One of the most surprising yet fascinating things about sales is the misconception of a certain level of experience being needed in order to be a successful salesperson. In fact, the beginning of our sales career may be when we unknowingly perform the best in our sales conversations. But why? How could this be possible? The answer is simple: asking “dummy questions”.
“Dummy questions” are often surrounding the prospect’s business or organization. For example, you may ask as the salesperson, “Can you tell me a little about your business and what the day-to-day operations look like?”. Now, as a new salesperson with little “experience” in the field (even though we all sell everyday), these questions are most-likely genuine and asked for no other purpose than truly not knowing and needing the answer. However, these “dummy questions” will actually gain you the most insight as the salesperson, possibly without even trying. After all, effective selling is about effective information gathering, which is exactly what happens in this situation. This means that as you progress and improve in your sales techniques, asking “dummy questions” should still remain frequent in the buying/selling process. There is a powerful, leverage-generating dynamic in asking simple, seemingly obvious questions. It also helps keep salespeople accountable in not assuming they know everything. For example, you can do all the research you want prior to a sales conversation, and while a solid understanding of the company/client is good to take into the conversation, too much information can lead to an overconfidence of what you know (leading to assumptions that could damage the selling process). No matter what, it’s important to hear the client out firsthand and get their direct insight. The beauty about “dummy questions” is that they can be asked at any stage in the selling process (Bonding & Rapport/Pain/Budget/Decision/Post-Sell, etc.)
So, while the name may sound like something that should be avoided, “dummy questions” have the potential to collect crucial customer information/knowledge that will help you bring success to the process as the seller.
BoweryJE22
I would absolutely agree! Too much information or “information overload” can be extremely overwhelming to you as a customer. It is much better to be engaged in the act of conversational questions but not overselling the customer in that process.
This is such a solid post. I love how you related “dummy questions” to the information gathering core of sales. I think that also corresponds to sales decreasing your power in order to increase it. By humbling ourselves to ask questions that seem simple, we give the power back to the buyer and allow them to give us their true opinions and answers.