Many technicians walk into a home and talk for 30 minutes. They cover the company, the equipment and their own experience. By the end, they know little about the customer.
Gene Slade, the founder of Lead Ninja, flips that habit with one line: “The person asking the questions is the one controlling the conversation.”
Why talking more loses sales
A pitch tells the customer what you care about. Questions tell you what they care about. You cannot uncover a need while you are the one doing all the talking.
Some techs worry that questions make them look unsure. Gene says the opposite is true. “The right questions show your customer that you’re interested in solving THEIR problem, not just making YOUR sale.”
Open the call with a question
The easiest way to take the lead is to start with a question instead of a speech. Gene suggests openers like these:
- “What’s been going on with your system?”
- “How long have you been dealing with that?”
- “What’s your biggest concern today?”
Now the homeowner is talking. You learn what frustrates them and what they want fixed. You also learn how they make decisions.
Ask about everything
Gene’s rule is to stay curious at every turn. When the customer says something, ask one more question before you respond.
- Electric bill too high? Ask why they think so.
- Bedroom always hot? Ask how long it has been that way.
- Price too expensive? Ask, “Compared to what?”
- Need to think about it? Ask what they need to think about.
“Too many technicians hear something and immediately jump into a sales pitch,” Gene says. Each question you ask instead reveals a problem, a frustration or a real objection.
Questions do the selling for you
Good questions get the customer thinking and connecting the dots on their own. A conclusion they reach themselves is far stronger than one you push on them.
In Gene’s words, “Your customer will practically tell you how to close them if you just LISTEN.”
Use questions for every stage of the call
Questions are not only for the start. Use them all the way through:
- To find the real problem: “What else have you noticed?”
- To find hot buttons: “What matters most to you in a fix?”
- To understand an objection: “Which part concerns you?”
- To move forward: “What would you like to do?”
“Stop trying to have all the answers,” Gene says. His advice is to get good at asking the right questions instead.
A simple challenge for your next call
On your next appointment, count your questions. Aim to ask more questions than you make statements in the first ten minutes. Then notice how much more you know when it is time to present options.
Questions drive every stage of the EGSPA sales method, Lead Ninja’s five-step process for home service calls. Managers can build this habit through role-play using our HVAC sales manager training.
Want techs who listen first and close more? Talk to Lead Ninja about training your team.