The best sales reps don't talk�they ask. Here are 50+ proven open-ended questions to uncover needs, build trust, and close deals.
Why Open-Ended Questions Matter
Closed questions = Yes/No answers. Dead end.
Open-ended questions = Get prospects talking. Uncover pain points, motivations, and objections.
Rule: Ask more, talk less. Aim for an 80/20 split�prospects talk 80%, you talk 20%.
Rapport-Building Questions (First Call)
Goal: Break the ice and establish trust.
- What motivated you to take this call with me today?
- How did you hear about us?
- What does your typical day look like?
- What's been keeping you busy lately?
- How long have you been in your current role?
- What do you enjoy most about your job?
- What are your biggest priorities right now?
General Discovery Questions
Goal: Understand their business and challenges.
- Can you walk me through your current process for [relevant task]?
- What's working well for you right now?
- What's not working as well as you'd like?
- What's the most challenging part of your day/week?
- How are you currently handling [specific problem]?
- What tools or systems are you using today?
- If you could change one thing about your current setup, what would it be?
- What does success look like for you in the next 6-12 months?
Qualifying Questions
Goal: Determine if they're a good fit (BANT�Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline).
- What does your decision-making process look like?
- Who else is involved in this decision?
- Have you allocated budget for solving this problem?
- What's your timeline for making a decision?
- What happens if you don't solve this problem by [timeline]?
- Have you evaluated other solutions? What did you like/dislike?
- What criteria are you using to evaluate vendors?
- What would make this a "no-brainer" decision for you?
Needs/Pain-Based Questions
Goal: Dig deeper into their pain points.
- Why isn't your current solution working for you?
- What problems is this causing for your team?
- How is this impacting your customers?
- What happens if you don't fix this?
- How long has this been a problem?
- What have you tried in the past to solve this?
- What's holding you back from solving this today?
- On a scale of 1-10, how urgent is this problem?
- What frustrates you most about [current situation]?
Impact/Benefit-Driven Questions
Goal: Quantify the cost of inaction and value of solving the problem.
- How much time does your team spend on this manually?
- What does this problem cost you per month/year?
- How many deals/customers are you losing because of this?
- If we solved this, what would that enable you to do?
- What would it mean for your business if this was 10x easier?
- How would solving this impact your team's productivity?
- What's the ROI you're expecting from a solution?
- If you could achieve [desired outcome], how would that change things?
Objection-Handling Questions
Goal: Uncover and address concerns.
- What concerns do you have about moving forward?
- What's holding you back from saying yes today?
- If price wasn't an issue, would this be the right solution?
- What would need to happen for this to be a priority?
- Is there anything I haven't addressed that's important to you?
- What's your biggest fear about implementing a new solution?
Closing Questions
Goal: Move the deal forward.
- Based on what we've discussed, does this sound like a fit?
- What are the next steps from your side?
- When would you like to get started?
- What can I do to help you finalize your decision?
- Do you have any remaining questions before we move forward?
- If we can address [objection], would you be ready to proceed?
- What would make this an easy "yes" for you?
Pro Tips for Asking Questions
- Listen more than you talk: Don't interrupt. Let them finish.
- Follow up: "Tell me more about that" or "Can you give me an example?"
- Take notes: Shows you care and helps you remember details
- Pause: Give them time to think. Silence is powerful.
- Don't pitch yet: Discover first, pitch second
Conclusion
These 50+ questions will transform your sales conversations. Bookmark this page and review it before every call. Master discovery, and closing becomes easy.
Want to handle objections like a pro? Read How to Handle Sales Objections.