You’ve probably noticed when visiting the doctor that they will ask questions that are somewhat arranged in categories. Each question helps narrow the search for the solution or diagnosis.
The doctor begins by asking broadly about how the patient feels, next asks about specific areas of the body that are in discomfort or pain, and then narrows the scope of the questioning to the kind of pain felt and its duration. Is it as stabbing pain? A throbbing pain? An aching pain?
This ordered sequence of questions brings the doctor step by step to what ails the patient.
We can see the same model of questioning at work in the selling of real estate. Through a planned series of questions, the realtor learns the state you want to live in, the city, the neighborhood, then style of the home, and then the amenities and so forth until the selection is narrowed to an actual home.
The real estate agent would be terribly inefficient if he or she began inquiring about kitchen arrangements or toilet styles or even the desired number of rooms without first figuring out where in the world the Carmen St. Diego family wants to live. It makes no sense to be proposing homes in Fort Worth when the prospective client will be working in east Dallas.
When asking questions to your prospect, start broad and steadily get narrower. Definitely don’t walk over to your merchandise and point out the selection. Find out about your prospect’s wants and needs. What you have to sell may not even be a good fit for them, but you won’t know this until you get a thorough understanding of the prospect. Once you get into the itty-bity details with your questions, then you can move the conversation to your product and service; then you can help your prospects consider whether or not what you have to offer is right for them.
