Open-endedquestions are one of the most important tools for those who sell (as long asyou listen).
They help you gather information,qualify sales opportunities, and establish rapport, trust and credibility.
If you consideryourself a professional, own (absolutely know) a repertoire of powerfulopen-ended questions… questions that are answered by more than a simple yes orno… questions where the prospect/ customer gets directly involved in the salesdiscussion.
The key here…
Ask the question and let the prospect/customer give you their answer.
No leading.
No prompting.
No interrupting.
Just in case you’ve not had theopportunity to put yours down in writing, here are some of ourfavorites. You should have several additional questions specific to your industry,but these will get you more than started.
Write down the ones you findvaluable. Memorize them with your team. Practice them on your drive in or onthe way to your next appointment. Print them out. Post them near your phone.Pass them on to your team.
It’s all about sales®.
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Informationgathering
What prompted you/ your company to look into this?
What are your expectations/requirements for this product/ service?
What process did you go through to determine your needs?
How do you see this happening?
What is it that you’d like to see accomplished?
With whom have you had success in the past?
With whom have you had difficulties in the past?
Can you help me understand that alittle better?
What does that mean?
How does that process work now?
What challenges does that processcreate?
What challenges has that created inthe past?
What are the best things about that process?
What other items should we discuss?
Qualifying
What do you see as the next actionsteps?
What is your timeline forimplementing/ purchasing this type of service/ product?
What other data points should weknow before moving forward?
What budget has been established forthis?
What are your thoughts?
Who else is involved in thisdecision?
What could make this no longer apriority?
What’s changed since we last talked?
What concerns do you have?
Establishing rapport, trust & credibility
How did you get involved in…?
What kind of challenges are you facing?
What’s the most important priorityto you with this?
Why?
What other issues are important toyou?
What would you like to see improved?
How do you measure that?
Speak Your Mind