Qualifying Questions

Asking the right questions at the right time is imperative to understanding the customer’s actual pain points. This process will help you uncover their true needs and how your products and services might solve their pain. Asking lifestyle and open-ended questions is the key to successful qualifying.

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Why is it important to ask qualifying questions?  It’s the only way you can determine what the best products or services are for your customer. When you ask the right questions and more importantly LISTEN to their answers, you will be able to make the right recommendations based on their lifestyle. It doesn’t always result in a sale, but it is the best way to ensure success.

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Asking questions should always sound like a conversation and NOT an interrogation. It should be a conversational give-and-take. In fact, the customer should be talking more than you. The more they talk the more information you can gather which can only help you make the proper recommendations.

 

You Will Be Able To: ​

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• Determine if their interest is genuine.

• Clarify WANTS vs NEEDS.

• Personalize the sale by using phrases like: “Remember when you told me “Or “Based on what YOU said."

• Respond to a customer’s answers with follow-up questions for clarification.

• Provide a credible solution or solutions to their needs and challenges.

• Identify other opportunities beyond their initial interest.

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Examples of Good Questions: ​​

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Below are a few examples of some quality questions you can ask a customer interested in purchasing a big-screen television for their home: 

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• What kind of programming do you most often watch? Movies, Sports, TV series?

• Will this be connected to a surround sound system or a soundbar?

• Is controlling lighting, sound, and the TV from one remote something you're interested in?

• Do you have a brand preference?

• How far back do you typically sit from your TV?

• Would you like to control your A/V system from your phone?

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As you listen to the responses, keep in mind that it’s often not what they say, but how they say it. As you listen make sure you pay attention to their body language. Does it match what they are saying or does it reveal something else?

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Pay Attention To: ​

 

• Is their voice conversational or short-clipped answers?

• Is their posture relaxed or tense?

• Are they making good eye contact in responding to your questions?

• Are they enthusiastic in their responses?

• When you make a statement or offer a solution, do they nod in agreement? 

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KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN!​

 

Here’s an important point, if you get a question, you cannot answer or you are not 100% sure of, DO NOT GUESS or make it up. Let them know you’ll find the answer as soon as possible. Customers are forgiving if you’re honest, if they discover you’ve made something up, that sale is over along with your credibility.

Finally, you may have asked the same question over a thousand times, but you should NEVER assume what the answer will be. Every potential customer is different with different needs, so LISTEN.
The questions you ask, the manner in which you ask those questions, and more importantly the answers the customer gives you will provide you with the information you’ll need to recommend the best products and solutions for that customer.

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