Episode #203: Virtual Selling - We Need A New Questioning Approach (Part Two)

Why do online sales calls fail even when the product is strong?

Modern communication platforms create hidden friction—especially weak audio, delays, and reduced human cues. These limitations make it easier for salespeople to default to “tell mode,” pitching instead of discovering. In virtual meetings, how you ask becomes as important as what you sell.

Mini-summary: Technology noise amplifies bad selling habits; strong discovery fixes that.

Start with the client’s top-of-mind outcomes. Clients rarely buy a product for its own sake—they buy results. Like the classic example: they don’t buy drills; they buy holes. Your goal is to understand what outcomes matter most: hitting targets, gaining market share, increasing revenues, managing costs, or improving systems.

Mini-summary: Anchor discovery in outcomes, not features.

What buying criteria must we clarify beyond budget?

Budget matters, but it’s only one leg of the decision tripod. The other two are time and quality. A client may say “we have no budget,” but the real issue could be timing or cash-flow structure. When you explore all three, you often find a workable path forward.

Mini-summary: Confirm budget, time constraints, and quality expectations—never assume only money is the issue.

Every solution has “spec” needs—design, scope, size, durability, delivery format, and so on. Discovery must reveal whether you actually match their requirements. If you don’t, stop forcing the fit and move on to clients whose needs align with what you do best.
Mini-summary: Discovery protects your pipeline by filtering out poor-fit deals early.

Why do personal motives matter when selling to companies?

Even in B2B, people buy for personal reasons too. Each stakeholder has a WHY: impressing a boss, gaining recognition, accelerating career growth, earning a bonus, or securing a promotion. If you can frame your solution in terms of both company outcomes and personal payoff, you become meaningfully different from rivals.

Mini-summary: People approve solutions that make them look good and feel safe.

Use a simple gap-based discovery flow:

1. Future outcomes: “Where would you like to be six to twelve months from now?”

2. Current reality: “Given those goals, where are you today?”

3. Implications of doing nothing: Explore costs of inaction and missed opportunity.

This sequence reveals whether there is a gap worth solving—and whether your solution is needed.
Mini-summary: The gap framework moves the client from goals → reality → urgency.

What does a “bad meeting” look like—and how do we spot it early?

A meeting turns “extremely bad” when the buyer believes they can close the gap alone using internal resources. If that belief is firm, no amount of pushing will create a deal. The best outcome is recognizing this quickly and exiting with professionalism.
Mini-summary: If the client thinks they can solve it internally, your path in is closing.

How do we create urgency without exaggeration?

Your job isn’t to artificially widen the gap; it’s to uncover the true cost of no action. Many buyers assume doing nothing is free. It isn’t. Markets move, competitors evolve, and opportunity costs compound over time. Help them quantify what staying still really costs.
Mini-summary: Urgency comes from real implications, not sales pressure.

How do we uncover personal WHY in Japan?

With Japanese buyers, personal payoff can be less explicit because progression often follows age-and-stage systems and standardized bonuses. Still, personal motives exist—usually tied to team reputation and peer recognition. Ask questions like:

• “If we achieve these outcomes, how will your team members feel?”

• “Will the results make your team’s job easier?”

• “If this succeeds, will colleagues appreciate your leadership?”

This approach respects cultural norms while still surfacing motivation.
Mini-summary: In Japan, personal WHY often shows up as team pride and peer recognition.

How does Dale Carnegie Tokyo support these discovery skills?

Dale Carnegie helps professionals in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (multinational/foreign-affiliated companies) build discovery-driven selling for today’s virtual environment. Our programs in 東京 (Tokyo) draw on over 100 years of global practice and 60+ years of local delivery, supporting leaders through リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), 営業研修 (sales training), プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching), and DEI研修 (DEI training).
Mini-summary: We combine proven global methods with Japan-specific selling realities.

• Virtual selling punishes pitching and rewards disciplined discovery.

• Always clarify outcomes, buying criteria (budget/time/quality), and practical fit.

• Personal WHY drives decisions—especially in stakeholder-heavy deals.

• In Japan, uncover motivation through team-focused impact questions.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.