During the sales process, it is usually the potential customer who tends to ask all the questions pertaining to the service or product they’re purchasing and your business in general. But, in order to better understand its target audience, there are also key questions the business should be asking its customers who are serious about making a purchase. Here are some of them.

During a sale, the customer shouldn’t be the only one asking questions. What’s one question you should ask a customer serious about buying and/or using your product or service, and why?

1. Have You Used This Product or Service Before?

“Have you used this product or service before? If yes, then what did the previous vendor do well? What mistakes should we avoid?” These are strategic questions as they provide you with information on how to be a valuable vendor, while at the same time giving you greater insight into the type of customer you’re dealing with. You can only manage expectations that you’re aware of, so understand who you’re selling to. – Ryan Meghdies, Tastic Marketing Inc.

2. Why Are You Interested in This Service?

An important question to ask customers during the sales process is, “Why?” It can be extremely valuable for you to know why a customer is interested in your product or service. The better you can understand your potential customer’s motive and situation, the better able you will be to tailor your approach to meet their needs. – Adam Mendler, The Veloz Group

3. Where Did You Hear About Us?

Marketing a business becomes so much easier when you know where your ideal audience hangs out. We always try to find out where customers heard about us in the first place — whether that’s from advertising, a referral or some kind of community. This lets us double down on the marketing activities that are clearly bringing a return on investment and get closer to our customers. – Travis Jamison, Smash.vc

4. Who Has Your Business Now?

Ask potential customers, “Who has your business now?” You can learn a lot from finding out which provider your client is currently using. Ask them what they like and dislike about that provider and how your company can provide them added value. This question gives you an opportunity to find out more about your competitors, while learning more about the customer’s needs. – Ibrahim Alkurd, New Mine

5. What Issue Are You Looking to Solve?

You should ask customers what day-to-day issues or problems they face that they’ve been looking to solve. Many times, customers want solutions to recurring problems. It doesn’t always have to be a huge issue. If you can gauge what recurring problem you can solve for customers, they’ll be sure to return and see what else you can help them with. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

6. Are You Ready to Commit?

In our space, you’ve got to have patience. We’re always asking our customers if they are ready to commit because digital marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. If they say yes, we’re going all in. But if they are looking for a quick fix, I’m afraid we’re not the best company to help them out. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS

7. What Are Your Desired Outcomes?

Knowing the answer to “What are your desired outcomes?” can be influential in helping you decide whether the customer is a fit for your business. All too often, there can be a disconnect between what your business actually sells and your customer’s perception of how it will solve their problem based on the narrative they believed based off your sales or marketing campaign. – Cody McLain, SupportNinja

8. How Will The Purchase Fit Into Your Goal?

One question that’s highly effective in demonstrating your value is asking how the purchase will fit into the larger goal or solution to the problem they’re trying to solve. This question shows that you’re thinking strategically, and clients can see that if they purchase from you, they’ll get valuable strategic insights in the process. – Keith Shields, Designli

9. What Does Success Look Like With This Product?

Ask them, “What does success look like in work with this product or service?” Everyone has varying reasons to purchase a product or service. While it is possible to make educated assumptions, you will never fully understand your customer’s true needs until you ask. This is also something they may not have thought of previously and opens up a more dynamic conversation. – Jared Weitz, United Capital Source Inc.

10. What Don’t You Like About This Product?

It can be painful, but it is helpful to ask, “What don’t you like about this product/offer/solution?” What this does is it helps customers really open and express their needs more powerfully. This can help salespeople bridge the communication gap between them and the customer and help them find a solution. – Blair Williams, MemberPress

11. How Would You Rate This Service?

In order to secure a sale, you should be asking the most questions. “How would you rate this service from one to 10?” If it’s 10, close right away, and if it’s not 10, ask, “How can we make it a 10?” and then close. When you get your customer communicating about themselves, you can understand their needs and solve their problems with your product. It does wonders for sales and presentations. – Matthew Capala, Alphametic

12. What’s The Exact Nature of Your Problem?

“What’s the exact nature of your problem?” I’d probably phrase it more informally, but I want to understand a customer’s issue from all angles. This can help me customize my offering and give them additional information on the spot to help them out. It’s also very satisfying to know that I can do something to make their lives better. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner