Sales & Service Tip of the Week

Your sales success in questioning customers is based on how well you can qualify.  Qualifying demands evaluation of your information.  Is there a need, desire or want?  Or, does the customer trust and respect you?  In order to truly master the art of questioning, close-ended questions must be “layered” in between open-ended questions, that we talked about last week.  Close-ended questions typically begin with “is, do, will, how many, how much, how often and should.”  These questions elicit “yes” or  “no” answers, help obtain specific information and allow you to stay in control.  “Is that enough to cover all of your units?” or “Do you prefer pickup or delivery service?” or “Will Wednesday delivery be soon enough?” or “How many do you want?” or “How much do you want to spend?” or, “How often do you use this?” or “Should we go ahead and write up the order?”  Close-ended questions typically ask for an action and/or commitment and “surface” where the customers are in their thought process.  The answers signal the customer’s acceptance so you can complete your transaction swiftly and move on to the next customer.  Remember, the Analysis step is most important as a sales and service professional, so always be prepared to ask the “right” questions.