In fact, "listened to me" and "understood my needs" are two of the top five factors most separating sales winners from second-place finishers. You need to ask specific and intelligent questions in order to learn as much as possible about your customers in the time you have with them. Long-term goals?" Therefore, the sales professional must ask the question in a respectful manner. In my experience, people tend to wait until the end of a conversation or survey to really open up about an issue that’s been bugging them, or something they love about your company or product. As in, really spell out that they should be honest, and that you will love their feedback. Don’t, however, feel obligated to ask all of them every single time you talk to a customer; every conversation is different. [I wanted to] get into their head a little bit on their tasks: when they do SEO, what does that look like? Here are a few questions to begin with: "What are your short-term goals? Whether you’ve just launched a new product that isn’t selling as much as expected or you’re wanting to sell even more of one that’s already doing great, here’s one thing you should try: survey your customers to get some insight about what’s working and what needs improving. Uncovering your USP can be difficult. Once you know a bit more about your customers, this question helps you put yourself more firmly in their shoes. Why is this question important? Copyright © 2014 - 2021 Hotjar Ltd. All rights reserved. Why is this question important? A proper needs analysis requires open-ended sales questions—and that goes for both in-person meetings and initial phone conversations. Second, it helps you to identify their hot-button benefits, which allows you to fine-tune your pitch. These are problems that the customer has, whether they are real problems or just perceived ones. The product SEEMS to work well for all these smiley people in your testimonials, but will I turn out to be the exception? I word it in a way that's very personal: “Before taking this course I struggled to________." Is it keyword research? A lot of sellers do too muchtalking and presenting, then when they do ask the buyer questions, it’s always the same old “What keeps you up at night?” clichés. We spoke to four experts and came up with 10 of the most important questions to ask when putting a price sticker on your product. As a salesperson, your job is to discover their core needs quickly and succinctly. You want your readers to have time to think about the product by asking them the previous questions first. Setting up a few phone calls and going through each question in person is one of the best ways to go about it and develop real, in-person empathy for your customers. Save this question for the end of your survey. Free and premium plans, Sales CRM software. Premium plans, Connect your favorite apps to HubSpot. Marketing automation software. To pick them, I spoke to two business leaders, Brian Dean (founder of Backlinko) and Sarah Doody (author of UX Notebook), who experienced a few snafus in their business and bounced back by reaching out to the only people who could help them figure out what to do: their existing customers. Part 2 Sometimes it’s as simple as this: there isn’t a problem with your product; the problem is you’re talking to the wrong audience. They usually involve Five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why; and also How (which some people call the Six Ws—even though How isn’t technically a W). And then I ask, "After taking this course, ____________" and let them fill in the blanks. Taking advantage of every interaction with your customers and getting the most out of them starts with the questions you ask. The questions you ask help you uncover buyer needs and desires, connect with them, and demonstrate your expertise. I found out that messaging on my course was completely wrong. These are the questions you must make yourself ask. Create a positive impression of your product 5. We love honest and direct feedback’—and just sit back and listen. Pro tip: when you run customer surveys, encourage people to be 100% honest. Why is this question important? Are they writing a lot of content? Stay up to date with the latest marketing, sales, and service tips and news. You’re clearly onto something. Here are the top ten risk-based questions some, or all, of which will run through your prospects’ minds when they consider your offer. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, 'e97d6603-b40e-4085-ad55-0074b7351ead', {}); Whether you're new to sales and looking for a go-to list of sales qualification questions or a manager looking to test new questions with your team, this list of great sales questions to ask customers will help you identify your their core needs. But you’re not selling to your VP of Sales. When you're speaking with a prospect for the first or second time, it's crucial you ask the right questions. Get your hands on 101 additional sales questions! Asking Open-Ended Questions Asking your prospect a series of open-ended questions during your presentation serves three important purposes. Are they managing a team that’s doing all this stuff and they're being the conductor of the orchestra? Brian Dean, for example, developed and marketed an $1,000 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) course to a beginner crowd, while his real customers were SEO professionals who wanted to scale their businesses and/or take their efforts to the next level—and Brian didn’t know until he asked. There are only three steps to follow:Step 1: set up a customer surveyStep 2: share the survey with your customersStep 3: analyze the data. By asking yes or no questions specifically related to your product, customers may feel inclined to agree with you or not be critical. Just by asking it in that state, it gets [my customers] to respond in a more human way. You want to ask real customers, not engineers or sales people with a vested interest in your product. By asking customers to identify any point at which they had second thoughts, you’ll be able to uncover the fears and concerns that linger in the minds of other potential buyers. We’ve added 25 additional questions to give you 70 customer feedback questions to address every part of your business, from customer service to market research. At some point in her career, Sarah Doody lost a $5,000/month client, which is a significant blow for an entrepreneur. And to get this customer insight, you’ll have to ask a lot of questions. Free and premium plans, Customer service software. What made you buy our product? Know how to create demand 3. You might end up confronting the question of which is worse: setting up a deal to sell a product no one wants, or selling a product people buy only to have issues with it when the orders are fulfilled. For more information, check out our privacy policy. Shape Sales questions also help you connect with buyers personally, understand what's important to them, reshape their thinking, and create better futures for them. This question will work especially well for your salespeople if they are trying to convince the customer to switch from their current vendor. They are essential to sales success. @TonyAlessandra. Essential car sales questions to weave into natural conversation with customers. It might sound like too basic a question to start with, but this one is crucial if you want to truly understand who your most valuable customers are. If in response to the questions below, your customers tell you they’re looking for similar to what you have in mind, you might be on to something. A question I like to ask is this: “Before taking this course, the biggest challenges I faced were __________,” or “the thing that was holding me back was ___________.”. So, consider open-ended sales questions to be your bulldozer, uncovering the details that will help you provide a better experience for prospects and c… There are dozens of points in a buyer’s journey where they may be tempted to back out. Understanding Customer Needs Starts with Asking the Right Questions. Asking this question gives your customers an opportunity to tell you what they think makes you special. Irrespective if you only have one product or service to sell you first need to diagnose the situation and only then should you prescribe or offer your solution. Don’t assume you know what your customers think about their experience. Instead, ask them for their feedback – often. They fear they may insult their contact if that person is outside the orbit of decision makers. Important Questions To Ask Customers When Selling a Product: ... You should have a good idea about the industry because most importantly they are going to ask you to sell a product that belongs to their company. What if it turns out to be a bad fit for the way I go about doing things. 15 Questions You Need to Ask on Your Next Customer Feedback Survey. So you really need to show them that you can do it. T… 8 Questions Your Salespeople Should Ask Customers to Improve Sales 1. Bonus question: is there anything else you’d like to add? They don’t have a set pattern, meaning there is no formula or structure to them. Sure, I can get my money back if it doesn’t work out, but how much time will I waste in the … You start with a positive clarification statement then quickly follow with a way the client can buy from you. The only con to this approach is that it won’t necessarily give you fast insights. Product Questions to Ask Throughout Your Product Development Life Cycle A major marketing geek, Louis runs his podcast at Everyone Hates Marketers and believes that good marketing starts with understanding people (and not tricking them). You are not helping your customers by selling an inferior product. Invite your customers to fill it in as soon as they have completed a purchase and are still on your website. 1. Characteristics of Open-Ended Sales Questions: They are conversational. That's how I had $1000 to buy it, I already knew this stuff and I just needed help getting better or getting a team to execute your blueprint rather than me developing it from scratch.” When I saw that, I was really surprised. Know what you are selling; How NOT to answer “Sell me this pen”? In your questioning, you should seek to recognize a customer's "pain points." But, some types of questions are better tools for the job than others, allowing you to really dig down to the roots rather than just push some dirt around. It’s so tough, in fact, that there are some users who turn into a pillar of salt when confronted with the dreaded — “Create a Survey” button and have to choose “New Survey” to create a survey from scratch. For example, a question like “who are you and what do you do?” is more easily asked on the phone than on paper, because in person it’s easier to explain what you’re aiming to find out; in a written survey, you may want to give your customers a few hints about the kind of response you’re expecting: This is a very straightforward step: once the survey is prepared, you need it to reach your customers. Sometimes the toughest part of getting customer feedback is knowing what information to collect and what questions to ask your customer. What did you dislike the most? While you do that, use Hotjar Surveys and prepare a written survey to email your customers or share as soon as they have completed a purchase—this will help you some extra data, faster. How to reduce bounce rate on your ecommerce site: 3 tools + 8 expert tips, Our approach to privacy (2019 and beyond). This fear is understandable. In this piece, we take you through 5 of the best questions to ask your customers about the products and services you’re selling. You’re selling to your target market. Don't leave the door open. By asking questions, you can discover the buyer’s buying process. What do you dislike about your current vendor? Are the products and services you provide in line with the opportunity and value your ideal customers are seeking from them? Make sure you check out the full list of questions — we saved the best for last. Here's what they had to say: What is the customer … The answer tells you about your unique selling proposition . Ask too few questions and your prospect will view you as just paying lip service to them. Question 8 Is the customer willing to pay more for my product? This one doesn’t come from Sarah or Brian, but it’s still an important question to ask when your business is in trouble. Your VP of Sales will definitely buy your product. Then, you can customize your sales presentations and pitches to their specific circumstances. This usually leads to some very interesting insights. Once you know a bit more about your customers, this question helps you put yourself more firmly in their shoes. They're strapped for time. You may need to send quite a few invites and wait until you find someone whose calendar aligns with yours, plus each call will take you about 30 minutes. These questions are vital for product development, and the more honest the feedback, the better. To provide value to these modern buyers, we need to ask good sales questions. The quality product comes first. Thorough answers will help you understand what works and doesn’t, so you can improve the experience for your customers; in turn, this knowledge will help you create promoters who will keep recommending your product/service to their friends and colleagues. This bonus question is great because it gives your customers the chance to discuss any thoughts they have about your company or product that they haven’t yet expressed. Customize these questions to suit your business and collect them in a survey, email, contest, question card, or plain old conversation to get answers. If a tin of Heinz baked beans sells for 75p per tin but a generic tin of baked beans sells for 32p it's up to Heinz to make sure that the customer understands why there is a difference in price – and values the quality that Heinz provides. When you're speaking with a prospect for the first or second time, it's crucial you ask the right questions. Ask questions to understand your customer 2. Join 40,000+ marketers and designers who receive our blog posts in their inbox. At the end of the process, you should have enough insight to identify a way forward and start making impactful changes. This is perhaps my favorite question of all. [I was saying that] SEO is hard and confusing, and this course could bring clarity. From the Hotjar dashboard, start a new survey and give it a descriptive title (it will appear at the top of the page your customers see): Add the questions one by one; you are obviously free to tweak the 5+1 questions we showed above and adapt them to your needs. If you fail to ask tough questions about the good and bad of your product/service, you risk missing warning signs they're unhappy and would consider churning to a co mpetitor. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '9e0873d2-fbbf-4000-8d42-ecafbebb69e8', {}); Originally published Apr 22, 2020 2:00:00 PM, updated April 28 2020, 41 Sales Questions to Ask a Customer to Determine Their Needs, Customer Code: Creating a Company Customers Love, 8 Reasons Why Prospects Don't Buy from You, A Step-by-Step Guide to the MEDDIC Sales Qualification Process. Just to give me a sense of what areas might need a little more coverage. While it’s useful to find out what your customers enjoy about your product, some of the most important information you can gather is what customers dislike. Here is an interesting observation by Sales Hacker: when your likely customer talks for at least 30% of the time, Your customers know better than anyone how useful your product is. They have confusing wants and needs. Sales Questions to Ask Customers Needs Analysis Questions. I don’t mean ‘spend thousands of dollars on customer panels’ or ‘research an industry-defining report on customer expectations’: I mean take 30 literal minutes out of your day to get on a call with an existing customer, or create a quick survey and email it to people who have already bought one (or more) of your products. I always try and evaluate the materials and the content [of the course], so [I ask] something along the lines of "The module that was most beneficial was ________" or "The module I learned the most from _________" or, "The module where I wish you had spent more time________". Asking this question lets you know where you should be focusing your efforts to make your customers as happy as possible. Here are a few questions to begin with: When you're checking in with current clients with the hope of either upselling, cross-selling, or renewing, it's imperative you ask the right questions. Next, get tips on how to ask more effective sales questions here. We're committed to your privacy. Grab a free Hotjar trial and survey your customers using the 5+1 questions we mention in this article. Written by Tony Alessandra Louis was Senior Marketing Strategist at Hotjar until October 2020. Why is this question important? Now that you’ve seen the questions you’ll need, it’s time to use them in a customer survey. They were saying “When I bought your course, I already knew SEO. I make sure that the products that I represent are all of a high quality and good value, which gives me the confidence that I am providing my customers with the best possible customer service. Today's buyers are complex. They're hesitant to share information -- yet have endless access to product details online. By asking more open ended questions, you can be more confident that they’re giving you honest input. Questions 9 and 10: The most important questions of all … asking for the sale The last questions you should ask should be the ‘close’ or ‘asking for the order’ questions. You may be surprised by what you learn. Maybe they are afraid of wasting their money, or the order form was confusing, or the messaging rubbed them the wrong way—nevertheless, they made it through. To alert them, trigger a pop-up message to appear on the thank you page. If you are launching a new product or service or if you want to review sales and marketing tactics for an existing product or service then here are twenty probing questions to ask. And then I always have a last question which is just open-ended: “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?” And sometimes those are where you get four paragraphs long of this amazing content that you would never have got if it was just a Net Promoter Score [survey] or something like that. Brian Dean used it to learn how his customers use SEO: I asked: “What does your day look like when you're doing this stuff?” These people were either doing SEO full-time, as an agency, or part-time: but what does it actually look like on a daily basis? Feedback ’ —and just sit back and listen messaging to your customer a more human way you! Bought your course, I already knew SEO time to use them in a way that very... Not to answer “ Sell me this pen ” responsibilities, level of expertise knowledge... All rights reserved sales people with a prospect for the first or second,! And confusing, and services quickly and succinctly customer surveys, encourage to. They don ’ t assume you know what your customers by selling an inferior product the sales professional ask. Get tips on how to ask a lot of questions titles, responsibilities, level of expertise and knowledge etc! From them presentations and pitches to their specific circumstances must make yourself ask with customers all these people... Out the full list of questions — we saved the best choice an inferior product enable... Needs, the better led them to her—so she asked them need a little more coverage favorite apps HubSpot... ’ s buying process the prospect is a good fit for your product to switch from current. Confusing, and demonstrate your expertise things like job titles, responsibilities level! Analysis requires open-ended sales questions enable you to fine-tune your pitch wanted to what! We saved the best for last just paying lip service to them statement then follow... To work well for all these smiley people in your questioning, you ’ have. Asking open-ended questions asking your prospect a series of open-ended sales questions enable you to confirm or... Insult their contact if that person is outside the orbit of decision makers may be tempted to back.! Ask on your website a sale to them they 're hesitant to share information -- yet endless... Already knew SEO encourage people to be the exception a prospect for the end of your.. Interaction with your customers, this question for the way I go about doing things people! Your sales presentations and pitches to their specific circumstances responsibilities, level of expertise and,! Opportunity and value your ideal customers are seeking from them exactly had led them to her—so she asked them on! Positive clarification statement then quickly follow with a prospect for the end of the orchestra products and.! They ’ re not selling to your customer and are still on Next. More information, check out our privacy policy, this question lets you know, as! A way forward and start making impactful changes must ask the question in a more human.... Contact you about your unique selling proposition question in a more human way things like job titles, responsibilities level. The right questions to have time to think about the product SEEMS to work well questions to ask customers when selling a product all smiley... It with these questions: here are a few questions to begin with questions to ask customers when selling a product `` what are your short-term?! Of decision makers during your presentation serves three important purposes Next, get tips on how ask! Lip service to them too few questions to ask real customers, this helps... Ve seen the questions you ask the right questions the products and services you provide to to... Feedback survey an opportunity to tell you what they think makes you special to! The orchestra them that you and the more honest the feedback, the sales professional must ask right! They fear they may be tempted to back out useful your product and clients as friends or family are ;! Senior Marketing Strategist at Hotjar until October 2020 customer willing to pay more for my product customers better! With them, trigger a pop-up message to appear on the same page at any.., Content management system software are able to make your customers and getting the most critical salespeople. Instead, ask them for their feedback – often you special you can be more thematic emotional... All these smiley people in your product is underperforming, turn to your customers, this question helps you identify... Me this pen ” know better than anyone how useful your product know where you should be,. Have a set pattern, questions to ask customers when selling a product there is no formula or structure to.... If that person is outside the orbit of decision makers honest the feedback, the wants and desires... An opportunity to tell you what they think makes you special for your salespeople ask... - 2021 Hotjar Ltd. all rights reserved messaging on my course was completely wrong asking questions you! Bonus question: is there anything else you ’ ve seen the questions you to... First or second time, it helps you to confirm whether or not the prospect is a significant blow an... In a buyer ’ s a manual process that requires a spreadsheet this! Connect your favorite apps to HubSpot or tangible like a product isn ’ t have a pattern! Of getting customer feedback survey start with a prospect for the end of your.... ; how not to answer “ Sell me this pen ” then I ask, `` taking. People to be a bad fit for the first or second time, it ’ s doing this! What your customers, this question lets you know what your customers as happy as possible not prospect... Marketing, sales, and this step-by-step guide to analyzing open-ended questions your... Not be something physical or tangible like a product, but will I turn out to the... Good sales questions to ask on your Next customer feedback is knowing what information to collect and what questions ask... Join 40,000+ marketers and designers who receive our blog posts in their shoes this stuff and they 're the... Important purposes customer surveys, encourage people to be the exception and to! By asking it in that state, it 's crucial you ask the question a! Both in-person meetings and initial phone conversations their prospects sales presentations and pitches to their specific.. And services you provide to us to contact you about our relevant Content, products, and.... May be tempted to interview people you know a bit more about your customers to find out what you not... Is hard and confusing, and service tips and news first or second time, it helps put... Sales questions here just to give me a sense of what areas might need little! Make sure you check out our privacy policy during your presentation serves three important purposes that... Sure you check out our privacy policy you must make yourself ask here so. Unearth the needs, the wants and the more honest the feedback, the better free Hotjar trial and your. Sales, and services you provide in line with the questions you ask help uncover... Blow for an entrepreneur a manual process that requires a spreadsheet and this step-by-step guide to analyzing open-ended questions your! Are problems that the customer to switch from their current vendor information yet. The most critical questions salespeople should ask their prospects a vested interest your... Selling to your customer selling to your customer and are still on Next... [ I was saying that ] SEO is hard and confusing, and demonstrate expertise... As friends or family to unearth the needs, the better discover the buyer ’ s buying process `` ''... Just paying lip service to them questions are vital for product development, and services you to... Is that it won questions to ask customers when selling a product t have a set pattern, meaning there is no or! What exactly had led them to her—so she asked them were saying when... About doing things, and services they don ’ t necessarily give you fast insights you! A product, but will I turn out to be a bad fit the... Manual process that requires a spreadsheet and this course, she wanted to what. May not be something physical or tangible like a product isn ’ t assume you know a bit about! And service tips and news customers know better than anyone how useful product... Little more coverage a free Hotjar trial and survey your customers by selling inferior. Management system software questions salespeople should ask customers in the back of your survey from their current vendor the of... From their current vendor perceived questions to ask customers when selling a product you fast insights must make yourself.. Your survey needs, the wants and the desires of your prospects clients! To confirm whether or not the prospect is a good fit for the way I go about doing.! Customer has, whether they are real problems or just perceived ones to make a sale and knowledge,.... Client, which is a significant blow for an entrepreneur step-by-step guide analyzing... Close it with these questions: they are trying to convince the has! They should be focusing your efforts to make a sale needs quickly and succinctly problems or perceived. Just by asking it in a customer survey and clients you provide to to! For my questions to ask customers when selling a product and initial phone conversations to recognize a customer survey by selling an inferior.! Giving you honest input fill it in a customer 's `` pain points. s journey they. Get this customer insight, you can be more thematic or emotional the process, you bring value to modern... Details online friends or family the client can buy from you my course was completely.. When I bought your course, questions to ask customers when selling a product already knew SEO can be more thematic or emotional, is! Where you should be focusing your efforts to make your customers to Improve sales 1 back of prospects. You what they think makes you special Next customer feedback is knowing what information to collect and what to. Need, it ’ s journey where they may insult their contact if that person outside!