The Power of Questioning in your Sales Process

When it comes to sales your clients literally have all the answers.

When wanting to increase sales most businesses look at marketing to bring in more leads. However they may well find it is their conversion rate that is letting them down, i.e. their sales process is not converting enough of these leads into paying clients. Your conversion rate is the percentage of leads that actually buy from you, and it is an often overlooked measurement of successful sales. So how do we increase our conversion rates?

Do you ever answer a question with a question? Would that make a difference to your conversion rate? The answer is most definitely yes and asking questions not only increases your conversion rate but also builds rapport with your customer and results in the sale becomes their idea and not yours.

Asking questions also means active listening. You can ask questions about your customer’s work, business, children or hobbies but make sure that you are listening with sincere interest. It may even be helpful to note down some of the answers – such as the names of their children, interests, etc., for future communication. By asking questions and listening you are building rapport and attaching importance to their conversation.

By asking questions you also remain in control of the conversation. Once you find yourself doing all the talking you are no longer in control, this can be difficult depending on your personality profile…….some people love to talk, I know because I’m one of them! Just remember that the person asking questions sets the direction for the conversation. If the client is dominating the conversation by asking you questions make sure you answer the question with a question, however try to vary the questions that you ask. You may remember from your own children or perhaps babysitting that being asked “but why?” over and over again can get a little tedious!

Questions can guide consumer interest, discover a need and give accurate information.

Open-ended questions are an excellent way to ensure client involvement in the conversation and are key to identifying not only what they need but also a lot about themselves. You can use open-ended questions to build rapport, to find a need, uncover problems and finding the right solution. Remember who, what, where, when, why and how.

Closed questions tend to get one-word answers generally “yes” or “no”. However they can be used to gather information quickly if necessary. Using closed questions can also confirm specific details and help close the sale.

By using questions you are encouraging the customer to communicate, building rapport, establishing their needs, directing the conversation, diffusing tension and inviting discussion.

Learning the art of questioning and listening is the key to increasing your conversion rate and help build strong and continued client relationships. business consultant st neots