I was teaching a workshop on "How to Talk So Others Will Listen," when the following question came up:

"If you could teach one thing to new agents to help them become more successful in sales, what would that be?"

"Humm," I thought, "That's a tough one." Time management, adapting to new technologies, and good old-fashioned "stick-to-itiveness" were all possible answers that came to mind.

But after a moment's reflection I said, "Asking the right questions in sales-related situations."

Why? Because it doesn't cost anything, it separates you from the competition, and very few Realtors are doing it.

Needless to say that last reason caused a little stir in the room, and I'll share with you exactly what I told the audience. A good sales-related question is a genuine effort to gather more information, while at the same time uncovering some of the prospect's buying motivations.

Why are they interested in buying a new house? What events led up to this decision? Where were they living before (e.g., apartment), and have they looked at any other neighborhoods before contacting you?

A "good question" should always do at least one of the following:

• Uncover some of the challenges impeding the sale. For buyers this could be something as serious as less than perfect credit, or as easy as a desire to limit their work commute to less than 30 minutes. If you know what the obstacles are, you can effectively work around them.

• Identify the timeline as to when they're looking to move. Is this something they want to do as soon as possible (e.g. work relocation), or are they thinking about doing it six months from now? This will help you prioritize this person in the context of your other prospects.

• Facilitate the discussion in the context of your service, without directly talking about the solution you provide. This is very important, and warrants further discussion.

First, notice the language: Facilitate the discussion in the context of your service without directly talking about the solution you provide.

In other words, your questions should be about uncovering challenges and positioning yourself as a solution, rather than a series of thinly veiled attempts to have them work with you right now.

People hate that.

Example. Let's say you're buying a car, and as you walk around the showroom the salesman asks, "So, do you go on a lot of day trips -- hiking, traveling, things like that with the family -- or would you primarily use the vehicle in and around town?"

Good question, since this helps determine which vehicle you're most likely to buy based on what you like to do. Which of course enables the salesman to position the cars he shows you in that context.

Perfect.

If on the other hand that same salesman had said, "We've got some SUVs, minivans, sports cars; anything in particular you'd like to test drive?" That's a bad question since he knows absolutely nothing about your situation, and is looking to sell you on whatever vehicle you choose from the moment you step into the car.

See where I'm going with this? Ok, let's look at a real estate example.

You just got an email from someone who wants more information on one of your listings. You reply to the email and follow up with a phone call a few days later. During that discussion you ask, "So what made you decide to move?"

Good question, since it enables you to separate the serious buyers from the window shoppers, while at the same time uncovering some of their buying motivations. Maybe she says her husband is relocating, or she's tired of the commute to work, or they're expecting a new baby.

All of those will affect which listings you should show them, since the more "on target" you are with those listings, the more likely they are to use your services when buying a home.

On the other hand, if during that same phone call you asked, "Is it all right if I drop by your office tomorrow and show you some of my listings?" That's a bad question, since the prospect could feel like you're going to show up and just try and sell them a house -- any house -- regardless of their specific situation.

Bottom line: Asking the right questions is about uncovering information critical to that prospect, enabling you to position yourself as the Realtor of choice.

Any questions?

If you'd like a free list of five more good sales questions to help you close more deals, just email bhilliard@agitoconsulting.com with the subject heading, "5 Killer Sales Questions" and we'll send it right over.

Published: December 14, 2004

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As a popular speaker and author of the resource How to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, Brian specializes in helping busy agents get more leads and close more deals - even in a market as "challenging" as this. For a free report on 2 Easy Ways to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, just email my office and we'll send it right over.