When you want to guide prospects toward a sale, it comes down to the questions you ask. This is where question-based selling, or QBS, comes in. This sales approach focuses on asking thoughtful, open-ended questions that shed light on your prospects’ challenges, goals and needs. Many sales reps turn to this approach more often than any other sales methodology. Why? Because it’s a proven way to foster meaningful conversations and close more deals.

That doesn’t mean QBS isn’t without its pitfalls, though. Justina Thompson, a junior staff writer for HubSpot, put together some of the biggest advantages and downsides of using question-based selling. We share her thoughts in this issue of PromoPro Daily.

Pro 1: You can use QBS to build rapport and trust. This sales approach is all about getting insightful prospect responses, helping you foster a strong relationship from the beginning.

Pro 2: You can use QBS to uncover underlying needs and pain points. Thompson points out that by asking open-ended, intentional questions, you can guide the conversation purposefully to identify hidden concerns, priorities or desires that your customer may not have initially recognized.

Pro 3: You can use QBS to encourage emotional buy-in. When done well, question-based selling lets you tug on the prospect’s heartstrings. You can use questions to tap into their emotions and help them reflect on what really matters.

Pro 4: You can use QBS in enterprise-level/B2B sales deals. QBS works great in complex sales, Thompson says. When you use QBS early in the process, you can help expedite the journey to a successful outcome.

Con 1: You could confuse your prospect. If you don’t frame your questions clearly or overload them with questions, you could overwhelm or confuse the prospect.

Con 2: It’s not great for transactional sales deals. A QBS approach is over-the-top in some situations. It’s best to use a different approach if you’re working on a straightforward deal.

Con 3: You might spend too much time on discovery. With QBS, you could get stuck in the discovery phase. This can delay a deal’s progression, especially if they don’t fit your ideal customer profile.

Con 4: QBS requires skill and practice. It takes time to get the approach right. Keep trying and learning what works and doesn’t work.  

Question-based selling has many upsides, from allowing you to earn credibility quickly to helping you qualify your leads faster. It also has some downsides, like possibly overloading prospects with too many questions to spending too much time in discovery. To succeed with this tactic, make sure you ask strategic questions that focus on the prospect and always keep the conversation flowing.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Justina Thompson is a junior staff writer for the HubSpot Blog. She specializes in writing about sales and marketing topics.