By Harry J. Friedman Founder/CEO, The Friedman Group

Probing is often the most overlooked step in the selling process; it is also the most critical. The information you gain in probing will provide you with powerful ammunition to help you close the sale and sell add-on merchandise. As important as it is, probing is the cause of more problems for salespeople than any other step in the selling process.

Effective probing consists of more than just knowing which questions to ask. It is also about knowing the order in which to ask the question. Just like in the game of golf, you don't want to putt with a driver or drive with a putter, because there is a logical sequence involved in asking your customers questions. Otherwise, both you and the customer may become so confused that you never get anywhere.

Questions should be asked to first find out what customers want and then move toward finding out why they want it. Once you know what and why, you continue probing to determine more specifically which item would best suit their needs. The first three or four questions that you ask should give you these answers, as well as a clear direction for the rest of your presentation. Following your initial questions, there are also questions that need to be asked in relation to the customer's knowledge of the merchandise and whether they've shopped for this item at other stores.

Let's play out a scenario by asking questions in a logical sequence. After schmoozing with the customer, your first question and subsequent transition into probing should always be, "What brings you into our store today?" But where do you go from there?

Salesperson: What brings you into our store today?

Customer: I'm looking for a new piano.

Salesperson: Well, that's wonderful.

As your mental computer searches through your bank of probing questions, there is really only one logical question you should ask next:

Salesperson: What's the special occasion?

There is very good reason for asking this question. Customers will have a different set of price ranges for different occasions they are buying for-the more important the occasion, the more expensive the gift. Why sell them a $100 item when they would have spent $300? Even if the customers are shopping for themselves, asking the question may very well cause them to associate their purchase with an occasion and spend more than they had initially planned.

So, let's keep playing:

Salesperson: What's the special occasion?

Customer: Well, there really isn't one, although my wife's birthday is coming up soon and she does love to play.

Salesperson: Well, that's terrific.

Now that you have potentially tied the purchase in with a special occasion, the customer might be likely to go ahead and select a more expensive piano in honor of his wife's birthday, or the customer may respond a little differently by telling you about the bonus or tax refund they just received, or finally deciding to get his wife the gift she has been wanting for years. "What's the special occasion?" can elicit all sorts of helpful responses.

At this point, the next best question for you to ask would have to be, "When is your wife's birthday?" Time is an important factor in selling. The shorter the time frame, the more likely the customer will be to spend more. Many people will spend more just to avoid the hassle of having to continue their search for that one perfect gift.

Salesperson: When is your wife's birthday?

Customer: It's in three weeks.

Salesperson: Wow! That sure is coming up fast.

"That sure is coming up fast," should be used as a supportive response to any upcoming event of a year or less. This supportive response also suggests that there is a reason for making a decision today, and that is what you want your customer to do-buy today.

Now you know what and when the event is. The next best question is a very broad-based one that begins to get you that important information as to why the customer wants a new piano. The question is simply:

Salesperson: Tell me, why are you looking for a new piano?

Customer: Well, we've had our piano for quite awhile and it doesn't sound right anymore. I've checked and it's going to cost more to fix it than to replace it. And we've had this piano for so long that I know I can get a new one that will have better sound and many more advanced features.

Salesperson: So, it sounds like you're ready to upgrade.

Now it's possible that the customer answered this question when you first asked what the special occasion was. If so, you would simply skip this question and move on to the next, which is to find out if the customer has been shopping. So the next logical question would be:

Salesperson: What have you seen before that you really liked?

Your customer will give you one of two possible answers:

(1) I saw a _________ down the street (or something similar), OR (2) I haven't looked (or I've just started shopping).

In number 1, my question is why didn't the customer buy the item at the other store? And I will ask the question, "Why didn't you buy it?" It's not too aggressive if you ask the question with concern. I want to know why they didn't buy the same item in another store. It's essential. If they've just started shopping, you would continue to probe with a question like, "What do you think your wife would like the best?" This wording is better than asking what he wants to get her. Put the burden on the recipient who usually wants a bigger, better or more expensive gift than the giver would have thought of.

Asking what special occasion they are buying for could very well get you some valuable additional information. Here's another scenario:

Salesperson: What's the special occasion?

Customer: I'm glad you asked. As a matter of fact, we've just completed the addition to the house and my husband is quite anxious to get his studio set up so he and his friends can play whenever they want. It's just a hobby, but he's so excited about the possibility of recording CDs to give out to our friends.

I'm sure you get the idea implied here. I can tell you this customer is not just buying a $3,000 recorder. We'll sell them one, and a backup in case the first one goes out.

Probing is very much like a funnel. If you look at a funnel, you will see a large opening at the top that gradually narrows into a small opening at the bottom. In probing, you ask broad-based questions at the beginning and move toward very specific ones later.

By developing your ability to probe and discovering why a customer wants a particular item, you significantly enhance your opportunity to make a sale to that customer. And just like with that piano, the best way to develop your probing skills, is to practice every day.