Never Ask a Prospect These Questions

You finally got the meeting you sought with a top executive at a prospective client. You prepare well for the session, researching the company and the individual you're meeting with. After the small talk dies down, you ask your "killer" question:

"I'd like to get a better understanding of your issues. So, what keeps you up at night?"

Terrible question. Awful. Clichéd. One of my clients, the CIO of a large bank, told me that he kicks people out of his office when they pull out that question.

(I'll get back to why it's a bad question to use with a prospect you don't know well in just a minute.)

Good questions can be incredibly powerful. But just as there are powerful questions, there are lousy ones. Here are some of the questions you should avoid:

1. Closed-Ended Questions

Anyone who has ever had to sell something knows that closed-ended questions are the least productive type of question you can ask. If you are trying to build a relationship with someone and want to understand how they think and what their issues are, you want to move as quickly as possible from closed-ended to open-ended questions. Some examples:

• Instead of: "What's your market share?" Try: "What are the main reasons you've gained market share in the last three years?"
• Instead of: "When did you start your new job?" Try: "What's the most rewarding part of your new job?"
• Instead of: "How long do you want the training session to be?" Try: "Why do you want to do a training workshop?"

2. Judgmental Questions

Some questions are really just hidden judgments. For example:

• "You didn't really mean to do that, did you?"
• "Why do you think you always arrive late?"

Judgmental questions stop the conversation dead it its tracks. They shut the other person down.