Ask This One Question And Be Instantly Liked by Your Clients.

30 years of working with people as a suicide counsellor, trainer and negotiator, I’ve learnt a thing or two about communicating with people.

One of the most powerful takeaways is that people are largely concerned about themselves, not in a self-centred way, rather innately we all want the best for ourselves and there is one question that taps into this instinct.

In itself, a question is not the fast track to get you what you want, the heavy lifting is simply you being your personable self, it’s the key question that will close the deal for you. It doesn’t matter what personality type you are, if you appear genuine, honest, and open to listening to your client’s needs, then you will be instantly liked. If you’re having a bad day and it shows in your language and tone, it’s unlikely you’ll get anywhere with your new client, as it looks like you’re just faking it.

So, if you be yourself and close with the key question, you can expect to heighten your sales and if you’re in a social setting, it guarantees people will enjoy your company and want to spend more time with you.

The question is, what’s the question? There is no one magic question that suits every conceivable situation, but rather a theme for you to hang your question on to suit the situation, and this theme is always the same.

Stimulate the ego. Who are they and what are they looking for? An example, if you’re a broker with a mortgage enquiry for a refinance, a suggested opening question could be “Sally, it’s really smart of you to look at a mortgage refinance right now to save on rate……..…” Here you’re reframing what they want and complimenting them on their forward thinking. Another example will be “It’s refreshing to see a client who has the foresight to make a move on their finances now…….…….”

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Make your question open-ended. The one thing you don’t want to do is to ask a yes or no question, or one that can be answered in just a few words. Otherwise, it will turn into a question-answer fest and your client will feel interrogated. Your goal is to spark conversation. An example could be “……..could you tell me more about what your ideal outcomes will be with your mortgage/property/finances/business plan etc in 5 years?” This gives you an idea of what their goals are and provides material for you to build towards achieving this for them. Framing the question in this way will suggest to your client you are very interested in them and can help them achieve their goals.

Be specific. This might seem like it’s the opposite of open-ended, but it’s not. You want to focus on the outcomes and how to achieve them.

They’re multifaceted. Ideally, you want to ask a question that will suggest the answer to several other questions and could segue you into potential new business opportunities with your client. For example, “……………..in what ways could you see yourself expanding your business/property portfolio/savings for a deposit on a property?” or “……….i’d love to hear more about your views on where your industry is going and how this might impact your business.”

Finally, listen to the answers! The best technique for this, apart from actually listening to what your client is saying, is to reframe their answer back. This is called reflective listening; your clients make a statement and you repeat the statement using your own words (not their words verbatim). This serves two outcomes. First, you’re validating that the information you heard is correct, and second, the client feels heard which is critical for a long-term relationship.

 There you have it. This is the secret recipe for constructing the perfect question that will open up your client to dialogue with you, build trust and rapport and encourage them to do business with you.

About the Author

Credit Mediation Service specialises in reducing or waiving debts for people. As the oldest negotiation house in the country, Credit Mediation Service changes lives by negotiating full debt waivers with banks while maintaining their client’s credit rating integrity. To date, $106 million has been saved for families and businesses around the country. The director, Laurence Hugo, is a TEDx speaker and a professional negotiator with 30 years of banking experience. His background is complemented by 15 years of working with Sydney Lifeline as a counsellor and part of the training team. If debts are stressing you, speak with Credit Mediation Service to start a conversation that may end in you becoming debt free.