How do you ask open-ended and probing questions to uncover the needs and motivations of your prospects?

One reason I love asking open ended questions is to get the prospect speaking. The more they speak the more comfortable they are around me, and become more open to ideas and suggestions I may present. All of which lead them down the road to closing the deal.

Open ended questions get the prospect talking. When they are talking they are focused on themselves, not on the fact that they are in a sales conversation. When prospects feel safe to talk about themselves and their circumstances it means you have established trust. You can go deeper and help them get clarity around their circumstance. When they start to see their challenges in a new way, and experience new levels of discomfort with this awareness, the brain naturally wants to close the loop to escape the pain.

Asking open-ended and probing questions is a key strategy for building rapport with a prospect. These questions help uncover the prospect’s needs and challenges, identifying gaps between their current situation and desired state. Additionally, they provide insights into the prospect's goals, priorities, and decision-making process, allowing you to assess their fit, readiness, and urgency to buy. Furthermore, open-ended questions are effective for handling objections and overcoming barriers in the sales process.

One question I love to use is not really a question at all. I simply say "Tell me more about..." and that gets them to divulge just a little bit more information and at times opens a window when a door has been closed.

Using open-ended and probing questions should be like a 1-2 punch during your discovery call. The open-ended questions coming first. Often in Tech sales revolving around the prospects process. “What is your process for X?” Then mixed with a probing question like “how long does this take?” This type of approach to discovery conversations helps you gather the most amount of detail while also finding those pain points.

Some examples from my career have been: ? Walk me through your experience with... ? Tell me more about... ? Help me understand your perspective on... I have utilized these and similar questions to great success.

It goes without saying that many of your questions need to be relevant. If you ask a question that is irrelevant and open-ended, you may get the opposite of what you hoped for, a very short and curt answer.

It's important for salespeople to listen and show empathy when asking open-ended questions during sales discovery. This means paying close attention to the customer's responses and understanding their emotions and concerns. By doing this, salespeople can identify what problems the customer is facing, and find ways to help them solve those problems. An open ended question may not lead to the answer you want but it can provide an emotion you want.

The best practice in asking open-ended questions is to simply be conscious of it in your discovery calls, and even in your daily life. The more aware you are of open-ended questions, the more you can improve on them.

Asking open-ended probing questions can uncover deeper insights and perspectives, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the topic at hand.