Understanding Questions

Champion sales professionals know that the best mode of operation is to ask questions and to listen to the answers. Although nearly all children ask questions, somewhere along the road of life, we stop asking - or, we ask fewer questions. Some of us even get to the point in life where we feel stupid asking questions. I’m a firm believer that the only stupid question there can possibly be is the one that’s never asked.

There are many different types of questions that professional salespeople must know and use. In order to use them most effectively, they must know what function each question has and just when to use each of them in the selling sequence.

In the beginning of every potential client contact, it is imperative that you ask questions and listen to the answers. The main reasons are simple:

1. Asking questions causes the other person to give you answers that contain information you need to know in order to decide if this person has a need for your services.
2. The person asking the questions maintains control of the conversation.
3. Asking questions saves you a lot of time - time that could be wasted with non-decision-makers and people who simply have no need for what you’re selling.

Let’s talk about different types of questions. Discovery questions are ones that help you find out more about your potential future client and his or her needs with regard to your product or service. Discovery questions tend to be pretty automatic with seasoned salespeople. Wanting to find out all the information possible about your prospective customers is only natural. You need to keep in mind a few rules when asking these types of questions, though.

When formatting your discovery questions, remember that you’re trying to gather information. So, ask questions that demand explanations and further discussion. Answers like 'yes' or 'no' are not what you’re after. Here’s what you need to discover:

- What product and/or service does the client own now?
- What would the client change about the product and/or service they currently own?
- When will the client be looking to own the new product and/or service?
- What is the one feature the client finds most attractive about the new model? Oftentimes, the best discovery questions don’t end with a question mark, but come out as statements. For example, “I understand you use a great deal of PVC piping," isn’t a question. However, by posing this type of statement, the client is encouraged to talk to you about his or her PVC pipe usage.

Always remember that the discovery period may take awhile. After all, you don’t want to jump into a presentation before gathering all the information possible. The more you know, the better you will be able to direct your client to the best possible solution for their needs.

So, relax and enjoy this discovery period. It’s sort of like the early days of dating in a relationship. There are just so many interesting things to learn about the other party. Leading questions are questions that help you steer the conversation to the specific information that helps you determine if your product is right for any potential future client.

It’s very often tempting to tell people about the great products or services you offer way before you know what they’re looking for. The salespeople who give in to this temptation are often seen by prospective clients as having diarrhea of the mouth - an affliction which causes prospective clients to run away as quickly as possible.

To recover from such a malady, train yourself to ask leading questions so the prospective client tells you why they’ve come to you in the first place. Here are some examples:
- What was it that brought you to our location today?
- What was it about the ad that made you choose to call?
- What type of decor do you have in mind for your new home?
- How are you currently handling your (reference to your product or service) needs?

Crowding the conversation with facts, feature functions, warranty information, and delivery possibilities will often drive prospective clients away. Leading questions draw them toward you as having knowledge they need in order to make a wise decision. You do this by making statements regarding your product or service, then tying them down with questions that require the other person to either agree or give you another direction to follow.

For example, one might say, “The latest safety features are vital when considering a new car, aren’t they?" If they agree, you’ve just received permission to tell them more about the safety features and ask what features they would most like in their new vehicle. If they disagree, you then ask what is vital to them, such as the gas mileage or warranty, and lead them to learning more about that area.

The key to success with these and any other questioning strategies is to listen to the answers. I mean really listen, not just hear them. Listening requires the use of not only your two ears, but your eyes and your sense of body language. In other words, you listen between the words for what the other person is really saying.

Good communicators spend approximately 40 percent of their time listening. Only 35 percent is spent talking. The rest of the time is spent reading and writing. Now, with all the value we salespeople put on our speaking abilities, our verbal skills, it’s probably a surprise to you that the percentage for listening is higher than that for speaking. Please let this be the last time you are surprised by those numbers. As soon as you finish reading this article, start to develop your listening skills.

Your goal is to become an empathetic listener. That is a person who pays total attention to the subject at hand. He or she is totally focused on the present moment. They notice when another party to the conversation moves their hands, their eyes. They notice a change in stance. They recognize signals of hesitancy as well as those of agreement. They notice and work to eliminate distractions in their selling environment.

To help keep the other party focused on the situation at hand, use their name periodically in the conversation. Maintain eye contact with them - not staring them down, but meeting their eyes occasionally when making a point. If you see them drifting or hear them going off on a tangent that is not relevant to the situation, ask questions that bring their focus back to the task at hand.

To further develop your listening skills, practice taking notes during every conversation you have for a week, even when you are with loved ones. If you explain to them that you’re working to better develop your listening skills - to understand their needs as well as those of your clients - they’ll feel honored that you value their conversation. Improving your communication skills will improve your relationships all around.

Copyright 1999 Tom Hopkins International