43 Questions to Create a Sense of Urgency

 Create a Sense of Urgency in Sales

If you don’t want your deals to stall -- or end up in nothing -- make sure to establish urgency. Urgency gives your prospects a reason to move forward and overcome inertia. Help them understand why every day, week, or month without your product hurts their business so they’re compelled to act as soon as possible.

Your product could be a great fit for your prospect. It's within their budget, you've offered them the perfect discount -- it should be a slam dunk. But unless they feel a sense of urgency, your prospect won't buy.

So, you should create some. Right?

Wrong. Sales strategist David Weinhaus, who works with HubSpot partner agencies, has a strong view on “creating” urgency.

Instead of manufacturing a cause to act -- which isn’t helpful to your prospect and will ultimately backfire -- either uncover an existing reason they’re not aware of or back off.

Ask the right questions -- like the ones below -- and get your prospect to realize they’re unhappy or dissatisfied. And if your questions don’t lead them to those conclusions, accept they’re still in education mode and let your marketing department nurture them until the time is right.

How to Create Urgency in Sales

Ask about their business

1) "How big is the company today in terms of annual revenue, approximate customer number, and employee headcount?"

This question helps you qualify them and start a discussion about how big they’d like to be in the future (and what’s currently standing in the way).

2) "Is the business struggling, in a steady state, or in growth mode? Is [company] growing faster than the industry average?"

Remind the buyer of their overarching business goals. This is a good tie-in to how your product would play into their strategy.

3) "Many of the people in your role I talk to don’t know [ a surprising fact]. Did you?"

I like the Challenger Sale method of teaching your prospect something new -- not only will your credibility and authority go up, but you’ll naturally uncover urgency. The buyer will want to act on this information ASAP.

Ask about their pain points

4) "What is the problem you’re looking to solve?"

The buyer might be focused on a different pain point than you. Use this question to figure out if they’re on the right track. Sometimes, prospects try to address the symptoms rather than the cause by mistake.

5) "Why is now the right time to solve it?"

Asking why now is the right to solve this issue gives you an early glimpse into how much urgency your prospect already has. If it's not yet an urgent problem, you might lead them to realizing it is.

6) "Who or what is this problem affecting most?"

It might be their boss, themselves, or the company, but asking this question allows them to consider the human or business costs of not addressing this issue quickly. 

7) "Is the problem clearly defined?"

Learn how much time they’ve spent investigating the issue. Hint: The more clearly they’ve isolated it, the more invested they probably are in fixing it.

8) "Have you had this problem before?"

Figure out just how persistent your prospect’s pain point is.

9) "Is the problem easy or hard to address?"

Chances are, the prospect will say it’s the latter. If it was easy to solve, they would have tackled it by now.

10) "How does this problem affect the revenue, profitability, culture, or product cycle of the business?"

This question highlights the larger implications of what’s going wrong.

11) "Does this problem affect a lot of people?"

Get your prospect thinking about how widespread the effects are.

12) "Are you tasked with solving this problem as part of your regular job, or is this a special assignment?"

If your prospect says, “It’s part of my job,” then make sure you tie their overall performance to fixing this issue. If they say, “It’s a special assignment,” then there’s already genuine urgency: They need to identify an answer before a certain date.

Ask about the consequences of not buying

13) "What happens if you address the problem? What happens if you don’t?"

This naturally leads the buyer to compare life with your product and life without. The second is usually much less appealing.

14) "When do you need to start seeing the results of implementing the solution?"

The prospect would probably love to see results right away. Their answer will help them realize why time is of the essence.

15) "What is the one thing that, if we could help solve it quickly, would have the most meaningful impact on the company?"

Once you’ve pinpointed a major opportunity to help, urgency will spring up naturally.

16) "How would solving this problem affect you personally?"

Knowing the buyer’s individual motivators can make or break the deal.

17) "How does this affect your boss?"

When the prospect’s boss is happy, they’re happy. Connect the dots between your solution and their supervisor.

18) "What happens if you keep doing what you are doing?"

It’s far easier to stick with the status quo than make a change, even if the long-term ramifications could sink the prospect’s business. With this question, you’ll get them to come to terms with the dangers of ignoring the issue.

Ask about how the problem affects them 

19) "How can we make you look like a star?"

This question turns you into the prospect’s partner, instead of just their rep. It also helps you pinpoint how your product can help them look great at the office.

20) "What do you need to do/what objectives must you reach to get a promotion?"

Along similar lines as #17, this question reveals why the buyer is personally invested in finding a solution.

21) "How does this problem affect you on a day-to-day basis?"

Most professionals put up with annoying or deleterious pain points. As soon as you show the prospect there’s a better, easier way, they’ll be more eager to buy.

22) "How does this problem affect [department]?"

Get them to zoom out and visualize the impact on the wider team.

23) "If you weren’t experiencing this pain anymore, which projects/priorities could you focus on?"

This question makes the buyer envision a world where they have time, energy, and resources for the tasks or initiatives they’re interested in.

24) "What’s the most frustrating aspect of this problem?"

Once you learn what’s driving your prospect up the wall, you can position your product accordingly.

25) "What [projects, campaigns, initiatives] are you currently working on? How does [challenge] impact your plans?"

This is another way of learning how the pain point is interfering with or obstructing their day-to-day work.

26) "What problems come up most frequently at executive meetings?"

If the CEO cares about an issue, your prospect will too.

27) "Which problems keep you at the office late?"

Figure out which issues the buyer doesn’t have an easy answer to.

28) "Which themes are coming up again and again on [Slack, Hipchat, your knowledge base/wiki]?"

While not every company uses internal knowledge base or a wiki, asking those who do about the most common themes can help you pinpoint the most exciting, visible, or challenging things they’re facing.

Ask about the competition

29) "Is your industry getting more competitive?"

Most industries are. Capitalize on your prospect’s awareness that they need to act to maintain their edge -- or gain one in the first place.

30) "Are you worried about [specific competitor]?"

Figure out who’s nipping at your prospect’s heels, then show them how your solution will widen the gap in their favor.

31) "Do you ever get the sense that [people in prospect’s department] are wasting [time, effort, leads, budget]?"

Mitigating (or even eliminating) the inefficiencies in the buyer’s department would be a huge win. Open their eyes to the possibility of a fix.

32) "Have you ever lost a major customer unexpectedly?"

Whether the answer is yes or no, this question works. If your prospect has, they’ll be eager to take precautions so it doesn’t happen again. If your prospect hasn’t, the wheels will start turning: Wow, it would be really bad if 20% of our business vanished in one stroke.

33) "How [did, would] losing that customer affect the business?"

Get the buyer to vocalize the negative effects, which will drive their desire to avoid the catastrophe even higher.

34) "How do you avoid getting caught in a pricing war?"

Chances are, your prospect would love to find a differentiator that would save them from race-to-the-bottom pricing. You just need to explain why your product is that differentiator.

35) "Are your customers asking for [feature/service] you don't have?"

If their customers are asking for something your prospect's business can't currently offer, that's asking for a competitor to fill a gap. If you can get your prospect thinking about what they don't have and how you can help them get it -- that's a good way to inspire urgency.

Ask about next steps

36) "Would you be interested in talking to [Customer], who saw a [X%] return on our [solution, service]?"

Hearing from someone who got fantastic results will spur your prospect to the finish line.

37) "Maybe it would be helpful for you to talk to someone who’s [made this journey recently, faced X similar challenge, resolved the same issue]. What do you think?"

If it’s too early in the sales process for references, suggest a knowledge-sharing conversation instead. You’re still connecting the buyer with a satisfied customer -- but their shared experiences are the focus, not your product.

The nice thing about this technique? Not only is it helpful for the prospect and your customer, but at some point during the conversation they’re bound to bring up your solution.

38) "If we supply all the information you need in the next 24 hours, will you have time to review it and get started by [date in the near future]?"

Test your prospect’s commitment to act with this question. If they say they’re not ready, don’t be pushy -- instead, ask what else they’d need to make a decision.

39) "If I send over the contract when we hang up, can you return it to me in [six days from the current date]?"

Sales consultant Jeff Hoffman encourages reps to close this way. Normally, the buyer says they’ll need more time -- at which point you say, “Okay, can you do [preliminary step] by that date?” They’ll say yes, and now you’ve gotten a concrete agreement to make progress on the deal within the week. Boom.

(Adjust the date based on your sales cycle. If it usually lasts two weeks, ask if they can sign the proposal that day. If it lasts 10 to 12 months, ask if they can sign the proposal in three weeks.)

40) "Define your timeline for solving the problem and getting the right results."

Make sure your prospect’s expectations align with reality. You may need to accelerate the sales process to meet their timeline.

41) "When must this problem be solved to avoid negative impact on the business?"

Get a firm deadline for the purchase. Explain to the prospect you should shoot for a few weeks or months before this deadline to protect against delays.

42) "Is there seasonality in your business? Do you have a busy or slow season? Do you need to address this problem before the busy or slow season hits?"

For prospects affected by seasonality (like education, tourism, and entertainment), it can be critical to get a solution in place while business is relatively quieter.

43) "If we can work out a solution sooner, how does that help you?"

Fixing a problem earlier rather than later is almost always a good thing. The best part about this question is that the buyer puts those benefits in their own words.

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9 Reasons Why Your List is the Most Important Asset in Your Online Business

Today I want to share with you a list of 9 reasons why your LIST is the most important asset in your online business and for your online success.

These reasons/rules/tips apply to anyone who’s working online (and even some cases offline).

So take this list and realize why an EMAIL LIST is such an important asset to your online success and why I’m such a strong advocate of why you need one.

1.  List building is a CORE fundamental element of any online business.

As a digital marketer – I would not have an online business without my list or the knowledge of building a list.  You should learn list building inside and out, understand it, embrace it, and utilize those skills.

2. Your list is an ASSET.

Treat the members of your list with respect – as your LIST is your business and chances are all your lifetime client/customers on that list.  Treat your customers as you’d treat your mother.

3. Treat your list with love.

Treat them like you would treat a lady or man on a first date.  Offer them unexpected gifts and they will do the same for you.

4. When you speak to your list use YOUR voice.

If you copy and paste or send your list “blind” emails, expect copy and paste, or blind results.  Speak to your list as you would speak to your customer face to face.

5. Your email is your “reach”.

When you send an email to your list that’s you publicly making a statement.  Make sure your message is clear and you can stand proudly behind it.

6. People check email out of daily habit.

They don’t visit websites daily, but they do check their email every day.  Email marketing allows you to stay in contact with your customers daily.

7. Out of all the emails they get, they opened YOURS.

This is a sign of TRUST.  People get a lot of emails and if they are opening yours, you should embrace that.

8. ‘You get 80% of your list from 20% of your customers’.

This saying definitely pertains to your email list.  20% of your list will always trust you and not only buy anything you tell them to but they will even market FOR you – spreading your word to their friends and family.

9. Your competition has a list.

The digital marketing world is HUGE but let’s face it: it’s still an open marketplace.  Just as you’re on MANY lists your subscriber is too.  You HAVE to stand out.

I made this list was while working on Build My List and with all of the updates to the training, I realized that all the successful internet marketers in the world all have a “big email list.”

Coincidence?  I think not, but share your thoughts below and let me know what you think!

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No One Trusts Social Media, but They'll Keep Using It Anyway [New Data]

 I'll just come right out and say it: The internet has a massive mess to clean up.

You may have heard about it. For instance, earlier this month, you may have followed the testimony from senior leaders at Facebook, Twitter, and Google that outlined, in detail, the quantity and nature of ads purchased and published on their platforms by operatives in Russia and other foreign states.

And yeah, of course -- we all have our take on it, and many of us are clamouring to share it.

But my colleague, HubSpot's own research boss Mimi An, had a better idea: Let's ask everyone else what they think.

Click here to learn about using social media in every stage of the funnel.

And so, in light of these recent events, An's team ran a consumer study to gather sentiment data from 1,000 U.S. adults to find out just how they feel about this big, steaming internet mess. 

Here are the results.

A Few Notes on the Data

During the week of October 30, 2017,  three major online content-sharing and discovery platforms -- Facebook, Twitter, and Google -- testified before representatives of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Because those were the three companies present for the testimony, the questions asked of survey responses focused only on them, despite the possible involvement of other social media networks in ongoing election interference investigation.

When we distribute surveys, we describe in as much detail the exact issue that we want participates to respond to. The language used to phrase the survey questions describes what has taken place so far in a continuously developing situation as factually as possible within such constraints of online surveys as character limits and anonymity -- and, therefore, an inability to follow up with respondents.

How Russian Ads Have Forever Changed Our Perception of Social Media

1. Are ads now viewed with distrust?
2. Are American social media users satisfied with networks' responses?
3. Are social networks themselves now viewed with distrust?
4. Are social media networks responsible for vetting ads?
5. Will Americans use affected social media networks less?
6. Will Americans stop using affected social media networks altogether?

1. Ads on Facebook, Twitter, and Google are viewed with distrust.

 

On average, close to half of all respondents would describe ads these platforms as "very untrustworthy," compared to an average of 5.5% who find them to be either somewhat or very trustworthy. Note that this is the sentiment around the ads appearing on these platforms, and not the platforms themselves.

2. Twitter's response generated the least satisfaction, but the sentiment is low across the board.

While respondents were generally unsatisfied with network responses to political ad purchases on their respective platforms, it seems as though they have the least faith in Twitter. (The score for "somewhat satisfied," for instance, was three percentage points lower than those for Facebook and Google.)

It's worth noting that Twitter first testified before U.S. Congress about this same issue prior to the November events were all three companies were present, when it told representatives that it roughly 200 Russian-linked accounts -- a figure that many found to be paltry and underestimated, including Senator Mark Warner, who called these initial efforts "frankly inadequate".

How much influence that initial testimony (and Congressional response) had on survey respondents is uncertain, but it is an important historical point in the context of the particularly low sentiment toward Twitter.

Although the rates of dissatisfaction are fairly equal across the board, this survey was administered prior to a Recode report that Facebook filed comments with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that indicated its support of rules that would require the network to provide greater visibility and transparency around the political ads used on its site.

However, that support is limited in nature, in that Facebook only indicated that it would agree to these terms around ads pertaining to specific candidates, and not issues -- and a significant portion of Russia-bought ads during the 2016 presidential election concerned such highly-contested and somewhat divisive issues as gun control and immigration.

Google, on the other hand, filed comments with the FEC that actively requested more detailed guidelines around issue-based ads, requesting further direction as to how those within its industry can and should better approach organizations attempting to promote propaganda.

Twitter, meanwhile, did file comments, but had little to say other than a request for the FEC to maintain awareness of the network's character limits when establishing rules.

3. Trust in social media networks has been eroded by the political ads controversy.

In addition to ad content appearing on content-sharing and discovery platforms, it would appear that trust has fallen in the platforms themselves. Facebook was particularly hard hit here, with just shy of half of respondents saying that they find this channel to be less trustworthy.

However, an even higher amount of respondents answered with "none of the above," signaling the possibility of no less trust in any of these channels. That data is once again reflected with our findings in other areas of the survey, including respondents' plans to decrease or stop their use of social media -- more on that in a bit.

4. 77% of Americans believe platforms need to vet the ads they sell and display.

Across the board, respondents stated a strong belief that it's the responsibility of the platforms themselves to vet ad content purchased and displayed on their channels. An average of 77% of survey participants agreed with this sentiment, regardless of age, indicating that most social media users expect to see proactive changes in ad policies and best practices.

5. Though Americans are angry about the ads controversy, few plan on using the affected platforms less.

However, despite the general sentiment that these platforms are untrustworthy -- as are the ads displayed on them -- and need to do better about vetting paid or promoted content, the same respondents have indicated that, for the most part, they don't plan to reduce their use of Facebook, Twitter, or Google.

In fact, despite being the least satisfied with Twitter's response to the political ad crisis, less than a quarter of respondents plan to use it less. That number is even lower for Google, and only slightly higher for Facebook.

6. ... and, even fewer Americans plan to stop using the platforms altogether.

Even if some intend to momentarily step away from social media, over 75% of survey respondents say they plan to leave these Facebook, Twitter, or Google altogether.

The last of the three is particularly difficult to give up entirely -- after all, it's commonly referred to as a "search giant" for a reason. But even so, a noticeably small number of survey participants would consider ceasing all use of Facebook and Twitter, as well.

But what does all of this information mean? What does it say about our online behavior and habits, and what are the implications for marketers?

The Takeaways

If nothing else, these numbers -- and where they almost seem to contradict each other -- illustrate a dependence on these contested channels.

Despite the overwhelming distrust in them, as well as the ad content published on them, survey respondents have no plans to curtail or cease using them -- perhaps because they need to use them for work (after all, we are marketers), or because they simply enjoy them too much to step away.

That speaks to the power and influence they hold over users day-to-day. We spend a significant amount of time on these channels -- about a thirdof Google's visitors are based in the U.S., and on average, we spend about 35 minutes each day on Facebook (for context, that's about 2.4% of the entire day). Thirty-five minutes may not seem like a ton of time, but when you think about how much time you spend on activities that are actually essential to your livelihood -- like eating, for example -- how does it compare?

The point is, the people behind this political content were likely aware of how much time we spend using the platforms where it was displayed. It's no wonder that 126 million Americans were exposed to it -- there's a good amount of content to be consumed in a mere 35 minutes.

The main message to marketers, however, is this: These platforms are extremely useful and effective. In fact, that's why people are highly concerned over the presence of Russian ads -- there's a very good chance that, if the intent behind them was to influence the U.S. presidential election in a certain direction, they worked. That's why these representatives from these platforms are being summoned before a federal body. This level of effectiveness is a big deal.

By no means is this to say that marketers should cease using these channels to promote content and build brand awareness. As I said: It's extremely effective and should continue to be used for growth. But with that effectiveness comes great responsibility, and that growth must be built with a commitment to transparency and truth.

That's how I see it, anyway. 

As always, feel free to chime in. What's your take on this data? Let me know on Twitter, or weigh in with any questions you have about it.

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