O
ne
of the first things we learn in sales is that if you ask a yes/no
question, you will get one of two answers: yes or no.
While that yes or no may give you some information, it is not
nearly as useful as the information an open-ended question solicits.
For
example, the question “Are you happy with your current service”
doesn’t serve your purpose. If the merchant tells you he or she is
happy, you’ve set up your own barrier to the sale. If the answer is no,
you’ve gained some information, but not enough to let you know how to
position your product. Plus, you’ve made more work for yourself. A
yes/no question usually means you need to ask more
questions to
get the same response as one
open-ended
query. Open-ended questions, such as “What do you wish your service
could do better?” or “If you could design your own service, what would
it do?” will give you the information you need to turn your service into
a solution.
Another
example involves Web stores. A question such as “Have you considered an
Internet storefront?” doesn’t encourage the merchant to provide
additional information. But, if you rephrase the question as “What would
you expect an Internet storefront to do for you and your business?” or
“What concerns you about the idea of an Internet storefront?” the
answer will provide information useful to your sales efforts.
If
your questions are soliciting simple one-word answers (yes, no, uh-huh,
maybe) that force you to ask additional questions, try rephrasing them.
Usually, if you design a question beginning with “how” and “why”
you have a good chance of soliciting a helpful response. For example,
“How have you. . .” “How would you. . .” “Why do you feel that
way. . . ” or “Why are you concerned. .
.”
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