Sales probing questions help you understand a customer’s needs before discussing a solution. Open questions invite detail; closed questions confirm a point or a choice.
Ask open sales probing questions
Open questions invite the customer to explain their situation. Examples include:
| Key Word | Example: |
|---|---|
| Who | “Who handles this process for you?” |
| What | “What operations are conducted in this office?” |
| When | “When did you begin to notice the problem?” |
| Where | “Where did it begin?” |
| Why | “Why do you think it happened?” |
| How | “How has the process been working?” |
| Tell Me | “Tell me a little about your responsibilities.” |
Closed sales probing questions
Closed questions ask for a yes-or-no answer or a choice between stated options.
| Key Word | Example |
|---|---|
| Do | “Do you have to make many repairs on your roof?” |
| Does | “Does that happen frequently?” |
| Have | “Have you had a problem with leaks?” |
| Is | “Is there anyone else who will be involved in the decision?” |
| Are | “Are you concerned about roof technicians IDs?” |
| Which | “Which one would you prefer, proactive or reactive repairs? |
| Have (has) | “Have service requests gone up or have they gone down?” |
Compare open and closed questions
| Open Probe | Closed Probe |
|---|---|
| “Tell me a little more about that.” | “Do problems arise from the way invoices are transmitted?” |
| “I’m sure interested in knowing why you feel that way.” | “Mr. Smith, do you allow work on your facilities on Saturdays?” |
| “Why do you think that this problem happens so often?” | “Do you have a problem with securing ETAs on just this facility or is it happening throughout your facilities? |
| “What did you have in mind?” | “Are you looking for a way to reduce your T&M invoices and select preventive maintenance?” |
| “What other problems are you experiencing?” | “Which would you prefer, a daylighting solution or a coating solution?” |
| “How many tenant service requests do you handle?” | “Do you handle more than ten tenant service requests a day?” |
Choose your next question
Start with an open question and give the customer time to answer. Use what they say to decide which detail to ask about next.
Choose the question to fit what you still need to understand. If an answer is unclear, ask a focused follow-up and confirm what you heard.
A customer’s remark can be a prompt to ask for detail. The following examples show possible follow-up questions.
| Customer Remark | Salesperson Probe |
|---|---|
| “I don’t know if I’m ready to buy.” | “Oh? Why not?” |
| “We’re having a lot of problems.” | “What kinds of problems?” |
| “We’re just not getting the job done fast enough.” | “Why not?” or “Tell me more about that.” |
Open Probes to Uncover Needs
Use open questions to let the customer describe what they need. For example:
- “What are you trying to accomplish?”
- “Which improvements matter most to you?”
- “Tell me about your requirements.”
- “What exactly are you looking for?”
- “What else would you like to discuss?”
Closed Probes to Confirm Needs
Before offering a solution, confirm whether the customer wants to change the situation. A closed question can help you check that understanding.
For example, a customer describes this situation:
- “I have voice mail, and while it works out pretty well, I do get some complaints from tenants, who don’t like to leave a message.”
To check what the customer wants to change, you could ask:
- “To confirm, you want your team to receive tenant requests directly instead of sending callers to voicemail. Is that right?”
- “Would it help if you had a way to prevent that problem from happening?”
- “Are you looking for a way to solve that problem?”
- “Would you like to review ways to address those complaints?”
Understand the customer’s background and requirements
Ask about the account’s background as well as the customer’s needs. Useful details include:
- The company, department, or person you are calling on.
- Current products or services in use.
- Competitive products or services under consideration.
- The decision-making process and the people involved in the process.
Start with an open question about the customer’s situation. If a detail is missing, ask a specific follow-up and confirm the answer. For the beginning of the conversation, see opening a sales call.
| Open | Closed |
|---|---|
| “Tell me about your department. Where does it fit in the company?” | “I understand your department handles all the procurement for the corporation. Is that correct?” |
| “What kind of services are you using?” | “Are your using Preventive Maintenance or Energy Analysis? |
| “What other service providers are you looking at?” | “Are you considering other service providers for Preventive Maintenance? |
| “Who will be making the decision on this?” | “Will you be making the decision or will someone else?” |