Are You Asking Questions in the Right Order?

Needs assessments are shorter and more productive when sellers are asking questions in the right order.

To visualize the right sequence for questions, sellers can think of a conversation with a buyer as moving through an inverted funnel. At the top, questions are open-ended and very broad. They are about the business needs and the buyer’s needs (not only about the narrower needs for your product). Each follow-up question narrows the broad response and steers the conversation. As warranted, a broad question may come back into the conversation in response to an answer given by the buyer.

Benefits of Asking Questions in the Right Order

By strategically crafting questions that yield responses with varied content and by using appropriate forms of questions, the seller can learn all the angles of a situation as it becomes better defined. As the seller gets to a point of fully understanding the buyer’s priority, the conversation has narrowed to the end of the funnel. At this point, it is appropriate for the seller to hone in on the buyer’s need for the seller’s products.

Follow-up questions help the buyer, too. In a hurry-up world, taking time to fully consider one’s own problems and what to do about them is something of a luxury. A buyer who is guided through this process gets value from the process alone. Quality questions make the buyer think, promote self-discovery and surface latent needs which may also need to be addressed.

Buyers appreciate sellers who can conduct a conversation leading to this type of helpful outcome. They also enjoy the conversations when sellers stay in the moment, show genuine interest, allow for a natural dialogue, sequence questions sensibly, and invite an interchange of ideas and information.

Conversely, if a seller is not asking questions in the right order, buyers shut down. They may be offended, confused or guarded if questions are poorly sequenced. As a result, the responses will be limited and may fail to provide the information a seller needs to advance the sale.

Asking questions in the right order is easy to do once you understand the value and rationale for starting broad and narrowing in later. DISCOVER Questions® Get You Connected will show you how to do this. It's based on research with buyers and packed with practical examples you can apply right away.