Using Open-Ended Questions to Boost Business

If you'd like to see dramatic increases in your business profits, share the techniques and the importance of the "Open-Ended Question" with your sales staff and business recruits. When customers are presented with questions that require something other than a simple "yes", or "no" answer, the results can quickly impact your business profits through add-on sales, repeat sales, and consumer trust in your ability to effectively meet their needs.

Open-ended questions provoke the initially wary customer into sharing a little shred of the "need" he is looking to satisfy. It is not necessary to ask a customer, who has already taken the time to come to your business for assistance, something like, "Can I help you?". Obviously the customer already believes that you can provide what he needs or he would not have sought you out to begin with. When presented with, "Can I help you", there is a 50-50 chance a customer will answer "No, thank you" to such a bland inquiry, and walk away, taking with him the opportunity for you to establish a rapor and begin instilling trust in your abilities to assist him.

Assume, for a moment, that you are the owner of a building supply company. A customer enters the door and you greet him with something warmer, like, "Welcome to our company, my name is John. What are you working on today?". Chances are your customer will give you a clue pertaining to his project at hand. "Well, I need to replace some spindles on my deck", he replies. As you begin walking him to the area where pre-made replacement spindles are located, you will ask more questions to determine exactly the type of spindle he needs, whether he will need to match an existing stain or paint color, and whether or not he will need materials to fasten them in, or even installation assistance. You know that your company has all of the things associated with deck building and repair, so why not determine any other needs your customer has in relevance to his project? He may have forgotten about finishing the new spindles to match his existing deck. He may not have thought about hardware or fastening devices yet.

The questions you will want to ask should be geared with the purpose of gathering more information from your customer, and slowly move him toward choosing his own solutions to his problem confidently, utilizing the goods or services that you can provide. After determining "what" your customer needs, delve a bit further to determine his special needs or requirements for the "need" at hand. Offer two or three alternative solutions, and point out the benefits of each, being sure to reiterate the requirements your customer has shared with you so far. As your customer begins to see that you are not rushing him to a decision, and that you are actually "listening to" and "considering" his responses to your open-ended questions, he will gain trust in your ability to help him. It is likely he will return to you again for future needs, and possibly remark about the great service he received from you to his friends.

If you hire employees, or have recruited others into your business, teach them how to communicate with consumers seeking the types of products and services offered by your business.

1. Be sure your sales staff has a thorough understanding of the items and services offered by your company, noting the benefits and drawbacks of each.
2. Have your recruits and salespeople recall both a positive and a negative experience they have personally had while shopping for items. How did they "feel" when they entered a store and were instantly greeted and assisted? How did they feel when sales staff seemed indifferent to their presence or rushed them?
3. Take some time to "think" as a consumer might upon entering or calling your business. What are your initial reactions to the sales staff, products, services, and general appearance? Where do you seem room for improvement?
4. Practice conversing with your recruits and salespeople as if you are a consumer. Identify the conversation killers which can only end with either a "yes", "no", or "not today" answer, and explore ways to modify the dialogue to show a genuine interest in whatever is on the mind of a consumer, while identifying questions and approaches that can be altered to lead consumers into productive conversation.
5. Show your customers that you "hear" them, by restating what they have told you and asking, "is that right?".
6. Remember that the sales process begins as soon as a customer has initiated contact with your business, and does not end until he has left your premises or received his shipment of goods. Every person in your organization should be giving the same level of professional care to every consumer, from the person answering the phone to the person shipping or loading a product purchased, and from the corporate staff members to the stocking crew.

Customers most often seek out a business to solve a problem or need. Your job is to find out what those needs are so that you can build consumer trust in your ability to meet those needs. In determining the basic what, why, how, and when of your customer's purposes, through the use of "open-ended questions", employees., business owners, and business recruits can quickly compound the effectiveness of the services and products they provide, while increasing the likelihood of sales, add-on sales, and repeat sales.