Sometimes we have in our minds that we ask stupid questions. This mentality creates roadblocks, and these roadblocks stop us from getting the information we need to help our clients in a way they need to be helped. In today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, Donald shares with you what you can do to overcome this thought and how you can prepare to ask the right questions.
The American Dream is Dead
- Donald asked everyday people a question: do they believe the American Dream is dead?
- Those initial nerves that come with asking strangers big questions turned to excitement when those strangers animatedly responded, “no, the dream isn’t dead!” (just more difficult to achieve.)
- What did Donald learn from the experience? Questions we might be nervous to ask often come lead to the most success.
Some of the reasons you don’t ask meaningful questions:
- You are self-conscious. You focus back on yourself because you think it might sound bad.
- You think the question might be too rude, against social norms, or that you don’t want to come off as pushy.
- You think you should already know the answer to the question.
- The person is an executive, so you don’t want to bother them.
How should you ask the question, even if it’s “stupid?”
- Ask any attorney; you don’t ask a question if you don’t know where the answer will lead. In a sales scenario, you need to figure out where you want the conversation to go.
- The more confident you are in the topic, the less stupid a question will be in your mind.
- To ask the right questions, you must understand the problems your prospects face.
- The takeaway here is that you should study and understand your client’s industry and business to understand the intricacies they face.
Our parting thoughts? Know where your question will lead, make sure your questions are simple and don’t ever think it’s stupid.