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Asking Questions

Questioning allows us to gather information from others. When done skilfully this enables us to really get to the heart of things very quickly.  It develops understanding and deeper relationships.  However, like listening it is a skill that we need to improve. And if you are a sales or customer service professional, asking good questions helps not only to know exactly what your customer wants, but also build better rapport with customers as well.

Types of Question:
There are really only two types of question, open and closed, but subordinate types can be used for specific purposes. Whilst no one wants to sound mechanical when asking questions it can be useful to be aware of the different types.

Open Questions
Usually start with words such as How? What? Where? When? Why? Who? Which? And cannot be politely answered by simply saying “Yes” or “No”. Try it.

They are used to engage people in a transaction and to draw information out.

Closed Questions
These usually expect the answer “Yes” or “No” and are good for establishing facts using words such as Do you ..? Will you ..? Can you ..? Is it ..?

They are leading questions but as long as they are not threatening, intensive or too challenging can help build co-operation.

Fact Finding Questions
These tend to be closed questions to establish facts - “How many staff do you have?” “Which is the best road to take from here?”

Clarifying Questions
You rephrase things so you understand better – “Am I right in saying …?” “Are you saying ..?”

Developmental Questions
These increase the amount of information you gather – “Can you expand ..?” “Could you give me an example ..?”

Testing Questions
These are used to assess a person’s position and are usually closed questions – “Is that important to you?” “What is your reaction to that?”

Mirror Questions
Repeating part of what a person has said to develop a clearere understanding of what they want.
“I could help you if I had enough materials.”
”Enough materials?”
“Yes. Paper, pens, computers …”

Closing Questions
Used to draw a discussion to a close or close a sale – “So, what’s the next step?” “Which colour would you like?”

If you are going to frame questions then you need to know that open and closed questions start with specific words...

Question Types – When to use them and when to avoid them

Advanced Questioning:
It is possible to become even more focussed in asking questions.....this can be done by thinking about which category of question you want to use and then an appropriate question.

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Categorising Questions

It seems that every sales or customer service training program includes a section on questioning.  Most people are therefore aware of the difference between open and closed questions.

Knowing the difference is a great start; using questions effectively at the right time and in the right way is another. To help focus on asking the right question at the right time – neither closed or open questions are ‘good’ all the time – try using this question categorisation technique.

The four categories are: WOQ NOQ TOQ SOQ

Putting it all together in a funnell  

 Deciphering the ‘true’ message relies upon the skills of listening actively / protectively and asking the right questions. ‘Funnelling’ is a tried and tested technique which can be used to get to ‘the heart of the matter.’

Funnelling Technique

The opening question gains a broad general answer. By listening for key words or feelings you seek more specific information by asking a probing question. The questioning follows progressively until you have a clear understanding and all the information you require.

The final stage is to summarise the information gained to ensure that you have a clear understanding. 

Colleagues who are quiet and unwilling to talk can be encouraged by using supportive statements, like 'that's interesting', or noises like 'Uh huh'.  Repeating key words also encourages the customer to give more detail, without you asking too many questions.

If you are faced with someone who does not stop talking and does not get to the point - ask closed questions.