Why use an open ended question?
Posted in Marketing, sales, Small Business Advice, Uncategorized on August 25th, 2009 by Tracie Gilbert – Comments Off on Why use an open ended question?Now that you have brushed up on your Listening Skills, let’s explore how to get your customers talking. Usually the easiest way to do this is to ask an open ended question.
Open ended questions simply refer to questions that can’t be answered with a single word such as yes or no. Open ended questions inspire long answers, rather than just one or two words. In a sales setting, an open-ended question, rather than close-ended questions, can be especially beneficial.
Let’s examine a common sales mistake, you are calling a customer and trying to find out what feature(s) of your product will work best for them. Quite a few out there unfortunately have the bad habit of going through each feature individually and then asking the customer, “Does that sound good to you?” In this instance, they are doing most of the talking (instead of listening to what the customer needs), have wasted time that the customer may not have (resulting in irritation or abruptness) AND have now given the customer the option of saying “NO” (an unforgivable offense).
So what does a smart sales person that knows how to listen and is a problem solver, do instead?
A good start would be to ask the customer an open ended question. “What are you looking for in this product?” This allows you to find out what matters most to them and tailor your presentation to highlight only the features that matter to them. If your product matches or exceeds their every desire or fixes a specific problem they mentioned, then the customer is going to have a much harder time finding a reason to say no and instead has been given every reason to say “Yes!”
Everyone in this current economy is busier than ever and by eliminating the items in your pitch that do not matter at all to the customer and showing that you care about their problems and would like to help them solve them, you will be more successful in your sales attempts and thus, more successful in your business.
Now, the question is, what are you going to go do with this knowledge?
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We’ve found mascara that isn’t so thick that it clumps but doesn’t have so much liquid that it smudges. We liked the Revlon Beyond Natural Defining Mascara creamy formula, because you can layer without clumping. This mascara also has a unique brush so you can actually comb through your lashes. The result is very natural looking; we suggest this product for when you’re going to be outside or for work.
Usually concealers thick enough to cover dark eye circles are creamy and not really appropriate for blemishes. We liked Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer because it hid our dark circles completely, but since it’s oil, talc, and fragrance free, we could use it on other imperfections. Now we don’t need two concealers- we can see why this product won beauty awards from Oprah Magazine and Marie Claire.
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When visiting the skin care aisle any drug store, you’ll see that you have to choose between mild cleansers and harsh products for acne. We were on the hunt for something that would destroy acne, but not our skin in the process, and came across Zapzyt Acne Wash.
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