Better questions, more sales

In the movie The Sixth Sense, the kid sees dead people. I don't, but I do hear bad questions. I can't tell you how many times I work with salespeople who ask nothing but closed-ended questions.

I am convinced the majority of sellers have no idea how to form good open-ended questions that get prospects talking. Instead, they ask questions that begin with "are you," "can you," "could you," "did you," "do you," "have you," "is it," "were you," "will you," and "would you." Prospects then give short answers, and sellers think they do not want to talk to them, but it is simply not true. Sellers are asking the wrong types of questions.

To create engaging and effective discovery questions, it's essential to begin with prompts such as "what," "tell me," "talk to me about," "help me understand," "walk me through," "paint me a picture," "clarify for me," "describe for me," and more. These open-ended inquiries can lead to insightful conversations and deeper understanding of the topic at hand.

If you are looking to enhance your questioning technique and foster meaningful dialogues, consider incorporating these diverse prompts into your discovery. By using a variety of question formats, you can encourage prospects to open up and share more freely.