The Power of Questions

On this week’s podcast, Chris and Chris discuss the Power of Questions. Questions can be one of the best tools for you in the home. Questions allow you to uncover more information than just what you’re asking.

Here are four things the Power of Questions can do for you:

Identify the Personality Profile:

Asking the “What’s going on?” question will make the customer tell you a story and relate information to you about the problem. Depending on how they answer, the words they use, and the pace of their conversation, you can identify their profile. Identifying their profile is a critical step in communicating effectively with the client.

Make it Easier to Ask for the Order:

By asking smart questions and getting the customer to provide answers, you make it easier for the customer to buy from you. For example, if you ask the customer the age of their home, which they already know and you can probably guess, this will establish the age as a common frame of reference. Since everything is affected by age, this could mean that many things on the plumbing or electrical systems are old and in need of repair, maintenance, or replacement. It’s hard to argue that things that are older need attention. If you don’t ask the question to establish the age, the customer may not relate it to what you’re offering.

Raise Awareness:

The question AND the way you ask it can raise awareness. For example, asking a customer, “Have you ever had maintenance on your system?” raises awareness that the system needs maintenance. However, if I ask it a little differently, I raise awareness about more. For example, if I ask, “What was the date of your last annual maintenance and safety inspection?” I raise awareness of maintenance, but also that it needs to be done annually and there is a safety component as well.

Create Contrast:

Good questions can also create an opportunity for contrast. Contrast, in this context, is the difference between what is and what could be. For example, asking, “On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being awesome and 1 being terrible, how would you rate your water quality?” If the customer answers “3” you can create contrast by explaining that an inline filter could bring that up to an 8 or better. This contrast shows the customer that you can make things better.

 

Be sure to include good questions that identify the customer’s profile, make it easier to ask for the order, raise awareness and create contrast. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much smarter you look to the customer and how much more informed they will be. This translates into more sales for you and a better system for the customer.

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