Countless sales effectiveness studies have confirmed that salespeople who lead the customer through the buying process are consistently more successful than those who do not. 

Ultimately, a Socratic sales process unlocks the mysteries of 1) determining if a legitimate opportunity exists and if the team is making meaningful progress towards a successful close, 2) assisting the customer to frame (or re-frame) their thinking regarding a particular business problem or solution, and 3) enabling the seller to progressively build value, credibility, and trust throughout the entire customer relationship.

Not surprisingly, successful salespeople know that the next step in any sales pursuit is largely a function of what they do and don't know about the opportunity.  Asking the right questions, listening intently to the answers, and then rapidly adjusting their approach is paramount to success.

Socratic Strategies enables companies to drive more structured, targeted, and consistent discovery (questioning) into every customer conversation. 

To utilize a sports analogy, that process then enables the salesperson to "read the defense" by asking targeted questions at key points in the buying cycle. 

Those questions not only uncover significantly greater amounts of information about the customer and opportunity, but they serve as a platform for reframing the customer’s perception of your solution’s value, urgency, and differentiation.

That process is designed recognizing that customers don't always make decisions in a predictable, logical, or  linear way.  As such, the critical milestones are not based on sales activities (i.e. Proposal Delivered, Demo Complete, etc.).  Rather, they are based on key discovery points (triggers) and a progressive set of customer commitments (commits).

Based on the information uncovered, the salesperson then has an arsenal of "plays" or tactics at their disposal that  can be executed as required.

How clearly defined is your sales process today?  

How consistently is it being executed - from one salesperson to the next, from one deal to the next, and from one customer to the next?  

Do you believe that process actually accelerates sales - or does it simply make it easier to track sales activity?