subject: Using Closed-ended Questions To Close Sales [print this page] We will continue with this 8th article of 20 on Closing Sales and Becoming An All-Star Sales Person. This is more about our discussion of probing.
In the last article, we named four different ways of probing or asking questions namely: open-ended, closed-ended, "I'm wondering," and the question mark question was discussed. This article will focus on close-ended questions.
You use closed-ended questions when you want limited or specific answers to your questions. One example is, "Do you like the new healthcare laws Congress just passed?" Either "yes" or "no" are the only answers. On the other hand, an open ended question would be, "What do you think of the our new healthcare laws?"
The following are more examples of closed-ended questions: Do you think Brazil will keep its commitments for the Olympics? Will you pick red or black? Note that you can only get either yes or no, or red or black as answers to these questions.
Use closed-ended questions to get shorter, direct answers to move your prospect along and to guide your prospect to reach conclusions you'd like him to have. You can, of course, mix using closed-ended and open-ended questions as appropriate.
Just as in asking open-ended questions, remember to respond in an authentic manner. You don't want to continuously ask question after question. That is very annoying. Be sure to give a nurturing response at least every few questions. For example, "Most people seem to feel that way." Or "That is so true." You want to always be relating to the person you are speaking to.
What you've just done, you've learned how to add to your questioning techniques to get more direct brief answers and guide your prospect and yourself to his better understanding of his needs. Use this principle professionally or personally and get along better with everyone you know.
If you have received value from this article and would like to read all 20 of our series on closing sales and becoming an extraordinary sales person, visit my blog at www.stanleyfidel.com/blog for access to all the articles. If you also like watching videos about similar selling skills, just go to my website www.stanleyfidel.com/free and you'll get a link to the entire series. It is totally free. So long and keep selling.
