Salespeople have been taught to probe for needs, because they want to find out what is important to the customer. While focusing on the customer’s concerns is a noble goal, be careful because asking questions that are overly rhetorical is one of the quickest ways to erode your credibility and end the conversation.
For example, here are some DON’Ts:
“Mr. Customer, is value important to you?”
“I bet quality and integrity are also important decision factors, aren’t they?”
“Most customers want to make a smart choice, wouldn’t you agree?”
To all of these, I say, “Duh!”
Instead of asking questions that seem rhetorical, salesy, or patronizing, try asking:
“Mr. Customer, knowing that most customers want to make the best overall decision, besides the obvious goals of quality, integrity, and securing the best value, what specifically are you wanting to accomplish with this purchase?”