The power of asking the right questions (21 of them)

My last two columns have discussed in detail why it is important for you to learn to ask great questions in a conversational manner.  Many agents have contacted me to say that they have already significantly increased their appointments using only the few questions that I shared in those columns.

It is gratifying to hear that agents are seeing almost immediate success by trying the questions.  If you have not tried them yet, what have you got to lose?  

As promised, this column will be filled with more questions that you should be asking prospects and clients during this era of extreme economic uncertainty. You do not need to take these ideas word for word; they will be more powerful if you tailor them to sound like you.

Remember that the reason we ask questions is to position ourselves as our clients’ advocates, counselors and advisors. Remember this phrase, “Selling is telling and asking is advocating.”

I ask everyone, everywhere, this question: “Do you believe that there will be another financial catastrophe like the one in 2007 and 2008? Just say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’” They always say “yes.” I follow with this question: “Do you want the same thing to happen this time that happened the last time?” They say “no.” I then ask, “What will you do to make sure what happened last time does not happen again?” There is usually a long pause. So I ask, “Why do you continue to use a strategy that you already know does not work?”  

I follow with just a few additional questions, and then I ask for — and almost always get — an appointment. I continue, “Would you like to build more guarantees into your strategy? Even better, would you like to position yourself and your family to take advantage of negative economic circumstances in the future? If there was no cost or obligation, would it be worth 45 to 60 minutes of your time to discover ways to accomplish that?”

Finally, I ask, “Do you want this information before or after the next downturn?”