Some questions uncover hidden objections and place your people in a better position to close. Other questions do nothing to help, and the information they uncover may muddy, delay or even kill the sale.

Here are 12 guidelines for checking the effectiveness of the questions you, and your salespeople, ask:

1. Will the answer help you validate the data you already have?
2. Will the answers help you update information, fill in the gaps, resolve discrepancies and get information you need to close the sale?
3. Will the answers give you more information about the values, attitudes and needs of the prospect?
4. Will the answers tell you where you are in the sales process and what you have to do to move to a successful close?
5. Do your questions shift the focus from yourself to the prospect?
6. Do the answers help you decide when more questions are appropriate and in which areas?
7. Do your questions get the prospect emotionally involved?
8. Do your questions reveal in-depth knowledge about the prospect’s needs?
9. Do your questions help determine if the prospect has decision making responsibilities?
10. Do your questions identify the prospect’s personal needs, values and timetable?
11. Do your questions uncover competitive benefits that may stand in the way of closing the sale?
12. Do your questions help you look at your proposal from the prospect’s point-of-view?

If you can’t answer “yes” to any of these when it comes to the question you want to ask, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Tags: audit, close, guidelines, questions, values