We recently published an article on the Best Sales Questions to Ask Customers, focusing on optimal questions for the first sales call. In response to the high level of interest in this topic and readers wanting exploratory guidance for other sales objectives and situations, we have created The Ultimate Collection of Sales Questions for Customers with the top questions for the most common sales challenges: diagnosing customer needs, uncovering additional opportunities with existing customers, handling customer objections and closing the sale. Here is the list:
Uncovering Customer Needs:
- Which business plans/objectives/goals are most important to you? Why?
- How will you measure success?
- Given the business objectives you have set, how close are you to meeting them?
- What are the pros and cons of ________ right now?
- How is the implementation/execution going?
Uncovering Additional Opportunities with Existing Customers:
- Tell me what additional needs you hear from (other parts of the organization) when you talk with them.
- Our clients frequently mention their challenge with (or interest in) _______________. Is that a challenge (or interest) at your organization as well? Tell me more about your thoughts on this front.
- Beyond the typical solutions we create, our clients also seek our assistance in _____________. Is this a product/solution aligned with your interests?
- A number of our customers that are similar to you have begun using ___. What are your thoughts about that?
- With your [whatever service or product you have provided] now successfully completed/implemented, what is the next priority for strategic/operational improvements?
Handling Customer Objections:
- Can you tell me a little more about that?
- Here’s what I’m hearing you say‚ Is my understanding correct?
- What impact did that have on your….
- How have you handled similar issues in the past?
- What outcome are you looking for?
Closing the Sale:
- Given the project scope we have discussed today, we can be ready to deploy/deliver/implement in ___ days. Does that timeframe work for you?
- We’re ready when you are: when would that be?
- We’re prepared to move forward with a recommendation…
- What next steps make the most sense to you at this point?
- Who else should we be considering before we finalize this agreement?
- In addition to what we have discussed, are there any other criteria you may consider when making a decision?
