It’s easier to sell when you know a client’s desired outcome and the obstacles they face. You might ask questions like:
- What would success look like for you?
- What about your organisation keeps you awake at night?
But these questions lack something. They’re not offering value. They’re one-way traffic. They’re making clients do all the work.
Much better a conversational lead, something like these examples:
You may like to know what success looked like for our client Acme. Three key results came from their transformation work … (offer some valuable insight, then ask your question with respect) … May I ask, with your project, what results are you looking for?
Before projects like these CIOs tell me they have some massive challenges which keep them up at night, things like … (offer more valuable insights, then ask your question with respect) … do those obstacles resonate with your experience here?
This way of asking questions allows you to add insight and gives you a chance to show empathy.
How are you adding value with the questions you want to ask?