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About this lesson

Questions lay the foundation for your interaction with the prospect.  This video covers one of the most important elements of the sales process – the questions you ask to get information and truly understand what the prospect needs.  We start with Expansive Questions.

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Quick reference

Expansive Questions

You need to ask intelligent questions to get your client to start talking.  The next section is called the Horacio Effect.  It is called the Horacio Effect because of the character on CSI Miami.  Horacio always catches the bad person by asking them intelligent questions.  The bad guy starts telling him everything he needs to know to make the case. You need to be like Horacio and ask intelligent questions of all of your prospects. 

The first type of intelligent questions you should ask are expansive questions.

When to use

To get to know your client / customer you need to always ask intelligent questions.  Once you have built a rapport with your customer, you should start by asking expansive questions.

Instructions

The first type of questions you should ask are Expansive Questions.  First build that rapport with your client to make them feel comfortable.  Then ask them some expansive questions to get them to start thinking about what they want and to start telling you want they want. 

Expansive Questions require more than a “yes” or “no” answer.  They are sometimes formed as a statement.

Examples: 

  • “What aspects are most important to you when it comes to (Product/ service)?”
  • “Tell me a little bit about your business and how it works.”
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  • 00:04 In this video, we're gonna move to step five, the Horatio effect.
  • 00:09 Why do I call it that?
  • 00:11 Do you ever see that show CSI?
  • 00:14 CSI Miami especially.
  • 00:16 Right? The main detective is David Caruso.
  • 00:18 He plays a guy called Horatio.
  • 00:22 And how does he catch the bad guy, or the bad gal?
  • 00:26 He asks them intelligent questions.
  • 00:29 And they start telling him everything he needs to know to make that case.
  • 00:34 So you're gonna be like Horatio, right?
  • 00:37 Just like CSI Miami.
  • 00:39 You're going to ask intelligent questions of all of your prospects.
  • 00:45 So there's a couple different types of questions we're gonna look at.
  • 00:48 The first one is expansive questions.
  • 00:52 Why do I call it expansion questions?
  • 00:54 Cuz expansion questions require more than a yes or no answer, okay?
  • 00:59 So they're sometimes even formed as a statement.
  • 01:01 They're not even questions.
  • 01:03 So, I'll give you a couple of examples.
  • 01:05 So for example, if we sit down and I'm asking you about something,
  • 01:09 I might say, what aspects are most important to you
  • 01:13 when it comes to hiring a training company?
  • 01:17 Boom.
  • 01:18 Now I got you thinking, right?
  • 01:21 You've actually gotta process the information.
  • 01:23 Wow, what aspects are most important to me when I'm hiring a training company?
  • 01:27 I'm looking for x, y, and z.
  • 01:31 Or I might say in a statement something in a statement,
  • 01:34 even though I call it an expansive question this is that investigative stage.
  • 01:39 So I might say, tell me a little bit about your business and how it works.
  • 01:44 Cuz is that important for me to know how your business is and how it works if I'm
  • 01:47 going to sell you a product or service that's going to help your business?
  • 01:52 Absolutely, okay?
  • 01:54 So, you wanna make sure you start with expansive questions.
  • 01:57 Now, some people, if you haven't built up that rapport yet,
  • 02:01 they're not gonna wanna give you expansive questions, right?
  • 02:04 They're gonna do whatever they can to give you a yes or a no,right?
  • 02:07 And they're not gonna give you much.
  • 02:09 So with expansive questions you gotta ask them over and over but
  • 02:11 you gotta build that rapport, and we're gonna talk about building rapport.
  • 02:15 A great way to build rapport is to match their personality when you meet them.
  • 02:20 Somebody's excited and happy and speaks fast and loud.
  • 02:24 You be excited and happy and speak fast and loud.
  • 02:27 If they're more low and subdued and quiet, then you speak low, subdued, and quiet.
  • 02:35 That's gonna help build that rapport.
  • 02:37 Make them feel what?
  • 02:39 Comfortable, okay.
  • 02:41 Then they're gonna be more likely to answer these expansive questions.
  • 02:46 Good, so expansive questions require more than a yes or no answer.
  • 02:50 They're sometimes formed as a statement.
  • 02:53 So an example, what aspects are most important to you when it comes to?
  • 02:57 Put in your product to service.
  • 03:00 Tell me a little bit about your business and how it works.
  • 03:05 That's a statement, but it's that expansive statement.
  • 03:08 Okay, good.
  • 03:09 You got this, I'll see you in the next video.

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