Have you ever been in a meeting that went on forever, where everyone kept talking, and no one was listening? Or maybe you’ve been in a meeting where everyone is talking too much, but no one is listening. Either way, it’s kind of frustrating.

But what if there was a way to get people talking and listening simultaneously? What if they could talk about their ideas and not feel like they were blabbing on?

Well, we have good news for you: there is! It’s called open-ended sales questions. Open-ended questions allow you to start a conversation with someone where you can go as deep or shallow as you want, depending on what your prospect wants out of the conversation. And because these questions are open-ended, they can share their thoughts with you without feeling like they’re taking over the conversation.

How do you get your prospects talking? Asking the right questions is part of a successful sales process.

Top 10 open-ended sales questions you can ask to close the deal:

1. “How do you feel about that?”

 This can help you understand your prospect’s feelings and better understand how they will respond to a specific situation.

It’s important not to assume that just because someone says something is “working” for them means it’s efficient or pleasant. There are many situations where people get things done, but they don’t enjoy getting there at all — or even the results of completing the task.

This question aims to find out what’s going on in the prospect’s mind. If they’re not sure or a little scared, you might want to go with something different. But this could be a great place to start if they seem excited and ready for action!

2. “It sounds like [statement prospect made] is a challenge. Is that correct?”

You can use their language by asking them if that’s correct, which also shows that you’re listening closely and hearing exactly what they’re saying. If they say it’s incorrect, then it means there may be a misunderstanding on your part—but it’s all good! You can easily solve this by clarifying what they meant or ensuring there isn’t anything else wrong with their statement.

It’s a great way to build rapport with your prospect and clarify your discussion. Using their language, you are also getting on the same page, which means more trust and rapport. And by clarifying what they mean, you have them confirm that they have a challenge.

3. “How would [solution] change the way you work today?”

This is a great question to ask your prospects. It gets them thinking about the future state of your company, and it also allows you to get specific about what they’re getting from your product or service. They might not be able to tell you exactly where they’re going with their business, but because of this question, they’ll probably uncover some ideas.

Make them feel they’re not alone in this mess. Every company may face these kinds of challenges from time to time.

4. “If you continue the way things are now, will [goal] be achieved?”

This is an important question that many salespeople forget to ask. It helps them realize that their situation may not be scalable.

When trying to close a deal, it can be easy to forget that your prospect isn’t just someone who wants something. They also have goals, probably bigger than anything you’re offering them.

So when you go in with a sales representative and ask them if they want to buy your product, what do they say? “No, thank you.” Why? Because their goal is to save money on their energy bill by reducing the amount of electricity they use at home. And when they realize that the product you’re offering won’t help them achieve this goal, they’ll probably say no thank you and walk away thinking about how much better off they are without it.

You need to find out your prospects’ big-picture goals and show them how [insert solution] fits into those bigger plans for success — and to close more deals!

5. “Why isn’t this particular situation/issue meeting your needs right now?”

Because it’s a question that requires some thought and introspection, it also gives you a chance to get to know them as a person and identify their top priorities. This question can help your prospect understand why they took the sales call. It’s also open-ended, so it gets them talking about their situation and what they’re most concerned about.

6. “Tell me more about [what they just said]…”

Don’t just ask them what they do. Instead, ask them to elaborate on what they just said. It’s more powerful!

For example, “I understand that you said you only use [whatever the thing is] for [some specific use]. Is there anything else?”

Or: “It sounds like you need to be much more precise about exactly how [whatever the thing is] will help your business grow.”

This way, you’re mirroring their answer and getting more information from them simultaneously! And it gives them more time to talk and you some time to think about what they said—which is good for both parties.

7. “What are you working on and towards?”

If they don’t care about the problem that your solution solves, then there’s no point in trying to persuade them to buy. However, if they do care about that problem, this is a great way to figure out how to best communicate with them so that they’ll understand what you’re talking about.

Ask this question to help you understand their priorities and give you insight into how much time they have to spend on a project. If they don’t care about the problem that your solution solves, it might be time to move on.

8. “How have you been?”

This can be tricky, especially if you’re new to sales and don’t have the most polished product pitch. But it’s also an opportunity to show the prospect why they should talk to you now rather than later.

You want to give them a chance to share with you how their business is doing or even just tell you about their day. You want them to know that they can trust that when they come into your office, they’ll get honest answers and genuine care from someone who cares about them as a person and not just as a number on a spreadsheet.

9. “How does [problem] impact your day-to-day? What about other team members?”

You can also ask some clarifying follow-up questions if necessary. If you’ve been a sales rep for some time now, you’ll still be amazed that no one ever seems to get this question right. It’s like they think it’s just a generic, boring question about how something impacts their life.

But no! It’s actually about how the product or service impacts your day-to-day life. And when you’re asking a prospect about what problems they face in their line of work—or even in general—you’re setting yourself up to learn more about what they really want and care about.

10. “Can you tell me why you say [mirror problem]?”

When you ask “why” too soon, your prospects feel you’re interrupting them and aren’t listening to what they’re saying. They get defensive and stop talking altogether. That’s no way to build rapport or get them excited about working with your company. 

This technique works best when you’re not trying to sell something directly (like an order) but simply want to understand why a business would say no in the first place. Once we’ve dug up the root cause of the problem, we can help our client address it and move forward together!

Bonus: “What’s one thing you wished more people would ask you about?”

You’ll learn a lot, personally or professionally, and it’s easy to get your prospects talking about their pain points. Plus, it will give you a great opportunity to connect with them on a personal level!

What would you add? Ask open-ended questions in the comment section below.