Before everything else, check out what you missed from us:

We covered a topic very similar to this article in the last few weeks in @ETIQhour. If you missed it, please make sure you check out the blog that we captured from the @ETIQhour session.

The main thing is when you ask quality questions; you demand fantastic answers from your customers. We all have many different types of questioning skills in our little bag of tricks, but when you’re writing and composing your questions do you ever sit down to write them in a high-quality way? Or maybe not.

Do you think there are times that you just make up the questions on the spot when you’re meeting or talking with your customer? I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all done that in the past, but from here on in, if you want amazing answers to your questions, then you need to put in a little more effort into writing your questions.

The three easiest things to think about when you’re writing high-quality questions is to:

1. Think of the information that you want from your customer.

You want information that you can help create a solution for them. You don’t want them to answer a question that you can’t help them with, unless you don’t want to do business with them anymore. Do you want to know the challenges they’re currently having with the business? Or the challenges they are facing with their own customers? Then focus your questions on these ideas.

2. Be able to have a complete understanding of the urgency of their requirements.

What we mean by ‘urgency’ is the priority of this request. Is it important to them to get this action done immediately, soon or in the distant future? Things that are more urgent tend to be of importance and dominate discussions. This can help you work with your customer’s timelines and understand what is a priority to them.

3. Focus on your customer’s needs.

Put yourself in your client’s shoes, stop thinking about where you are in your Sales Cycle, and start thinking about your customer and their Buying Cycle, what value do they see of you and your product or service and how can you solve the urgent issues they face. Don’t just do the talking and listen intently to gather a deeper understanding of their needs and what are possible solutions that address these.

Once you start thinking about these three things to think about, you’ll start being able to write high-quality questions that can only lead to amazing answers from your customers.

We know how important it is for you to outperform your competitors, so it’s imperative that you learn how to ask high-quality questions to help you get amazing answers and results from your customers. Consequently, you’ll eventually be able to identify which areas you can provide solutions for their business and why your offered solutions can immediately address their needs compared to your competitors.