The most important aspect of selling is asking meaningful questions.  If you understand the needs of the individual or organization you are selling to, then you can clearly explain to them how you can fulfill those needs.  So if you find yourself doing most of the talking on an interview, you may want to re-think your strategy so as to have the prospect start to do the talking, giving you the information you need to close the deal.

What type of questions should you ask? You want to ask open-ended questions that require a response other than “yes” or “no.”  Open ended questions usually start with “Why,” “How,” “What,” “When,” or “Where.”  Think about it, these questions cannot be answered with a “yes” or “no.”  They will be forced to give you important information that you will use to make the sale.

For example, on a job interview you might ask, “What exactly are some of the day to day tasks that will be required in this position?”  Once you know the answer you can respond very specifically.  For example, “That’s great because I managed budgets and personnel for years at my last employer with much success.”  If you are trying to procure a new client, you may ask a question like, “What characteristics are you looking for in the engineering firm that you retain?” They might answer, “Well we are really looking for a company that can do the soils design, site design and structural design to limit the number of consultants we have to retain.”  You can then answer, “That’s great because not only do we provide all of those services, we have other departments as well so we can handle all facets of your projects.”  You can then go on to give specific examples of projects that you recently provided multiple services for.

Remember most people that are hiring or looking to purchase something have specific needs.  By presenting to them the specific ways that you can fulfill those needs, you will find it much easier to close the deal!  Going into an interview or sales call and telling the prospect all of the great things about yourself, your company or your product will more times than not prevent you from making the sale!

What open-ended questions have you used successfully in an interview or sales situation?

Anthony Fasano, P.E., LEED AP, CPESC, CPSWQ, CPC

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