Questions are the secret to communication – especially when it comes to making sales. Most people would rather hear themselves talk rather than someone else. Ambrose Bierce once observed that “an egotist is more interested in himself than he is in me!”


The art of asking questions rather than delivering a monologue will help with all your negotiations and that essentially impacts your sales and customer satisfaction. For instance, instead of pointing out the quality of the stitching of an item or the workmanship of a garment, try asking, “Have you ever had a seam that pulled apart?” Listen to the customer’s story and get him/her involved in the importance of the quality of the garment. The open-ended question that gets customers talking will make them more comfortable and turn them into buyers. When you are chatting, you are selling. As Gitomer says, “Everyone wants to buy but no one wants to be sold.”

When you call to say you have a new jacket in the store, don’t tell – ask them if their wardrobe could be spruced up with a new jacket. As with any technique, don’t overdo it. See how effective it is!