Good salespeople are eager to sing the praises of their product or service – but it’s critical to analyze customer needs first. Customer satisfaction starts with careful needs analysis, and careful needs analysis starts with open-ended, probing questions. To help ensure a successful close on your next sale, ask questions that (a) push your prospect’s hot buttons, (b) eliminate objections up front, (c) get a buying commitment if you can solve the customer’s problem and (d) convince prospects they want what you have before you tell them about it. Instead of talking your customers into buying, ask the right questions and let them talk themselves into it.

A. Uncover the Prospect’s Hot Button

Knowing your prospect’s hot button takes the guesswork out of the sale. Hot buttons trigger the emotions that make your prospect eager to buy. A great challenge of any sale is arousing your prospect’s interest in your product – so ask questions that tell you exactly how to do it. Start by asking your prospect what they want, i.e., “What do you want in a stereo?” or “What’s important to you in a supplier?” or “What do you want to happen when you use our service?” Listen carefully to your prospect’s answers, and jot down or make mental notes of key words that tell you what really gets their attention – these are the clues you need to make the sale. After your client answers your question, ask for more specific clues by asking, “What do you mean by that?”

Salesperson: What are you looking for in a new home?

Client: I need at least four bedrooms. Also, I like high, spacious ceilings in my living room, with lots of windows that let in a lot of light. I must have ample closet space and I need to be close to a school.

Salesperson: What do you mean by lots of windows?

Client: Floor-to-ceiling is best for me.

Salesperson: What do you mean by close to a school?

Client: Less than a mile so my children can walk.

Salesperson: What do you mean by ample closet space?

Client: I want to have walk-in closets.

Often, what prospects say they want in your product or service may be interpreted in many ways. Nail down exactly what they’re looking for by asking for specifics, then when you close, you can say: “This home is great for you. It has four large bedrooms with walk-in closets. Also, the living room has high ceilings with five floor-to-ceiling windows that let in a lot of light. The school is only seven blocks away so your children can easily walk. It’s perfect, isn’t it?” This closing statement pushes the prospect’s hot buttons and improves the salesperson’s closing odds by highlighting the features and benefits the prospect said were most important.

B. Uncover and Eliminate Objections Up Front

When your prospects are unsure about a buying decision, they may use objections to avoid making one. But if you uncover and eliminate objections early, your prospect can’t thwart you with false objections when it’s time to close. To deal with objections now so they won’t cost you a sale later, think of as many objections as you can and ask questions that will make them useless to the prospect later. For example, to eliminate or uncover the “I don’t have time to work out” objection, a health club salesperson trying to sign up a new member might ask that person, “Do you have 30 minutes, three times a week so that you can look better, feel better and have more energy?” Following are some common objections and the questions you can ask to uncover or eliminate them before closing time:

Objection: I only buy from (competitor company).

Question: If I could show you that we would provide a better product and save you money, would you buy from us instead?

Objection: Your price is too high.

Question: What’s more important to you, lasting quality or price?

Objection: I’ll think about it.

Question: If you like the ideas I propose today, could you make a decision today?

Eliminate tough objections early in your presentation for an objection-free close at the end.

C. Get a Commitment to Buy

Many prospects express interest in your product, believe it can help solve their problems, yet still hesitate to buy when the time comes. The solution? Before your presentation, ask your customers if they’ll agree to buy from you if your product meets their needs. For many customers, making buying decisions before the presentation is less stressful than making them afterward, so asking for a decision early may make it easier to say yes. If your customers are true to their word, you’re virtually guaranteed a sale if you can prove that your product and your prospect are a good match. Before you start presenting your product, look at your prospect and say, “Mr. Prospect, you must have some interest in my product to grant me this appointment. If I can show you exactly how my company can meet your needs and help solve your problems, will you place an order with me today?” If the prospect says no, you have a great opportunity to identify and answer objections and convince him or her that buying from you is a wise decision.

D. Sell Your Product’s Benefits before You Sell the Product

When budget-conscious prospects quickly dismiss the idea of buying a product, sell them on its benefits instead. If you sell radio advertising that reaches a market of more than 100,000 people between the ages of 25 and 45, for example, modify your approach to emphasize your product’s benefits before you mention your product. Many prospects may not be interested in buying radio advertising, but they may be very interested in reaching 100,000 new prospects from an age bracket they’ve never targeted before. If you can’t get your prospects to say they need your product, get them to admit they need all the things it will do for them. Start by asking questions about your prospects’ typical customers, their problems and their satisfaction with their current supplier – including any changes they’d like to make. Make a note of the prospect responses that closely match your product’s benefits, then tailor your presentation to highlight the benefits and features your prospect specified. When prospects say they need something other than what you have to offer, making the sale may be as easy as convincing them that they’ve been missing out by not buying from you.

Client: My bank buys commercials on radio stations that reach adults age 45 and over.

Salesperson: So what you’re missing are all the 25- to 45-year-olds with high-paying jobs who have not established an allegiance to any bank yet. You’d like their business also, wouldn’t you?

Client: Yes.

Salesperson: My station can provide you with an untapped market of customers from a whole new age bracket. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?

Convince your customers they need what your product can do for them to make it harder for them to refuse.

Questions are a powerful tool that can help increase your sales while decreasing the amount of effort required to close each prospect. The more questions you ask, the more your prospects talk. Every response provides more important information and the key words and phrases you can use to persuade prospects to buy.