Keeping the conversation going – Learning from your customers!

In my last blog I discussed Open-ended questions and Closed-ended questions and I promised to get back to Reflective questions. Reflective questions are one of my favorites, they are actually enjoyable to use, and yes I admit somewhat lazy...

Always be listening!

Think about playing catch with someone, they object of the game is to throw the ball back to the other person. Think of the conversation as the ball, you ask a question and throw ball (conversation) back to the prospect, the moment they finish they throw the ball back to you. It your job to get the ball (conversation) back into their hands. When you are meeting a prospect and trying to learn about their business needs it is important to have them talking and explaining, not for you to ramble on about your products. You can't learn if you’re talking.

With Reflective questions, you simply keep 'throwing the ball' back to them. Let me give you a couple of examples.

Your client says "We have been way too busy around here since the new contract started"

Your reply is "new contract started?"

Your client says "We used to handle our IT externally, until we got an in-house IT department"

Your reply is "in-house IT department?"

By simply repeating the last few words your prospect says, you can get your prospect to continue the conversation. They have the ability to take the conversation any direction that they want to. That's the beauty of this technique - they literally direct the entire conversation and you simply support it. Using active listening and reflective question gives your prospect a strong sense that you are really interested and engaged in them and their needs.

I mentioned that this was a lazy technique, that's because truly it's easy to do, you just have to listen and repeat. I find this very helpful in social situations, it's great for friendly gatherings when you don't really understand the content being discussed. Think about it "really -a nuclear phase inverter -you don't say"...

Try this and talk about your successes with Reflective questions.

Asking questions...

Asking questions...

The Five W's

In my last post, I talked about the two types of questions: Fact-finding and Feeling-finding questions. Today I want to share the three kinds of questions that can be asked.

They are:

• Closed-ended
• Open-ended
• Reflective

For this post, I’m going to focus on the first two.

Closed-end questions are answered with one or two word responses, typically “yes,” “no,” or a number. These questions are useful for gathering basic data, but not much else. They should be avoided in the sales process. Starting questions with words like “is,” “do,” “does,” or “are” will limit your prospect’s contribution to the conversation.

Open-ended questions on the other hand, are far more valuable in the sales process. These questions invite your prospect to elaborate on the subject instead of just giving a “yes” or “no” response. When your prospect elaborates, they give much more information that will help you formulate the best solution for their needs.

Here are some tips on turning closed-ended questions into open-ended questions.

By simply changing the first word in your question and using one of Kipling's Six Honest Serving-Men, you will open up the conversation. Ask who, what, where, when, why and how.

Here are a few examples:

Closed: Is any there anyone else involved in this purchase decision?

Instead, try:

Open: Who else is involved in this purchase decision?

Closed: Do you have a requirement for an extended warranty?

Instead, try:

Open: How do you feel about an extended warranty?

Using open-ended questions opens up the conversation, allowing you to learn more about your prospect and their needs. Remember, you can only learn when you’re listening.

What questions and techniques do you use to get customers to open up?