Avoid these ‘gotcha’ sales questions

The first time I heard these questions, my stomach wrenched inside me.

They felt wrong, dead wrong. I could never imagine myself asking them.

Yet, they were — and still are — part of some sales training programs. Some of them may even be ingrained into your sales DNA. But seriously, these questions have got to go!

So what are these sales-killing questions? Here are a couple of examples:

• • “If I could show you a way to solve that problem, could we do business today?”

  • “If you like what you see in the [presentation, demo, etc.], is there any reason we couldn’t go ahead with your order?”

These “gotcha” sales questions, often asked quite early in a sales conversation, are designed to get prospects to pre-commit to an action they might not otherwise take.

The fallout of “gotcha” questions

Prospects are usually so shocked at the inappropriate nature of these questions that they don’t know how to react. They give a waffling response, trying to avoid being rude while refusing to agree to what has been asked. Most important, these questions cause prospects to immediately lose respect for the seller, who has come across as more of a huckster than a valuable resource.

If you’re in the habit of asking these types of questions, here are some ways to prevent yourself from saying something you might regret:

1. Find the trigger:

To escape the gotcha question trap, first you need to find your trigger. Start by identifying what prompts you to ask this type of question. Are you:

• • Getting ready to give an overview of your offering?

  • Showing a specific slide?

  • Responding to something your prospect has said?

  • Feeling scared that if you don’t close today, you’ll lose the business?

Go back into your memory and think about it. When do these questions tend to escape from your mouth?