BookQuestions That Sell

The Powerful Process for Discovering What Your Customer Really Wants

by Paul Cherry

March 21, 2008
By Gerald J. Acuff
I have written 3 sales books and I believe Paul Cherry has written as good a book on questioning as I have ever seen. He takes asking questions to a new level and we recommend it to all of our clients. I have read it twice and I plan to read it over and over. If you believe that by asking better questions you will be more effective in selling then this book you have to read. You won't get one idea about a great question you will get 20. We believe that effective selling demands that as sales people we provoke thought when we interact with our customers or prospects and questioning is the best way to do that. Paul Cherry shows you exactly how to ask questions that engender thinking. An absolute terrific sales book.

October 1, 2007
By JR (Saratoga, CA)
Very affordable. Quick read. Great help in training new sales people. It’s always a challenge to get my sales staff to really connect with customers and close a sale. This simple book helps them figure out what to say, or what to ask.

July 18, 2007
By Dr. Tami Brady “Whole Health Therapist” (Calgary, Canada)
Finally, a sales guide that gets right to the point. I’ve read so many of these sales and marketing texts that lead the reader through a series of generalized statement such as “get to understand your clients needs” or “know who buys your products”. These are pretty obvious statements in my mind. Of course, getting to know my customer’s needs are going to help my business. It only makes sense that I will sell more if people actually need what I am selling. But how do I find out who my customers are, what is really important to them, and most importantly how do I get them to buy from me rather than from my competitors?

Questions That Sell is the answer. This book gives detailed examples of real questions to use to engage a potential client so that you can actually find out what they need, what their current problems with your competitor are, and how willing they would be to buy your product. I particularly liked the sections on how to determine whether the individual talking to you really wants you to phone back tomorrow or if he or she is just trying to let you down easy, how to determine if you are talking to someone who can actually make a buying decision, and ways to move along clients wanting to sit on the fence.

August 28, 2006
By Bill Kniedsen (Missouri)
After finishing this book, I committed to practicing his concepts for three months. Wow! My income increased 30% the following three months. That was $25,000 additional commissions in my pocket. His ideas work.

August 26, 2006
By Jacqueline M. Kehoe (Palm City, FL USA)
I read Paul Cherry’s book in one sitting, enthralled by the advice therein. I was really challenged by one particular prospect who just wouldn’t give me any time. Putting the techniques outlined in Questions That Sell into action, I developed a more effective and more engaging selling style. In fact, not only was this same prospect now open to what I had to say, but he is now one of my most profitable customers to date! I highly recommend Questions That Sell!

August 26, 2006
By Vinnie Bartilucci (Whitehall, PA USA)
I was getting some price pressures with this one client who wanted to take their business elsewhere. Using the chapter on dealing with objections and stalls, I was able to get to the real issues troubling the client, and prove the value of my solution. “Questions That Sell” is a great tool to overcome clients' reservations regarding price.

May 8, 2006
By Dorian Tenore (Philadelphia, PA USA)
Paul Cherry is the Dr. Phil McGraw of sales and leadership training! His excellent book QUESTIONS THAT SELL helps salespeople to get to the heart of clients’ needs by truly getting to know your customers. Cherry’s anecdotes and written exercises teach you to phrase questions in ways that’ll spark meaningful dialogue, encouraging customers to explain in detail what they're looking for so you can best explain how you can help them. Cherry provides examples of many effective questioning styles, such as the comparison question (for instance, instead of asking your customer, “What do you like about your current system?”, say “Describe for me what you like about your current system versus what you do not like.”), the lock-on question (locking onto a particular point the customer makes; for instance, if your customer says, “We've been trying to get this project off the ground for several months,” you may respond, “I noticed you said the word ‘trying.’ What has worked so far and what has not?”), and many more. By reading QUESTIONS THAT SELL, you'll not only learn how to ask better questions, you’ll learn how to be a better listener, which is equally important in a good customer/vendor relationship. I highly recommend Paul Cherry’s QUESTIONS THAT SELL for anyone who wants to be a more effective salesperson and give customers the best value, not just the best price!

June 2, 2006
By K. Sparks (Delaware)
Unlike many books targeted to salespeople, this book is actually enjoyable to read. The stories in the book help to make the strategies put forth by the author come alive. So many other sales books that are out there are boring to read and useless for real life situations. This book stands out because it is well written, creative in its approach and filled with good ideas and suggestions.

July 12, 2006
By John Kenner "John" (New York)
I really liked this book. Lots of great examples on how to get the customer involved. Great resource on how to listen by asking key questions and how to qualify customers. Plus the chapter on minimizing price barriers and how to sell value is well worth reading. You'll find this book practical and straightforward.

June 2, 2006
By Michael Boyette (Philadelphia, PA)
A useful, practical guide that offers a new perspective on the use of questions in the sales process. Most people think of questions as a tool for gathering information. Cherry focuses on how good questions can help establish an emotional connection with customers. Sales are made on emotion, not logic, and Cherry shows how salespeople can get customers to open up and talk about what's truly important to them. I especially liked the technique of the "lock on" question -- a question that quickly zeroes in on these emotions without making the customer uncomfortable. I employed this technique on a recent sales call and it worked!

May 18, 2006
By Stella
This is one of the best sales books I have read thus far! I love how Mr. Cherry takes a step-by-step approach by describing not only what questions to ask, but HOW to ask them and WHEN to ask them during the sales process. I found this book to be very comprehensive and thorough...worth every penny!

May 16, 2006
By John Hudson Gregory (Canada)
Paul Cherry has been very clever. Many of us have been on countless courses over the years and read numerous books. He has taken a fundamental subject and given new insights. Having read the book I now listen more attentively to the words people use rather than what they say. This attention allows one to ask perceptive questions. I can feel myself trying the techniques in my day to day work. I have recommended this book to many colleagues and friends.

April 6, 2006
By Selling with Grace (Wisconsin)
Great book to stimulate your thinking and get you to ask good questions with your customers. In the past I've fallen into the trap of asking questions which ends up making the customer feel interrogated. I did all the talking and then the opportunity went nowhere.

I think this book will give you some great ideas on how to reposition your questions so you don't hit a lot of brick walls but, create new opportunities that gets the customer much more involved in your conversations.

March 19, 2006
By Darryl Montague (Philadelphia, PA)
This was a refreshing perspective on creating solid relationships with potential clients. When I first saw the book, I immediately thought that it would be no different than any other sales book I've purchased in the past. I was presently surprised. Mr. Cherry does a wonderful job in presenting why the importance of asking the right questions to clients can make or break a deal. I suggest this as a must read for any sales professional that wants to increase their sales and build a larger pipeline of business.

March 17, 2006
By Pete Coopers "Trainer" (West Chester PA)
It helped me to understand the power of asking good questions and how I can be in control of the sales process more completely.

I landed a big account that I have been working on for almost a year. I was able to ask the right questions and open doors that had been previously shut.

I found the book insightful and a money maker for me.

I highly recommend this book to increase your sales.

March 16, 2006
By Charles Carey "President - Executive Link, LLC" (Atlanta, GA)
This is with out a doubt the best book in print that deals specifically with the whole area of incorporating the right questioning techniques. It helped me think out of the box and create the right questions at the right time that will definitely produce results. The great thing is that Paul provides the questions for you, so you don't have to guess whether or not you are phrasing them correctly. I paid list price for the book at a book store and believe that it is the best investment I have made in my business and myself in a long time. Thank You Paul for your insights, experience and skill.

March 8, 2006
By Rob Phillipson "Sales Maven" (California)
Questions that Sell makes customers think.

If you want to differentiate yourself from everyone else, you have to ask thought provoking questions. Asking better questions gets people to open up, and to share with you their decision making process, criteria and what will motivate them to buy.

I can not believe that after all these years in sales, I have been asking too many mediocre questions. No wonder I have been getting mediocre responses. I'm excited to take my selling to a deeper and more meaningful level with my customers.

This is a must read!

March 8, 2006
By Claire Wilson (Philadelphia)
I've read plenty of sales books on the need to develop customer relationships. But Questions That Sell gives you specific tools on the "how to" and this is what separates this book from all the others.

Questions that Sell gives seasoned pros and those new to sales the skills of asking the right questions at the right time, whether it's in front of prospects or your most established customers.

One of my biggest frustrations in my field is dealing with prospects who constantly give you the brush off. I call on doctors. They're busy and won't give me more than a few seconds.

After reading Questions That Sell, I decided to give the educational question a try which Paul Cherry writes about in one of the chapters.

Wow! After calling on this same guy for months and getting the same old, "I don't have time",I asked the educational question and got the doctor to literally stop in his tracks. He then turns around and says, "You know that's an interesting question you asked and a big issue I am grappling with....." So he then asks me if I have a minute. Can you believe that? The doctor asks me if I have the time to talk. So that one minute turns into a 20 minute dialogue. Best of all, that meeting led to a $25,000 order with plenty more business to come.

Read this book. Whatever type of customer you are calling on, you will greatly benefit. There are plenty of examples on how to engage your customers, so you can create a deeper understanding, uncover their motivating factors on why they should buy, and tap into their frustrations so you can close more business.

I'm actually asking less questions now and getting tons more information, thanks to Questions that Sell.