To Close Sales, Ask Questions

By preparing questions that have a benefit for your prospect, asking them at the right time, and listening carefully for the meanings behind the answers, the skilled salesperson gains more than information. In fact, top salespeople use questions, sometimes called probing techniques, to move the sale forward.

To ease your way into the questioning process, begin by asking permission: “In order to save you time, would you mind if I asked you a few short questions?” Explain why you want to ask questions and that you do not intend to deliver a canned presentation but rather prefer a consultant’s approach. Sometimes you might take notes to refer to later. If your prospect seems pressed for time, keep the questions short, and don’t repeat the answers unless there’s a need for clarification. Below are 12 basic categories for asking questions that will lead you nearer to the close.

Qualify Prospects.

A few questions should tell you quickly if this “suspect” is a qualified prospect. Many salespeople waste valuable sales time chasing the wrong company or talking to someone without decision-making power. Develop a profile of your ideal prospect. What criteria must a “suspect” meet to qualify as a bona fide prospect for your product or service? Ask yourself who makes buying decisions within the prospect’s company, whether there is a budget already available to support the purchase and how close the prospect is to buying.

Uncover Needs.

By asking questions and understanding the client’s needs, you can determine which benefits the prospect will buy. If you are selling copy equipment you know that prospects are impressed by low cost and quality reproductions. This particular prospect, however, may be more concerned about low maintenance. If you have a standard presentation that mentions low maintenance as your fifth point, you risk losing his interest before you get to point number five.

Help Your Prospect Clarify Needs.

Some clients don’t really understand their own needs or may not have clearly defined their goals. When I bought my first computer I needed expert advice on the many options available. The salesperson who took the time to help me clarify my needs and make an informed choice got my business.

To Gain Respect.

Sophisticated prospects will want to know that you know what you’re talking about. Knowing your market and your product or service and doing your homework about this prospect are important. Before your sales call, find out what you can about this prospect and prepare for the call. Then ask intelligent questions that demonstrate your knowledge.

To Build Long-Term Relationships.

You may perform fine on the first call but what do you do for an encore? If your goal is to keep the clients you have for many years, you will want to build relationships that endure. To do so, you must acquire a deeper understanding of their needs. Since you well may be speaking with clients many times and over many years, developing a list of questions will help you to return to them with fresh questions and ideas.

Involve The Client.

Ask questions that will help get and keep your prospect’s attention. Question the prospect about his or her business, the general market conditions, recession fears, the competition and any other subject that relates to that company’s business outlook. The best prospects are the ones who sell themselves; to sell themselves they must be involved in the sales process from the very beginning.

Learn How To Sell The Prospect.

An involved client will tell you how to sell him. Let the client vent his feelings and ideas. A prospect who answers questions will be more cooperative during the entire selling process. In addition, questions will help uncover objections early in the sale when tension is low. At the same time you will be identifying client style, opinions, understanding, awareness, personal needs and concerns.

Establish Trust.

Use questions to establish rapport and a climate of trust and confidence. They will serve better than idle small talk and chit-chat and will show you are a professional who doesn’t believe in wasting a prospect’s valuable time.

Maintain Control.

Asking questions is a subtle way of controlling the sale without making your prospect feel controlled. Questions lead rather than push.

Get Minor Yesses.

By asking some questions that you know the prospect will answer yes to, you can create a positive atmosphere filled with agreement rather than conflict. If you’ve done your homework, it should be easy to ask a few pointed questions about your prospect’s business that you know will elicit yesses.

Avoid Rejection.

Asking questions lets you evaluate how much interest a prospect has and if she or her company is in a position to buy at this time. Through better probing, your expectations will be more realistic. At times you may even discontinue a sales call with a poor prospect or choose to return to fight another day with a qualified but unwilling buyer. Better probing can increase your closing ratio, reduce the number of rejections and give you a clearer picture of your sales situation.

To Close The Sale.

Ask questions to lead toward the close and to determine if the prospect is ready to take action. By asking questions, you may find prospects ready to buy much earlier than you thought. Once you think they are ready to buy, begin to ask closing questions.

To reap the full benefits of asking questions, approach broad topics first and then focus in on more narrow areas. Keep your questions in sequence and ask one at a time. Impatient salespeople risk overwhelming prospects with too many questions all at once. Pace yourself and your prospect. After you have asked a question, give the prospect time to think and answer, and be ready to rephrase the question for clarity. Be careful not to criticize or attack your prospect’s answer, or he will either withdraw or counterattack.

Practice asking the same question in different ways, vary the types of questions you use and you will begin to develop a sales questioning strategy that works to close sales.