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.
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.