FOR PERSONAL BANKERS - Login
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Using Probing Questions
to Uncover Needs
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FOR PERSONAL BANKERS
Customers will come to you with different needs and
problems. To help your customers, you will need to uncover
their individual situations. By asking the right probing questions,
you can determine exactly what it is your customers want or need.
By listening carefully to what they say and observing their actions and
reactions, you can make suggestions to help them meet those needs.
Probing questions are a valuable tool in gathering information. Each customer has a
wide range of ?nancial needs, however the customer may not de?ne them adequately.
That is why asking the right question is an important sales skill. The purpose of questioning is to get the customer to state their ?nancial requirements/needs. Only after you
thoroughly understand the customers situation can you present the products/services
that will best meet those needs.
CSP TIP
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Incorporate the
customers name
into your questions. The
personalization of your
conversation will help
overcome resistance to
answering your questions.
Example: Mr. Customer,
to better understand your
needs, may I ask you a few
questions?
How and when you ask questions is as important as
what you ask. Before you begin the probing process,
always ask for the customers permission. By requesting permission and providing a brief explanation of why
you will be asking these questions, you will keep the
customer from becoming defensive and resistant to
answering your questions because s/he will understand
that you are only trying to gain information to better
understand her/his needs. (Example: May I ask you a
few questions so I can determine which one of our accounts will be best for you?To save you time, I need
to ask you a few questions. Would that be okay, Mr.
Customer?).
This will also be an easy
way for you to maximize
your evaluation scores!
Service & sales Teamwork Attitude Recognition Success
800-841-7954
Page 1 of 3
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? Using Probing Questions
FOR PERSONAL BANKERS
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to Uncover Needs - continued
When asking questions, follow this three-step process:
Start with general questions to establish
rapport - How did you hear about our Bank?
What is the main reason you are interested in
opening a new checking account? Is this the
primary checking account for you and your wife?
Move on to detailed questions - Tell me about features that are especially
important to you? About how many checks do you write each month?
You said convenience is important, correct? Have you ever tried on-line
bill paying?
Finish with questions that are more sensitive in nature - Is your payroll check
set up for direct deposit? If I understand you correctly, the reason you are
looking for a new account is that you are tired of paying the service fees at the
bank where you currently have your account C is that right? Is there anything
else that you dislike about your current account?
There are two basic types of probing questions:
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS: Require more of an answer than yes or no. Open-ended
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probing questions often start with who, what, where, how, why, tell me, explain or
describe. The answers to this type of question provide a lot of information and
important clues about what the customer needs, wants or knows about your products/
services. Open-ended questions should be the primary type of question used to gather
information because they get the customer talking. The more you encourage your customer to talk, the more you learn. (Example: Tell me more about whats important to you in a checking account.) After youve gathered the initial information
with open-ended questions, use closed-ended questions to ?ll in the missing
pieces.
CLOSED-ENDED QUESTIONS: Can be answered with a simple yes, no or one
word response. Frequently they begin with would, can, are you, which,
will, do, is, has, does, and when. Closed-ended probing questions limit
discussion. They should be used to con?rm facts and obtain details or
speci?c information from customers. (Example: Do you want a checking
account that pays interest?)
Service & sales Teamwork Attitude Recognition Success
800-841-7954
Page 2 of 3
- continued
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Since open-ended questions provide more comprehensive information, use the
following substitutions to change a closed-ended question to an open-ended one:
Replace
?ARTICLE
? Using Probing
Questions
to Uncover Needs
FOR PERSONAL BANKERS
WITH
Did you. When will you
Have you..............................What have you
Is there.......What is there
Do you...................................How do you
Will you.....Tell me how you will
Can you.Describe how you can
Was it........................Explain what it was
SUGGESTION:
Using an effective mix of open and closed-ended probing questions gives you
the input you need to respond knowledgably to your customer. To increase the
amount of information you obtain from your customers, use more open-ended
questions. Start your information gathering with open-ended questions. Use
closed-ended questions to provide speci?c details during the conversation.
When gathering information, be sure you ask questions that address both the customers
PERSONAL and FINANCIAL needs. Including a mix of personal and ?nancial questions
is essential to having a clear understanding of the customers situation. (Note: These
questions are primarily used by Bankers.)
PERSONAL QUESTIONS are related to lifestyle/home life issues.
Examples: Mrs. Customer, are you going to purchase a house or will
you be renting? Where do you live? Work? Mr. Customer, how
soon will you begin your remodeling project? Will you be doing
the work yourself or have you hired a contractor?
FINANCIAL QUESTIONS are related to the customers
account relationships and/or speci?c product needs, etc.
Examples: Mr. Customer, what kind of accounts do you
currently have? What are your account balances?
Mr. Customer, what do you like about your current
?nancial services provider? Dislike? Would you
need immediate access to your money or could you
invest your funds in a longer-term investment?
Service & sales Teamwork Attitude Recognition Success
Copyright ? 2004 by Customer Service Pro?les, LLC, All Rights Reserved
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