Questions That Sell

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Bad Questions
Leading Questions - Makes people feel manipulated
Lazy Questions - waste of time
Self-serving questions
Trick Question
Hostile or aggressive questions

Educational Questions

Designed to enlarge a customer's knowledge

The simplest way to create an effective educational question is to Google the industry you sell into to find news, reports, studies, and so on.

“I read recently in an article from ___________ that ___________ . Tell me, how does that compare with what you are seeing?”

Educational questions are great because they take advantage of something you are doing already—keeping up with industry news and trends—while elevating your status in the eyes of prospective and current customers.

One educational question per meeting is enough to solidify your role as consultant.

Once you have asked an educational question, you will need to listen carefully to the response and tailor your follow-up questions to move the conversation in a direction where you can offer help to the prospective customer.

“Some of my other clients have been telling me,” you’ll find that you can leverage your other customer relationships to boost your credibility with prospects. They will more fully appreciate your ability to share vital information—information that’s unique to you, not cribbed from your company’s marketing materials or a quick Google search. Prospective customers love hearing what’s going on with your other customers because it shows that you’re in tune with trends, industry challenges, opportunities, and how others in the industry are tackling them.

There are four key times when an educational question will be most useful: 
1. As a teaser on a voice mail message so prospects will return your call 
2. As an icebreaker at the beginning of a meeting 
3. When a sales conversation has gotten stuck 
4. When you want to add new pizazz to an existing customer relationship
It provides a good alternative to the customary questions thrown at established customers. Instead of “checking in” or “touching base” with questions like “Is there anything I can do for you today?” or “I’ll be in the area and thought I’d stop by” or “How are things going?” you can bring fresh information to the table.

One caveat when using educational questions: They can’t be self-serving.

Lock-on Questions

To create a lock-on question, you simply lock on to something the buyer said. But not just any old thing. You want to lock on to something that you believe could give you—as well as buyers themselves—greater insight into their needs.

Build upon what buyers have told you which allows you to extend the conversation and dig deeper into the issues they face

When you’re looking for something to lock on to, pay attention to high-emotion words.

Examples
Trying to 
Dealing with 
Problems 
Concerns 
Hopeful 
Unclear 
Stressful 
Seeking 
Needs Improvement 
Struggling 
Having difficulties 
Challenges 
Afraid 
Frustrated 
Doubts 
Searching 
Looking for Goals

When to use Lock-On Questions
You have a good rapport with the customer and have demonstrated empathy toward him.
You have a sincere desire to connect with the customer.
You respect the level of information your customer feels comfortable sharing.
You avoid problems to which you cannot offer a solution.
You focus on problems your competition is not addressing.
You avoid problems that you or your company may have created in the past for this customer.

Also, if you feel lock-on questions will be viewed as too direct, you can use buffer statements to preface your question. Some examples of buffer statements include: 
“Help me understand . . .” 
“When you say the word . . .” 
“Could you clarify for me . . .” 
“What is an example that comes to mind . . .”

Impact Questions

Designed to explore the impact of challenges that the customer is facing

Once you have gotten a customer to articulate a problem and offer an example, it’s time to move beyond the lock-on questions and enter a new phase: the impact question. In this phase, you will be using the information you’ve learned so far to get the customer to focus on the impact of the problem.

coaching your customer to quantify the problem

Expansion Questions

Designed to get buyers to enlarge on what they've told you, giving you greater insight into their needs

“Describe for me . . .” 
“Share with me . . .” 
“Explain . . .” 
“Walk me through . . .” 
“Tell me . . .” 
“Could you clarify something . . .” 
“Can you expand upon what you just said?” 
“Help me understand . . .”

Comparison Questions

Designed to get buyers to compare one thing to another or to get them to identify priorities and gain greater clarity

As with expansion questions, you can start with typical sales questions—ones you may be using already—and build on them to prompt buyers to make comparisons.

Comparison questions can also be particularly useful to home in on important buying criteria for the prospective customer.

Time

Ordinary: “What are your goals?” 
Comparison: “Share with me what you hope to accomplish in the next twelve months. How does this compare with where you are today?” Or, “Share with me what you hope to accomplish in the next twelve months compared with where you were one year ago.” Or, “Describe for me your goals three years from now.” Or, “Tell me about this year’s goals versus last year’s.”

Decisionmakers

Ordinary: “Who will make the final decision on this?” 
Comparison: “Please explain to me how the decisionmaking process for this project differs from past projects you’ve worked on.” Or, “You mentioned that Bill and Jane will both have to sign off on this project. Tell me what’s important to you, as opposed to what they’re looking for?” Or, “Share with me your thoughts on this approach and how it compares to what others on your team are saying.”

Competitors

Ordinary: “Who are your competitors?” 
Comparison: “Share with me the qualities that differentiate you from your competitors.” Or, “Your customers have a lot of choices today. Tell me what you believe are the unique attributes that set you apart from others in your market.”

Pains and Gains
 
Ordinary: “Tell me about what’s not working.” 
Comparison: “Tell me what’s working well versus what’s not working so well.” Or, “Compared with what you’ve seen in other organizations where you’ve worked, explain to me the gaps you see in your current organization.”

Market Trends

Ordinary: “How’s business?” 
Comparison: “How’s business this year compared with last year?” Or, “How is your business compared with others in your industry?”

Vendors

Ordinary: “What do you like about your current vendor?” 
Comparison: “Describe for me the ideal qualities you look for in a vendor relationship and how that compares with your current situation.” Or, “Can you prioritize what’s most important to you in a vendor relationship: on-time delivery, low prices, or a wide selection?”

Vision Questions

Designed to invite the buyer to see what they stand to gain and how you can help them achieve goals, hopes, and dreams

The Power of “If” Vision questions usually have the word if in them. For example: “If we could eliminate that problem you are currently experiencing, that problem that is costing you [for example] $1 million per year, what would it mean to your organization? And to you?” “If you could implement that change, how do you think that would benefit your position and goals within the company?” “If you successfully implemented this change, how would it affect you personally? What would you be able to do differently?”

Once you have determined which of your customer’s needs is not being met, you can use that information to tailor vision questions for him.

“If you were able to achieve your goal, in what ways would it benefit the organization? How would it benefit your department? How would it benefit you personally?” 
“What is your vision for the future of your company [department, team, territory]? What do you see as the key steps you will need to take in order to get you there?” 
“What is your dream for the future of your career? What will you have to accomplish in order to get where you want to be?” 
“Try to picture yourself a year from now. Share with me exactly what has to happen in order for you to be satisfied with the outcome.” 
“What could you stop doing if this problem were solved? And what would you do with that free time?”
 “If you could accomplish this objective, what would that mean to you?” 
“If this problem were solved, what would it enable you to do?” There are no downsides to using vision questions because of the positive tone and upbeat message they present.

Qualifying Question

Before you start chasing opportunities, listen to how prospective customers respond to your questions. The process of qualifying allows you to answer these questions: 
Is the person politely trying to get you off of the phone and out of his hair? 
Is this someone who really wants to purchase your services, or is she just picking your brain for free ideas? 
Is he afraid of any type of commitment? •Is your timing off? Does the person you are talking with have more pressing needs than the one you are addressing? 
Is the prospect open to change and willing to talk about it?
Are you talking with the right person? 
Are your values aligned with their values (for example, are they price-driven when you’re focused on solving problems and providing a return on investment)?

It’s in everyone’s interest—the buyer as well as the seller—to make sure you’re not wasting time on an “opportunity” that isn’t there.

Consider
Can your prospect articulate her needs?
Is this need important
How does the prospect envision the outcome of resolving this matter?

Responding to the Answers: The Three-Step Qualifying Process

Use the following three-step process to determine whether or not you have a real sales opportunity. This process will save you time and money and help you avoid frustration.

Agree - Agree but stay in control 
Clarify - Get as much detail as possible about the response. Ask one or two questions to gather info about the current situation, decision making process within the company, and any concerns the person has about the current vendor
Legitimize - Determine whether the prospect is sincere or just trying to get rid of you politely. Ask a question that will project your prospective customer into the future and will allow you to make evident any potential obstacles to an agreement
Legitimizing questions
"Assuming we can...."
"What if..."
"Let's just pretend"
"Just suppose"
"Imagine for a moment"
Close
Tell me what you see as a next step
What's our next step?
How would you like for us to proceed
What do you feel will happen next?
I suggest our next step be a meeting with you.

Common Objections

"Email Me the Information"

Agree - I would be glad to forward you some information

Clarify - "As I want to be attentive to what your needs are/So that I get you the right information, what specifically are you looking for?

Legitimize - "I'm going to put together some information that will address x,y, and z and get that to you today. Let me ask you, assuming what I put together addresses what you're looking for, what's our next step?

Questions That Enlarge the Need

Questions to Uncover Problems
Share with me your three biggest challenges. Of these three, which one is the most pressing? 
What problems are you currently experiencing? Why? 
What is causing these problems? Can you give me an example? •What barriers are in your way? 
What’s working? What’s not? Why? •What’s this problem costing you, in terms of time, money, resources, lost opportunities, etc.? 
How long have you been experiencing this problem? 
Who else besides you is experiencing this problem? 
Think back to when you originally implemented this process. What were your expectations? What results are you currently getting? What kind of results would you like to get in the future?
If you could wind back the clock [or wave a magic wand], what would you change? 
Everyone has to deal with change. What’s the one change you [department, organization] are encountering? What challenge is this change presenting? 
What are the biggest gripes you hear from your customers? From your internal customers [bosses, peers, subordinates, or other departments]? 
On a scale from 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your current product/vendor/situation? What would you like to see the product/ vendor/situation do/deliver/accomplish in order to achieve a 10? 
What do you see as the biggest hurdle you face in order to meet your objectives? As you evaluate your current situation, where are the biggest areas or opportunities for improvement? 
What happens if you decide not to fix this problem? What will be the impact on you and your organization?

Questions About Your Customers’ (External) Customers
Who are your organization’s most valuable customers? 
Can you give me a profile of your typical client? An ideal client? 
How do your customers measure success as a result of doing business with you? 
Describe for me what an ideal customer looks like. 
What’s it going to take to get more of these types of customers? 
What do your customers expect from you as a vendor or supplier? What’s the one area where you shine in meeting and/or exceeding their expectations? Where do you see room for improvement? 
How have your customers’ expectations changed over the last few years? What changes do you see moving forward? 
What steps will you need to take in order to adapt to those changing expectations? 
Customers have a lot of choices today. What would you say is the #1 reason why they buy from you and not elsewhere?

Questions to Disrupt Existing Vendor Relationships
Would you share with me the ideal qualities you look for in a vendor? 
How’s that compare with your current situation? 
When you originally selected this vendor, what were your selection criteria? In what ways have your criteria changed as you evaluate your needs today? What would you like to see happen in the future? 
If you could enhance one thing about your vendor’s qualities, what would that be? 
I understand that you have a good relationship with__________. However, different suppliers have different strengths. Could you help me understand where they seem to be meeting your needs and one area they can improve on? 
How would you rate your current vendor relationship on a scale of 1 to 10? (When your customer states a number, urge her to elaborate.) All right, when you say 7, what would you want your vendor to do to move it to a 10?

Questions About Competition and Trends

How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors? 
In the next three years, who do you think will emerge as your biggest threat? 
In the next three years, what do you think your greatest opportunity will be? •Which of your product’s or service’s strengths will allow you to continue your success? 
How do you picture the direction of your industry in three years? Five years? Ten years? 
What change could cut into your share of the market? 
How does the aging of the baby boomer generation (for example) affect your share of the market? (You could use any applicable trend for this example.) 
How does your company see itself today? How has it changed over the last five years? Where would it like to be in the next five years? 
How does your company approach change? •What pending legislation (or market conditions, competitive threats, demographic trends, organizational changes, etc.) could change the way you do business? 
What are the market forces you are most concerned about? •How is your company addressing the competitive pressures of the market? 
What issues do you think your company must address or overcome in order to be more successful? What specific steps or actions will you need to take? 
Tell me what you’ll need to be doing differently to overcome some of the challenges in your market. 
Tell me what’s keeping you from dominating your competition.

Questions About Company Culture
Tell me how you are trying to create and drive change in order to achieve your goals. 
How would you describe your culture today and how are you looking to enhance it moving forward? 
How would people working for your company describe the atmosphere to outsiders? •When making a change, how do you introduce it to your employees? 
What plans does your organization have for ______ in the future? 
How do the departments in your company interact? •Tell me about some of the recent changes in your company’s organizational structure. 
How would you describe the relationship between your corporate headquarters and your subsidiaries? 
Which departments (for example, marketing, personnel, or research and development) lead the way in innovation or have a significant impact on the bottom line? 
Is there a single department that makes more of the company’s decisions than any other? 
How does your company deal with issues of _______?

Questions About Goals
Share with me your long-term goals . . . short-term goals. 
 Can you prioritize your goals? 
Tell me how your goals align with your (team, department, corporate, etc.) goals. 
Help me understand what’s driving you and your team to achieve these goals. 
What concerns do you have if you don’t achieve them? 
How do this year’s goals differ from last year’s goals? 
If you could achieve these goals, what would it mean to you? 
Share with me what you see is the biggest opportunity for you to leverage success. 
Describe your goals to increase market share. What’s working well for you? What’s not?
How do you envision success ___ years from now?

Questions About Action Steps

Based on the goals you shared with me, what has to happen to get there? 
What actions will you need to take between now and _____ months from now to achieve your goals? 
What have you tried in the past to achieve this type of goal? What worked, what didn’t, and why? 
Share with me what others on your team will need to do in order to achieve these goals.
What do you anticipate might get in the way, and how will you address this hurdle? 
You have an ambitious goal. Where can you focus your resources to ensure success? 
Tell me what you’ll need to do more of . . . less of . . . to achieve the results you’re looking for. 
Walk me through the implementation phase. 
How will you measure progress?

The Question of Why

Tell me, what is prompting your interest in . . . ? 
What’s causing this to happen? 
What’s driving the need for change? 
What originally led you to this decision? 
Walk me through the steps that led you to this conclusion. 
What do you hope to accomplish? 
Share with me what is motivating your decision to . . . ? 
Why is this important to you? 
What is prompting you to consider taking action? 
What’s in it for you to implement this? 
If you can achieve this result, what will it mean to you? 
If you are not able to achieve this result, what concerns do you have? And how might not achieving it personally affect you?

Questions About BANT

Budget

Share with me the budget parameters you want to stay within. 
What are some budget numbers you’re working with? 
Budgetwise, where are you looking to be? 
Walk me through your budgetary approval process. 
How do you go about getting a budget approved for a project like this? 
So what’s a low end versus a high end where you need to be in terms of a budget? 
You have told me that your company has allocated $ _______ for this product. How was that amount determined? 
Do you think the allocation of funds is sufficient for the project at hand?
Can you give me a sense of how much the company is prepared to invest?
We’re not right for everyone. If a company can’t invest at least $5,000, we probably can’t offer an effective solution. So is that in line with your expectations?

Authority

Walk me through your decisionmaking process. 
How are buying decisions made at your company? 
Help me understand your role and who else is involved. Of these people, who’s responsible for deciding what? 
As you look at getting approval, who do you see is in favor? Who might oppose it? Of those who might not be in favor, how would you get their buy-in? 
How committed are you to get approval on this project? 
What are the steps that your organization has to take to reach a decision on this type of purchase? 
How do you see the decisionmaking process going? 
Tell me what challenges you foresee in the decisionmaking process. 
Tell me your thoughts on this upcoming project. How does your boss feel about it? Your peers? Others on your team? The committee? 
How can we tailor this message so everyone sees it as a win instead of a loss?
Share with me your personal interest in the successful outcome of this project.

Need

What exactly are your needs? 
Can you prioritize them for me? •Who’s driving this initiative and why? 
What led you to call me/take my call today? 
Tell me what’s changed in your organization that’s prompting you to address this issue now? 
How will you determine a successful outcome? How will you measure success? 
You mentioned that price, quality, and service were three important criteria. Why those three? Which is most important? Least important
Let’s assume you are looking at three potential vendors who meet all of your criteria (including price). How would you then make your decision? 
You mentioned that the most important thing for you is price. How does that compare to what others (dealers, end-users, engineering, manufacturing, design, production, marketing, fulfillment) think is most important? 
If you can think back to when you first chose your current product, what were your selection criteria? Based on what you know now, how would those criteria change? 
If you think ahead to three years from now, what do you anticipate will be most important about this purchase? The initial price? The performance over time? The opportunities it opens up for you, your organization, and/or your customers? 
Which characteristics are “must haves” for you, and which are optional?

Timeline

How quickly do you want to move forward? 
What’s your time frame for getting this done? 
How urgent is this issue? Does it have to be addressed right now, or are there more urgent priorities? 
Do you have a date when you need to get started? 
What might be some roadblocks that could get in the way of getting started by that date? 
Would you say this is a priority? The top priority? One of the top three? What’s a higher priority? 
Who else sees this/doesn’t see this as a priority? •What happens if you don’t get started by . . . ?
Do you have a schedule or project plan in place? What are the decision points in that plan? Are there dates assigned?

Unstarred

Dunk (exclude from study)

Questions That Sell

Review Questions

Todos

Sensemaker