Discovery is the heart of selling. To offer the right solution, you first have to understand the customer: their situation, their expectations, their constraints. And to do that, you ask questions.

Types of questions

• Open questions — « What are you looking for in…? » to get people talking.
• Closed questions — to confirm a specific point.
• Motivation questions — « Why does that matter to you? »

The secret: favour open questions early on so the customer can speak freely, then narrow down with more targeted ones. You are trying to identify the real need, which is sometimes different from the initial request.

A good salesperson talks about 30% of the time and listens for the other 70%. Your questions guide the conversation without forcing it.

Key takeaway: whoever asks the questions leads the conversation. Prepare a few key open questions before every meeting.