There’s no better way to improve the quality of information you receive from a potential customer than by asking short questions. We all can recall far too many times when we’ve sat across the table from a customer we’re trying to help – and we know we can help, if they would just provide us information about their needs and goals.
The problem is that no matter what question we ask, we get the same response: a big fat “I don’t know” (or something along that line). Then, almost without thinking, we put on our super salesperson cape and start telling the person everything they need. Unfortunately, when it comes to agreeing to the sale, the person turns cold.
Our problem in dealing with this type of customer is we need to find a better way to engage them and to get them to think about what they want and need – and then share that information with us.
The answer to this dilemma? Short questions. I believe that short questions get you long answers (while long questions get you short answers). What too often happens is we are talking to a customer and asking them what we believe are simple questions, but in reality, those questions are simple only to us. To someone unfamiliar with our product and services, the questions are complex.
For example, we ask a question that has a couple of facts wrapped up in it. As a result, it winds up being more of a statement for which we are simply looking for feedback or agreement. No wonder customers can give us the cold shoulder and the blank stare.
What we want to do is ask short questions. In their simplest form, they are questions like “why” and “how.” Or possibly they look like this: Could you give me an example? Could you explain that again to me?
The shorter the question, the more likely we are to get a long answer. The next step is to ask them another short question, following up on what they just said. The beauty about this is it allows the customer to do all the talking. By doing the talking, they’ll tell you their needs and desired benefits. They’ll tell you their goals and will reveal a level of information you need to determine how to best serve them.
When using the short question approach, there are only two things you need to remember. First, ask the customer a soft easy question to which you know they’ll respond. Then after they have given you a response, continue with the short questioning approach by asking, “Could you give me another example?” You then pause and allow the client to give you more information, upon which you follow up again with another short question such as, “How?” or “Why?” Basically, you want to do whatever you can to get them talking more.
The second rule to remember is to not keep asking the same short questions. If you do, you’ll come across as an inquisitive 3-year-old rather than the professional salesperson you know you are. You can avoid this best by picking up on a single item they shared with you and drilling down on just that one item.
When you drill down on a single item, you demonstrate your listening skills and your ability to truly discern information. The beauty of this approach is when it works, the customer will many times share with you exactly what they want and will begin asking you questions about features and benefits.
Short questions get you long answers. Long questions get you short answers. It is up to you as to the approach you want to take, but if you want to actually learn something about the customer’s needs, you will get there quicker by asking short questions.
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” http://www.TheSalesHunter.com, © 2011
Hi Mark: interesting idea. I’ve seen debates and comparisons of open-ended vs. closed-ended questions, but until now, nothing comparing short questions to long questions. I’m not saying this to be glib, but I’m unclear on what, exactly, is a short question, and what is a long question. In my mind, the best questions uncover insight (or information that leads to insight) that increases the abilities of buyer and seller to make informed and intelligent decisions.
In terms of number of words, the right length for a question is whatever is appropriate for that outcome to happen. I’ve been in sales for over 20 years, and I still can’t generalize that short questions are more effective than longer questions. Clear questions get better results than unclear questions is one generalization that comports with my experience. But there are so many more variables. If there isn’t rapport, trust, and respect, the shortest and clearest questions won’t result in any insight.
I find that many salespeople don’t struggle with knowing the right questions to ask, they struggle to understand what they must discover in the first place. When salespeople focus on that, the questions often take care of themselves. They’ll know what to ask because they know what they’re after.