
To move a sale forward during the initial conversations, you must keep the prospect engaged. As I pointed out in a previous post (”Better Questions=Faster Selling“), the best way to do this is to ask an open-ended question that moves the conversation forward and also builds rapport. The easiest way to do this is to assume that the prospect has something uniquely interesting to say.
A couple of weeks ago, I was discussing this concept with Barry Rhein, who is probably the top sales trainer in the high tech world. He pointed out that there are nine archetypal ways to say “tell me more about that” using a question. Here they are:
- Why is that?
- What are your ideas (opinions, thoughts) on _________?
- What did you mean when you said __________?
- Why is that important (essential, relevant)?
- How does that look (feel, seem) to you?
- What are some examples of _________?
- What’s your definition of __________?
- Can you elaborate on _________?
- What does _________ mean for you?
As with most conversational sales skills, delivery is all-important. There are three keys to using these questions effectively:
- Be really curious. I mean, really. If these questions are going to build rapport, you’ve got to be able to communicate (non-verbally and verbally) that you are truly interested in the prospect. If you really do care, the prospect will sense this and (being human) feel flattered.
- Do your research. I hate to keep harping on this point, but every sales conversation needs to come from a place of knowledge and authority. Without research, you’ll end up asking a question about something obvious and end up looking ill-informed or foolish.
- Use a cue card. Unless you’re some kind of sales savant, you’re not going to be able to remember all nine questions. Post a copy of them by your telephone and in your day-minder. Flip to the list when you’re in the meeting. Use different questions at different times during the conversation.
By the way, there is also a tenth classic way to say “tell me more about that” — a way that’s not in the form of a question. Can guess what it is?


“I hate being in Sales,” a woman recently confessed to me. Even so, she’s pretty successful, and was recently netting $40,000 a month in commissions. But here she was, telling me that she hated the very job that she was so good at.
Sales managers are always insisting that sale reps should sell high, but that’s not always practical. Some organizations push buying decisions so far up the chain that nobody except a CEO is likely to get face-time with the guy who’s got the cash.

I was wrapping up a second mortgage with my local bank when I noticed that, for some reason, they were now using seven-digit telephone extensions. That meant that you had to dial an 800 number and then seven more digits to reach a particular person.



