How One Question Can Change Your Marketing Forever

A man walks into a men’s clothing store. The salesperson asks, “Can I help you?” The customer, “No thanks, just looking.” Sound familiar?  I’m not sure that any man has ever gone into a men’s clothing store "just to look," yet this pattern repeats itself without fail in every in-person sales encounter as well as online. So, why is that?

Questions Matter in Both B2B and B2C 

Let’s start with the question. It’s well intentioned enough, but it’s still challenging because the customer has to formulate an answer in advance. In essence, it’s a essay pop quiz and those are the most difficult to answer. We know that starting an engagement with a new customer/client/prospect is critical, so why kick off with a difficult question that is answered in a way you won't like?

What do you think would happen if you changed the question to, “Have you ever been here before?” Now, we have a yes/no question that’s easy to answer. Unlike “Can I help you?” this doesn’t feel like a pop quiz and can easily be answered with yes/no. Also in either case, the salesperson can say, “Terrific, let me show you some specials for our new/returning customers.” A men’s clothing store in NYC did just this and saw a 40% increase in sales with zero increase in their marketing. All that changed was the question plus the addition of, “We have a number of specials today, where would you like to start?” This enabled the customer to guide the salesperson with quick, simple answers and get the service they want from the first moment of engagement. 

Your Best Customers Have Already Told You The Questions To Ask

In both B2B and B2C businesses, your customers have told you the questions they need answers to. Every day, in every business, your customers/prospects ask you the same 4 or 5 questions. These are the questions that should make up your “Why Us” page as well as be the ones your sales teams start conversations with. 

Try it. Identify the one or two most common questions your brand gets asked. Then, on your next customer encounter, ask the prospect if they have that same question. In the vast majority of the instances, they will say yes (a magic word in sales) and start discussing their feelings and needs around the topic and your offerings. As anyone in sales will tell you, they are now hooked and have an enhanced perception of the salesperson and the brand. More importantly, every other conversation they have around the topic will be graded with your brand setting the curve. This is because your understanding of their needs felt authentic, natural and it engaged them as individuals. 

Ask Yourself, Do We Start With the Right Questions?

Now, go deeper and see if the questions your sales team asks need to be refreshed to help the customer become a partner in the sales cycle. Look at your scripts, ask your best sales reps how they start conversations and review the social posts that get the most engagement as there is probably a new question or two in there to transform your sales process.

People Love to Buy, Yet Hate Being Sold To

Make it easy for them to buy from you because you asked the right question, right away.

Chris Aarons is a strategy and marketing consultant at ChrisAarons.com and specializes in making his clients the envy of their markets. You can get additional insights on marketing here or by following him on LinkedIn.