This article is part of the Sales Secrets Uncovered series where we share key learnings from our analysis of 211k+ sales calls spread over 3.8 million minutes and 12 months. Why? To uncover the stats that will help you sell better in 2022 and beyond!

This article is from the desk of our Senior Content Specialist, Anirban.

PS: Use this data responsibly. Correlation is ≠ causation. 😇

“Engage” said Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise, and who are we to ignore the directive of the greatest captain in Starfleet (Don’t @ me, Kirk fans. You know in your hearts it’s true)?

No, but seriously, today’s issue is about engaging the prospect with pointed, specific questions.

These are almost critical to sales conversations, especially in the early stages. They help the vendor identify the core problem the customer is facing, and thus, figure out a solution quickly.

They also keep the conversation going, and ensure it doesn’t become a one-sided affair.

After all, a sales call that’s just the salesperson pitching their solution is basically a death knell for the deal overall.

So why is it that less than half of all deals feature engaging questions? 🤷

As you can see, engaging questions correspond to a huge 57% increase in win rate and a 37% decrease in loss rate for deals.

Oh, and it seems like the more questions you ask, the better (within reasonable limits, of course).

That’s right. Won deals saw 26.4% more questions asked by the salesperson on average, compared to lost deals.

True, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Asking a bunch of irrelevant questions is definitely not going to increase your chances.

But it’s clear that if you ask relevant, perceptive questions that get to the root of the problem, not only will you get to a solution faster, you'll also create a great first impression. The prospect will know that you are listening, and that you understand their problem.

So listen carefully and actively. And then, ask more questions.

It’s what Picard would do.