Nearly all sales training includes at least a nod to asking the “right” questions. Most professional sellers do include some questions in their selling process, and most of the good ones did that even before they were trained or told to do so.
Even so, there are millions (literally!) of interpretations on what questions to ask, when and how to ask them, and what you’re supposed to do with the answers. As a result, many sales reps never really master the skill of asking strategic sales questions. What’s more, many sales reps never really understand the value of asking questions either.
A Google search on “selling + questions” returns 666,000,000 results. The first 20 pages of results show that about 25% prescribe the exact questions a seller should ask (and/or the book/system/training that will help them learn those questions) while another 25% or so focus on the difference between open-ended and closed-ended questions.
So with all these options, why are so many sellers still not asking strategic sales questions? Why is that so many sellers still don’t see the full value of asking questions?
Several reasons come to mind, all based on field research and explored in greater depth in Deb Calvert’s upcoming DISCOVER book series. Here are some of the most common reasons that questions are underutilized and unappreciated in selling:
§ Sellers aren’t comfortable asking questions when they aren’t sure they’ll understand the answers. In last week’s blog post, we described what happens when sellers lack business acumen and/or genuine interest in their prospects. This is yet another unfortunate side effect.
§ Sellers are given scripted questions that feel robotic and unnatural to ask. They can’t be effective in asking these questions because they don’t understand the purpose of the questions and don’t follow a logical path beyond the initial responses. A classic example is “what keeps you up at night?” (not a question we recommend using). Once the buyer responds, the seller moves on to something unrelated instead of staying with this potentially meaty topic. There is no point in asking a question solely for the purpose of asking the question. A lot gets missed when sellers approach a set of scripted questions this way.
§ Sellers don’t want to seem intrusive. They don’t want to waste their prospect’s time (or their own time). They feel that questions will cut into their selling time. So they never give good, productive questions a chance. (And that ends up wasting time for the seller because they have to make so many more product pitches that never go anywhere productive…) Buyers, by the way, don’t mind thought-provoking questions. In fact, they want a seller to challenge them. And when the questions are all about them, the conversations are fascinating for the buyer. Time is suddenly not an issue for them.
§ Sellers don’t stay with a natural conversational flow when asking questions. Instead of letting curiosity and genuine interest guide them to the place where the information they’re gathering reveals a need, they leap ahead to try and close the sale before they’ve gathered all the information. Here’s just one example of a conversation that could have benefited from just one more question.
Seller: How many new jobs are being created?
Buyer: A total of 72 over the next two years.
Seller: Our job board reaches people across the U.S. We can do a 2-year deal for…
Buyer: Are you kidding? I’m not going to recruit nationwide for these jobs!
What would that additional question be? The one before the product pitch? Maybe something like “Who do you plan to recruit for those jobs?” or “What’s the plan for filling these positions?” or “Tell me more about the jobs and the ideal candidates for them.”
The point of questions is to gather information that will help the seller create and present a solution that the prospect will want to buy. When sellers pounce on the first glimmer of a need, they end up making mistakes like this. Buyers aren’t very patient with these kinds of conversations.
§ Sellers don’t think of questions in a strategic way. Therefore, they don’t word their questions in a way that yields the information they need. They haphazardly or half-heartedly go on fishing expeditions with hooks that aren’t baited.
Asking strategic sales questions includes crafting questions carefully. The question should be structured to get exactly what is desired. For a seller who wants confirmation of data or for one who is checking the buyer’s understanding, a closed-ended question is the best choice. An example of this type of question, one that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” is “Are all of your distribution centers located within 200 miles of retail outlets?”
That same question, however, would not be suitably crafted if a seller was trying to figure out how many hours it took for transport. There would be way too many assumptions made if the seller equated distance with time. A better question in that scenario would be “Tell me about the shipping distance and time between distribution centers and retail outlets.” The answer to the second question would, of course, be more specific and richer in detail. Before asking either question, the seller should consider what they want the question to yield and then word it accordingly.
These are just a few of the most common reasons why sellers don’t ask more questions and better questions. To improve the effectiveness of your questions, start with the right intent. Every question should have a purpose (and it’s not always about racing to the close of the sale!). Determine that purpose first, and then ask the question… and then ask another one to follow up on what you’ve heard. Stay on the path until you find what you’re looking for and fully understand it. This is no different from a conversation with a friend, so relax and do what comes naturally.
