Chapter 16
The Power of Questions
Getting to the issues that really matter
People like to talk too much. Salespeople spend too much time talking and not enough time listening. Human resource managers squander sacred interview time by talking more about the company than the job candidate.
People need to talk less and ask more. That’s how you learn what you need to know to be successful. That’s how you learn what matters to the people you are trying to sway. As a marketer, questions are your greatest allies and your secret weapons. Questions will help you to:
▶ Get focused.
▶ Understand what targets really think about you.
▶ Lead customers to their own resolutions about why they need to buy from you.
▶ Open doors to up-selling and cross-selling.
▶ Keep the conversation going.
▶ Reveal what you need to know to better serve and attract targets.
▶ Help you control where the conversation is going.
▶ Guide your target’s train of thinking.
▶ Show interest and build rapport.
▶ Get the customer saying yes.
▶ Listen to the customer and stir positive emotions.
▶ Stand out because no one else is listening.
Questions can help you serve your customers day-to-day. Questions can help you understand the messages that need to be put into the marketplace. Questions let you know how you’re doing and what you need to do differently. Sometimes questions will be the best way to tell your marketing story. As a marketer, you must be skilled in asking productive questions that lead to meaningful answers.
Everyday Marketing Questions
We’ve talked about many questions already that you need to use every day in your business to be a marketing machine such as:
▶ What is the marketing opportunity here?
▶ What kind of impression are we making here?
▶ Is this impression great, bad, or indifferent?
▶ How can we make a great impression here?
▶ What does the customer want?
▶ What does the customer not want?
▶ What does that mean for the customer?
We also know that all targets come with common questions, such as:
▶ What’s in it for me?
▶ What have you done for me lately?
▶ Where are you taking me?
Now let’s explore some other ways that questions can help you communicate like a marketer.
Questions to Ask Targets
Use questions to build rapport with targets. Ask them about their days, their businesses, their spouses, their golf games—anything to get them talking and to demonstrate your genuine interest in them as people. Use questions to understand what matters to them. Be direct. Just come out and ask:
▶ What is important to you here?
▶ How can we make things easier for you?
▶ What do you want to see happen?
▶ What would make this work for you?
▶ How can we do a better job for you?
Use Questions to Get Targets Saying Yes
People are too quick to react to a question with an answer. Listen in on five sales presentations, and four will put you to sleep because the leader thinks the meeting is all about him. Your goal as a marketer is always to get the target talking and to get him saying yes. Even if the yes is about something immaterial, you want targets to get in the habit of giving you affirmative answers. Believe me, it works.
You can do this even when a target is asking you a question. Just answer a question with a question whenever it’s appropriate. For example, if a target asks, “Does this come in red?” throw it back to him with, “Would you like one in red?” When a target says, “How soon can you do it?” ask him, “When would you like it?”
Start really noticing how often people talk about themselves and how little they ask of others. Start putting the power of questions to work for you and see all of the great marketing morsels you can uncover. The more you ask, the better and easier marketing will be.
Questions for Customer Service
Consider these questions to help you detect areas for improvement in your customer service:
■ Do I look at everything from my customer’s perspective?
■ Do I use the customer’s name when I speak to her?
■ Are my words polished, or am I always fumbling because I am not confident in what I’m saying?
■ Do customers have my business card?
■ Do I ever give customers more than they ask for?
■ Do I tell customers all that I do for them?
■ Do I give more bad news than good news to my customers?
■ Do I dedicate quality time and really listen to my customers?
■ Do I know more about my customers than their last job, order, purchase, proposal, or estimate?
■ Do I tell customers my troubles or share too much behind-the-scenes information?
■ Do I blame other people or departments for mistakes and hiccups?
■ Do I ask the customer what is important to her?
■ Do I take an opportunity to educate my customer anytime I can?
■ Do I use the power of questions to market, understand, and further my relationship with customers?
■ Do I tell the customer about our products and services on a regular basis?
■ Do I offer my customers solutions even when I cannot help them personally?
■ Am I apologizing or saying no to customers too often?
■ Do I ask for the order?
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