Characteristics of Great Closed Ended Questions

Closed-ended questions serve a unique purpose in conversations. Done correctly, they require narrow answers to a specific inquiry.  The answers to these questions are typically "yes"-"no" or some other very brief answer.  Questions (or probes) of this nature perform the following functions:  

• They allow specific facts to be obtained.
• They are simple to answer. The buyers only need answer one question.     
• They are useful in a feedback process when the salesperson desires to check the communication accuracy.
• They can be used to reinforce positive statements.
• They can be used to direct the conversation to a desired topic or concern.
• They usually start with the following words: is, are, can, do,  would, could, should, may.

So, close-ended questions narrow your focus and open-ended questions broaden it.  Although sales and service training and coaching often spends much time focusing on open-ended questions, we should remember that close-ended questions also serve an important function in our efforts.

Characteristics of Great Open Ended Questions

Questioning take on two basic forms: OPEN-ENDED and CLOSED-ENDED. Let's start our discussion with open-ended questions. 

Open-ended questions are phrased in such a way as to draw out a wide range of responses on a broad topic. They attempt to involve the buyer in conversation by asking for opinions about a topic. They allow the sales or service personal to generate information that will help close the sale or suggestion the appropriate solution.

Open ended questions usually have the following characteristics:

• They cannot be answered by a simple "yes" or "no". 
• They usually begin with the following words: who, how, why, when, which, where.
• They do not lead the buyer in a specific direction.
• They increase dialogue by drawing out the buyer's needs and feelings.
• They encourage the buyer to elaborate on objectives, needs, wants and problems.
• They can be used to stimulate the buyer into thinking about your ideas and products.

What is the Best Sales Technique?

I have a kayak! Brand new, can’t wait to take it out on the water. Now, owning a kayak means you also own other things, like paddles or a life jacket. If you've have the opportunity to read any of the literature that the Coast Guard puts out about being in any kind of watercraft of this type, you’d also know that that they consider a life jacket, also known as a personal flotation device (or PFD) a must. In all of their pamphlets, booklets, handouts, they have the same Q and A: What is the best PFD? Answer: the one that you will wear.

I thought about this in conjunction with selling (and yes, my brain does make connections that like). What is the best sales technique? The one that you will use.

There’s a lot to be said for that approach. If you are so uncomfortable with certain sales techniques that it negatively impacts on your ability to make phone calls or go out on sales calls or even ask for an agreement, than you want to re-think your approach to sales.

If you can’t use a sales technique, then don’t. There are a lot of different ideas in the world about how to sell. Some of them you will agree with, some you won’t. I've been selling and training people to sell for a long time - and I often find myself disagreeing with others about the best way to sell. There’s lots of room for different types of techniques. Because here’s the kicker: there is no one best way. There’s only the best way for you.

What will work best for you will take into account your own comfort zones and your personality preferences as well as your customers’ needs and preferences. Certain closes that will make one prospect run into the next time zone to get away from you will be expected by another. Certain techniques work better with certain types of sales. There’s a huge difference between a product sale that’s transactional vs. one that will be the start of a longer or even an ongoing relationship.

So just as I spent time trying on various types of life jackets for fit and comfort, you may want to try on different sales techniques for fit and comfort as well. After all, if you won’t use your sales “life jacket” it can’t help keep your selling efforts afloat.

Overcoming False Objections (part 2)

psst....... If you want this to make sense, read "Overcoming False Objections (part 1) first.,



In order to effectively handle these "false"objections, break down your response into parts. First, treat the objection as if it were real. This means that you will listen, paraphrase and clarify the objection. For example, the woman who needs her husband's approval can be casually asked why he doesn't want you to do this. "I respect that. Tell me, Sarah why would James prefer you not get involved with/ purchase this product/service?" This gives you the opportunity to learn more. Follow up as necessary.


Your gentle questioning should yield you enough information to make your case more effective if this isn't a "real" objection. Never be flip or cast aspersions on the decision making process: "Oh come on, you mean you can't make up your own mind about these things? Sometimes you just have to override him." In the case of the boss not wanting to upset his assistant, you wouldn't want to say: "You're the boss. Who's in charge here?" (and yes, I've heard these responses). You would say "I understand. It can be uncomfortable changing our routines. What could make her more comfortable about this process?"


When someone needs to talk to the boss about it, find out if you can present to the boss. Don't be surprised if the answer is no. This can be a sign of a false objection. Regardless, treat the objection at face value. Find out what is important to the "boss". Make your contact as comfortable as possible: "Knowing your boss as well as you do, where do you think his concerns will be?"


Generally speaking a false objection falls under its own weight. Do not call them on it. Always let a person save face. If you back them into a corner, if you make them feel uncomfortable - if they feel you have disparaged their situation in any way, your buyer will simply stonewall you. That's simply human nature. All the same, don't let that happen. People's responses should always be treated with respect and dignity. Clarify concerns and explore their situations.


Regardless of the objection, make your buyer feel at ease with you. Overcoming objections can be challenging at times but it's always instructional and it always an opportunity to learn more about an individual's needs and motivations. In the end, it's simply understanding human behavior.

A #1 Rule for Salespeople

Here it is: your number one rule. It doesn't involve objections, closing techniques or even reaching the decision maker. It's not about overcoming a fear of rejection. It does, however involve your attitude and approach to sales.

Understand that you will not sell everybody. However you must sell as though you will because you never know who will say "yes".

We can't read people's minds. When we sell, we do our best to uncover needs and concerns. Learn what the customer's hot buttons are - find solutions. But we never really know - we can never really know what another person is thinking. They may have hidden agendas so outside of what we usually encounter that we haven't been able to strategize for them. 

So, keeping that in mind, we need to accept that we will never have a 100% close rate. And that's OK. But here's where many people who sell fail. They don't go far enough in their thought processes. You see, if you can't read people's minds to accurately determine that a "no" may come despite your efforts, it stands to reason that you may not always be able to tell that a "yes" is coming either.

Too many people who sell stop at "Well, you can't sell everybody." The problem becomes when that statement becomes an excuse for not using your best selling skills in all selling situations. 

Recognizing that you won't sell everyone, you still need to approach each sales situation using all your available skills. This has two advantages for you. One, sometimes you never can tell who will say "yes". Two, by using your best skills all the time, you will naturally increase your sales results. When you use all your skills frequently, you become more adept at using them (really you do have to use them or you will lose them).  More Adept = More Sales.

Pay attention to rule #1. Use it to not beat yourself up over a lost opportunity but more importantly use it to ensure that you are always selling at your peak readiness.

Overcoming the False Objection

Overcoming objections is a way of life for a sales person. Many companies will provide their people with scripted responses to common objections... and that can be a good thing. When starting at a new firm, it's neither in yours or the company's best interests for you to re-invent the wheel. If someone else has already come up with a great way to handle objections, you should use it.

For many sales people, the abilty to discern between a real and a false objection will make the difference between making your sales quota easily or working much harder than you have to in order to make your numbers. The best way to do this is to recognize that you must take all objections seriously but remember that not all of them have any real value. Here are some examples:

My assistant is set in her ways. It would be just too much of a fight to get her to ______ (fill in your product/solution).

My husband won't let me do it.

I need to talk to my boss about it.

In all of these we need to make sure that these are 1) real objections and 2) we don't belittle a decision making process.   Often people come up what with handy all-purpose responses designed to get the sales person to back off.  The response may have nothing to do with why they are really objecting.

 In order to effectively handle these objections, break down your response into parts. First, treat the objection as if it were real. This means that you will listen, paraphrase and clarify the objection. For example, the woman who needs her husband's approval can be casually asked why he doesn't want you to do this.  "I respect that. Tell me, Sarah why would James prefer you not get involved with/ purchase this product/service?" This gives you the opportunity to learn more. Follow up as necessary.

Your gentle questioning should yield you enough information to make your case more effective if this isn't a "real" objection. Never be flip or cast aspersions on the decision making process. "Oh come on, you mean you can't make up your own mind about these things? Sometimes you just have to override him." In the case of the boss not wanting to upset his assistant, you wouldn't want to say "You're the boss. Who's in charge here?" (and yes, I've heard these responses). You would say "I understand. It can be uncomfortable changing our routines. What could make her more comfortable about this process?" 

When someone needs to talk to the boss about it, find out if you can present to the boss. Don't be surprised if the answer is no. This can be a sign of a false objection. Regardless, treat the objection at face value. Find out what is important to the "boss". Make your contact as comfortable as possible. "Knowing your boss as well as you do, where do you think his concerns will be?"

Generally speaking a false objection falls under its own weight. Do not call them on it.  Always let a person save face. If you back them into a corner, if you make them feel uncomfortable - if they feel you have disparaged their situation in any way, your buyer will simply stonewall you. Don't let that happen.  People's responses should always be treated with respect and dignity.  Clarify concerns and explore their situations.  Regardless of the objection, make your buyer feel at ease with you. Overcoming objections can be challenging at times but it's always instructional and it always an opportunity to learn more about an individual's needs and motivations.  In the end, it's simply understanding human behavior.

Resistance Training

What was the quickest rejection you ever got? 2 minutes into your call? 1 minute? 15 seconds?

Resistance comes in many forms in sales. Buyers may resist from the beginning of the presentation to the very end. And yet by using some simple steps we can reduce this resistance to increase our sales performance.

Many people make sure their gym workouts and exercise regimes include using resistance training. It's good for you. Encountering resistance during the sales process can also be good for you. It lets you work your sales muscles, enabling you to become a stronger sales person.  Too much resistance may not help you achieve your goals, though. Plan for resistance in advance and you can help eliminate or reduce it.  Create a planned presentation that takes into account, step by step, all concerns and objectives your prospects may have. Look at every point in the sales process. Examine them and look for ways to make it easy for a prospect to say "yes" to you. Here, then, are 12 steps to decrease resistance and increase sales:

Sound confident

Your voice gives you away.

Rehearse names beforehand

Nothing says I don't know you faster than a fumbled name.

Do your homework

The number one complaint buyers have about sales people is that they don't know enough about the targeted buyer or even their own products

  

Phase your words positively.

There's a big difference between saying "If you order an additional 25 I can drop the price to ___" and "You don't need another 25, do you?"

   

Listen

People will tell you everything and more if you let them.

Ask questions to discern needs

 Use open ended questions to generate information. Open ended questions start with words like who, what, where, when, which, why, and how.  Use closed ended questions when you need to get "yes" or "no". Closed ended questions start with word such as: is, are, can, may, have, and do.

  

Listen

Go back and re-read it what I wrote two steps back. It's that important

Propose solutions based on buyer needs

If you've listened, this should be easy. If it's not easy, there may not be a good fit between your product and your prospect. If you're looking for a long term relationship, sell only to needs. You'll make more sales in the long run.

 Listen some more

I see a pattern here. Remember, the seller should always talk less than 50% of the conversation.

Ask for agreement

Don't forget to ask for the order. When you ask for agreement, the "yes" from the buyer closes your sale. A "no" says you've more work to do.

  

Follow up

You'll close as many sales on the 8th try as on the 1st.

A positive attitude

If you think you can, you will. It's a simple tool but it works.

If you think in terms of decreasing resistance, if you build it right into your presentation, you'll find it easier to get "yes's". You increase your sales when you decrease resistance.