{"id":10648,"date":"2015-04-13T20:33:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-13T20:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandler.dsstaging2.com\/case-study\/do-you-have-a-fear-of-asking-questions-during-sales\/"},"modified":"2022-10-24T22:34:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T22:34:21","slug":"do-you-have-a-fear-of-asking-questions-during-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandler.com\/blog\/do-you-have-a-fear-of-asking-questions-during-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Have A Fear of Asking Questions During Sales?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I spend about 80% of my time working with sales professionals to perfect their ability to structure the questions that need to be asked. They all understand the importance of asking questions but need some assistance in creating their own tailored versions. Salesmen often enjoy the exercise of deciphering which questions uncover the compelling reasons the prospect should do business with them. We all need to ask clients questions concerning budget, the decision-making process, and what the next steps should be. Even rapport and relationship building are best built by asking questions. People like to talk about themselves; if you keep the questions coming, you are more likely to make a positive impact on your prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After spending hours and hours working with a sales professional to hone their questioning skills, I like to give them the chance to show what they have learned. During this \u201ctag-along\u201d session, the salesperson puts all these questioning skills into practice. I listen intently, whether it involves a phone conversation, an in-person interview, or just a practice scenario. But what I hear is sometimes shocking. The salesperson gets nervous and forgets to ask a single question, or they might ask simple rhetorical questions like, \u201cHow are you?\u201d Instead of asking questions to determine the customer\u2019s needs, I hear statements along these lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I don\u2019t know if this applies to you but we\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can help you with\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did some checking and I noticed\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, my least favorite question gets asked: \u201cDo you have any questions for me?\u201d Salespeople only ask this because they are not sure what else to say, not because they are interested in the prospects response. 99% of their sentences end in a period, not a question mark. Even after training, the salespersons conversation becomes more of a presentation. And predictably, the prospect nods off during this pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have researched this phenomenon, expecting to find that therapists or psychologists previously studied the subject extensively. The most I found were some articles written about the fear of asking people for money, which is especially a problem for non-profit foundations. But I found nothing that truly defined the fear of asking questions. I decided to create a word for this behavior. I discovered that \u201crogo\u201d is the Latin word for \u201cto ask or inquire\u201d (fun fact, the root of \u201cinterrogate\u201d springs from the Latin word). Adding to this, I came up with a new word for my findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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