When you answer a prospect’s question, avoid two words – Yes and No.

When you answer a prospect’s question, avoid two words – Yes and No.

Written By Jeffrey Gitomer
@GITOMER

KING OF SALES, The author of seventeen best-selling books including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His live coaching program, Sales Mastery, is available at gitomer.me.

When a prospect asks me a yes or no question, I never answer yes or no. When a prospect asks me any question, I always answer in the form of a question.

This establishes the two central objectives of selling…

  1. I’m in control of the presentation.
  2. I might be able to close the sale now.

Think about it for a moment. When a prospect asks you a question it is most often a buying signal. How do you answer questions? As a salesperson, your skills are called upon when a prospect asks a question, or shows an interest in buying. Your first inclination is to answer the prospect’s question in the affirmative if you know it to be true. For example:

  • Do you have this model? yes
  • Does it come in green? yes
  • Can you deliver on Tuesday? yes
  • Are these in stock? yes

All of the above “yes” answers are not only wrong, they are answers that prolong the sale unnecessarily.

You are also inclined to answer the prospect in a straight forward manner. For example:

  • What is your delivery lead time? Usually Two weeks
  • How much notice do I have to give you? 24hours
  • When will the new model be out? January 30th

These answers are also wrong.

The rule is: Use the prospect’s or buyer’s question to confirm the sale. In other words, after you get the signal, form a response question that implies the answer, but actually confirms that the prospect wants to buy what you’re selling.

Here are some examples of confirming questions:

  • Do you have this model? Is this the model you want? If the prospect says yes, all I have to do now is find out when he wants delivery and I’m finished.
  • Does it come in green? Would you like it in green?
  • Can you deliver on Tuesday? Is Tuesday the day you need it delivered?
  • Are these in stock? Do you need immediate delivery?
  • What is your delivery lead time? How soon do you need delivery?
  • How much notice do I have to give you? How much notice do you usually have?
  • How soon can someone be here? How soon do you need someone here?

You can also answer directly and still pose a closing question immediately thereafter. For example:

When will the new model be out? January 30th. But we have special incentives to take the copier now. Lets compare which will be the best way for you to go. Fair enough?

Do you have references? Here is the list. If our references are satisfactory, when would we be able to get our first assignment?

Recognizing a buying signal is one sales discipline.
Being able to construct a response question is much more difficult.
Then delivering it soft and smooth is the final act of talent.

Is there a secret to perfect question formation and delivery? Yes! And the answer is the same as the immortal question asked of a New York City cab driver. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice.

If you answer a prospect’s question with “yes” or “no”,
you may be going past the sale without making it.

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