Are You Asking Questions or Giving Answers?

QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWER!

If ever there is a time to ask questions, this week seems to be it.  The news is filled with phrases like “US Financial Train Wreck”, “Wall Street Meltdown”, and “Unprecedented Bailout”.

The question most of us have is what does all this mean to Main Street - our businesses and our personal lives.  While much is to be revealed in the coming days and weeks, one thing is for sure, the need to optimize your business, and increase your sales and profitability has never been more critical.  

With questions abounding all around us, let’s use those magical communication tools ourself to help further protect your business during times of high financial uncertainty and shakeout. 

When a prospect asks “Does your product come in blue”? 
Your answer should be, “Would you like it in blue?”.
 - J. Douglas Edwards

The Power of the “?”
When you are asked a question, or see a question mark in the copy of an ad or sales letter, it automatically triggers a deep seated, auto response. It’s like an irresistible command to ‘pause and consider’, isn’t it? And after pausing and considering, and coming up with an answer to the question, we own that answer, don’t we?

As human beings, it’s in our very nature, to resist external ideas. But oh how easily we seem to accept those which we consider to be our own. Funny isn’t it?  Questions also appeal to our sense of self worth, because they solicit our opinion. Don’t we all like to give advice? Questions engage us in the discussion. They stimulate our thought process, as we actively reflect on the content of the copy. It’s an emotionally pleasurable experience. 

When you pose an open-ended question that’s relevant to your prospect, you automatically draw them down the page of your ad/website/flyer, and into your copy. They’ll hang on your every word, looking for satisfaction. 

The effective use of questions in your sales, marketing, and advertising efforts is so important - and quite critical to your business. When you think about it, words are really all you have. If you use them wisely, you can not only sell more, you can actually sell with higher profit.

Here’s a little secret. Your profit margins will be in direct proportion to the level of emotional satisfaction your customer expects to obtain from your product or service. And these expectations are entirely dependant on the words you use. Sound crazy? Words alone, make all the different in creating the impression of value.

Learn to question masterfully. Ignite the emotional fire that burns within us. Evoke our dreams and desires, and appeal to our deepest drives. 

According to a recent survey, it was determined that a person asking 5 or more questions closed 72% more business than a person asking only 2 questions. 

People believe little of what you say, more of what others say and
100% of what they say themselves!

DAILY PRAYER  
Lord, Your Word has hundreds of examples of the powerful use of questions, help us grow in that skill as a means of communicating, as a means of finding out people’s needs and desires, and to guide us in serving those needs.  In Jesus name, Amen.
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What are key questions that you can use to best serve the needs of your clients.  A furniture store found that one key question asked when prospects walked in the store resulted in more sales than anything else they did - curious to know that question?  Here you go “Hi folks, which of our sales ads brought you into our store today?”  - this simple, powerful question got 35% better results than any other greeting!  

The power of the right question, asked at the right time in the right way could cause your business to soar!