Need Payoff Questions

Need Payoff Questions are questions asking about the value or usefulness of a proposed solution. The purpose of Need Payoff questions is:

• Focusing on the payoff of a solution instead of the problem
• Probing for Explicit Needs
• Getting the buyer to tell you the benefits of the solution

Definition

Asking about the value, importance or usefulness of a proposed solution:

• Need-payoff Questions are positive, helpful and constructuve, because they focus on the solution.
• They reduce objections, because they caus ebuyers to explain how your solutions can help and, in doing so, convince themselves of the value of your solution.
• They move the discussion forward towards action and commitments.

The three main functions of Need-payoff Questions are defined by The ICE system

Examples

• How much savings would this mean?
• Why is the important to solve this problem?
• Is there any other way this solution would help?
• If you had better reliability, wouldn't that cut waste and costs?
• How much would you save if we could speed this operation by 20 percent?
• How would our faster system help you?
• "Our system is easy to use" becomes: What advantages would you see from a system that could be used by untrained operators?
• "There is a very short setup time" becomes: If you could cut your present setup time with 50 percent what would that do with your output?
• "We have attractive lease times" becomes: Would it help your cash position iof you could get a new system without paying capital costs?

Impact

Versatile questions used by a great deal by top salespeople. Positive impact on customers who rate calls high in Need payoff questions as helpful and constructive. You can increase the power of need-payoff questions by asking questions that make the buyer actively specify pay offs. As an example take the following questions:

1. If i could help you save time on this operation would that be useful to you?
2. If i could help you save time on this operation what would that enable you to do what you can't do now?

An active thinking process extends the buyers explicit need into new pay off areas. Because buyers specified the pay-offs themselves, they will be more committed to your solution

High and low risk areas

High risk:

• Too early in the call
• When the buyers need is subjective, sometimes a buyer just likes your product and does not have a good motivation for it. Asking need-pay off question may help him/her realize this...

Low risk:

• The best time to ask need-payoff questions is:
  • Before describing your solution
  • After developing the seriousness of thye buyer's problem by using Implication Questions
• When the solution has payoffs in other areas,
• When the buyer has to justify the decision, for instance when the buyer is authorized but needs to motivate his/her decision internally in the company

Practical tips

• Use these questions to get buyers tell you about the benefits that your solution can offer|
• How phrase:
  • Use linking phrases : link your questions to your buyers statements or responses.
  • Use variety: Be clear and specific and avoid repetition of the same phrases.
  • Get the buyer to actively specify payoffs.
    • What important projects could you work on if you didn't have so much time on billing problems?
• Need-payoff questions help identifying Benefits
  • The buyer's attention is focussed on how the solution will help, not on product details
  • The buyer explaines the benefits to the seller, not vice versa
  • 'The buyers enthousiasm and confidence in your solution are increased