How to Ask the Right Questions When Being Pitched a Product

On some level, most people know what it means to be sold to. They understand that the person doing the selling has some financial motivation to say the right thing and gloss over or downplay the negatives to make a deal. So when you’re being pitched a product, how do you ask the questions that will uncover the truth?

I’ve worked in sales for 19 years, and even I have fallen for the tricks of the trade. Often, I’m taken in by the “conspiratorial” approach. Consider my friend who worked as a server: when asked his opinion about a particular dish or bottle of wine, he’d look left, then right, and then lean in and explain, “I’m supposed to push that special, but it’s not actually our best. I’d go for this instead.”

People ate it up, literally. They felt they had the inside track, an ally willing to shoot straight. They’d order more, and he could gently nudge them toward slightly higher-dollar-value items (or not, even!). They’d always tip higher because of how “in” he’d made him feel.

Anyone you trust to build a business relationship with should be able to grasp your concerns and address them freely and openly.

So here I am, another salesperson, to draw back the curtain and help you see through salespeople’s polish to determine whether a product will be valuable to you. It’s well worth the effort to seek out those who make a point of leveraging honesty in their sales pitches and to ask detailed questions to get all the information you need. With that in mind, here are three strategies to help you ask salespeople the right questions so that you get the full picture of what you’re about to purchase.

1. Probe whether the salesperson understands your needs.

Active listening is the No. 1 trait buyers value in a salespeople, according to the LinkedIn State of Sales Report, which polled 200 salespeople. It’s also a good indication that someone is actually trying to help rather than just sell. Pay attention to how often a salesperson pivots back to the same canned lines or tries to direct the conversation back to closing the deal. If they’re operating on autopilot rather than paying attention to and addressing your concerns, they’re probably not truly listening.

After you tell them what you’re looking for, ask them to repeat in their own words what you want for your company. Someone who doesn’t understand your business needs shouldn’t be trusted with meeting them. Anyone you trust to build a business relationship with should be able to grasp your concerns and address them freely and openly. Conversely, I always try to do this proactively with prospective clients. I’ll recap my understanding of their problems and what they’re looking for.

2. Ask for an example of who wouldn’t benefit from what they’re selling.

Any salesperson worth their salt will be able to tell you the reasons you should buy their products, but how many can tell you why you shouldn’t? Even if you’re personally a good fit for what’s being sold, a sincere and knowledgeable salesperson should still be able to provide a thoughtful and clear answer about who wouldn’t be a good fit.

When I sell, my goal is to confound the traditional experience of a salesperson who’s willing to say whatever it takes to close the sale. Instead, I shoot for radical transparency. In many cases, this has meant directing leads to alternative solutions and sometimes away from our services altogether. But this approach also sets the tone of the relationship, helping to engender trust right out of the gate. In many cases, the leads I talk out of working with us end up referring us to others who become fantastic clients.

3. Dig into details about any hidden costs.

We’ve all been there: a salesperson quotes a price that seems too good to be true, and it’s not until after you’ve purchased it that you learn that’s exactly what it was. Make sure to ask about other costs that might come up or factors that might cause the number they gave you to shift dramatically – if the salesperson can’t identify these, that’s a warning sign.

If they know what they’re talking about, they should be able to answer this; if they’re trustworthy, they should have been upfront about those numbers before you asked. No one wants to end up getting billed extra for hidden fees.

Getting the complete picture before making a purchase takes a little extra legwork. But by asking the right questions and listening closely to the answers, you can figure out the difference between a solution that’s right for you and a product that won’t truly satisfy your needs.