How Many Questions Need Your Prospects Answer?
You need to know whether your product or service will benefit your prospect. If your charges are high, you don’t want to sell to someone who will not benefit from your product or service. So, where you are selling something complex, you need to ask questions.
Questions Commensurate with Commitment
If you want someone to download your ebook in return for adding their email address to your list, you do not need to find out much to sign someone up. Downloading an ebook, they may choose not to read, is not worth too much effort!
You really must ask for their email address because you are using the ebook to build your email list. Strictly speaking that’s all you need! Most businesses ask for a name as well. This helps you personalise your emails.
You do not ask a lot of people on your list. You hope they will read or view your offer and open at least some of your emails.
If someone shows interest in your premium products, they will understand you don’t want to sell them something that will not help them. So, a few more questions can help you both make a good decision.
Classification Questions
Ask questions to work out which products or services are likely to be suitable. You aim to find out more about the prospect and use the information to discuss a couple of products or services that may be helpful.
I do this through my Community Marketing Conversation. I ask four main questions and have several sub-questions to ask if relevant.
My main aim is to find out whether I can help the prospect. If I cannot, I aim to give them at least one good referral.
My second objective is to work out which of my services are most suitable for the prospect. I usually offer a choice of two services.
Qualification Questions
Ask these to decide whether the prospect has the qualifications they need to take up your offer.
They are not always necessary but examples include, where you:
- offer training validated externally
- offer a product or service regulated externally
- need to find out whether the prospect can pay for the product or service.
So, how many questions do you need? It depends. You need to think this through for your own business and be able to explain to prospects what you are doing, why you’re doing it and what you will do with their answers.
What questions do you use to recruit customers?