At home this week, I got an invitation to one of Dale Carnegie's sales training courses. Tucked inside the invitation was a business card-sized primer to his Selling Success Spiral and questioning model. The little card is useful enough on its own.

Selling Success Spiral

• New opportunity
  
• Pre-approach
  
• First communication
  
• First interview
  
• Opportunity analysis
  
• Solution development
  
• Soultion presentation
  
• Customer evaluation
  
• Negotiation
  
• Buy commitment
  
• Follow-up
  
• Satisfied customers
  

The questioning model also offers tools you can use:

As-is questions help determine the current situation of a potential customer
Should be questions create an image of a possible buyer's optimal performance
Barrier questions address issues that may be keeping them from achieving their optimal performance
Payout questions help identify how a company or team will benefit from the services you offer

How does this map with your experience of the sales process and cycle?