By Tibor Shanto

In the past we have discussed that one of the cornerstones of communications in sales is the ability to set the flow for the conversation, and nothing sets the flow better than questions. This is why we place such great importance on the opening question or set of questions for a meeting, as they help to ensure the success of the meeting. While there may be no such thing as a definitive or “killer” opening question(s), there are factors that make for a good question and things you can consistently do to have a strong opening serve.

First thing you can do is go out and get a book we have recommended here in the past, Dorothy Leeds 7 Powers of Questions (see below). While there are a number of valuable things in the book to help all aspects of your sale, the one I need you to accept as a fact right now is that questions give you control, and as a result power. Not just any old questions but well crafted, planned and placed questions. Last month we looked at managing the risk inherent in some questions, Question Testing , today we will look at specifics that work no matter what you are selling, the challenge and (home)work you will have is translating them to your sale.

As always you have to have different questions based on the role of the individual you are addressing, use a different question when speaking to a senior executive than when working with a line manager. This has less to do with hierarchy or being a snob, and more to do with speaking their language, and making it relevant to their view of the situation or product. A key factor in making a question good is the ease with which the other person is able to answer it, which is why the language has to be theirs, it should not sound like your marketing department.

So let’s look at some specifics which when properly balanced and blended make for great questions. At first glance these may not seem terribly new or revolutionary, but properly and consistently put into practice they will pay ongoing dividends. The first ingredient is to make sure that the question is about them. The great thing about good questions is they provoke thought, and getting the prospect to think about their situation, based on their objectives is the goal. When we say ask about them, we don’t mean something pedestrian like “how long have you been in the position?”, or “How many people work here at this location?”. These question should be asked in the “small talk” or ”socializing” part of the meeting. When you are ready to talk business, you need to go to something they were thinking about before you got there; this could be a challenge, an opportunity good or bad. It has to be at the core of their world, whether it is part of yours is not important. This is why many sales people have difficulty with the concept, they are good at asking questions that are about the buyer, but there is always a tether back to what we are selling or offering. This distracts from the question as it introduces an angle that is much better left out of the discussion at this point, allow the entire focus to be on the buyer and their world.

The question must be forward thinking, this is especially true if you are working with an executive. The here and now has happened, not only that, but was planned, reviewed and set into motion a long time ago. For you to resonate with the buyer, and for them to take an interest in any or all of what you represent, it has to fit in with their current thinking, which is always ahead of now. As they are responding to today’s events, they are reflecting on what the impact is on their plans to move forward, so if you are behind that point on that line, there could be the perception that you need to be redirected to someone else dealing with that issue.

Also by pushing them in to the future, you are giving them permission to look beyond the here and now, to look beyond the limitations they face with current circumstances. You are enabling and empowering them to look into to the future, where the scene is driven more by their wish lists, the nice to haves not by the day to day mundane realities of today.

This also sets up the next element, the ability to feel safe. If you are going to introduce change, (number one job of a sales professional, bump the status quo), you have to make it safe and appealing, or else they will not answer some of the critical points. By moving the setting forward, it is removed from the risk present now. If you make the hypothetical safe you will get buyers to not only go there, but more importantly open up about what they like about it, and how it differs from the here and now.

Lastly you have to make it easy to answer, if it is off topic from where they are or expect the conversation to be, they will have to change flows, and that may discourage them from answering in full. If the question fits the flow of things, is on topic and is an area the buyer is usually thinking about, you’ll find that they answer easier. If it is in line with the things they have been weighing in their minds, and the question is a natural part of the subject, it will just slide in and be answered. If the question comes in to the conversation in a different angle it could get the cold treatment, or the “gee I haven’t really given that any thought”; inside to themselves, “why does he want to know that, hang on a minute.”

So does it come together, how does this sound? Well when I am meeting with a senior executive, I like to start with “so Jim, if we were sitting here 12 – 18 months from now, and you were telling me that the team had really hit a grand slam, what would that look like?” Then I just sit back and take notes as they describe what Nirvana looks like to them. There are follow up and clarification questions, all opening the subject up further and going deeper into their definition of a grand slam. Once they have painted a huge big sunny picture, I get a blank page ready, and fire question two “so Jim, why aren’t you there now?” This is where they tell me all the things they would buy to get there, and if I qualified them well, some of these items can be bought from me.

What’s in Your Pipeline?

Tibor Shanto , Principal with Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., and find out how he has helped dozens of organization to fill their pipeline with real prospects - - driving real revenue.
You can also read the blog edition of The Pipeline at www.sellbetter.ca/blog. For more information on helping your team sell better, write to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 416 671-3555. You can also follow Renbor on Twitter http://twitter.com/renbor.