Guidelines for High-Value Questions

The basic concept of high-value questions referred to here is the four Ws, H, and T qualifying process.

Who, what, when, where, but never why. Why questions put customers on the defensive. Think of it this way: All small children ask, “Why?”—16,000 layers of “why.” Also, children are chastised with, “Why did you do that?” “Why can’t you get it right?” It is too often used in an accusative way. It’s an annoying question, so as adults we are resistant to responding to why questions.

Good W questions may include:

• “When is the ideal time for implementation?”

• “What departments are involved during installation?”

• “Who is going to be using the product at your company?”

• “Where are you planning on storing the extra stock?”

How, or H, questions are great for understanding a process and application.

• “How is the workload distributed?”

• “How are the two departments involved in the decision?”

• “How are these materials applied?”

• “How many do you anticipate needing in the next twelve months?”

The very best, though, are the T (tell) questions. After twenty years, I realize the tell questions are the most effective because asking T questions encourages customers to talk. (Remember, when the customer is talking, he’s selling himself on you because you are listening, right?) When asked the right questions, customers enjoy sharing experiences, telling stories, and relating needs. Also, you will find that by asking more T questions, you will learn more about your customer’s needs in less time. When you learn what is on the customer’s mind, you are most likely to solve the customer’s problem. Of course, you can’t use “Tell me . . .” for every sentence, just as you wouldn’t use any of the Ws or H before each qualifying question. The T is golden because once you get in the habit of asking more of these questions, you’ll find the necessity of asking too many questions—which may sound like an interrogation—eliminated. Thus, we want to ask only high-value questions.

Last, remember never to interrupt your customer after asking a question, even if the phone silence is uncomfortable. Respect your customer’s communication style by being quiet after asking a question and resisting the urge to answer for the customer. Use the tongue trick to stay quiet. Just gently place your tongue behind your front teeth, which is the reminder to be quiet until the customer is finished speaking.

Your P and K customers are most likely to hesitate after hearing a question. Remember, these personality types are generally more passive and don’t blurt out information quickly. They are used to being interrupted by less professional salespeople. Differentiate yourself by letting these customers process the question and respond—without your interrupting them!

Exercise: Q1: Make a list of as many of your qualifying questions as you use regularly. Go back and change them (if needed) to who, what, when, where, how, or tell, but not why.

It is not enough, however, just to get the right questions. The real test of merit for the professional salesperson is to know when to ask each question. A money question is necessary at some point for a sale, but asking it at the wrong time kills the relationship. Qualify—but in the right order.

Questions at the Right Time

The strategy of getting a customer responding and eating out of your hand is to begin with easy, broad, nonthreatening questions to put your customer at ease in the call.

Instead of asking, “When did you last finance this equipment?” try “How are you handling payments now?” Keep it simple; become more specific as you go to bring in focus. Whether your product is running shoes, insurance, building supplies, or capital equipment; whether you are dealing with a new customer or it’s the fiftieth call, the pattern is the same. Simple to more complex qualifying strategies should be your mantra in each sales call.

Remember the pattern of easy/nonthreatening V complex/personal. What so many salespeople forget is that the questions most important to them are the most personal to the customer. For this reason, the typical salesperson jumps the gun, speaks “for” the customer, and sabotages the call. The most personal and most potentially unsettling for the customer are questions about money or time because people’s values (in business and in their personal lives) are determined by how they spend their money and time. As a sales professional, whatever product or service you are selling has either a money or time (or both) component to the close.

Think of your qualifying strategy as a trust scale. The more detailed the question, the more it belongs after the customer has relaxed during the call. After all, customers don’t want to feel like the call is an interrogation, and you don’t want to feel like the interrogator!

To avoid this type of adversarial situation, ask your easy, nonthreatening questions first. Think of these as 1–3 questions.

Your mid-level questions, for example, relating to issues with existing conditions, the competition, and so forth, are considered 4–7 questions on the trust scale. These questions require that the customer is more relaxed before he or she will answer honestly.

Last, your customer’s most personal or threatening questions will fall between an 8–10 on the trust scale. These questions require trust before your customer will answer candidly. Think of it like this: If you ask me how much money I have to invest, I may tell you, but I won’t start out a phone call that way. I’ll need to know that I can trust you before providing that level of information.

Look in the following box for examples of these questions and where they would fall on the trust scale.

1–3 low anxiety, “Tell me about your situation.” This is broad and nonthreatening. Makes customer feel at ease so he or she will offer more information. 4–6 usually has to do with competition, “How have you handled———in the past?” This gives you some frame of reference on decision-making process. 8–10 more detailed or specific relating to time and/or money. “How much did you pay the last time you had this done?” “What is your anticipated budget?” “How much have you set aside?” or “When do you want the work done on site?

The following questions are discovery questions. They qualify and establish a need or process. These will be level 1–3.

• “Tell me about your existing situation.”

• “Tell me how you’ve handled this in the past.”

• “Who will be using the product?”

• “When are you considering implementation?”

Level 4–7 questions dig a little deeper into the customer’s situation.

• “What’s worked for you using your existing supplier?”

• “Tell me, if you could change the current process, what would you do differently?”

• “Tell me about your decision-making process.”

• “What is your decision date?”

• “How many copies/versions do you expect to use?”

• “What other solutions are you considering?”

Budget and money questions are always somewhere between 8 and 10 on your qualifying scale. They should never occur in the qualifying or discovery part of your sales conversation. Look at the following example:

• “You mentioned your insurance will pay part of the cost; what is your deductible?”

This is a prying question that will be received well only if you are already considered a partner in the relationship. If this is your first question, the customer might perceive that price is conditional on insurance. However, if the customer has already offered some specifics about his or her situation, then it is a natural question.

Exercise: Q1: Refer to the list you made earlier of your usual call questions. Now, assign a number to each one depending on the comfort or possible distress level each question might create in your customer. For example: Tell me about your goals. (3) How much money have you put aside for this? (10) Do you need to make some adjustments in your qualifying process? After you have reordered your qualifying questions, take the top seven, put them on a colored index card and tape them next to your phone. Now you have a valuable cheat sheet to use!

Killer Questions to Avoid

The following situations are guaranteed to stop any conversation with a customer:

• An 8, 9, or 10 question asked too soon: “What’s your budget?” “Will you buy today?”

• A self-serving question or a threat: “My quota ends today, will you buy?” or “If you don’t make a decision by tomorrow, you’ll have to pay more since the price increase will take effect.”

• Disaffirming questions: “Should I contact your boss?” “Who makes the decision?” The implication is that customer cannot possibly have the authority. The customer, insulted, will say, however, “I do.” You have now closed off finding out who really makes the buy.

• Clichéd or overly restrictive questions: “Is there any reason you can’t buy from me today?” “What will it take to get your business?”

• Stupid questions: “How much money do you have?” “If I can show you how to save 50 percent on your bill, will you make a commitment today?”

Make the customer feel “I want to buy” instead of “He’s trying to sell me.”

Sales-boosting tip: Q1: Before you tape your question list to the wall or desk near your phone, have you checked it over for any killer questions? Delete any killer or freeze questions from your regular use list. Ask a coworker to look over your list to help you edit it.

Look at the following possible scenarios as you try to frame your planning ideas.

Inbound Call Example

A customer has called a tree service company. This inbound call might be handled appropriately with asking close questions sooner (8–10) if it is a repeat customer. Remember to use “tell” questions, however, to involve the customer in an exchange even if it is a repeat customer.

• “Tell me what prompted you to call.” (2)

• “What’s your time frame?” (4)

• “How would you like to handle this?” (6)

• “What else might you need while we’re on your property?” (9)

• “Are there neighbors in your area that I should call as well?”(10)

Outbound Call Example

This time, your reconnaissance work has allowed you to address the customer from a point of strength. It’s a cold call, but you know what the need is before you pick up the telephone. Thus, your goals might have to include establishing credibility more than in the prior situation. For example, you might ask one of the following questions:

• “One of our technicians was in your area lately and noticed several trees that might be in distress. What changes have you noticed yourself recently?” (a conversational opener) (2)

• “Your neighbor with the large oak trees suggested that you had concerns about the trees in the front of your property. What seems to be going on?”(3)

• “Tell me a bit about your situation.” (2)

• “Since there was a storm (or disease) in your area, how would you assess the condition of the trees on your property?”(3)

• “With those trees that are damaged, how serious is the situation? Is there a threat to property or potential for injury?”(3)

• “What are your expectations of what the removal is going to cost?” (10)

Before you dial this customer (assuming you have the necessary information), you should be preparing your cheat sheet of the benefits your product or service offers as they apply directly to this individual customer’s situation. This will help you to form relevant questions, such as the following:

• “What may have contributed to the condition of the tree?”(3)

• “How long has the tree been in distress? What is the current condition?”(4)

• “What have you done to treat the tree?” (6)

• “Have you thought about doing A or B?” (Establish credibility while letting customer make decision.) (7)

• “When did you call your county extension service about information on this distressed tree?”(6)

• “Tell me, what is your time frame for having this tree evaluated?”(7)

In the next situation that follows next, you are making a cold call because you are aware of a likely weakness or problem that the customer may not readily perceive. (Note: You might find this scenario in technical selling situations where there isn’t a technical expert within the company and you actually know more than the customer about his or her situation.) If this is the case, you need to be prepared to demonstrate knowledge of the customer’s operations in a very detailed and expert way, likely in the qualifying. Remember, customers are not expecting your call and may not be prepared to answer questions about the situation.

• “Tell me about the overall health of the trees on your property.” (3)

• “How has the condition of your trees changed since they were planted?” (4)

• “What concerns do you have about the trees on your property?” (5)

• “Tell me, what role do the trees play in the overall appearance of your property?” (2)

• “What regular maintenance do you conduct to ensure the health of your trees?” (6)

(Note this last question. Although it should be an easy one to answer, it may make the customer uncomfortable if nothing has been done. After you have established a trusting relationship with this customer, this question would not be threatening. Asked too early, it could stop the conversation.)

• “Who planted the trees on your property?” (5)

• “When were they planted?” (5)

• “Who selected the varieties of trees?” (6)

• “Tell me your expectations of a tree health maintenance service?” (7)

• “Should you decide to select a tree service, what would be your basis of selection?”(9)