Listen … Ask … Answer!

Sept. 18, 2008 - PRLog -- Used properly, questions can be powerful tools. They can indicate interest, build rapport, control the conversation, diffuse tension and guide consumer habits – as well as providing information.

ActionCOACH, the world’s number one business coaching firm, guides owners of small-to-medium sized businesses through the potentially complex realm of identifying what kind of questions will give them the information – or advantages – they are searching for.

CEO and founder of ActionCOACH, Brad Sugars, says that business owners can set the direction of the conversation by asking two kinds of questions.

“Closed questions tend to get one-word answers like ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” Sugars said. “They are useful for getting information quickly – for example when you are compiling a checklist, confirming details for a customer or checking stock.”

“Open-ended questions are much more involving,” he added. “They bring the customer into the conversation and identify their needs. Often the customer’s answers also reveal what sort of people they are, what problems they have, and they even give us insights into their social, family or community lives. Often, it’s worth making a note of these valuable facts.”

“It’s important that you show you are also a listener,” Sugars said. “Sometimes, that means you’ll answer a question with a question. That puts the focus on the area that could produce the information you need. It’s also important to vary your responses. Any parent knows just how annoying ‘but why?’ can become!”

The six key words journalists use when interviewing are just as useful for sales staff. These are who, what, where, when, why and how, and they can be used as building blocks to build useful, open-ended questions.

•   Who are you buying the service for?
•   How often and where will you use it?
•   What features were you looking for?

Sugars considers that it is important for business owners to consult a Business Coach for help and advice in the important art of questioning.

“It’s vital to your conversion rate, and the sales process as a whole,” he explained. “It gives you an opportunity to get to know your customers and build loyalty. It’s very productive.”

A survey carried out by ActionCOACH, showed that one in eight businesses would consider turning to a Business Coach for help with running some aspect of their business, including ways of providing service tailored to a customer’s needs.  

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more about business coaching and ActionCOACH, go to actioncoach.com