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1. Unpack that for me.
This is one of my favorite “questions”—and yes, I realize that it’s not technically a question. However, this inquisitive statement is a powerful way to get prospects to delve more deeply into something they’ve mentioned.
Let me give you an example. At the time of writing this, we’re all living through a time of great uncertainty in the marketplace. So, you might encounter a prospect who says something vague such as, “Yeah, right now things are just totally insane.”
Now, most salespeople will respond to that statement with something like, “Oh, I know exactly what you mean!” And then they’ll launch into an ineffective monologue trying to relate to the prospect about how crazy things are right now.
Instead, you should respond to statements like this with, “Unpack that for me.” A true sales professional wants to learn more. Why did the prospect say things are “totally insane” right now? Is it because of external factors? Or is something going on internally that you’re not aware of? Are things crazy for the prospect right now because of something that you don’t even understand?
The answers to these questions are crucial. Every great salesperson knows to ask quick sales questions to dig deeper at moments like these.
It’s imperative that you understand your prospect better than any of your competitors do. Quick sales questions like “Unpack that for me” allow you to set yourself apart and gain deeper access to what’s really going on in the prospect’s world.
2. What is that costing you?
This is a high-level sales question. Most salespeople balk at asking this question, thinking it’s way too difficult or confrontational to ask prospects directly about cost.
If you’re one of those salespeople who would never ask a prospect, “What is that costing you?” then I have some bad news for you. You should stop reading this right now and just move on. Because this sales question is only for salespeople who either: A) have guts, or B) really see themselves as true sales professionals.
While pretty much every salesperson today talks to their prospects about some of the challenges they’re facing, only true sales professionals are willing to dig deep and take that conversation around challenges to the next level of insight.
This is where the sales question, “What is that costing you?” comes into play. Once a prospect has explained a challenge (ideally, a challenge that you solve in your area of expertise), you must dig deeper to understand how much that challenge is actually costing the prospect.
By asking, “What is that costing you?” you’re cutting straight to the chase, while helping the prospect think through the math of the actual value of solving that challenge. There’s not much that’s more powerful than that in a sales conversation. This is a prime example of how short, quick sales questions can transform a sale.
3. Why is that?
“Why is that?” is one of my all-time favorite sales questions. Or, if you really want to be a sales ninja, you can also just ask, "Why?"
This simple question is so powerful because it allows you to keep peeling back the layers of the onion in any sales conversation, at any time.
Great salespeople are like detectives. Do you remember the old Columbo TV show? If not, look it up on YouTube real quick. What you’ll see is a detective who’s constantly acting like he's a little bit dumb, or like he doesn't fully understand stuff...but really, he's the smartest person in the room. This is exactly what we want to do in sales.
You should constantly be asking “Why is that?” and never assuming that you understand what the prospect means. Make sure you fully understand what they actually mean—and get the prospect to articulate what they mean on their own.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard prospects say, “You know what? I don’t know why. I haven’t really thought about that. But now that you ask, here’s what I think…” This is pure gold in a sales conversation, and it all comes about through the use of quick sales questions such as “Why is that?”
Your ability to take a prospect deeper and deeper into the sales conversation makes all the difference between closing just some sales and closing many, many more sales. And by the way, you’ll be doing it at higher prices, because now you've established yourself as a real expert.
The next time a prospect says something you don’t fully understand—or really, the next time a prospect says anything at all that seems important or interesting—ask, "Why is that?" Keep digging. Try to understand exactly what’s going on.
