Question Types Salespeople Should Avoid

Salespeople are meant to:

Talk less
Ask more questions

But some questions waste time and shouldnt be asked.

Because asking the wrong thing can throw off the whole conversation and even damage relationships with prospects.

So to stop that from happening, read the following five types of questions to avoid:

Rhetorical Questions

A good question helps you understand prospects better.

But not leading questions confirming information both you and the prospect already know, like:

Could saving money help your business?
Would you agree hiring the right people is important?

These types of questions are a waste of time and make salespeople come across patronising and manipulative.

Instead ask yourself if the response to the question will tell you something new, If not, look for a different way to make your point.

For example, instead of asking buyers if they’d like to save money, ask questions like:

What are your goals for …?
What happens if you don’t reach those goals?
What are you doing to reach those goals?
How do you handle …?
How much do you spend on doing that?

You can then use this information to explain:

How much money buyers will save with the new way
How that money will help achieve their goals

Because a personalised argument backed by information is more persuasive than asking questions with obvious answers.

Salesy Questions That Prospects Know

Generic questions make prospects give generic answers they’ve given to sales people before, instead of:

Assessing their situation
Explaining their ideas
Examining things in a new way

This means you won’t learn any new information or make prospects think, making it harder for prospects to trust you.

Buyers will automatically group the salesperson they’re speaking to in the same box as every other salesperson who’s asked the same question.

So make sure to avoid the following questions:

What keeps you up at night?
Tell me what you know about our company?
If you had a magic wand, what issue would you fix?
What would it take to secure your business?

Questions that Evoke Embarrassment Or Guilt

Don’t ever demean prospects to make them take action.

It might have worked in the past but it wont on modern buyers, because:

They will take their business to someone who doesn’t shame or guilt them
They’ll tell their friends and coworkers about this negative experience

Basically, salespeople who criticise prospects are hurting their own business.

So make sure to avoid the following questions:

If you don’t want to purchase …, then why waste my time?
I heard back from you, why?
Why didn’t show up to our meeting?
You do know your business needs to do …?
Why are you not doing …?
You can’t make this decision on your own?
You don’t have enough money to purchase …?

Hypothetical Questions

Prospects hate hypothetical questions like:

If I can do …, will you be interested in doing …?

For example, asking:

If I can get you a 20% discount, will you buy today?

These questions force prospects to make on the spot decisions, which they aren’t ready for.

Hypothetical questions like this come across as forced and not authentic.

So instead make statements that are straightforward like offering you a discount if a deal is made within a certain time frame.

This way prospects have the information without the pressure of making a decision right away.

Questions from a Lack of Research

Don’t waste time getting information from prospects, when you can get it from independent research.

Buyers will get frustrated answering basic questions about their company.

And sellers should concentrate on asking valuable questions, instead of ones that can be answered in five minutes online.

So the following are basic questions that you should avoid:

Tell me a little about your business?
What do you do?
What products do you sell?
How old is your company?
Where are you located?
Who are your competitors?

So instead of asking questions like these, make the most of your time with prospects.