Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... HOW TO USE THIS BOO} ‘THE NEW MODEL OF SELLING...... Selling Era #1. Presenting. Telling Your Story. Using External Pressure: "Assuming the Sale’ Selling Era #2. Consultative Selling 7 Selling Era #3. Dielogue, ssn 9 WHAT NEPG QUESTIONS WILL DO FOR YOU. ‘THE 5 STAGES OF NEPQ ‘THE CONNECTION STAGE Connection Questions, NEP Connection Questions — In Action Inbound Leads. Connection Question Exampl Auto Industry (Outbound) ‘SaaS - For Associations (Inbound). 7 HVAC (In-Home Appointments) mau 7 sow BB Financial Services 82C (Inbound Lead on Zoom). 24 ‘THE ENGAGEMENT STAGE. Situation Questions NEPG Situation Questions — In Action, Situation Question Examples... Life Insurance... ss : Marketing Agency (Selling Leads to Real Estate Agents), Relationship Therapy/Psychologist/ Therapy Coaching wenn 30 Problem Awareness Questions i NEP@ Problem Awareness Questions — In Action. NEPQ Problem Awareness Two Truths... see 52 NEPG Problem Awareness Clarifying Questions 32 NEPG Problem Awareness Probing Questions. 33Problem Awareness Question Example: Financial Services. Staffing/Recrulting Agency, Real Estate Agents, Solution Awareness Questions NEPG Solution Awareness Questions — In Action wom 40 ‘Solution Awareness Question Examples Home Improvement... Staffing/Recruiting Agency, UL (Indexed Universal Lite) Real Estate: Buying Distressed Properties Solution Awareness Questions (Part 2) Fitness/Personal Trainer/Weight Loss/GYMS mu. Solar Health Insurance (B2C). Cyber Security. Consequence Questions NEPQ Consequence Questions — In Action. 49 Consequence Guestion Examples. Dental implants : Employee Benefits (B28) : Marketing Agency for Real Estate AGEN acenmnsnnnnnnann SY Car/Auto Dealerships _— : sl Solar (Residential) rons 52 (Cyber SeCUTity rennin ss Home Improvernent (Pool Sales) : 53 Relationship/Marriage Therapy/Coaching, eB THE TRANSITION STAGE... ‘Transition Questions. ‘THE PRESENTATION STAGE How To Present By Not “Presenting” . ‘THE COMMITMENT STAGE... NEPG Commitment Questions — In Action 6 Commitment Question Example: Culture/Recognition/Awards Industry (To Retain Top Employees), = son 3 Final Expense Insurance. Real Estate Agent. Vacuum Cleaners.NEPQ QUESTIONS BONUS SECTION. COLD CALLING INTRODUCTIONS. Personalized Intro — 30 SECOND COMMERCIAL. Cold Calling Question Examples... SaaS Platform for Recruiting Top Truck Drivers, a Healthcare Saas : ee 72 Pre-Situation Questions. 78 Past Situation Questions. . 74 NEP@ Questions To Start A Boardroom Meeting, 75 NEPQ Problem Awareness Questions (Expanded) 76 NEPQ Questions To Disrupt Vendor Relationships 78 NEPQ Questions About Your Potential Customers’ External Customers (Mainly 828) ae 79 NEPQ Precision Probing Questions (Expanded) 80 NEPQ Probing Questions — In Action. a4 NEPQ Decision-Making Questions NEPG Solution Awareness Questions (Expanded). NEP@ Consequence Questions (Expanded). NEP@ Funding/Budgeting Questions... ‘THE PROPOSAL PROCESS NEPG Qualifying Questions NEP@ Common Objections... NEPQ Resolving Questions NEPG Questions To Keep Customers CONCLUSION INDEX. ABOUT THE AUTHOR...OCCCCOCEE EOC OCC COCOCCOOCOCOCOCCOCCOCCOOOCCEOIntroduction This book has been 23 years in the making. | remember when | was 22 years old, barely making ends meet. We lived in a small, cramped basement, and my first daughter was on the way. No matter what I did, ! couldn't sell Listening to my sales managers didn't work, reading old sales books didn’t work— none of the traditional advice worked And | couldn't go to the bank and cash in excuses: “The leads aren't good.” “The economy is tanking right now." “People just don't want to buy.” So, the only option left? Figure it out, What you hold in your hands now is the end product of “figuring it out” over the last 23 years. It’s not just another sales training book built on opinions, hypotheticals, or what “should” work. This is a sales framework built from my experience in the trenches, selling in four different industries. I's built from my studies in human behavioral science and lessons learned from the most persuasive figures in history. It's been tested by sales professionals around the world and has yielded statistically significant results in 161 different industries~yes, including yours. But I know how salespeople think - and | know that no amount of proof will convince you until you've experienced it for yourself personally, So, let's stop wasting time and help you close more deals."Level How to Use This Book First, read through this book one time quickly. This will help you understand the 5 Stages of Neuro- Emotional Persuasion Questioning (NEPQ) and how NEPQ is radically different from boiler room selling, consultative selling, or any other traditional framework. ‘Once you've done the first skim through, keep the book (on your desk as reference material Whenever you get stuck on a specific part of your call, flip to the relevant section and test out a new question from the book. You'll be pleasantly surprised at the reactions you get. In this book, we provide generic examples as well as a few industry-specific examples so you can see the nuances between each industry, Forbes recently announced there are 163 industries We looked through the 563,000 sales reps we've trained, and there were only two industries we didn't cover: salt mining and another industry so obscure | forgot what it is Even though my last name is Miner, we can’t help miners out. But if you're in any other industry, there’s a good chance we've trained sales professionals in your industry. To keep this book from being 34,598 pages long, we only provide a few industry-specific examples for each section, For more advanced, industry-specific training, scan any QR code found throughout this book, and it'll take you to a resource page specifically for Black Book owners. As a tip, you might want to keep this book hidden somewhere so your coworkers don't see it—that way, you can keep your competitive edge. ;) Let's get into it. ‘The NEPO™ Black Book of Questions Scan the QR code or visit: nepqblackbook.com/ resources NEPQBLACK BOOK RESOURCES To help further your sales training, we put together a resources page. ‘Simply scan the QR code or visit the link and you'll find @ page where you can access the training portal for Black Book owners. You'll also be able to ask for help from one of our NEPG experts - and see how we might adapt NEPQ to your industry and what you sell We're here to help. IOO000D) OOOTHE | New Model | of Selling ‘What exactly is the Now Model of Selling? : Before we get into that, we need to revisit the three main “Eras of Selling,” their unique modes of communication, and how they impact the way sales professionals currently soll. Each era has its own approach to persuasion. Most salespeople are stuck in the first two eras of selling, - and they're not even aware of it - costing them deals they could have closed, But once you enter the third era of selling, that's where the magic happens. Let's start with the first era."Level Selling Era #1 When you hear the words “boiler-room Selling,” what first comes to mind? Do you think about the “Wolf of Wall Street” type of selling? (Or maybe you thought about that famous quote “always be closing”? (Or maybe you just imagined a salesperson pressure selling a prospect by talking fast and loud, Whatever came to mind, it’s likely the type of selling that goes something like this: “This is perfect for you!” “Hey, | got a great opportunity for you!” “Our company is the best at XYZ. We've been rated #1 for X amount of years in a row!” Then, we talk about the features and benefits of what we do. Then we push and tell them why they need to buy ~ or why they need to go with you! We are the least persuasive when we tell people things or attempt to dominate them, posture them, manipulate them, or push them into doing something that we want them to do, It’s just like if you tell your spouse or your teenager that they really need to do something for you, and you push them. How do they typically respond? They push back, right? That right there is human behavior 101. Here are a fow examples of the least persuasive ways to sell: ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of QuestionsPresenting We are all taught to have a great sales presentation: 'Here’s a picture of our corporate office, of our company awards, of our Triple-A Rating’ with the Better Business Bureau” ~ and show Prospective clients how great our services and products are. Included in this are the 60 to 90-minute pitch decks (ie, "We have the best this!” “We have the best that!"). Meanwhile, doesn't every sales professional say they have the best product or service? Or that they're the #1 market leader? How many sales professionals you know will tell you their product or service is the Sth best in the market? NO ONE DOES! They all say they are the best or have the best! ‘The result is that your prospects trust you less when you make those exaggerated claims (or if you talk badly about your competitors). ‘Why? Because they are used to every sales professional that's ever tried to sell them anything saying exactly the same things! Note, too, that the data suggests the longer you present, the less persuasive you become. In fact, the most persuasive presentations take up 10% or less of the entire sales process, ‘One of the main reasons sales professionals struggle to close deals (especially when there are multiple stakeholders involved) is simply because they spend too much time presenting, Later on in this book, we'll dive into what to do instead, and how to “present without presenting.” ‘Tho New Modelof Selling Telling Your Story hate to have to be the one to tell you this: but your prospects don't care about you. They don't care about your company values ‘They don't care about your customer service awards... And they definitely don’t care about how your founder bootstrapped the company during the Great Depression. So, what do they care about? Solving their problems. in some cases, problems they don’t even realize they have, and it becomes your job to help uncover those problems (and provide solutions), We'll show you how to do that later as well Using External Pressure There is a massive difference between “external pressure” and “internal tension.” External pressure is imposed on the prospect by the salesperson when they tell the prospect what to believe and think, Internal tension is created when the sales professional asks the right questions with the right tonality - allowing the prospect to develop their own beliefs and thoughts about the problem. When we force conclusions onto prospects, they will reject them. However, when prospects come to their own conclusions, not only will they accept them, they will fight for them.Level “Assuming the Sale” Have you ever heard the saying that “sales is a numbers game? Maybe you heard it from a colleague, your sales manager, or even from a self proclaimed “sales expert. What they're basically saying to you is: “This sales process doesn’t really work. ‘So, you're gonna just have to work harder. Call more leads. Clock more hours.” But think about it How can that type of training give you a competitive advantage over anyone else? Truth is - it cannot. Unfortunately, sales will be a numbers game for you if you use traditional selling techniques. Why? Because traditional methods will trigger many of your prospects to enter fight or flight mode, where they will try to get rid of you. Or worse, cause them to shut down. emotionally. They stay surface level with you, only to get to the end of the conversation and get the all-too-common “This looks great, but | need some time to think it over.” At which point, you never hear from them again, sending you into “chase mode,” am | right? HOLY MOTHER OF MARY, let’s STOP the MADNESS! Now, let's talk about the second mode of communication, called consultative selling. The NEPQ™ Black Book of QuestionsSelling Era #2 Consultative Selling Consultative selling became popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s with methodologies put forward by Sandler Institute and books like Neil Rackham's SPIN Selling. Rackham was a college professor (and a great academic) who taught how to ask logical questions to find the needs of the prospect. Compared to boiler-room sales tactics, consultative selling techniques seemed revolutionary. But the downfall of this approach? When you only ask logical, surface-level questions like. ‘What's the #1 challenge you're facing?” “What are two things keeping you up at night?” “if you waved @ magic wand and could solve the problem, what would that look like?” What kind of answers do you think you're going to get? Logical, surtace-level answers. And let me ask you, do people buy on logic or emotion? Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People, says: “When dealing with people, we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity." This is why you should never sell to just the needs of the client. ‘The New Model of Selling It bears repeating: ‘You should never sell to what your prospect, thinks they need - because the truth is, most of your prospects don't really understand what they need when you first talk to them, Imagine waking up with a terrible migraine that just won't go away. You think to yourself, “Maybe | should go to urgent care and get some medicine,” which makes sense, right? Next, you start thinking about your budget: “$75 co-pay... Maybe $25 after insurance for the medication... Great! | just need $100 to solve my problem..." But then you meet with the doctor, who starts asking you some very pointed questions about your migraine. “What does the pain fee! like?” “Is the pain focused in a specific area?” “How long have you had the pain?” “What is the pain doing to you?" “What is the pain preventing you from being able to do?” These questions begin to stir up some major internal tension; you start to suspect that you might have a much bigger problem than you originally thought you had! And so this is why you can never sell to just the needs of the prospect. You have to sell to the real problems that your uestioning ability and tonality help them find—problems they might not realize they have. ‘Are you with me? Now, let's look at some examples of consultative questions that trigger resistance."Level 4A “What are you looking for ina solution?” Once again, it’s just a surface-level question You have to learn how to go far deeper than that if you want to pull out their emotions and create genuine urgency in the sale. &é “What sort of budget do you have for this type of thing?” [asked early inthe conversation) Here is the problem: early in the conversation, they don't even know what their real problems are yet, so how can they possibly know what budget they need to solve them? Instead, shift it to this - this is an example of a NEPG Qualifying question. “What type of funds do you have ‘or have access to so you can financially protect Cindy and the kids when you do pass away?” tyou Notice | just tied in them getting the funds to the end result, which in this case is financially protecting Cindy and the kids. Use it later on in the conversation after you have helped them find problems they didn’t know they had. Let's move onto the next example of a surface level question. ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions 4 “Who besides you will be involved in the decision?” Most of your prospects will not just magically open up to you if you ask questions this way. It’s far too surface- level. Instead, ask it this way: “How does your spouse feel about you getting coverage so she’s financially protected when you pass and doesn’t have to go get a second job to pay for the mortgage?” Ait you're selling mortgage insurance) This is an example of a NEP Situation Question. Watch how they open up to you when you ask it that way. Remember, if you use the same type of questions that every salesperson who's trying to sell them is using, you'll sound like what? You’ sound like everyone el This could be a major problem if your prospect sees you as just another salesperson trying to stuff your solution down their throat.Selling Era #3 Dialogue Dialogue is the foundation for the New Model of Selling and involves Neuro- Emotional Persuasion Questioning (NEPQ). ‘We are the most persuasive when we get others to pull us in and persuade themselves, So, how do you get your prospects to persuade and sell themselves and PULL you in? That's the trillion-dollar question. Do you want to acquire that skill? How much easier would selling be for you if you could get prospects to do all the work? Get your prospects to pull you in. Get your prospects to sell themselves... Get your prospects to overcome their own objections. ‘The Now Modelof Selling How much more commission would you make than you are now with that skill set? I can't tell for sure - but for most sales professionals, it would be a considerable amount. ‘So how do you do this? How do you get prospects to do all the work? Do you just show up and give your prospects permission to persuade themselves? Do you say, "Hey, Mr. Prospect, go ahead and persuade yourself. By the way, what's your bank info?” No, of course not. You have to learn specific skilled questions, when to ask them, and how to ask them Ina step-by-step structure,"Level AIDA Model “Old Model” ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions NEPQ becseeten', “New Model” 10% ent Neods 0% BulsRapcor/ Tat It’s this delicate fusion of skilled questions, timing, and tonality that will get your prospects to pull you in and sell themselves rather than you trying to do it. So now we've covered the three eras of selling, ask yourself where you are at. Are you a boiler-room salesperson? Are you a consultative salesperson? Or are you a dialogue-based sales professional? It’s okay if you're not where you want to be right now, that's what this book is for. Before we move further, | want to make an. important distinction. 88% Emgagerortd Siting mmm 5% Conminent When | talk about using NEPQ questions, Pm not referring to questions that are designed to get people to say what you want them to say. ‘That's what average salespeople do. The questions I'm referring to are questions that are intended to bring out your prospect's inner truths (ie., their emotions) They are intended to get a human being into their emotional state - so it causes them to want to open up to you and go below the surface. That's what NEPG is all about.‘What NEPQ Questions Will De For You What NEPQ Questions Will Do For You Let's quickly lock at what NEPG Questions (aka the New Model of Selling) will do for you. First, these questions help your prospects analyze and diagnose their problems, their root causes, and how these problems have affected them personally. They also help uncover what their problems are, if any, and find out if they want to change their situation. NEPQ Questions engage your prospects ‘emotionally, making them feel like they're part of the process. When you listen to their answers, and then go further with deeper questions, they will feel understood, respected, and validated, Traditional sales questions make people fee! like they are in a job interview (or worse, being interrogated) - and they tend to close up. NEPG questions make sales conversations feel like having coffee with a close friend - allowing for an open, honest conversation between you and the prospect. NEPQ Questions internally persuade your prospect— because in answering these, they not only tell you what their problems are, why they have those problems (what caused them), and how these problems are affecting them - but most importantly, they are telling themselves! ""Level Here's how the process works: Your prospect begins to consciously and subconsciously internalize what they are saying to you. ‘Their answers help them look at - and challenge - their beliefs as to why they keep allowing their present situation to continue. In doing so, their answers can give them a different perspective on why they keep. allowing their problem to happen. They experience a very powerful internal motivator that makes them automatically feel like changing their situation and taking action NOW - instead of ‘someday: When you ask the right NEPQ questions at the right time in the conversation, you don't have to try to persuade them anymore because your questions help your prospects persuade themselves! Just ask the skilled questions that | will give you access to and then listen to their responses. You might be pleasantly shocked at how simple this process is. Most importantly, NEPQ questions put you In complete control of the conversation, not for power or manipulation, but for you to keep the sales conversation on the right path. In summary, NEPQ Questions empower your potential customers to get in touch with their emotions about their present circumstances and want to do something about them. They will want to change, and they will want to make that change with you. They now view you as a trusted authority. It's similar to 2 good doctor; he or she does not just walk in the room and give the patient a prescription (their solution) without first asking questions about the problem, what caused it, and how it's affecting that patient, right? ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Because if that doctor did, they'd be making assumptions (most likely the wrong ones) since it's the patient who knows their own. symptoms. However, they might not know the solution to their problem, but the doctor will Since the doctor takes the time to ask skilled questions and listen, the patient feels like they are part of the process. This being the case, the patient will more than likely accept the prescription (solution) the doctor gives them, Add this approach to how you sell, and you'll notice prospects will start to regard you as the authority and NOT the adversar You'll also start to see that prospects will want to work with you to overcome their ‘own concerns. And at the end, you'll notice they are more likely to accept what you are offering, What else do questions do? NEPQ Questions engage your prospects emotionally, making them feel like they're part of the process. Your questions will open up your prospects to really think about the consequences and how they'll be affected if they do nothing to solve their problems. Here's another thing NEPG Questions do. NEPQ Questions create value in your expertise and in the product/service youoffer. By asking the right questions at the right time in the conversation, you automatically create value in who you are and what you represent. Your prospects will buy into you first, and the strength of how much you understand them will come from listening to their answers. Here's how this could look. JD ID )RCo at /ou sell fra and you set up at a trade show. Someone comes up ‘and asks you to tell them more about 4 of going int pitch, first find out why they asked. Briefly answer the question with your Personalized Introduction. By the way, an NEPQ Personalized Introduction is w three generic proble ith their ind “Well, you know how a lot of people nowadays are finding it harder to get by with corporate downsizing, lack of job security, and higher cost of living? We help people set up their own franchise businesses so they can start taking care of themselves, their families, and have more control.” What should you do nex! immediately with an NEPQ “What do you do for a living yourself?”"Level Now, you're in a two-way conversation. You start by asking them NEPG Situation Questions about what they are presently doing, how long they have been doing it, what they like, what they don’t like about it, and how they feel about it. If you know the right skilled questions to ask them at the right time in the conversation, they will look very seriously at changing their situation. This is what | mean by NEPG Questions creating value in you and what you sell. Never assume they are looking to start their ‘own business just because they approached you. Instead, find out what they are looking for by asking what problems they have, if any, why they have those problems, what those problems are doing to them, and whether or not they want to change their situation, Now, there are a few more ways that NEPQ. Questions can help you out. NEPQ Questions get prospects to become opento your ideas. You can make suggestions like— ° “What if it wasn’t what you thought it was? Would you be ‘open to looking at it from another Perspective?” “4 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Oh, and you're really going to like this next one: NEP@Q Questions help your prospects ‘overcome their own concerns (aka objections). This is key if you want to be a top 1% earner in your industry. ‘When faced with a prospect who has a concern, instead of handling it with a rebuttal like you would an objection, address the concern by asking questions. ‘Seek to get behind the concern so that you can understand Keep asking skilled questions to help them ‘come up with their own solution to overcome their own concern ‘One simple thing you can do right now is to turn your statements into question: Instead of telling your prospects about what you know and what you have. ‘Ask questions that will uncover and explore what they know about the subject first. If you tell your prospects your solution outright, you are the one who owns the problem and the solution - not your prospect. ‘The result is your potential customer is far less attached. ‘Telling’ is far less persuasive. (On the other hand, when you ask questions, they're immersed in the process and will start to own their own problems along with a need to solve the problems.The people you speak with will start saying things like: "Gosh, why do | keep putting off buying XYZ?" “Why do | keep investing my money with this firm? Maybe | should look at what this guy is going over with me... Maybe | could probably get a higher return?” “Why do | keep commuting to work an hour each way when I could be like this lady working from my home?” “Wow, why do I keep advertising my business this way when I could be getting leads that have higher conversions for my sales team?” They will keep questioning themselves. What's preventing me from doing this? What's holding me back?" They will question why they allow themselves to stay in that same situation—at which point they'll begin to seriously think about doing something to change their situation. They will start to persuade themselves to be ready to make that change now—not next week, month, or year. So, let me ask you this: Which form of persuasion Is more powerful? ‘When your prospect persuades themselves to want to make a change with you? Or when, you try to persuade them to make a change with you? I think you know the answer by now. ‘When someone persuades themselves, they're internally motivated—and for their ‘own reasons, There's a big difference between internal and external motivation. ‘What NEPQ Questions Will Do For You While external motivations wear off, like water drying off quickly after taking a shower, internal motivation never dios. So, later in the sales conversation, after you've listened. That's when you can suggest that you might know of a solution that could take care of their problems or help them get where they want to go. ‘Would most of your potential customers be open to listening to you? Of course, they will, and you know what? A very interesting thing will happen: your prospect will like you Prospects will start calling you back and chasing you rather than you chasing them, The reason for this is you have become what | call a “trusted authority” in their eyes. Because for the first time in a long time, they know that you are genuinely interested in them and what they are looking for. You're not just another salesperson trying to stuff your solution down their throat, Now, how does this look in action? It's based on the 5-stage NEP@ structure. Turn the page, and I'll show you how it works. 5Reva The NEPC™ Black Book of Questions The 5 Stages of NEPQ. Also known as Neuro Emotional Persuasion Questioning. The Connection Stage Connection Questions Transition Questions STAGE 2 STAGE 4 The Engagement The Presentation Stage Stage Situation Questions Feedback | Agreement t ronstrates how the specif TAGE 5 is affecting them The Commitment Solution Awareness Questions ¢ what their futu Stage Commitment Questions them commit & take t Consequence Questions F 1 Qualifying QuestionsBicone ones The 5 Stages of NEPQ STAGE! The Connection Stage ‘The Connection Stage covers what to say when you first connect with a prospect. It involves asking “Connection Questions.” Connection Questions The purpose of Connection Questions is. well... to connect with your prospect. They are designed to disarm the prospects - not alarm the prospects, like most salespeople do when they get into “sales mode”, Within the first 7-12 seconds of every sales interaction, your prospects are subconsciously picking up on your verbal and non-verbal cues, triggering their brain to react in one of two ways: If you come across as aggressive, needy, 1 and attached, and you don't know the right questions to ask, it triggers your prospect's brain to go into fight or flight mode. This is where they try to get rid of you fast and say things like: “Vm too busy now.” “Can you call me back later?” “1 don’t need it; we already have that.” Especially when you are calling aged leads (i.e, leads that other salespeople are also calling), you will trigger them quickly if you don't disarm them from the start. If you come across as neutral, calm, and detached—and ask the right questions— it triggers their brain to become so curious that they feel they have to engagt ‘Suddenly, they want to open up to you as you might have something very important to them. As sales professionals, we have to come across as detached from the ‘expectations of making the sale. Instead, we need to refocus on whether ‘our prospects have problems that we can actually solve. Now, do | mean that you should get on a call and NOT make sales? No. Heck no, Your goal is to make a sale on every call, but only for the people you can actually help. The moment they feel like they are being sold Is the moment they shut down. ‘So what does it look like? Let's take a look at NEP@ Connection Questions in action."Level NEPQ Connection Questions — In Action Remember, NEPQ Connection Questions take the focus off you, put it on them, and help lower their guard, Here are a few generic examples of connection questions in action: Have you found what you're wanting, or are you still looking for...? When you talked with , what was it that you guys talked about that caused 10 wanna look into this further?” When you saw the ad that was going over what was it they were talking ‘about... that caused you to want to... look into this further? Throughout this book, you'l find ellipses in our eee eee el ree coe Coa they See a lowing down, it naturally causes th eee en ee Rt rere eo) tell you their real problems, and how thei eee te This builds internal tension inside of prospect ch is important late For more examples, sean one of the GR eee ee ents eet et 8 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Now, the scripts differ depending on whether you're engaging with outbound or inbound leads. Outbound Leads The following are generic examples so you can see the structure for outbound leads, which in our mind means a prospect has maybe put in their name, email, and phone number. Maybe they responded to an ad and asked someone to call them back. But they don’t know who Is calling them or when. So, the beginning of the call might sound like this: io Hey | Prospect Name |; this is just Your Name |. with Your Company |-- It looks like you recently responded to anadon and asked us to call you... about possibly helping you with | And I just had a few minutes before my next appointment... I guess | should start off by asking you, have you found what you're looking for, or are you still looking for...{ [repeat back the end result] |? Eanes you ‘And do you know what you're... looking for? JONIIVONNNIDO 1 0009009099009 00959090900900099Pee ory You ‘So when you saw the ad, what was it they were going through...that caused you to... wanna look Into this further? Soe EE + |g status eran | Now, this call is pretty basic; it’s really more for us to find out about what you're using now, what results you're getting, compared to what you might be wanting, to see what that GAP looks like. ‘And towards the end of the call, if you feel like It... “might be”... what you're looking for, we can talk about “possible” next steps. Would that help you? eee eos fone enero and authority on the call - that way. you don't ere eer er eens eee ee ers Piece nee>” Level ‘The NEPQ™Black Book of Questions Here’s another variation of the script you could use for an outbound lead: a Hey Prospect Name, this is just Your Name... with Your Company it looks like you recently responded to an ad asking us to call you back about looking at getting possible help with so that you could [repeat back the end result] |, right? PROSPECT RESPONDS. Hey, when you went through the ad and saw what was it about the ad/ (ho) that attracted your attention? And do ever they found you) you know what you're... looking for? PROSPECT RESPONDS. EDIE ¢ (status Frane Now, this call is pretty basic; It’s really more for us to find out about what you're using now, what results you're getting, compared to what you might be wanting, to see what that GAP looks like. Towards the end of the call, if you feel like it might be what you're looking for, we can talk about possible next steps. Would that help you? 20Inbound Leads Inbound leads are prospects that have booked on your calendar, and you might be meeting them on Zoom, or you could be calling them, or you might be meeting thom. at their home or office. It’s a scheduled appointment, You Hey Prospect Nam« this Is Just “You Name ...with Your Company It looks like you recently booked on our calendar... about possibly getting help with [their problem] so that you can [repeat back the end result), right? ee you ae So when you went through the ad where XYZ was talking What was it about what they were saying that caused you to... wanna look into this further? ae © ( staTus FRane | Now, this call is pretty basic; it’s really more for us to find out about what you're using now, what results you're getting, compared to what you're wanting, to see what that GAP looks like. ‘And towards the end of the call, if you fee! like It... “it might be"... what you're looking for, we can talk about “possible” next steps. Would that help you? ‘The Connection Stage ‘And what were you hoping to get ‘out of the call with us today, just so we have a better understanding Now. you're going to get different responses here, and depending on how they respond, you will determine what Connection Question to ask next. Again, this is outside the scope of this Black Book. All the different responses and scenarios are in our virtual training platform for clients, which you can access by reaching out to us should you want advanced training that’s customized for your industry and what you sell So, we've included a few examples of industry-specifie questions to keep the book to an appropriate length. a"Level Connection Questions Example Ce ea) ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Connection Questions Example You Hi, Is Prospect Name there? Hey Prospect Name , yea... it’s just* Gor amet | ata Teppasy Maa fates reer icoka tha you tnaponiia t'h aco Facebook this morning about possibly looking at that... Red 2022 AG Audi, right? The word “just” Implles that they should already know you ‘Yea, we just got that car on a trade-in that you were looking at; what aspects of the car, | guess... caused you to maybe... want to test drive it? ‘Aww, okay, and do you know what type of vehicle you might be looking for... besides the red Audi... just in case It’s already gone... by the time you could get down here to look at it?** This builds urgency; the car could be gone soon. 22 Ce ee ee It looks like you booked with us to look at possible outside help with your awards program and automate that process, right? Ea So when you were talking to. what was it you guys were going over that caused you to want to look into this further? [ety ¢ | © status FRAME | ‘Aww, and Just so you know... these first calls are pretty basic... it’s really more for us to understand what you're doing to manage the (program/process) now.. the results you're getting from that. compared to what you might really be wanting... to see what that GAP looks like... And then, towards the end, if you feel like this... might be... what you're looking for, we can talk about “possible” next steps. Would that help you?eeu sue. sears Ce eee Okay, so it looks like one of our technicians, | [Technician Name] |, was just recently out here... and you scheduled about possibly looking at upgrading your heating/cooling system to get your air circulating bettor in the = So when you were talking to | [Technician | Hamel! when he was out here looking tho alr conditioning to ool upstairs what was t about what he you to want to look into thie further? Sean © [ STATUS FRAME better ‘Aww, okay, yea and really, the purpose of us coming over is to really find out more about the equipment you have now... and how it’s cooling the home and upstairs area... compared to what you need it to do... to see what that GAP might look like. ‘And then before | leave, if you feel that, hey, this “might” be what you're looking for, we can talk about “possible” next steps, ‘Would that help you guys? 23Pt Level The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Connection Questions Example ~ @ Financial Services 82¢ © Inbound Lead on Zoom You Hi [ Prospect Name |, can you hear me? Can you see me? Ean you Okay, it looks like you had booked on the calendar about possible outside help with your retirement planning and 401k options... to get a higher rate of return. Right? Eanes 7 ‘Aww, okay, now it looks like you spoke with my associate the other day... I guess what was it that you guys talked about with her that caused ya... to maybe wanna... look into this further? [ @ STATUS FRAME ‘Aww, Ise, and | would say the first Part of this call is pretty basic; it’s really more for us to understand... kinda what you're doing now to save for retirement and the results you have been getting. compared to maybe what you want them to be... to see what that gap looks like. ‘And then, towards the end of the call, if you fee! like, “Hey, this “might” be what you're looking for, we can talk about “possible” next steps. Would that help you? 24 Eee co ‘And what were you hoping to get out of the call with us today, just so I have a better understanding? PROSPECT RESPONDS. ri or ‘Oh yea, yea, I'll go through all the different options for sure. It really all depends on your age, your income when you want to retire, and what your expenses look like. Once we understand all those details, I can go over all the different options we have for our clients. Would that help you? When you've asked the Connection Questions, you can then move on to the Engagement Stage.The 5 Stages of NEPQ Continued) STAGE 2 THE Engagement Stage Situation Questions ‘These questions will be the foundation ‘on which you'll build your entire sales conversation, Situation Questions will allow you to get facts about your prospect’s current situation. Remember: We have to help them find out their real situation because most of your prospects don't know what their problems are until you help uncover them. Situation Questions have a two-fold purpose 4 They help us understand thelr current situation. D They also help your prospect discover problems they might be unaware of. ‘Once you establish a foundation in the prospect's mind of what their situation is, you can then start building a gap from where they are now to where they want to be, Typically, in most industries, gap-building starts with asking NEPQ Problem Awareness Questions (more on this later). That being said, within some industries (such as insurance), you can even start building the gap when asking NEPG Situation Questions. In general, Situation Questions are most effective when used as a fact-finding strategy, Remember, these help both you and the prospect understand what their real situation is, Most prospects don't even know what their real situation is when you first start talking to them, If you cannot help them see their real situation, then it's impossible to build a GAP from where they are to where they want to be. NEP@Q Situation Questions — In Action Here are some examples. What are you doing now? What are you using now? How long have you been..? What got you involved with...? What does their process look like..? How many do they have? Can you walk me through what you're doing now to.. How are you doing XYZ now? Can you walk me through » What your process is for.Level ‘Now, do you do A, B, or C? Okay, and what type of do you have now, just so | understand? How many, have more context? do you have so! Your: can you tell mea little bit more about those? You mentioned in your application that you're having some issues with __. Can you tel me a little bit ‘more about that? What are you doing now to get ‘so I have more background? Now, obviously, you wouldn't ask this many questions - these are just generic examples you can choose from. Usually, you'd ask just 3 or 4 ina sales conversation. When you've felt you have a good understanding of their situation, you can move on to the next stage. The following are Situation Questions you would ask in the general life insurance or final expense industry - remember, these are questions that come AFTER Connection, Questions: 26 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Situation Questions Example [eed If they have inferred they don’t have Bec aud (euro It doesn’t sound like you have life insurance now... do you have any savings, stocks, or like when something does happen to you... like what would be used to pay [insert what they said they wanted to cover in connection] for the mortgage, the car payments, credit card debt, funeral services, and ALL the BILLS and EXPENSES; what would be used to pay for all that?" “Verbal pace this question out. Eons ‘And who would be the person responsible for having to like. Go in, sit down, and actually meet the funeral director and have to plan and pay for everything? PROSPECT RESPONDS You pocket, or... would they have to get a loan and have to pay all the interest and stuff?** “Use a concerned tone for this question,Situation Questions Example (continu Footer If they say: “I’m not sure.” “Act confused and concerned" ‘Would they have that saved up for - something unexpected like that or... would they just.. end up being | forced to get a loan and have to pay payments with all the interest for a few years or something like that? If they have mentioned other coverage Now you mentioned that you had ‘Insert amount of coverage” else, if anything, do you have there, like any 401ks, stocks, or other assets that would be passed down when something does happen to you? 5 what ; Eee Now, do you want to financially protect all your asets so. [Family Member] doesnt have to 90 and get a second Job and can stl etre on time, oF that do you want todo fr them? And who would be the person responsible for having to like... Go in, sit down, and actually meet the funeral director and plan and pay for everything? ROE EY And is that a policy that will last forever like a whole life policy, or wil eventually expire? How much are they making you pay just to have that coverage? ‘Aww, and when you originally got this policy, what made you decide to go with it vs another option? 2Level ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Situation Questions Example Cea Cad Sei Coy (Selling Leads To Real Estate Agents) er Teas Te a eee ere eee Cane eee eee REL Re a Walk me through it. What are you doing now to bring in new leads to get new listings? Arenas Setar teen sneer ace eons rence! Reece You ear ae How long have you been doing that for? PROSPECT RESPONDS... You So what caused you to go that route rather than | [repeat other advertising alternatives, social media platforms, direct mall, ete. |? Ean You ‘And what Is the average home price in your area? Eon ‘You ‘Aww, and how many leads are you getting on average per month? eas you What about referrals?Situation Questions Example ( Ea hm getting, on average, 60 leads a month. And how many listings are you getting on average every month from those. leads? Ean 3 listings ‘And how many are actually closing? Ee 2 closes Only 27" “Uso a confused/concerned tone here ns So, if you're getting 60 leads a month, what do you feel is causing you to only et three listings from those? | | | | | | | ‘The Engagement Stage Eun eat b Datei eT aeee een How many closings do you feel you could get every month if you had 60 leads 2 ‘month, but they were of a much higher quality, meaning really interested buyers? Okay, s0 six closings a month. And what is your average commission per property? Around 8k a home, right? Eanes ‘So what's the math on that? Do you have your phone? So if you are losing on average four closings a month X 8k each, ‘what is the math on that? Let them add it up on the phone while you add it on the phone, agers lies assur as noon in commision you should be nating Pioneers tennean Do you want to change that? 29Level ‘The NEPQ” Black Book of Questions Situation Questions Example @ Relationship Therapy/Psychologist/Therapy Coaching you So, | was reading your application form, and you mentioned that you are having some Issues with | [potential Issue(s): connection, intimacy, resentment, ‘communication, etc.] with your husband. an Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Ean co What else is going on? Peas ‘What are you doing now to try to resolve the | [potential issue(s): connection, intimacy, resentment, communication, etc.] | with your husband? ae you ‘And how long have you been doing that for? 30 Ean you Anything else you're doing? Ceo You hm curious doing that? hat got you involves After asking the relevant situational questions, you'll move into asking Problem Awareness Questions.Problem Awareness Questions Problem Awareness Questions help you better understand what your prospect's real problems are, the root causes of these problems, and how these problems are negatively affecting them. As you ask Problem Awareness Questions, you build the gap from where your prospect is now to where they want to be, Conventional sales wisdom tells us to be problem solvers. Except that ‘being a problem solver’ is Rot enough to give you a competitive advantage over other reps who are also working at selling the same prospects. Problem-solving only really happens after they buy the policy from you and you actually solve their problems. Te stand out and get that competitive advantage, you have to be a problem-finder. After all, you must find problems before you can solve them, And you find problems by asking the right questions, at the right time, with the right tonality, It’s essential to realize that most of your Prospects don’t even know they have problem when they first talk to you. If we can't help them find problems and have them emotionally engage with those problems, it’s impossible for them to feel any need or urgency to buy from us. Let's see NEPQ Problem Awareness Questions in action. The Engagement Stage NEPQ Problem Awareness Questions — In Action Remember, Problem Awareness Questions help you and the prospect understand what their real problems are, the root cause of these problems, and how they're affecting them or will affect them, These questions help answer the following: 1 Do they like their present situation? Oct tia ee ee You will ask as many of these questions as needed. On average, it's usually 3-4 questions, but sometimes a few more, depending on the answers you receive. Do you like what you're. Do you like what you...? ‘Do you want to... What makes you feel like [Current Provider/Product}’s not enough, though? aLevel NEPQPROBLEM AWARENESS Two Truths Two Truths is an expansion on the Problem Awareness stage - and you should only use this if you need it Nobody likes 100% of what they do or have, so we use the “Two Truths” to probe and understand which parts of their situation they'd be open to change. Generic example: So, to me, it sounds like things are going 100% perfect for you. Is there anything you would change about your [present situation] |, results you're getting from that if you... if you could? ee co So I'm curious: what is it about your that you don’t like? Ean you Why would you change that? Ean You Why is that important to you now, though? 32 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions NEPQPROBLEM AWARENESS: Clarifying Questions When prospects start to realize that their current situation isn’t optimal or that they're willing to make a change. Clarifying questions are a great way to help, them expand on reasons for why making a change is a good decision. If they expand on what they don't like about their current situation: Oh, what do you mean by that? Can I ask what you mean when you said. What do you mean by that? 'm not sure | quite understand? When you said... Could you expand on that for me? So do you mean that Let me see if | understand what you want/what you're saying... |NEPQ PROBLEM AWARENESS, Probing Questions We call this “Precision Probing.” Prospects tend to give general and vague answers around the most important issues... this is why we interject with Probing Questions to get specific and targeted answers. Here’s a general example of how the sequence of questions might sound after they tell you a problem they have: you How long has that been going on? Eicoies Zr - Has that had... has that had an impact on you? Eas ZI) In what way, though? Sos You You don't sound so sure about it... what don’t you like? aoe ‘The Engagement Stage you ‘Okay, well, let’s do this just so I can see the rationale behind why you might be looking for {what they said they wanted] . PROSPECT RESPONDE But besides {reason #1] and [reason #2] [plug in what they have already told you]... what's the main reason why you might be looking [your product/service]... rather than. [repeat back alternative] ? 33Level Fee ey eeu Questions Example © Financial Services The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions ay Questions Example Eee err ee So, with the retirement strategies you have now... do you... do you LIKE... the returns you have been getting? Make sure you use a verbal pause with this type Cf question; that is what the periods between the Ea YOU What do you lke about it? PROSPECT RESPONDS. you So, to me, It sounds like things are going 100% perfect for you. What would you change if you could? east Simic aamics Well, we like them, but it's not 100% perfect. You Not 100% perfect? Watch how they respond at that point. 34 BME et You've been posting jobs on Linkedin PROSPECT RESPOND! om ‘So you've had your internal recruiter ‘working on this for the last few months... Iimean... What’s caused you to feel like they're not getting you the right people? PROSPECT RESPONDS or So you've been working with these two for the last | four years ... Then continue with these Problem Awareness questions. Do you... do you “like ..the quality/ results you've been getting?* Eanee eek Ti) Pee fern dcomtatee)) oid “«skeptical/concerned tone) ‘What are your bosses saying to you? What don't you like’ They’re not delivering. on Not delivering? ces i an you give me some specific examples of when that happene Besides you, who else in your department does this impact right now? What happens if this stays the same.. i How long do you think they're going to give you... to get it fixed. ce What happened when they were trying to fill it with. those inexper How often does this happen? snced people ? ane How does that... impact you when this happens? ae 1 35Level LE Se ey oo) ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Lee Questions Example Ps Now, if the prospect is vague and not ‘opening up, you can use the Two Truths. Here's an example: You ‘Those are some fairly decent agenci or fairly good job boards |... are you 100% satisfied with the quality or the time it's taking them to find the candidates? Ean a Not 100% satisfied? Ea You ‘Well, just so | can see the rationale, but besides wanting to get a more skilled, dedicated employee to grow the company, what's the main reason why you might be looking to switch agencies rather than just trying to figure it ALL out on your own? Repeat back the alternative you might get objections to 36 Depending on what they have told you in the Connection and Situation Questions, you have a couple options: 0 This home seems so beautiful. Can | ask what's causing you to possibly want to sell it? Option 8 You said that this was due to a family matter. Can | ask what’s going on just so Tunderstand? Eas on I mean, that realtor you used last year is fairly decent. So, what’s causing you to... possibly look at... going with another agent? Just so I have more context... Eee oy What did you feel they missed in marketing your home that caused it to sit so long? csProblem Awareness Questions Example Pond Just so I can see the rationale, but besides what they said looking for the best possible price) , what's the main reason you want aCnother) agent Ta ea Ee eee eeu handling this for you rather than going out there and trying to market it yourself How does that compare to offers that and hope and pray it actually sells? you have received to date? oo z = - Can | ask why that price point? ‘What would be the sale price/range that you would be happy to sell for? stat i x= From here, they could respond with a price that's appropriate or a price that's out of range - here’s how to handle it CR R eee ec POU eee ats Core Uri) So let’s say we put it up on the market for that price, but the buyers start looking at comparable homes in your area that are 5-10% lower than what you're asking for your home... and it causes the home to sit there and not sell for months... what should we do at that point? or 3? Level Solution Awareness Questions Solution Awareness Questions get your prospect involved and causes them to ‘emotionally attach themselves to solving their problem, And more importantly, solving the problem. with you. These questions get them to emotionally own, their problems and start to see what their future will look like once all these newfound problems (that your questioning ability has. allowed them to see for the first time) are solved There are two partsto Solution Awareness Questions: 1 The first part focuses on what they have done in the past to solve these problems. This gets them to see that, maybe, they haven't done alll that much. It also brings home the realization as to how long it's been that they've had the problem or issue. Solution Awareness Questions help them. clarify for themselves what they are looking for in the ideal solution (which in turn helps you know how to position your solution in the best possible way in your presentation). 38 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions ‘The second part focuses on what their future will look like once their newfound problems are solved. So, circling back to the Situation Questions we went over earlier, these questions help your prospect look at their present situation. We call this their “current state.’ Solution awareness questions, on the other hand, help your prospect see what their future looks like once the problems are solved. This we call their “objective state.” As in, how will their future reality look once the urgent problems you just helped them see very clearly in their mind are solved with your solution.THEIR CURRENT SITUATION State GAP Objective State WHAT THEIR FUTURE LOOKS LIKE, ONCE THEIR PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED ‘The Engagement Stage What's the cost of not asking Solution Awareness Questions? If you don't ask Solution Awareness ‘Questions, your prospect will not be able to see what their future can look like with your solution, and they will feel ne urgency to “buy now.” This causes uncertainty in their mind, which in turn triggers objections such as: “4 want to think it over.” “I need to keep looking around.” “I need to do more research.” “4 don’t have the money for this.” “I need to get quotes from other companies.” 4) need to pray about it.” “I need to talk to my spouse, my CPA, my mom (my uncle who lives ina van down by the river)...” Then you start to rush headlong into “chase mode," trying to convince them to buy! But when you ask Solution Awareness ‘Questions correctly. You'll avoid these headaches and the conversation will be much smoother. 39PLevel NEP@Q Solution Awareness Questions —InAction Remember, Solution Awareness questions get prospects to emotionally own their problems. and start to see what their future will look like once all these newfound problems are solved. Solution Awareness Questions (Part 1) Before we started talking today, were you out there looking for [plug in what they said they want] so you can {plug in the result they told you they wanted]? If they say “NO” What's prevented you from doing that in the past? 40 ‘The NEPO™ Black Book of Questions ae aa What did you do? CT RESPONDS How did that work out? PROSPECT RESPONDS. you What kind of results did you get from it? ean or What do you think held you back from having success...?UR Tae) Do you know if other people were getting results from that? eas Why do you think others were able to get results, but you didn’t? ‘What do you think held you back from getting the kind of results you wanted at that time? If they didn’t get started Uni ns What prevented you from getting started with that? After these Solution Awareness questions, you want to transition to the second part of Solution Awareness with a “criterla question” sequence: et ea pee tad ete wee [plug in what they have already told you chev want what wauld yeu semaly be looking for in your Product/Service ? l Sone Pou] Like what would be your ideal criteria? Soe i an | ask why that’s important to you. now though? Is there anything else you want? 4"Level RTT uy Questions Example Pca ‘YOU Before you had me out here today, were you out there looking for a more The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions RTT Cy Questions Example & Staffing/Recruiting Agency TM ee aot OTe Tune ny accessible shower/tub [Plug in what they said they wanted] | so that you can get <= in and out safer/better [Plug in the result they told you they wanted] ...? ees ‘What's prevented you from doing that in the past? (softly) oI) ee RU eure ey ‘Oh, what prevented you from going with that company? Pua) Tae er ‘Oh, okay, what have you be 42 ‘What prevented you from getting started with them? After they answer - ask the criteria question: 7 Let’s do this... just to make sure that what we're doing would work for you, but... besides and [plug in what they have already told you want] , what are you actually looking for in a new shower/tub, let's say that we have you come into the store and we're all sitting down designing it together... what do you feel you really need so that you can... [repeat back what they wanted] | feel safer/look better/ have a more updated/modern/ more functional tub?Solution Awareness Questions Example ‘TheEngagement Stage ere oer) So depending on what you uncovered in the previous sections, you could ask this question in a couple different ways: Cee) So before today, were you out there looking for more stable options so you can retire by the time you're (age 62) ‘or what have you been doing? Perea UL) So before today, were you out there looking for strategies to grow your money to make sure you left that legacy behind, or what were you doing to make sure your family is protected? ono Ta oe am curious: what has prevented you from doing that in the past? Or what prevented you from looking at other strategies previously? cs eae How has that strategy worked out for you so far? Eo What type of results did you get with that? ‘What do you think HELD you back from having success with THAT strategy/ approach? SCENAR eee ne Rea) = z ‘Okay, what prevented you from going with that type of approach, just 50 | understand? 43"Level ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Solution Awareness Questions Example (continu IUL (Indexed Universal Life) SD Un A How familiar are you with how IULs work? ane Okay, would it help you out if | shared my screen and showed you how IULs work for our clients? ‘Then you explain how It works. Share your sereen with the prospect. Let’s do this just to make sure an IUL would actually work for you besides having something stable that actually compounds faster for you repeat back what they said they wanted based on what we just looked at. Ean How do you picture yourself really utilizing something like this? 44‘The Engagement Stage Solution Awareness Questions Example _ # Rea! estate: Buying Distressed Properties Then use the criteria question sequence: So, before we started talking, were you ‘out there looking for options to sell your home so it didn’t go into foreclosure, or co what were you doing? Let’s do this Just to make sure that we could actually help you, but besides (what they sald) and (what they said) , las what are you hoping to get out of the home If you were able to sell it, what would be your price range and what |lam curlous: what prevented you from you're looking to get out of the house? doing that in the past? Soa ee = Now if 90 to my partners and hey sve me a number lower than tht ke, ont know, like 90k [lower number than what they sala), should ust go ahead ana Wnt you fol ely eld the etter tel im oo Kck rocks and we ant do anything together, or what do you tel onten2 Ike we should a? option ‘What prevented you from going with that Investor? Option 3 What held you back from listing it then? 1 Se 45Level Solution Awareness Questions (Part 2) Ask these questions to help the prospect understand and feel what the future will be like once the problems are solved. ‘These are a few generic examples: So besides | [repeat back what they they already said they wanted] , how do you see this benefiting you the most, though? ‘What would it do for you personally, though? How would it be diff nt, though? You being able to | [plug in what they sai they wanted] . How would your life/ Maybe different than it How do you see the benefits of actually solving this problem? | [Repeat back the actual problem] 46 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Seu) Questions (Part 2) Example 1 Fitness/Personal Trainer/Weight Loss/Gyms Okay, so let's say we come in and we're able to help you lose the 105 pounds... what would you be able to do... that you feel you can't do right now or can’t do at your best right now? Yor ‘What would that do for you to be able to do those things again? [Plug in what they said they wanted to be able to do- play basketball with your son again] Ean How would it be different, though, losing the 105 pounds and, most Importantly, being able to keep it off where it doesn’t come back you see your life being... Maybe different than it is now? How doRT Cy Questions (Part 2) Example Ed Let’s say that we are able to lock in your rate permanently like we do with our ‘other clients... where it never went Up, and you were saving... | mean, it's not gonna be much, but... around 10-11k or so ‘over the next 10 years... what would that do for you personally? “important to downplay the money they save, which eautes humans to make ita bigger deal in their minds, This is called mismatching, ‘So how would it be different, though, you being able to give the utility co the middle finger (playful tone), by keeping that money... knowing literally you're not FORCED to keep paying the rate hikes anymore... I guess how would things be... maybe different than they are now?** “start with @ playful tone and ond with 2 concerned tone ‘The Engagement Stage red Cee aro ect ek ‘Okay, let’s suppose we're able to get you a policy that had the nationwide network the benefit they sald they wanted s0 that you could see any doctor you wanted [their desired state] and know that If anything big did happer that you would be completely covered sncially... knowing that was there... What would that do for you guys? peer ec eee ‘What would that do for you... personally though? (Concerned tone) But besides the [repeat back what they sald they wanted} nationwide network, how do you see this... benefiting you the ‘most, though? 47Level RT ICY Questions (Part 2) Example © Cyber Security 7 Besides the company being able to reduce chargebacks, how do you see this... benefiting you guys the most, though? Een oI So, if you're the one that is responsible for bringing in the right company to solve the chargeback issue... how does that help you? Ea You In what way? get that promotion? After the two parts of Solution Awareness questions, you can then move on to Consequence Questions. 48 ‘The NEPQ™Black Book of QuestionsConsequence Questions You have now reached a point in the conversation where you must get your potential customer to think about the consequences of not doing anything to change their current situation. ‘Consequence Questions are primarily asked after Solution Awareness questions. Once they feel and see what that future looks like we want to rip that away from them by asking consequence questions. These get the prospect to defend themselves ‘on why It’s so Important to change now, not later! How this works is you simply take a problem that they themselves have told you they have and want to solve. And you ask them a Consequence Question around that problem. WARNING: Average salespeople like to use the customer's problems in a manipulative way to bully the customer into buying a product or service. ‘Your goat is not to force anything. Rather, you want to empower the customer to realize they can change their own situation by purchasing your solution to effectively solve their problems. Let's see these NEP@ Consequence ‘Questions In Action, ‘The Engagement Stage NEPQ Consequence Questions — In Action Consequence questions help your prospect question their way of thinking and explore the consequences of not solving the problem. This way, you help build massive urgency in their mind to get the problem solved instead of pushing it down the road. Here's a few examples: What if you don’t do anything about this problem {plug in what their problom is. , and your situation gets even worse? Have you thought about what would happen if you don't do anything about this? Have you considered the possible ramifications if you don’t do anything about this...? What are you going to do if nothing changes, if you keep using/doing in what their problem was for the next [plug in 3, 6, or 12 months, or 5, 10, 15 years, depending on what you sell] and nothing changes? 49? Level Consequence Questions 1ST ely F_Dental implants ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Consequence Questions erat co What happens if you don’t do anything about this, though... you keep losing the bone density in your jaw... and now you can't even get implants? For all of these Consequence Question samples, you want to use a challenging or oncerned tone - at this point inthe conversation, hen) eer Well, | don’t know, | just hope that won’t happen, io Do you want to keep living with that pain in your mouth... if you... if you didn't have to? 50 Eu ekor) you Okay, but on the flip side... What happens if you Just keep the same pla and your top people keep going over to your competitors... what happens to your busines Eon you Do you want to have to go through all of that... if you... if you didn’t have to?Consequence Questions rears & Marketing Agency For Real Estate Agents What if you don't do anything about this... 7 and you keep getting these low-quality leads that don’t pick up when you call. ‘what are the consequences for you... at that point? (Challenging/eoncorned tone) ’ - Do you want to have to go through all of that... if you... if you didn’t have to? ‘The Engagement Stage Consequence Questions eel) Cee What happens if you just keep your car... and it keeps breaking down on your way to work? What would happen to your job... at that point? ‘Okay, so it’s important for you to do something then? Peano n acres erence = Option 1 Are you willing to settle for that, though? Well, whose choice is it if you settle or not?" You have to be tougher with the prospect here option 2 Do you want to keep putting yourself in that situation if you... if you... if you... didn’t have to? 31Level The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Consequence Questions Consequence Questions ETT Leu Solar (Residential ) Xone co om So if you continue to use XYZ vendor.. What happens if you don’t do anything what are the consequences if you don’t about this... they keep raising your rates every year like they have... and now you're do anything about your false positive 75- 80 years old... still having to pay your re poe Reucepmnaun ee ireieee Sond customers? bill every month... but the bill is more than three times what it is now... and now you're on a limited income/social security... Ea or (concerned tone, verbal pace this out) How would you pay for it. at that point? Do you want that to keep happening to you if you... if you didn’t have to? Pan ‘You What happens then? PROSPECT RESPONDS... Well, | guess Ill have to figure it out. 7 Do you want... to have to keep being FORCED to pay the RATE HIKES... if you... If you didn’t have to? Ean ‘You Okay, but for you... Why look at going solar now? Why not push it down, the road and keep paying the rate hikes like a lot of people who don’t know anything about solar do?* ‘Challenging/concerned tone 82forest eureL era ou eras PLE ‘So what happens if you don’t end up putting the pool in... the kids keep having to go ALL the way down to the YMCA... and you miss out... (slow down pace) on all the memories of your kids growing up? SS Do you want to miss out on all those memories with the grandkids If you... it you didn’t have to? So how important is it for you to change your situation... get the pool back there.. and actually have all these memories with your kids... for the rest of your life?* “This is an example of a Gualitying Question, Consequence Questions Example Fy Ree ae eae eee ‘We can go with two options here depending ‘on what the prospect has given us up to this point: Option ‘What if you don’t de anything about this ... you keep having these issues with your husband... where you are arguing and feeling resentment... for another 3, 6, or 12 months... what would happen to your marriage at that point? Option 2 What happens to your marriage if you don't do anything? ‘So why look at doing therapy now? Why not push it down the road like a lot of couples who end up getting divorced? After we ask Consequence Questions and get the prospect to think about the consequences of not doing anything to change their current situation. We can enter the Transition Stage. 53Seer) The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions aatcr-) Stages of NEPQ (ontinuea) STAGES THE Transition Stage Transition Questions The Transition Stage is fairly simple if you've done the groundwork in the Engagement Stage. Remember, the Engagement Stage is 85% of the work - so if done correctly, the transition shouldn't require anything complex. Simply use this Transition formula: The Transition Formula helps you transition into presenting your solution or scheduling the next step. Based on what you told me... What we are doing could/would actually work for you. Because you know how you said. [Repeat back what they said they wanted] ‘And because of that, it's making you feel.... [Repeat back what they told you it’s doing to them emotionally: frustrated, stressed, annoying, worried, concerned.] | think you mentioned a little bit. Stressed sometimes. Then, you can move to the Presentation Stage.SCs aiaey-) Stages of NEPQ (continued) THE Presentation Stage without presenting. Remember, if y enough in the Engagement uld only be about challenges and problems you uns during the Engagement Stage of your conversation. their problem, 9¢ is different depending on give your presentati requires several appointments. Base the prese of your industry.Level ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions For example, here's how to bridge for a one-call close: With your permission, | can go over a few things that we would be able to do for you to help you with your situation and solve those problems | [repeat the actual problems] . Would that help you? If it was a 2-call close, or if you were ina more complex B28 sales role, whatever the next step is, let’s say it is to schedule a demo or a proposal, it would look more like this: Good first call; that gives me more understanding of your situation and the challenges you guys are going through ‘compared to where you want to be... Really, the next step would be to book another call to go over a demo of the XYZ platform and how we solve those same problems for our clients to get you where you want to go. Would that help you? Or, if you are scheduling a second call Proposal Alright, so good first call that helps me better understand your situation and the challenges you guys are going through compared to where you want to be Really, the next step Is, if i's appropriat . put togeth different options on what we could do for you to solve all of these problems and help you [repeat back what they said they wanted]. Would that help you? . We would go back and a proposal for you with In essence, we want to present without “presenting” - and tailor it to our prospect. 56How To Present By Not “Presenting” Here are some general rules to follow Do the presentation around the problems/issues/challenges that the prospect mentioned: So many salespeople try to show the entire solution when presenting to Prospects. hat is how 40-page proposals and 90-minute presentations happen. Doing that will turn most of your prospects off quickly, It goes in one ear and out the other as they lose focus. Instead, your potential customers want to know if you can solve their problems They just care about you solving the key lallenges that are holding them back from achieving their desired results. So stop presenting all the features and benefits that have nothing to do with solving the prospect's problem. Only present directly to the issues the prospect mentioned during the Engagement Stage of the sales conversation. You have to customize each presentation to each prospect's challenges. Never do cookie-cutter presentations; they will make your prospects feel like you do not understand their situation Remember, your prospects will always buy from the sales professional who they TRUST understands their unique situation the most. Use the 3-step Presentation formula in this part."Level The 3-Step Presentation Formula ‘One of the biggest problems that people have when they come to us Is they don’t know how to/don’t understand how to/ having issues with.. don’t know how to do, or a big problem that most prospects have / their main Issue/challenge] [plug in what they Which causes them to... | [go over the consequences] Bs ay we core ae rr ir hanes eee redhct sarc, or program solves tlt Sorat me pee (go over how your ‘And what they mean to you Is. [Repeat back the advantages and benefits of what it will do for them or mean for them once it's solved] 58 ‘The NEPQ™ Black Book of Questions Use Case Studies To Reinforce Solving Other Prospect’s Problems This is powerful if done correctly. You can show real-life examples of other clients who were in similar situations and how your solution was able to solve their problems, ‘The case study should show the problems the prospect faced, what your solution was to solve those problems, and what the results of the work ended up being for that prospect. Include real numbers that can be objectively quantified. Remember, your prospect cares most about the results of your solution, not features and benefits. But what will your solution do for them? How does it help them get where they want to go? ‘Ask Checking for Agreement Questions ‘Throughout Most sales presentations are an hour long monologue with the salesperson talking most of the time about all the great features and benefits of their solution... ‘And how we have the best company... And the best customer service. And the best quality and the best delivery. And the best this and the best that. Basically, what every salesperson says about their product or service. How many salespeople do you know that when they pitch you, tell you that their product or service is only 4th or Sth best in the market?