This month’s InsuranceNewsNet magazine has a great article entitled “18 Ways to Lose the Sale.” One losing strategy stood out above the rest: “Never take time to ask questions.”

”When in front of a customer, talk as much as you can,” says John Graham. “Asking questions or trying to get the prospect involved in the conversation is counterproductive.”

Even better, by not asking questions and giving a long-winded sales pitch, you can then make the prospect really uncomfortable when you suddenly ask, “What do you think?” at the end of your spiel. Consider tapping your fingers while you wait for a response.

Ridiculous? Yes, but a lot of bozos employ such tactics all the time, unaware of the ill effects. (A lot of people get into sales for the unfortunate reason of loving to hear themselves talk...)

Why is asking questions one of the most important things you can do?

For one thing, it’s almost impossible to know what a prospect wants until you’ve asked her a few questions. What are his priorities? It’s hard to know unless you, um, ask him what his priorities are. Why is she looking for a new policy? What didn’t she like about the old one? What does he hope to achieve with his purchase?

Asking questions conveys one crucial thing to the prospect, and that’s that you actually care about his or her unique situation and seek to provide a product and service to match it. (It also lets you calibrate your pitch on the fly.)

So, with your next lead, try to ask as many questions as possible. Make a list, even. And then let me know how it works out.

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