The 5 Most Maddening Questions of All Time- Are you guilty?
Questioning a prospect is a excellent business, right?
Questioning builds rapport, uncovers needs, gathers information, and identifies doable objections. There are lots of benefits.
Or so it would seem.
But the truth of the matter is that there are some questions that telephone users should utterly avoid. They incense your prospects and they can threaten the success of your call. Here are the five most maddening questions of all time. Purge them from your mission process.
Maddening Question #1: How are you today?
Nothing, unquestionably nothing, puts a prospect on the defensive quicker than this question!
While YOU might reckon it’s a real rapport builder the vast majority of your prospects reckon just the opposite. When surveyed well over 90% of prospects felt that the question is trite and insincere. They found it ‘wastes time’ but perhaps more significantly, it puts them on their guard because it makes a stereotypical (and negative) image of an invasive “telemarketer” who is trying to sell them something.
Look, the bottom line is this: you don’t really care how the prospect is, do you? You want a sale, lead or an appointment. And they KNOW that. They know you don’t care. They know it’s a space filler question.
So why would you use it?
It buys you unquestionably nothing and it may cost you a lot. It may tarnish your ‘professional’ image.
Maddening Question #2: Did I catch you at a excellent time?
This question is a real sales killer. Hands down.
While asking a prospect ‘is now is a excellent time’ is polite and considerate, what it really does is provide a ready-made excuse to terminate the call. Picture the scene: How many era have you questioned that question and the prospect says, ‘Ya, sure…It’s a fantastic time! I wasn’t doing whatever business vital. In fact, I was just sitting here with my feet on the desk hoping that a sales rep would give me a call and pitch me?”
Rarely happens, right?
Of course, some prospects do say yes but the majority don’t. At the moment they say ‘no’ you flounder and stumble around a bit and murmur something about mission later or ‘when is a excellent time.’ If the prospect does give you a time, they are never there when you make your follow up call. Waste of all’s time and energy.
I am all for polite and courteous tele-prospecting. But as a replacement for of putting your call in the chopping block, try this, “_____, If I have caught you at a excellent time what I want to do is question you a few questions, get a feel for you situation and see if there might be a way …(insert your benefit).’
Positioned this way, the client gets a feel or a sense that you have been polite about the ‘time’ business but you are not really asking about the time; you’re asking about questions. If you go seamlessly into your first question, your client will likely answer.
This subtle but extremely effective technique can dramatically change your contact rate and help you exchange more contacts to sales or leads. Use it.
Maddening Question #3: What do you like about your current supplier?
OMG! What a ridiculous question!
In effect, here’s what you are saying to the prospect, “Tell all the fantastic things about your current vendor so that you will convince yourself not to make a change. Remind yourself why you made this brilliant choice in the first house so that you can pat yourself on the back.”
Forgive the sarcasm. But this question is certainly maddening. It does nothing to help your selling cause. It builds your competitor up and because the prospect is articulating their merits it’ll be dreadfully hard to knock them down.
As a replacement for, question the prospect what they like to see in a vendor. Let the prospect tell you about the ideal service they want to get. See how you compare. Don’t even bother with the current competitor. Who cares? It’s not what they do, it’s what YOU do.
Maddening Question #4: Is there whatever business you don’t like about your current vendor?
Reckon about this one for a moment. The prospect doesn’t know you from Adam or Eve and out of the blue you are asking him/her to divulge the faults and flaws of your competitor. How often do you reckon that’s going to work?
It’s not.
Sure, if you get fortunate you might find a flawed vendor and an annoyed prospect. Even a blind stasher finds a nut. But in the vast majority of the calls you make, this question will get you a blunt “no.” Like Maddening Question #3, the prospect is reminded that there’s nothing incorrect with their current supplier or, at best, better the devil they know then the devil they don’t. Net result? Resistance to change.
Stick with what they’d like to see in a vendor. Determine what elements are the most vital (price, delivery, selection, terms etc.) Make a general question like, “Are you getting all those elements all the time?” Question if they’ve ever been caught small? Question what they do if there’s a delay or if a product is unavailable? Question if they have a back up plot?
These questions can open doors, not close them.
Maddening Question #5: what do I have to do to earn your business?
And finally…
This maddening question has been around for decades and has been driving your prospect nuts for just as long. In their mind what you are really saying is this, “Make this simple for me because I don’t really want to work at it. Tell me what you want so I don’t have to probe and find out.”
Prospects resent this. It’s bone idle. And those that give you an answer often give you ridiculous answers like, “I want free shipping on every order over ten bucks…and oh…I want 120 days… oh… forget the days, how about consignment?”
Look, if you don’t know how to probe for needs, start learning now!
Summary
Questions can work for you or against you. Reckon about your questions before you question!