Type of Question

HOSPITALITY SALES MANAGEMENT

HA - 400

ROLE-PLAY COURSE PACK

ROLE-PLAY III – DISCOVERING CUSTOMER NEEDS

“Questioning to Skillfully Extract Customer Needs”

TYPES OF QUESTIONS AND THEIR USE

Type of Question	Definition	When Used	Examples
Information-gathering questions	General questions designed to get the prospect to disclose certain types of basic information. Classified: 1. Fact-finding (factual motives/needs)and 2. Feel-finding (emotional motives/needs)	Usually at the beginning of the sale and during the need discovery stage.	How many attendees to you have for this meeting? (fact-finding) What is your measure of success for this meeting? (feel-finding)
Probing questions	More specific questions designed to uncover and clarify the prospect’s perceptions and opinions.	When you feel the need to obtain more specific information that is needed to fully understand the problem. Usually used when the prospect has not fully answered a previous question.	What do you mean by your statement that, “you want this meeting to create a feeling of camaraderie?” (open-ended question) So you are saying that you don’t want an open bar for the reception(closed-ended question – yes or no answer)
Confirmation questions	Designed to find whether or not your message is understood by the prospect	After each important item of information is presented. Especially during their presentation of matching product benefits with needs.	Is that what you had in mind? Do you see be merits of having your VIPs housed in suites?
Summary confirmation questions	Designed to clarify your understanding of the prospect’s needs. Also: used at end of presentation	Usually used at the beginning of the sales presentation (to confirm that you have all of the needs correctly identified). Also, used periodically to summarize if a lot of information is being discussed.	I would like to summarize what you have told me so far: You need one meeting room. You need lunch for 50. You need…etc. until all needs are summarized.

Listen and Acknowledge Customer Response

The listening rate for most people is about 25%. This means they miss about 75% of the messages spoken by other people. This ratio can be improved by Developing Active Listing skills – the process of sending back to the person what you as a listener think the communicator (sender) meant, both in terms of content and in terms of feelings. It involves taking into consideration both verbal and nonverbal signals.

When the listener gives feedback, this allows a check on accuracy and gives the speaker the opportunity to confirm or amend (objection to interpretation/feedback) the listener’s perceptions. Active listening involves four techniques:

1. Encourage Talking . “I see,” “good point,” and “go-on.” These short prompts or cues indicate that you are listening and that you understand the person’s message and want him or her to keep talking.

2. Take Notes. Although not necessary at every sales presentation, it is critical during complex selling (“consultative selling”) where accurate and detailed information is essential to create a good written proposal. Be sure to ask for permission to take notes (polite). And remember that the customer is often taken off the defensive (thinking, “here comes a sales pitch”) to a feeling of “my needs are important.”

3. Parapharase the Customer’s Meaning with a Confirmation Question. This is also called “reflective” listening. It clarifies meaning and also shows the customer that you are interested in gaining accurate information. For example, “Ms. Client, what I here you saying is…” “Is that right?” Also, echo your perceptions of what the customer is feeling or perceiving. “You seem to be a little concerned with what I just presented, how are you feeling?”

4. Obtain Feedback. Make sure that you get the customer to respond to you questions above. This will actively involve the customer and demonstrate your interest in them.

Establish buying motives. The primary goal of questioning, listening, and acknowledging is to uncover prospect needs and establish buying motives. Our efforts to discover prospect needs will be more effective when the buyer’s primary reasons for buying are uncovered. As mentioned in earlier articles, buyer’s usually have both rational and emotional reasons for buying. While a prospective buyer may state many needs, there usually is a primary motive for buying. This primary motive or buying need, is often referred to as a hot-button in selling terminology. Be sure you don’t miss this primary motive. It is essential to know this motive when making a selling presentation.

It has been said that buyers buy emotionally (out of fear of loss or for gain) and justify their purchases rationally. This is more often true in consumer product/service markets, but is still operational even in business-to-business markets. Thus, sellers should always ask fact-finding questions (to discover rational needs) and feel-finding questions (to discover the underlying emotional motivators).