Dave says asking a great question can improve your credibility with a customer, increase the quality of the information you get, and cut the time spent asking questions. All true. But why is this so? How do you do it?
Knowing how to ask different types of questions is important. This includes the difference between closed and open questions, fact-finding questions and feeling-finding questions, questions about current situation and desired outcomes. These sales skills are needed to be effective.
But Dave's point in his story was the need for market and product knowledge. Having good knowledge of a customer's market and products will lead to asking better questions and recognizing the value of the answers you get.
This is what the detective was doing in their quick and effective questioning of the victim. They know that in the majority of these cases, the victim knows his attacker, and the motive for the attack is always something of personal value to the attacker, in this case his ex-girlfriend. They knew to ask if the girlfriend ever talked about an ex-boyfriend (if yes, there must still be something going on between them). Sure enough, a lead was uncovered.
The detective did this in ten questions!
Routine for them, but a learning for us.
How many times do we complain that if we only had more time for longer sales calls, we could get more done? Find out more?
Check your questions, the problem is there. Do research before a call and have an idea of what you are looking for. Have a strategy to your discovery.
Customers are impressed when you have the knowledge to ask better questions. It means they do not have to work as hard to be understood.
With this confidence in you, they give you more and better answers. Your efforts are rewarded by their effort to be accurate and helpful. You both win.
- Do your research.
- Ask questions and watch those with experience.
- Review the questions you use now.
- Use what you already know to understand their situation better.
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