Why little questions get bigger sales.

What keeps you up at night?

A common sales technique taught in countless workshops and seminars is to ask the question, ‘what’s the biggest challenge you face in your business?’ Or maybe you’ve heard this: ‘What keeps you up at night?’

That may be conventional wisdom, but I can give you three reasons why it’s bad advice.

First, big questions like that send the other person into a ‘brain freeze’. According to Dr. Maurer, author of Kaizen Principle, the brain loves questions: questions are simply excellent ways to engage the brain. No surprise there. (If you’ve taken a good stroll through the Essential Message website, you might be familiar with the article I wrote which is available for reprint, called, ‘The Selling Power of the Provocative Question’.)

In the book, Dr. Maurer goes on to explain that big questions actually choke any possibility of a thoughtful or creative response. Why? Because big questions shut down the cortex and trigger the fight-or-flight response in the amygdala.

Which brings me to the second reason… even if the person manages to avoid the fight or flight reflex, do you actually believe they trust you enough to divulge their biggest failing or fear? Chances are they don’t, and that’s why a generic question usually gets you a generic response.

The third reason not to ask big, generic questions is that they make you look like a hack — yes a hack, like the next Dr. Phil wannabe asking, ‘how’s that working for you?’

What’s your target group? Listen for whether it’s tightly defined or not. If it’s not defined enough, it could result in lower sales. (Yes, ask me why.)

Is it getting harder or easier for you to stand out among your competitors? If it’s getting harder, the business may be helped by better differentiation and branding. (Yes, ask me how.)

Do you think little questions can help you get bigger sales? If the response is yes, then you may want to recommend an Essential Message workshop… (grin)

And there are plenty more where those came from…

Essentially yours,

That may be conventional wisdom, but I can give you three reasons why it’s bad advice.

First, big questions like that send the other person into a ‘brain freeze’. According to Dr. Maurer, author of Kaizen Principle, the brain loves questions: questions are simply excellent ways to engage the brain. No surprise there. (If you’ve taken a good stroll through the Essential Message website, you might be familiar with the article I wrote which is available for reprint, called, ‘The Selling Power of the Provocative Question‘.)

Which brings me to the second reason… even if the person manages to avoid the fight or flight reflex, do you actually believe they trust you enough to divulge their biggest failing or fear? Chances are they don’t, and that’s why a generic question usually gets you a generic response.

So instead of asking ‘big’ generic questions, start asking little specific questions — questions that tiptoe past the amygdala and allow the cortex to give you something meaningful; questions that allow people to get truly engaged in the conversation!The third reason not to ask big, generic questions is that they make you look like a hack — yes a hack, like the next Dr. Phil wannabe asking, ‘how’s that working for you?’

What’s your target group? Listen for whether it’s tightly defined or not. If it’s not defined enough, it could result in lower sales. (Yes, ask me why.)
Is it getting harder or easier for you to stand out among your competitors? If it’s getting harder, the business may be helped by better differentiation and branding. (Yes, ask me how.)
Do you think little questions can help you get bigger sales? If the response is yes, then you may want to recommend an Essential Message workshop… (grin)

And there are plenty more where those came from…

Essentially yours,

Michel Neray signature