Probing Questions for Sales: The Ultimate Cheatsheet (2022)

What Are Probing Questions?

Probing questions are designed to elicit detailed information from the person you’re speaking with. They can be used in many different situations, but they’re especially useful in sales settings.

Asking probing questions can help you better understand your customer’s needs and figure out how to best meet them. It can also help build rapport and relationships built off of trust.

What Makes a Great Probing Question?

Asking probing questions can be an important part of active listening, and can help to draw out more information from the person you are speaking to. But what makes a good probing question?

There are a few things to keep in mind when asking probing questions. First, they should be open-ended rather than yes or no questions. This will encourage the person to elaborate on their answer. Second, they should be relevant to the conversation and based on what the other person has already said. Third, they should be respectful and not judgmental. And finally, they should be genuine – that is, you should actually be interested in hearing the answer!

Asking good probing questions can help build rapport and show that you are truly engaged in the conversation. So next time you’re speaking with someone, see if you can ask some good probing questions – it may just make all the difference.

Difference Between Probing Questions and Qualifying Questions

If you’re familiar with qualifying questions, you may think probing sounds pretty damn similar so far. And you wouldn’t be too far off – both types of questions are designed to gather information. However, there is a critical distinction between probing and qualifying questions.

Probing questions tend to be more general and are used to better understand the person’s situation. They often start with who, what, when, where, or how. For example, you might ask a friend who is going through a tough time, “What’s been going on?”

On the other hand, Qualifying questions are more specific and are used to determine whether or not the person is a good fit for what you’re offering. They often start with can, could, would, or are. For example, you might ask a prospective client, “Can you invest $5k to get started?”

Thus, probing questions are used to gather more information, while qualifying questions are used to determine whether or not the person is someone you want to work with.

12 Examples of Probing Questions with Explanations

So now, let’s cover some general probing questions you can use, no matter your industry, with an explanation of what each question is trying to achieve.

1. “What brought you in today?”

Explanation: This question is a great way to start off a conversation, as it gives the other person an opportunity to tell you what they need or want. It also helps you better understand their current situation.

2. “What are you looking for?”

Explanation: This question helps you understand what the person needs or wants and can help you figure out if you have something that meets their needs.

3. “How can I help you?”

Explanation: This question shows that you are genuinely interested in helping the other person, and it can help you better understand what they need.

4. “What are you struggling with?”

Explanation: This question can help you understand the person’s challenges and how you might be able to help them overcome them.

5. “Tell me more about that.”

Explanation: This is a great follow-up question that shows you are interested in hearing more about what the other person is saying. It can also help draw out more information.

6. “Can you give me an example?”

Explanation: This question can help you better understand what the other person is saying by giving you a concrete example.

7. “What do you think about X?”

Explanation: This question helps to get the person’s opinion on a particular topic and can help you better understand their thought process.

8. “How do you feel about X?”

Explanation: This question is similar to the previous one but focuses on emotions rather than thoughts. It can be a great way to gauge how the person is really feeling about something.

9. “What are your goals?”

Explanation: This question helps you understand what the person is hoping to achieve and can help you figure out how you can help them.

10. “What are your challenges?”

Explanation: This question helps you understand what is holding the person back from achieving their goals and can help you figure out how you can help them.

11. “How can I best support you?”

Explanation: This question shows that you are genuinely interested in helping the other person, and it can help you better understand what they need from you.

12. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Explanation: This is a great way to wrap up a conversation, as it gives the other person a chance to share anything else that might be relevant. It also helps you make sure you have all the information you need.

As you can see, probing questions can be used in various situations. You can encourage the other person to share more information and better understand their needs by asking probing questions.

Ultimately, your job isn’t just to sell a product; it’s to provide a solution to your customer and solve their problems. Even though the end goal may be the same, every customer will have unique challenges.

So when using probing questions, you’re trying to understand their specific challenges so you can better tailor how you’ll arrive at the end goal of selling your service or product.

The Best Probing Questions By Industry

Now that you understand what makes a great probing question let’s narrow it down and go more specific. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the best probing questions for various industries (and even job interview questions you can ask your next employee) that you can swipe from us and start using today.

Best Probing Questions for Car Sales

• What are your must-haves?
• What are your dealbreakers?
• When do you need the car?
• How many miles do you drive per year?
• What kind of car are you looking for?
• What size do you need?
• What do you like to drive?
• How much can you afford to spend?
• How much did you want to put down?
• Are you looking to buy or lease?
• When do you need the car by?
• Do you have a trade-in?
• What kind of features are you looking for?
• How do you feel about this car?
• What other cars have you considered?

Best Probing Questions for Life Insurance

• How old are you?
• Do you have any health conditions?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you have any life insurance policies already?
• How much coverage do you need?
• What is your budget for premiums?
• What is the reason for buying life insurance?
• What is your family’s health history?
• Do you have any children?
• Do you have any dangerous hobbies?
• When do you need the coverage to start?

Best Probing Questions for Real Estate Agents

• What type of property are you interested in?
• What is your budget?
• When do you need to move in?
• How many bedrooms/bathrooms do you need?
• Do you have any special requirements?
• What neighborhood do you want to live in?
• Do you want to buy or rent?
• Are you looking to buy or sell a property?
• What type of property are you interested in?
• When do you plan on buying/selling?
• What is your budget?
• What is your ideal location?
• Do you have any specific needs or wants in a property?
• How many bedrooms/bathrooms are you looking for?
• What size of property are you interested in?
• Do you have a preferred style of home?
• Do you need any extra features in a property, such as a pool or a garage?

Best Probing Questions for Job Interviews (Hiring Managers)

• Why are you interested in this job?
• What are your qualifications?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you?
• What are your salary expectations?
• When can you start?
• What is your availability?
• What challenges are you looking for in a job?
• What are your long-term career goals?
• How did you hear about this job?
• Do you have any questions for us?

Best Probing Questions for Digital Marketing

• What is your target market?
• What are your marketing goals?
• Who is your competition?
• How much can you afford to spend on marketing?
• When do you need results by?
• What type of marketing do you want to use?
• What type of content will you be using?
• How often do you want to update your website?
• Who will be responsible for updating your website?

Best Probing Questions for Cell Phone Sales

• What is your budget?
• What type of phone are you looking for?
• What carrier do you use?
• How much data do you need?
• Do you need a new phone or just a new contract?
• When is your current contract up?
• Do you want to buy or lease?
• What color phone do you want?
• How many phones do you need?

Best Probing Questions for Solar Sales

• What is your energy usage?
• How much do you spend on energy per month?
• What is your average monthly electric bill?
• How much do you want to save on your electric bill?
• What is the price of solar panels in your area?
• How much money do you want to spend on solar panels?
• What is your roof size?
• What is the angle of your roof?
• How much shade does your roof get?
• When do you want to install solar panels?

Best Probing Questions for Website Design Services

• What is your budget?
• What type of website do you need?
• Do you need a custom design or a template?
• How many pages does your website need?
• Do you know the value of a website in your industry?
• Do you need eCommerce functionality?
• Do you need a blog?
• Who will be responsible for maintaining the website?
• When do you need the website completed by?

Best Probing Questions for Seo Services

• What is your budget?
• What are your SEO goals?
• What keywords do you want to rank for?
• How long do you want to contract for?
• When do you want to see results by?
• How much content do you need?
• Who will be responsible for creating the content?
• Do you need help with on-page optimization?
• Do you need help with link building?
• What is your website’s current SEO score?

Best Probing Questions for Financial Advisors

• What is your investment experience?
• What are your investment goals?
• How much risk are you willing to take?
• How much money do you have to invest?
• When do you need the money?
• What is your tolerance for loss?
• What other investments do you have?
• What is your employment situation?
• What is your annual income?
• What is your tax bracket?
• Do you have any debts?
• Do you have any dependents?

Best Probing Questions for Wedding Planners

• When is the wedding?
• How many guests will be attending?
• What is your budget?
• What type of wedding do you want?
• Do you need help with finding a venue?
• Do you need help with catering?
• Do you need help with finding a photographer?
• Do you need help with finding a florist?
• Do you need help with finding a band or DJ?
• Do you need help with finding a wedding dress?
• What is your vision for the wedding?

Best Probing Questions For Finding The Right Decision-Maker

• Who is the final decision maker?
• Who are the other stakeholders involved?
• What has typically been done in the past?
• What is the preferred method of communication?
• What is the preferred method of receiving information?
• When is the best time to follow up?

Final Tips on Asking Probing Questions

Knowing how to use probing questions is just as important as knowing what they are. Here are a few final tips to leave you off with:

• Start with general questions and then move to specific questions.
• Don’t ask too many probing questions in one go – mix them up and sprinkle them in throughout your sales pitch
• Make sure your tone is friendly and conversational.
• Don’t overuse loaded questions
• Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification if needed
• Don’t overuse questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no
• Aim for open-ended questions
• Avoid sounding like you’re interrogating the person (because you aren’t questioning them for a war crime)
• Don’t be afraid of silence – sometimes it’s better to wait for a response than to jump in with another question.
• Be prepared to probe deeper if the person doesn’t give you the information you’re looking for.
• Keep an open mind, and be flexible – the person you’re talking to may surprise you.
• And last but not least, have fun! Probing questions can be a great way to get to know someone better.

Conclusion

Probing questions are a great way to get more information from someone. By asking the right questions, you can better understand what the person wants or needs. And by asking follow-up questions, you can get even more information.

But it’s essential to use probing questions wisely. If you ask too many probing questions, you may come across as interrogating the person. So, be sure to mix up your questions and ask them friendly and conversationally.

Do you have any tips for asking probing questions? Share them in the comments below!