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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 8, 2005 Harness the power of open-ended questions Anthony Hernandez How often have you heard the question “May I help you?” as you enter a place of business? If you or your employees regularly come in contact with customers, you all may have uttered that question hundreds or even thousands of times. The problem is that this question is closed, meaning that it only requires a one-word answer with no thought behind it. Hardly the way to engage someone who is trying to decide whether or not to spend money on what you have to offer. Remember that the key to obtaining market share lies in obtaining mindshare — in other words, people need to engage their brains before they’ll break out their wallets. The solution? Open-ended questions that require detailed responses and conscious thought to fully answer. In many cases, converting a closed question to an open-ended question is as simple as adding “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” “Why” or “How” to the beginning. Thus, for example, “May I help you?” becomes “How may I help you?” This extremely simple adjustment accomplishes three things. • First, it signals the customer that you actually want to help them instead of simply exchanging formalities. Think about our customs and etiquette and you’ll realize that most of it falls under “maintenance” behavior, which we engage in because we’re expected to, not because we want to. Maintenance behavior is an obligation and that sentiment comes across loud and clear every time we hear it. Would you rather buy from someone who has to help you or from someone who wants to help you? • Second, open-ended questions force your customers to think, which both embeds your business and your products and services in their brains and gets them started down the want/need/afford path to a successful sale. “How may I help you?” “Who are you buying this for?” “How will you use this item?” All of those questions require thought to answer. • Third (and most important), open-ended questions launch a dialogue between you and the customer, which magically transforms you from a salesperson trying to close a deal (take money from the customer) into an ally working to arrive a common solution (give value to the customer). Do you see the not-so-subtle difference here? Instead of selling something you want to sell, you are selling something your customer really wants to buy, which greatly reduces buyer’s remorse and the refunds that come with that syndrome. Skeptical? I was too when I first heard this almost 19 years ago. I decided to give it a try and haven’t looked back since. Yes, open-ended questions require more time and effort. Yes, this may reduce the sheer number of people you can “help” in a given day. Yes, you actually have to want to give value to your customer in order for this exercise to work to its fullest potential. But, hey, are these such bad things? After all, no matter your profession, you are in the business of serving your customers, and the success of your business depends entirely on how well you accomplish that mission. I encourage you to try a simple experiment: For two weeks, ask as many open-ended questions as possible, then tally up the results. All else being equal, you may just be pleasantly surprised by the results. Next week, I’ll discuss how to handle customer complaints and how they can actually benefit your business. I’ll also discuss just how devastating poor complaint handling can be using an actual case study. Stay tuned... Need additional help with your marketing or any aspect of your business? If so, please e-mail me to set up a free 30-minute consultation with no obligation whatsoever. As always, I look forward to your questions and comments. You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Visit me on the Web at www.coachanthony.com. Anthony Hernandez is a local business consultant with over 19 years of business and marketing experience. He lives in Ashland with his wife Robyn, son Logan, and their three dogs. 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