The other way to gain relevant information is to ask questions. There are two types of questions:
Open Questions – are questions that encourage information, and which cannot be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Open questions begin with:
WHAT
WHY
WHO
HOW
WHICH
WHERE
E.g., “What sort of problems are you having with your roses?”
Closed Questions – ask for specific information and can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Closed questions may begin as:
CAN I
DID YOU
DO YOU
WOULD YOU
COULD YOU
WILL IT
E.g., “Have you tried this product before?”
Open questions can be used to gather general information and closed questions can be used to gain specific information.
Listen to the customer’s initial statement of need, or question and then use the open and closed technique to establish the exact need and all other relevant information.
However, to gain the customer’s commitment to you, and to encourage them to do business with you, you must take control of the conversation.
Click here to view a video that explains the use of body language in selling.