If your salespeople have reported back to you that they are “wasting time” in the market or have a hard time qualifying the right leads, it's time to review their question-based selling strategy. When using the questions-based approach, you should be able to successfully invite your prospects to engage with you and help you know how you can serve them best. In fact, the first few minutes when a prospect comes to you are very important and will determine whether you will convert him or her. The first of your qualifying questions will be my name is John (your name), and you are?

Some buyers will be like an open book when it comes to getting answers from them. Others, however, will shut down if you start firing questions at them. If you ask the right questions, however, you will get a lot of relevant information without offending your prospective buyers. Here are some types of questions that will save your day.

Solution Questions

Use these questions during needs assessment, which often comes after you have known that needs of your customer are bigger than for what you offer. These questions plant a seed for an alternative that you may propose later. In a way, these questions help to test the waters. By planting the seed early, you give the buyer an opportunity to consider the alternative idea without being pushed to make a decision.

A solution question should sound something like “what experience do you have with this other product? Or “have you considered...” Basically, the questions should not be leading. Otherwise, it will not yield true gut reaction.

Value Questions

Value questions are extremely useful, but sale reps often leave them out in needs assessment and preparations for negotiations. It is imperative that you, as a seller, under what matters most to your customer. Value questions seek to find out what is most important, the single greatest need, and how a given product is important to a customer. You can ask “Tell me one greatest need…”. Or "which of these products is most important…”

The answers to these questions will prepare you for later negotiations on price and terms. Also, they will enable you to invalidate objections since what is most valuable trumps everything else.

Example Questions

Use example questions to draw comparisons and paint contrasting pictures. This strategy can help make your products feel more concrete and relatable. A good example would be, “How do this year’s sales compare to your future sales? With the mental picture, include specific details that are in your own products in your response. The aim of this is to link your solution with the customer’s vision or past experience.

Rationale Questions

Be sure to ask your customer what their decision criteria would be whenever a decision is pending. And after they have made the decision, again ask what led to that decision. Knowing the answer to the questions will give you a comprehensive look into their decision-making process as well as the thought process that influenced their decision.

Armed with this information, you are better prepared to develop products that they may need in future. Even if you don’t make any sale at this particular time, you know what you need to do to improve your sales. Rationale questions also help to cause customers to stop and rethink about their decisions. It gives them an opportunity to reconsider decisions they have made in haste or that are inconsistent with their real thought processes. But be sure to avoid the word “why” in your phrasing when asking about a prospect’s decision. It's like you're questioning their judgment instead of trying to understand their thought process. So They can become defensive. You can rely on training and development opportunities to help them understand how to ask questions.

The bottom line is to ensure the aims of your question strategies is to encourage your prospects to think about what it is they want, the value they want, and the benefits they want to realize.