Are you killing sales by concentrating on positive statements?

Have you ever thought about why asking questions is such a powerful selling tool? Is it because it gives the customer an opportunity to get involved in the selling situation? Or, is it because it provides you with so much of the information you need to know to close the sale?

To be sure, the wrong questions can cause a person to react negatively to you. Even the right questions, asked in the wrong way, or at the wrong time, can frighten a prospect away.

I once heard about a barber who was converted after a hell fire and damnation sermon. The next day, he wanted to convert all of his customers. He lathered up the face of his first customer, stroked his straight razor on his honing strap, put the razor to his customer’s throat and asked, “Are you prepared to meet God?” No wonder the fellow jumped up and ran out of the barbershop with lather on his face! There’s a right time, and a right place, and a right way to ask questions. And that was none of them!

But when questions are asked at the right time and the right place they are a powerful tool for raising your customer response level. Here are only a few of the many important reasons:

First, they can help you discover very important information that can help you lead the sale to a successful close. You might discover that the person to whom you’re talking is not the person to whom the pitch should be made.

Secondly, through carefully posed questions, you can help the prospect make some useful discoveries. Someone says, “I don’t believe in life insurance,” and the skilled prober asks, “Why?” By pursuing a line of self-revealing questions, the prospect may dismiss his own apprehensions and become increasingly aware of his needs for increased protection.

Thirdly, asking questions, and actively listening to responses, demonstrates a genuine interest in the customer. It gets you involved with your prospect. It creates trust and reduces tension – if it’s done with sincerity! It changes your image from invader to guest.

Fourth, asking questions gets your prospects involved. They become active participants in the sales interview and help you sell.

Fifth, when you ask questions, you create the opportunity to discover and correct misconceptions you might have about the client or erroneous information the client might have received.

And sixth, through two-way communications, you can monitor the tension level and test the bond of trust between you and the client. Dialogue helps you time all elements of the presentation and the close.

How do you ask questions to boost your customer response level? Here are some guidelines that have been tested thoroughly and proven effective by top-flight salespeople in all fields.

Guideline Number One – Start with broad questions and move toward more narrow questions. Open-ended questions are less threatening at the beginning of an interview, when the bond of trust has not been fully established.

“Tell me a little about your new house, Mrs. Brown.” That’s the kind of question that might start a customer talking about her general needs for furniture or accessories. It can be a very revealing way to start the conversation. If she is proud of what she has, it opens the door for her to brag. If she’s frustrated with her existing furnishings, she can express her need for a number of items she is considering.

Guideline Number Two – Ask, then shut up and listen! The customer can’t talk while you’re talking. And, you don’t learn while you’re talking. Don’t just get quiet and try to think up what you’re going to say next – listen to every word the prospect says!

Guideline Number Three – Keep questions simple and focused. Use one idea at a time. Pursue each topic to its logical conclusion. Target your questions.

Guideline Number Four – Ask sensitive questions in a nonthreatening way!

“How much were you planning to spend on a car?” is better than “How much can you afford to put into a car?” Explain why, if you must ask a sensitive question. People will answer even touchy questions if they understand why they are asked. Always explain why if you must ask a very personal question.

Guideline Number Five – Always ask questions that are easy to answer! Studies show that people would rather answer a question when they agree, than to voice their objections. As you observe the customer, and listen to that customer’s comments, you can sense the customer’s moods. As you do this, you can ask a series of questions that can be answered by “yes” or at least have elements of agreement.

Guideline Number Six – Turn the statements your customer makes into questions to clarify or reinforce feelings. “So Tuesday would be best for you, is that right?” With that question, you have clarified the day the customer seems to prefer.

When a prospect expresses a strong feeling, reinforce it with a question. “If I hear you right, you’re saying that your clients don’t have time to fill out long forms?” That lets your customer know that you really heard what was said, and gives an opportunity for him or her to elaborate.

Guideline Number Seven – Use questions to develop the presentation! “You mentioned that your present car needs repairs. What types of repairs does it need?” By asking that type of question, you can move toward explaining the advantages of a new car.

Guideline Number Eight – Use caution when leading clients with questions.

Professional buyers and many consumers have become sophisticated enough to realize when they are being set up for the kill, and often they will resent it. Always respect the intelligence of your prospect!

Guideline Number Nine-Use questions to give information. It is amazing how much information can be conveyed, and how many opinions can be expressed through questions.

The artful asking of questions is the best way to raise your customer response potential. Most sales are the result of a series of small commitments and affirmative answers, rather than a single big “yes.”

If you would improve your customer response level, you’d master the art of asking questions. But remember! Always allow your customer to answer each question. You, in turn, must listen, really listen, while the customer is talking. People love to hear themselves talk. If you learn how to skillfully provide them that opportunity by asking questions, they will reward you with answers which will take you smiling to the bank.

Nido R. Qubein, a nationally known professional speaker and consultant. He is President of the National Speakers Association and heads his own consulting organization. You may reach Mr. Qubein at Creative Services, Inc., Box 6008, High Point, NC 27262, (919)889-3010.

Three Dangers of Asking Questions

Danger Number One – People often feel manipulated, or set up by a salesperson’s questions. Have you ever had one of those telephone salespeople who leads off with a question like, “Mr. Jones, do you love your children?” It makes you feel like responding, “No! I hate the little brats!”

And what about those salespeople who ask questions that are too personal like, “Mrs. Smith, what time will your husband be home?” Mrs. Smith might be afraid she’s talking to a rapist who preys on women when their husbands are gone.

The skillful salesperson seeks to build trust by respecting a prospect’s intelligence, feelings, and concerns, and by constantly monitoring the tension-trust level.

Danger Number Two – Questions can lead the talkative person off on tangents. As a result, time runs out before the salesperson gets to first base.

You’ve seen the type, haven’t you? Ask them the time, and they tell you how to build a watch, and then continue to talk about their latest trip to Switzerland.

Interestingly, this danger contains its own solution. In fact, some people are so talkative that they go off on a tangent after a positive statement has been made. Well-focused questions can be one of the best tools for directing a conversation. The real pros become so good at it that the client never notices that he’s being led.

The key is to use the client’s comments to steer the conversation back to the vital main issue. For example, “Mr. Brown, I can see that you enjoy travel. Wouldn’t you enjoy it more if you knew your possessions were adequately protected?” A person selling burglar alarms could direct that answer right into a close.

Danger Number Three – Questions can reinforce negative feelings. Set a pessimist off with a question about the economy and that pessimist will get so worked up he’ll never buy anything.

Questions that lead a person to talk about deeply personal problems, politics, religion, or race can cause your prospect to get so involved with negative feelings that it will be hard to steer the sales interview back to a positive vein.

Here are some pointers I have found helpful.

1. Choose carefully the types of questions you will ask.

2. Steer clear of explosive subjects like race, religion, politics, and deep personal problem areas.

3. Phrase questions so that they will bring out a positive answer.

4. Focus on the solution to problems, rather than on the problems.

Ask questions that move the prospect toward positive actions aimed at solving the problem with your product or service.