Questions are a critical part of the sales process. Do you find that the questions you ask aren't producing the results you want? The way you structure the questions you ask, and the intent behind them have a dramatic impact on the prospect. Questions help you to establish rapport with the prospect. Questions help you to put the prospect at ease, gets them to open up to you, and makes them feel comfortable with you. Your questions must demonstrate your sincere interest in the prospect.

Many sales professional get off track during the questioning process. If your questions make the prospect feel like you're taking them down a self-serving path they'll balk and you won't get the sale. An example will help me to demonstrate what I mean.

A life insurance agent can be used to provide an easy to understand example. Let's presume the agent has gotten the prospect to demonstrate at least some interest in life insurance. As the sales conversation comes to a close the agent might say, "Mr. Prospect you're a man who loves his family, right"? A question structured this way almost forces the prospect to answer "yes". Following that response the agent might continue, "Mr. Prospect as a man who loves his family you want to make sure their needs are taken care of in the horrible event you aren't able to do so, right"? The prospect is again almost forced to respond "yes" or made to feel guilty. Closing the agent might say, "Mr. Prospect because you're a loving man and you want to make certain your family is taken care of, when do you think is the best time to start that protection"? The eager agent is expecting Mr. Prospect to say "yes", but he doesnt'. And he doesn't for very good reason. The agent is clearly manipulating the prospect, and the prospect feels angry. Plus any trust the agent established prior to these last three questions is gone.

Notice the intent of the agent was self-serving, and it made the prospect feel guilty for having to say "no". Any prospect will resent being made to feel guilty and they won't trust you. Trust is build thought sincere interest not manipulation. When you're questions become self-serving the whole experience negatively changes for the prospect.

Let's replay our experience and see how we could improve it. The agent might say, "Mr. Prospect as we've talked today it's become absolutely clear to me that you love your family and want to make sure their needs are always taken care of, how do you see life insurance helping you to take care of your family? The agent then carefully listens. As the prospect explains to the agent how it would help they're also convincing themselves of the value and the importance of the decision. Now the agent might ask, "Mr. Prospect it sounds like there are a lot of benefits for you and your family, what if anything is keeping you from having that now"? The agent will listen carefully and make sure everything is out in the open so the prospect alleviates their fear of making a wrong decision. In closing the agent might say, "Mr. Prospect if I could show you a way to get what you want and a way to work around your current obstacles would you be interested in getting started"? At this point Mr. Prospect may still be a little uncertain, but they'll feel like you understand them and their needs so when you show them a solution that works for them they'll be ready to make a "yes" decision.

Now the big lesson here isn't the exact wording the big lesson is the difference in the experience for the prospect. In the first example the prospect felt pinned down, manipulated, and perhaps even violated. In the second example the prospect feels like you're working together toward a common goal. Which agent would you rather sit down with?

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Author: Cheryl Clausen can help you get where you want to be. Find out how your Sales Skills measure up. Could you succeed faster if you just had more time? Improve your Time Management Skills, look here.