By Vishnu Doerga
Vishnu Doerga is President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and franchise holder for Action COACH
Have you ever answered a question with a question? Would that be making a difference to your conversion rate? The answer to the latter is most definitely yes! Asking questions not only increases your conversion rate, but builds rapport with your customer and ensures that the sale becomes their idea and not yours.
Asking questions also means active listening. You can ask questions about your customers’ work, business, children or hobbies but make sure you are listening with sincere interest. It may even be helpful to note down some of the answers – such as the names of their children, interests etc for future communication. By asking questions and listening, you are building rapport and attaching importance to their conversation.
Also, by asking questions you are remaining in control of the conversation. Once you find yourself doing all the talking you are no longer in control. Just remember that the person asking questions sets the direction for the conversation. If the customer is dominating the conversation by asking you questions make sure you answer the question with a question. However, try to vary the questions that you ask. You may remember from looking after your own children or babysitting that being asked “but why?” over and over again tends to get a little monotonous.
Questions can guide consumer interest, discover a need and give accurate information. There are two commonly known types of questioning open ended and closed questions.
Building rapport and qualifying
Open-ended questions are an excellent way to ensure customer involvement in the conversation and are key to identifying not only what they need, but a lot about themselves. You can use open-ended questions to build rapport, find a need, discover a customer problem and find the right solution. In journalism there are six key questions used in the interviewing process which are as equally as useful in sales who, what, where, when, why and how.
Here are a few example of open-ended questions which are very useful:
- Who are you buying the product/service for?
- How often would you use the product/service?
- What features were you looking for in this product/service?
This type of questioning yields a lot of great information from your customer and helps you determine which product/ service is uniquely suited to them.
Closed questions tend to get one word answers “yes” or “no”. They can be used to gather information quickly not unlike a check-list. Using closed questions can also confirm a buying detail and help confirm the sale.
By using questions you are encouraging the customer to communicate, building rapport, establishing their needs, directing the conversation, diffusing tension and inviting discussion.
Learning the art of questioning and listening is the key to increasing your conversion rate and well on the way to creating a continuing customer relationship.
Action COACH is a business coaching, training and presenting company that works closely with Business Owners and CEOs providing education and training in increasing the sales and marketing in their business. Ensure your business gets the support it needs to grow faster.
If you are interested in getting more customers, who spend more, more often, call us on 223-5583 and mention that you read this article in Stabroek Business for a complimentary strategic planning session.
