Asking the RIGHT Questions

In a sales setting, you may find that a prospect is reluctant to share all the necessary information that you, as the salesperson, need to see if there is a good fit.  This could be because they feel that withholding information puts them in a position of power in the conversation.  It could also be, however, simply that they are unsure of the scope of their own needs.  It then becomes important for you the sales representative to ask the appropriate questions to get the conversation to where it needs to be.

One strategy is to ask 2 key questions.  The focus of these questions is to shift from binary “on/off,” “yes/no,” types of questions.  Start by asking the prospect to rate their feelings, by using a “On a scale of 1-10…” type of question.  This allows the client to be more honest and accurate, as well as exposing an apparent no as a maybe.  The next question to ask them is “Tell me why you didn’t pick a lower number.”  This allows the prospect to talk about positive reasons.  It moves them from a defensive posture to articulating their thoughts.

Once the prospect has moved from a less defensive stance, you must now get to the root of their problem, so you can help them identify it.  A strategy to do this is to ask why 5 times.  Whether or not this is actually 5 questions, the point is to keep asking why until a problem has been identified.  What is really happening, is you are taking the prospect through what’s known as the Pain Funnel.  The pain funnel takes the client from not knowing what their problem is, to understanding it, simply by asking the questions that help them reason through it.  The pain funnel is structured as follows.  Begin by asking a few key questions, then listen, and give them a chance to speak, explore areas that may cause pain on the surface, start to dig a little deeper, ask for further implications, and finally you will arrive at the real why.

Problem-finding is quickly becoming a key skill today’s salespeople must possess.  Knowing how to ask the right questions, and get to the real source of a client’s problem may prove to be vital to the possibility of closing a deal.