Open, Leading and Closed Questions
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A typical trap that even the most experienced sales person can fall into, is that they make assumptions, either based on hard facts, possible facts or generalisations they’ve formed about their industry, prospects and themselves. Good questions seek to challenge and test assumptions so that the sales person’s mind and the mind of their prospect/customer is free to think clearly and consequently to provide the relevant information. Before you can start to ask questions designed to uncover specifics, it’s important to give the prospect the opportunity to talk. The more they talk, the more signposts you’ll receive that will help lead the way to your desired outcome. Therefore, it helps to understand the definition and the positioning of different question types:
Open Questions
For example: "How can we help?"
● good for opening up the customer and getting broad, general, information that is uninfluenced by you
● gives the customer the freedom to tell you whatever they want
● tend to start with what, when, where, why, who, which or how
Leading Questions
For example: "What else can you tell me about your delivery requirements?"
● good for leading the customer in the direction you want them to go and finding out more specific information about their requirements
● tend to start with what, when, where, why, who, which or how
Closed Questions
For example: "Do you want to order this?"
● usually get a “yes” or “no” (or very short) answer
● useful when you want to pinpoint/clarify specific information
The type of questions you ask customers can generate an uninfluenced or an influenced response. Open questions tend to give you longer, uninfluenced answers that allow you to begin to appreciate what’s important to a customer. Leading questions are still open questions yet they influence customers’ responses around specific areas.
The Open, Leading and Closed Combination
Open questions »»» uninfluenced customer response »»» leading questions »»» influences customer response »»» closed question »»» validation of customer response
The example below illustrates the ideal combination of using open, leading and closed questions to pinpoint a customer’s specific requirements:
Sales person: “What’s important to you?” (Open question)
Customer: “Price, quality and efficiency.” (Uninfluenced response)
Sales person: “Why is price important to you?” (Leading question based on price)
Customer: “So I can be more competitive in winning new business.” (Influenced response based on price related question)
Sales person: “If I can demonstrate how we can help you win more business, will you review our proposition?” (Closed question to gain agreement)
Customer: “Yes” (influenced, definite response)
Open Leading and Closed Questions - To learn more about this author, visit Nikki Owen's Website.
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Kalena JordanKalena Jordan is the search industry’s first agony aunt, here to answer your tricky questions about search engines. Kalena is Co-Founder and Director of Studies at Search Engine College, an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects. She’s been marketing websites online since 1996 and blogging about search since 2002. For her full bio, view Kalena’s Linked In Profile. When not working, Kalena likes to go geocaching, hiking or fishing. She also plays a mean darabuka. - Visit Kalena Jordan's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is North America's leading authority on team culture. She is an author and professional speaker and president of the leading team culture consultancy, TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Crampton has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down or to subscribe to TIGES Free monthly e-newsleeter go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: Winning Business Team Cultures And Why They Thrive, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Marcus ArkanMarcus Arkan currently serves as the President/Principle Broker of Syndicate Mortgages Inc. After working with a number of Canada's top financial institutions, the experience and knowledge he gained throughout his professional career combined with his drive and entrepreneurial spirit led him to develop his own company. The operation began in 2003 in the basement of his home and now has flourished into a successful corporation with a head office in one of Metropolitan Toronto's busiest sectors and 10 branch locations employing over 100 mortgage professionals. His organization is now one of Ontario's leading mortgage brokerages specializing in residential, commercial, and construction financing. He holds the designation of Accredited Mortgage Professional from the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals. This allows him to differentiate himself from other mortgage originators and demonstrates his commitment to the highest standards of industry performance. For more information on Mr. Arkan and his Syndicate Mortgages Inc., please visit www.syndicatemortgages.com. - Visit Marcus Arkan's Website |
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