Open-Ended Question

Selling Solutions

 

Open-ended questions are one of the sales person's most vital tools
(if followed up by listening). They help gather information, qualify sales opportunities and establish rapport, trust and credibility. With such core value to the sales process, the professional leaves little to chance when it comes to owning a repertoire of powerful open-ended questions.

Just in case you've not had a chance to put yours down in writing, here are some of our favourites in the general class (you'll likely have several additional questions that are specific to your industry but these will get you more than started). Write down the one's you find valuable. commit them to memory. practice them on your drive in or on the way to your next appointment. print them out. tack them up near your phone. pass them on to your sales team. it's all about sales

a professional's questions

information gathering

What prompted you/ your company to look into this?
What are your expectations/ requirements for this product/ service?
How do you see this happening?
What is it that you'd like to see accomplished?
With whom have you had success in the past?
With whom have you had difficulties in the past?
Can you help me understand that a little better?
How does that process work now?
What challenges does that process create?
What challenges has that created in the past?
What are the best things about that process?
What other items should we discuss?

qualifying

What do you see as the next action steps?
What is your timeline for implementing/ purchasing this type of service/ product?
What other data points should we know before moving forward?
What budget has been established for this?
What are your thoughts?
Who else is involved in this decision?
What could make this no longer a priority?

establishing rapport, trust & credibility

How did you get involved in. ?
What kind of challenges are you facing?
What's the most important priority to you with this? Why?
What other issues are important to you?
What would you like to see improved?
How do you measure that?.