It's All in the Questions

by Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Published on this site: July 12th, 2005 - See more articles from this month...

Salesperson, selling in today’s market place is just the same as yesterday’s. Goods and services are still being bought and sold. Success is still measured by how many sales you close and the profitability within each sale.

So what separates successful sales personnel from not so successful? The answer to this question lies in the ability to ask questions that help the potential buyers better understand their needs while demonstrating the value you bring by asking good questions.

Good questions don’t need to be hard. Simplicity is sometimes the better route to take. Simple questions allow the prospect better comprehension and provide opportunities for them to share even more information.

For example, the word “and” can be used as a question after a particular experience has been shared to keep your prospect talking. “And?”

Continuing to listen to the prospect will allow you to ask, “What happened next?” As the dialogue continues, you build a relationship through active listening while discovering additional needs or as some say “pain.”

Another question “Could you please tell me more about that?” allows further exploration into the current need. Again, you are demonstrating real concern about your prospect.

As the conversation continues, the prospect may share some other solutions that may or may not have worked. At this time, you may wish to ask “Specifically, how many?” Upon hearing the response, two follow-up questions that achieve great results are “And how did that work for you?” and “How did that make you feel?”

Additional questions might be “What other result or results were you expecting?” and “How can you be sure of that?” Finally, before you end your meeting, a final question of “Is there anything else?” might prove beneficial.

Good salespeople understand that no one likes to be sold, but everyone likes to buy. Your ability to ask questions that create an emotional desire to buy will help you reach that next level of sales success.



Leanne Hoagland-Smith helps individuals and organizations to secure results usually within 2 to 12 weeks. She coaches lifelong change through proven processes seeking that next level of success. If doubling your revenue, improving your organizational culture or finding balance interests you, visit www.processspecialist.com or ask to subscribe to complimentary copy of Power Choices a monthly newsletter at [email protected]