Converting a potential customer takes more than just rattling off the facts about your product or service. It often requires a personalized approach based on a genuine understanding of the customer’s needs.
To gain this understanding, you’ll need to ask the right questions during the sales process. Below, the business leaders of Young Entrepreneur Council share the eight most insightful questions you can ask a potential customer as well as how they will help you land that coveted sale.
1. What are your specific needs and goals?
This question allows the sales professional to gain an understanding of the customer’s unique requirements and objectives. In addition, the sales professional demonstrates their genuine interest in helping the customer find the best solution for their needs. – Eddie Lou, CodaPet
2. What makes you prefer a certain solution over its alternatives?
The smartest question a sales professional could ask a potential customer is, “What generally makes you prefer a solution over its alternatives”? An answer to this question will give you a clear idea about the expectations of your potential customers, enabling you to tailor your offerings accordingly to secure a sale. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
3. What outcome would you like to see in the next year or two?
One powerful way to give a salesperson context about the potential customer’s situation is to ask them what outcome they would like to see in the next year or two. This will often open up the conversation beyond the specific product or service being sold and help the salesperson understand what additional support or value they might offer down the line as well. – Nathalie Lussier, AccessAlly
4. What are the biggest limitations you’re facing with the product or service you’re currently using?
This question assumes that the prospect is already using something from one of your competitors. If it’s a startup or you’re introducing a new product, you can modify this to, “What’s your biggest challenge around X?”—with X being the issue your product addresses. – Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
5. What does success look like after you’ve been using our product?
Use this question to guide your customer into visualizing success with the support of your product. Instead of guessing what they want or describing the benefits of your service, allow the customer to tell you exactly how your product can make an impact. – Nanxi Liu, Blaze.tech
6. Is there anything you’d like to change about what we offer?
The smartest question a sales professional could ask a potential customer is, “Is there anything that you’d like to change about what we offer?” This shows that you care about your customers and value their feedback. Plus, no matter how amazing your offer is, there’s always something that a customer doesn’t want or wants more. So, the answer to the question helps you figure out what that is. – Chris Klosowski, Easy Digital Downloads
7. How does our solution contribute to your top priority?
A powerful question to ask your prospects is, “How does our solution contribute to your top priority?” If it doesn’t, then follow up with, “Why is this still important?” These queries uncover your product’s relevance to their objectives. By learning if and how your offering aligns with their priorities, you can tailor your pitch effectively and improve conversion. – Devesh Dwivedi, Higher Valuation
8. Can you describe a scenario where our solution would not meet your expectations?
This question builds authenticity and trust while providing the sales professional with valuable insights they can use to understand and address the concerns of customers proactively. Eventually, it helps make a compelling case for the product or service, increasing the professional’s chances of making a sale. – Vikas Agrawal, Infobrandz
