An example of an open question in sales. How to ask a question and talk a client

An open question is one of the ways to obtain information. A person asking open questions usually starts them with the words: "who ...", "what ...", "how ...", "why ...", "how much ...", "in connection With what ... "," what is your opinion ... "

Open questions are one of the best ways to get to know a stranger better, to establish friendly relations. Experienced negotiators use open-ended questions to "talk" shy or nervous people. Teachers often use open-ended questions, working with children or foreign students.

The purpose of the open question

Listening to the answer to your question, an experienced counterpart deliberately introduces himself into a certain emotional state, allowing the potential client to feel himself the main person involved in the meeting. As practice shows, an inexperienced person, being in such conditions, loses his head and can tell the interlocutor even about what he did not plan.

In the event that the expected effect is not achieved, the person asking questions, makes the next attempt to talk the client up - does everything in his power to make the monologue that failed become the beginning of the dialogue.

Why do people ask open-ended questions?

Open questions are a quick way to get more information and learn about the real motives driving the interlocutor. The ability to ask the right open questions is a kind of skill that can be mastered only if the theoretical knowledge is confirmed by many years of practice.

During the first meeting the seller tries to outline the circle of interests of the interlocutor and create conditions for the satisfaction of his problems. An experienced negotiator achieves this by asking questions like: "How do you think, can you come in handy ...?", "What are you interested in at the moment?", And also offers the client to consider their options, formulating them in the form of questions, for example : "Why do not you ...?", "And if you try to do so ...?"

To understand how a possible buyer perceived the seller's intention to help him decide the choice, ask questions: "How do you feel about this?" Or "What do you think?", And if the customer doubts, the reasons for the doubts are clarified with the help of questions: "What do you Worried? "," What do you doubt? "Or" What can be a hindrance? "

Examples of open questions

"In this connection, this situation arose?"

"Why do you think your choice is right?".

Perhaps someone will be surprised by the following example of an open question. In sales questions like: "What problems can you solve by buying this product?" Sellers working in the store, usually do not ask. But they are actively used by employees in the sphere of direct sales, who are interested in long-term cooperation and are trying to find an excuse to win the trust of a potential client.

Here are examples of open questions that distributors usually ask:

"How do you think this acquisition has brought you the maximum benefit?"

"When did you first hear about this opportunity?"

"What advantages did you notice?"

Another example of an open question in sales, a question like: "What result do you expect?" Opens before the seller the opportunity to demonstrate the full range of goods that meet the expectations of the customer, and the buyer can make the best choice.

Before going to a meeting with the client, the seller carefully thinks out which questions he will ask, and in what order.

How to start a dialog

This topic excites almost every novice who has decided to devote himself to the sphere of sales: "how to ask a question to a person who does not intend to listen to me?"

A knowledgeable negotiator uses open-ended questions to better understand the needs of the client. Asking his questions, he tries:

• So that the wording is very clear. The shorter the question, the more likely it is to get a detailed answer;

• So that the dialogue does not turn into an interrogation. The questions sounded in a relaxed form have more chances to be heard.

Of course, the seller should know how to ask questions correctly. There are cases when a theoretically savvy novice seller, knowing exactly how to ask a question, asked him and did not succeed. This is because many newcomers have never heard that any phrase, at the end of which the speaker's voice weakens, sounds like a statement of fact. When the last words of a phrase the speaker utters, raising his voice, the whole phrase sounds like a question.

Completely focusing on the interlocutor, the seller, listening to his answers, can, in principle, remain silent, showing his interest only with an approving smile, nodding his head or using the so-called "sign language".

Hearing an unsatisfactory answer that does not give the impression of a client, the experienced seller does not panic, but continues to show interest through facial expressions, poses and gestures, thus encouraging the client's new attempts to give a detailed answer. During the conversation, the sales representative watches the interlocutor's gestures. What for? About this - a little later. And now - about the rules of active listening.

The active listener does not interrupt the client, but sometimes he pronounces phrases like "Yes, indeed!", "It's interesting!", And also clarifies everything that he does not understand using open questions.

As one of the methods of active listening, most sellers use the following technique: they repeat the words spoken by the client and pause, during which they think about their further actions, and at the same time give the client to understand that his opinion interests the interlocutor. There are cases when a novice seller offended the client by not paying enough attention to his words.

Sign Language

If the listener crossed his arms over his chest, he took up a defensive position. Such a pose should be regarded as a signal: "Let's change the subject."

If the interlocutor leans slightly in the direction of the speaker - he is very interested in talking.

If a possible buyer chops his beard (chin), turns an object in his hands or wipes glasses - he makes a decision.

If the client sits directly - he is open to communication and fully trusts the seller.

If a person stoops - he is full of humility and wants to please the interlocutor.

If the client with a missing kind of tapping the boot on the floor or on the leg of the chair, mechanically something draws or flips the ballpoint pen - he's bored.

If the body of the listener is deployed towards the front door - he is waiting for a convenient moment to say goodbye and leave.

If a person covers his mouth with his hands or looks past the speaker - he does not intend to discuss a topic.

How not to conduct a conversation

Many sellers believe that during the meeting they should devote the maximum amount of time to describing the advantages of the products that they offer. But the description of the goods does not guarantee the conclusion of the transaction.

Another common mistake novice seller is that, trying to answer all the questions the client, he allows the buyer to monitor the outcome of the transaction.

Wrong open questions

"Do you want to save your money?", - an unfortunate example of an open question. In sales, the correct wording plays a very important role. If the question is put incorrectly, the sales representative will stop controlling the situation and lose the client.

To make sales means to control the development of events. The manager or the person asking questions determines the direction of the course of events, and his interlocutor is, to some extent, the passenger who is traveling in the direction that the manager has chosen.

"What, in your opinion, will make your life better?", Is another unfortunate example of an open question. In sales, questions of different types help to achieve different results and a sales representative, allowing a potential buyer to talk on abstract topics, is wasting time.

Proper negotiations

Preparation for negotiations experienced sales representatives begin with setting goals, that is, decide what information about the potential buyer he needs, and how it can be obtained.

The commencement of negotiations is, in fact, the collection of information, having received which, the seller can proceed to the presentation. Experienced salespeople make the same mistake - instead of asking the possible client about his needs, they allow him to ask questions himself.

The seller can not begin to ask questions without finding out what position the potential buyer is occupying, since the requests of the ordinary employee and the manager differ significantly from each other.