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

As professional retail salespeople, we are taught to ask our customers open-ended probing questions to determine their wants, needs and desires. But what happens when the tables are turned and it is the customer who is asking us all the questions?

"Is this watch quartz, or do I have to wind it?"

"What is the horsepower of the jet pump in this spa?"

"What type of material is this blouse made of?"

"Does this refrigerator have an automatic ice maker?"

To answer these kinds of questions, you need to know the answers. But, don't be so quick to blurt out those answers before finding out why, yes why, the customer is asking the question in the first place.

There are several reasons for this. To begin with, as the salesperson, you should be the one in control of the sales presentation. When the customer is asking questions and you are simply giving answers, they are in the driver's seat. Even the most polished sales veteran can be thrown for a loop when a curious customer unknowingly leads them off their selling course through the questions they ask.

To stay in control and keep the customer on course in your sales presentation, you need to know how to field, interpret and answer both the simple and the technically oriented questions they may ask. But the key is to be able to answer the question the way the customer wants to hear it answered. Many potential sales are lost simply because the salesperson's reply to the question was not what the customer wanted to hear.

To help illustrate this point, let's go back to the examples of customer questions mentioned earlier. All of these questions are common in their respective industries. What is not common, however, are the concerns a customer has when they ask the question. Let's take a look at some of the reasons customers may have for asking the same questions:

1. "Is this watch quartz or do I have to wind it?" While one customer may be concerned about the accuracy of a quartz watch, another may be concerned about replacing batteries and still another about remembering to wind it.

2. "What is the horsepower of the jet pump in this spa?" One customer might be asking to know if the horsepower will provide them with the jet action they are looking for while someone else asking might be more concerned about energy consumption.

3. "What type of material is this blouse made of?" This is a very simple question, but if you answer it directly, you won't know if the customer is worried about shrinkage, ironing, comfort or possible dry cleaning bills.

4. "Does this refrigerator have an automatic ice maker?" Again, this is a simple question to answer, but what does the customer really want to know? They could be thinking about the convenience of an automatic ice maker or wondering whether it is worth the additional cost or plumbing installation.

As you can see from the above examples, finding out why a question is being asked is by no means exclusive to industries whose products are more technical, such as spas or electronics. When a customer asks what kind of materials a boot is made of, they could be wondering about style, durability or have a concern that the boot may be out of their price range. Regardless of how simple or complex a question may be, take the time to find out why the customer asked it.

Because of feature-driven advertising and sales presentations, customers have been conditioned to ask feature-driven questions rather than benefit-driven questions. But in reality, they buy based on an item's benefits, not features. A benefit is simply what it will do for them.

Only by really listening to what the customer is asking and how it is being asked will you be able to gain some insight as to what message actually lies behind the question and what benefits you should be pitching. Any single feature of a particular item can branch off into several different advantages and benefits. And as you already know, every customer may have different reasons for wanting the same feature.

Similar to the probing process, where you find out why the customer wants the item, your goal now is to find out why the customer is asking the question. One of the best ways to do this is to simply restate the question in different words. The word why is a verifier, and is without a doubt, the most direct approach. It also gives you the best shot at obtaining the information you are looking for. Children are infamous for using this technique. Whenever a child is unsure or confused about a statement or question being asked of them, they simply respond, "why?" It's their unbashful way of satisfying their curious minds and being able to get a full handle on what is being said.

If you are uncomfortable with asking why-type questions, any open-ended question, one that prompts more than a yes or no answer from the customer, will usually do the trick. Going back to the examples used earlier in this article, let's take a look at some possible ways to re-phrase the questions.

1. C: Is this watch quartz, or do I have to wind it? S: What concerns do you have about these types of movements?

2. C: What is the horsepower of the jet pump of this spa? S: Why is the horsepower important to you?

3. C: What type of material is this blouse made of? S: Tell me. What's important to you in selecting a fabric?

4. C: Does this refrigerator have an automatic ice maker? S: How do you prefer to make ice?

Remember, when the customer is talking, the customer is buying. He may also be dropping some subtle buying signals along with giving you information that might be that one additional piece of ammunition you'll need later in your presentation to close the sale.

So, keep in mind that although the questions customers ask may be similar, their reasons for asking may not be. The more you know about why the customer wants an item and why certain features are important to him, the more likely you'll close the sale.