Yes or No questions
Sales Lessons from a tight lipped teenager
Okay, I'm going to take a flyer here.
Warning: Teenager analogy. If you're not a parent of a teenager, don't worry (you just might not enjoy this post as much).
Have you ever asked your teenager how their day at school was?
Answer… "Good," followed by silence and zero information to follow.
Then you have to get creative and start peppering them with questions to get any ounce of information from them…
What did you do today? "Not much."
Do you have homework? "No."
Was your teacher interesting today? "No" or "Not really."
Who did you hang out with today? "Billy."
And on and on…
The problem is twofold:
We have someone who is not super eager to give up information.
We are asking yes-no questions, or questions that are answered in one word.
The double whammy.
Oh, wait — this also sounds like some sales calls I've listened to in the past where we have a prospect who is not super eager to give up information and the rep is asking simple yes-no questions.
Stop it.
The solution to both lies in the questions we ask, and not just the actual questions, but the type and the way we ask them.
My favorite go-to phrase is: "Tell me more about… (subject I'm genuinely interested in)."
Tell me about your favorite class today? "I don't have a favorite class."
If you did have one, what would it be? "Probably English."
Okay, tell me more about why you like English this week? (Followed by a longer answer with more information.)
What are you working on in English that excites you? (Followed by MORE information that is engaging to what my teenager is interested in.)
The moral of the story is to stop asking yes-or-no questions. Use "Tell Me More about (subject)" and dig into things that are important to your prospects (and teenagers!).
This will connect you, build a relationship, and create the type of exchange that wins.
P.S. This message is teenager-approved.
-Joe