A salesperson can have an excellent product, a polished presentation and years of experience, but if they spend most of the sales conversation talking, they may be missing the most important information they need to win the business.
Great sales conversations depend on quality questioning. Not questions for the sake of asking questions. Not a checklist of questions that every prospect gets asked. And not questions designed simply to move the salesperson towards a pitch.
Quality questioning is about understanding the customer well enough to have a meaningful commercial conversation.
The problem with poor questioning
One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is moving into presentation mode too quickly. A customer says they are looking for a new solution, and the salesperson immediately starts explaining their product, service, features, experience and pricing.
The problem?
• They may not yet understand what the customer actually needs.
• They might know what the customer has asked for, but that does not necessarily mean they understand why the customer is asking for it.
For example, a customer might say:
“We’re looking for a new CRM.”
A salesperson could immediately start talking about CRM features.
Or they could ask:
“What prompted you to look at changing your CRM?”
That one question could uncover a much bigger issue. Perhaps the current CRM is not being used properly. Perhaps the sales team is losing opportunities because follow-up is inconsistent. Perhaps management cannot get accurate pipeline information. Perhaps the business is growing and the existing system cannot support the team.
The CRM is the requested solution. It may not be the real problem. Quality questioning helps salespeople find out the difference.
Questions should create a conversation, not an interrogation
There is another common mistake. Salespeople sometimes learn questioning techniques and then turn the conversation into an interview. Question. Answer. Question. Answer. Question. Answer. The customer can quickly feel like they are being taken through a script. Good questioning should feel natural. The salesperson should listen to the answer, respond to what they have heard and use that information to determine where the conversation should go next.
For example:
• “What is currently happening?”
• “What impact is that having on the team?”
• “How long has that been an issue?”
• “What have you tried so far?”
• “What would you ideally like to see happen instead?”
These questions are not simply gathering information. They are helping the customer explore their own situation. That is where a sales conversation becomes much more valuable.
The best questions uncover consequences
One of the most important skills in sales is getting beyond the surface-level problem. A customer might tell you that their sales team is struggling to generate enough new business. That is useful information, but it is only the starting point.
A quality sales conversation might explore:
• “What is that doing to your overall revenue?”
• “How is it affecting the sales team’s confidence?”
• “What happens if the current situation continues for another six months?”
• “What opportunities are you currently missing?”
• “What would improving this look like for the business?”
Now the conversation is moving from a problem to its commercial consequences. This matters because customers are more likely to take action when they understand the impact of not taking action.
Stop asking questions you already know the answer to
Another useful discipline is to make sure every question has a purpose. Salespeople sometimes ask questions because they have been told they need to ask more questions. That can lead to obvious or unnecessary questions.
Instead, before asking something, consider:
• What am I trying to understand?
• Why does this matter?
• What will I do with the answer?
If the answer will not change your understanding of the customer’s situation or influence the next part of the conversation, the question may not be necessary. Quality questioning is not about asking more questions, it is about asking better questions.
Listening is what makes questioning work
Of course, even the best questions will not help if the salesperson does not listen to the answers. This is where questioning and active listening need to work together.
A salesperson might ask:
“What is the biggest challenge you’re facing with your current sales process?”
The customer gives a detailed answer. Instead of exploring what they have just said, the salesperson moves straight to the next prepared question. The opportunity has been missed.
Often, the most valuable question in a sales conversation is the one that comes from something the customer has just said.
• “Can you tell me a little more about that?”
• “What do you mean by that?”
• “How is that affecting the team?”
• “Why is that particularly important right now?”
These questions demonstrate that the salesperson is actually listening. They also encourage the customer to provide information they may not have initially considered important.
Better questions lead to better value conversations
Quality questioning also makes it easier to demonstrate value. If a salesperson understands the customer’s priorities, challenges, consequences and desired outcomes, they can connect their solution to what actually matters.
Instead of saying:
“Our training includes quality questioning, active listening and objection handling.”
They can have a conversation about what the customer is trying to achieve and explain how the training could help address those specific challenges. That is a very different sales conversation. One is focused on what the salesperson sells. The other is focused on what the customer needs.
Great salespeople are curious
Ultimately, quality questioning comes down to curiosity. Great salespeople do not walk into a meeting determined to deliver a presentation. They walk into the meeting wanting to understand. They are curious about the customer’s business, challenges, priorities, goals and decision-making process. They do not assume they already know what the customer needs.
• They ask.
• They listen.
• They clarify.
• Then they use what they have learned to create a relevant conversation about value.
Because the goal of a sales conversation is not simply to get through your pitch. It is to understand enough about the customer to determine whether you can genuinely help them, and if you can, to clearly demonstrate why your solution matters.
Want to improve the quality of your sales conversations?
If your sales team is talking too much, asking surface-level questions or moving into the pitch before they fully understand the customer, targeted sales training can make a significant difference. To read more about the importance of effective communication in sales, click here.
Contact Healthy Business Builder to discuss tailored Sales Training for your sales team and build the questioning, listening and sales conversation skills that can help turn more opportunities into customers.
Call 1300 833 574 or Email info@hbbausgroup.com.au
Author – Garret Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/garretnorris/
