia "by helping to build a cognitive reserve that enables individuals to continue functioning at a normal level despite experiencing neurodegenerative changes".

Post-mortem examinations have shown that people who were mentally active throughout their lives, with no sign of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, nevertheless had the same degeneration of the brain seen in those who suffered serious dementia while alive. The implication is that the despite this neuro-degeneration, mentally active people manage to stave off the symptoms of Alzheimer's.

Overall, the researchers estimate that the seven factors potentially contribute to more than 17 million cases of Alzheimer's worldwide, or 250,000 in Britain. A 25 per cent reduction in all seven risk factors could prevent as many as three million cases.

In a report on the study, Laura Fratiglioni, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said none of the seven factors were proven to cause Alzheimer's but that "accumulated evidence from epidemiological research strongly supports a role for lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors." Large-scale trials to change these risk factors in populations at high risk, as has been done for heart disease, should now be implemented, she added.

 

14 July 2011

GE Healthcare to Form Coalition Targeting Neurodegenerative Diseases

The MIND Coalition will bring together influential organizations and individuals to help fill the gaps in the understanding and management of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Chalfont St Giles, UK — July 14, 2011 — Today GE Healthcare announced a new initiative called MIND — Making an Impact on Neurodegenerative Diseases — which aims to assist physicians in improving the detection, diagnosis and management of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease worldwide. To lead the initiative, GE Healthcare is forming the MIND Coalition, a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder body that will bring its influence to bear on this global epidemic.

The Coalition will help to identify gaps in current frameworks for detection, diagnosis and care of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, with particular emphasis on proposing and advocating for positive solutions: what can be improved for patients and caregivers, and how to reduce the cost of disease management in places heavily impacted by aging populations — starting with France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the United States.

“GE Healthcare is in a unique position to help people and societies deal with the increasing incidence of neurodegenerative diseases around the world,” said Pascale Witz, President and CEO, Medical Diagnostics at GE Healthcare. “By establishing the MIND Coalition, we are committing to making a difference by advancing clinical knowledge, driving new medical innovations, and developing solutions for age-related neurodegenerative diseases.”

One of the first tasks of the Coalition will be to develop a report that describes the current state of neurodegenerative disease management, and a call to action for healthcare providers, regulators, governments and payors.

Neurodegenerative diseases are currently the sixth leading cause of death in high-income countries, with 35.6 million people suffering from dementia worldwide. By 2030 this will increase to 65.7 million and to 115.4 million by 2050. The rising incidence of such diseases not only affects the health and well-being of sufferers and their loved ones, but has a tremendous economic impact. For people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the US, aggregate payments for healthcare, long-term care and hospice care are projected to rise from $183 billion in 2011 to $1.1 trillion in 2050.

About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.

For our latest news, please visit http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com/http://newsroom.gehealthcare.com

Virtual reality-based exercises to aid Parkinson's disease patients

From ANI

Washington, July 12: A new study has suggested that virtual reality (VR) and physical reality exercises can be used to provide effective stimuli to increase movement speeds in Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients.Investigators from the Departments of Occupational Therapy, Neurology, and Mechanical Engineering, the Institute of Education, and Allied Health Sciences, the National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, studied a group of 13 women and 16 men with PD who were age-matched against 14 women and 11 men without PD. Each participant was asked to reach for and grasp a stationary ball as quickly as possible. Then, moving balls were rolled down a ramp and the participants were asked to catch them when they reached a particular point on the ramp. When trying to catch the moving balls, the targets were visible for periods from 1.1 to 0.5 seconds. These trials were done in both normal physical reality and in a virtual reality environment.“This study contributes to the field of rehabilitation by providing evidence about how to manipulate task and environmental constraints to improve movement in persons with PD,” said lead investigator Hui-Ing Ma. "Specifically, this study shows how to manipulate VR scenarios to improve movement speed in persons with PD, while at the same time depicting their movement characteristics in VR,” he said. “Our study extends the previous findings of the moving target effect in physical reality to VR. Our findings suggest that with an appropriate choice of cueing speed, VR is a promising tool for offering visual motion stimuli to increase movement speed in persons with PD,” he added.The study will be published in the August issue of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com

• Articles

What predicts mortality in Parkinson disease?

A prospective population-based long-term study

1. E.B. Forsaa, MD,
2. J.P. Larsen, MD, PhD,
3. T. Wentzel-Larsen, MSc and
4. G. Alves, MD, PhD

+ Author Affiliations

1. From the Norwegian Center for Movement Disorders (E.B.F., J.P.L., G.A.) and Department of Neurology (E.B.F., G.A.), Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger; and Center for Clinical Research (T.W.L.), Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

1. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Elin Bjelland Forsaa, The Norwegian Center for Movement Disorders, Stavanger University Hospital, Box 8100, N-4068 Stavanger, Norway foeb@sus.no

Abstract

Objective: To identify independent risk factors of mortality in a community-based Parkinson disease (PD) cohort during prospective long-term follow-up.

Methods: A community-based prevalent sample of 230 patients with PD from southwestern Norway was followed prospectively with repetitive assessments of motor and nonmotor symptoms from 1993 to 2005. Information on vital status until October 20, 2009, was obtained from the National Population Register in Norway. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to identify independent predictors of mortality during follow-up. Chronological age, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor score, levodopa equivalent dose, probable REM sleep behavior disorder, psychotic symptoms, dementia, and use of antipsychotics were included as time-dependent variables, and age at onset (AAO) and sex as time-independent variables.

Results: Of 230 patients, 211 (92%) died during the study period. Median survival time from motor onset was 15.8 years (range 2.2–36.6). Independent predictors of mortality during follow-up were AAO (hazard ratio [HR] 1.40 for 10-years increase, p = 0.029), chronological age (HR 1.51 for 10-years increase, p = 0.043), male sex (HR 1.63, p = 0.001), UPDRS motor score (HR 1.18 for 10-point increase, p psychotic symptoms (HR 1.45, p = 0.039), and dementia (HR 1.89, p = 0.001).

Conclusions: This population-based long-term study demonstrates that in addition to AAO, chronological age, motor severity, and dementia, psychotic symptoms independently predict increased mortality in PD. In contrast, no significant impact of antipsychotic or antiparkinsonian drugs on survival was observed in our PD cohort. Early prevention of motor progression and development of psychosis and dementia may be the most promising strategies to increase life expectancy in PD.