Asking the Right Questions

Do me a favor and think back to a time when someone asked you a question you knew they already knew the answer to. I’d bet your opinion of them changed slightly in that moment, didn’t it? Asking the right questions is a skill that holds tremendous power in both personal and professional interactions. It is the key to unlocking meaningful insights, gaining deeper understanding, and building stronger connections with others. Whether you’re engaging in a sales conversation, conducting an interview, or seeking to resolve a complex problem, the ability to ask the right questions can make all the difference. By asking thoughtful and purposeful questions, we can uncover hidden information, challenge assumptions, and uncover new perspectives – plus, who doesn’t love to talk about themselves; asking the right questions will build rapport with your prospect!

The Benefits of Asking the Right Questions

Asking the right questions has several benefits for both the customer and the seller. For the customer, asking the right questions shows that the seller is genuinely interested in understanding their needs and challenges. This leads to greater trust and loyalty, as customers are more likely to do business with someone who is invested in their success.

For the seller, asking the right questions is the only way to truly understand the prospects problems. By gaining a deeper understanding of the customer’s needs, the seller can provide targeted solutions that meet those needs. This leads to a better sales conversion and a greater likelihood of closing the sale.

How to Ask the Right Questions

To ask the right questions in consultative selling, there are several strategies that sellers can use:

• Prepare in advance: Before meeting with the customer, sellers should prepare a list of questions that will help them gain a deeper understanding of the customer’s needs and challenges. This may involve researching the customer’s industry, competitors, and pain points – there is only so much background you can find on a prospect before the meeting, so expect to ask a lot of questions about the current state of their business
• Start with open-ended questions: Open-ended questions are questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. They encourage the customer to share more information and provide greater insight into their needs and challenges. Remember, everyone likes to talk about themselves, so let the prospect talk! Examples of open-ended questions include “Can you tell me more about your business?” or “What are your biggest challenges in your industry?”
• Follow up with probing questions: Probing questions are questions that delve deeper into a customer’s response. They help sellers gain a more nuanced understanding of the customer’s needs and challenges. These probing questions don’t need to be well thought out or specifically related, but the more detail the prospect provides, the more likely you’ll find consensus on their current challenges. Examples of probing questions include “Can you give me an example of how that has impacted your business?” or “What have you tried in the past to address that challenge?”
• Listen actively: Asking the right questions is only half the battle. Sellers also need to listen actively to the customer’s responses. This means paying close attention to what the customer is saying and asking follow-up questions to clarify any misunderstandings. Pay attention also to the prospects body language, noticing if they sit up straight when you mention a certain feature or their tone of voice, listening for a change in inflection. They might not explicitly tell you what their problems are, but they will always drop hints as to what solution they believe would be most effective.

The Bottom Line

Asking the right questions is a critical component of all types of sales. By preparing in advance, starting with open-ended questions, following up with probing questions, and listening actively, sellers can gain a deeper understanding of the prospect’s needs and challenges. This leads to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as increased sales and revenue. If you’re looking to improve your sales skills for business and in your personal life, focus on asking the right questions and see how it can benefit you.