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Dear Ms. Marketing: It's All About the Questions

Dear Ms. Marketing: It's All About the Questions

Dear Ms. Marketing:  I can’t get a call back from potential customers what do you think I am doing wrong?

I would say you are asking the wrong questions. The number one mistake I think sales people make is asking the wrong questions. Why ask questions? When you ask questions you are setting the tone for the sale. You also identify the need of the customer. You can build your credibility. Get personal information and get to know the customer and their business. Ask a good question you get a good answer.

Start off by asking a question that will make then evaluate new information. An example may be how long does it take your current lab to return cases? Then you can ask about improving productivity and profits which will lead to savings.

Ask questions about the company goals as well as personal goals. You want to ask a question that will make the customer or prospect think before they answer. To make this even better write down the questions and then write down the answer.  This will make you show how much you value their answer.

When asking about products they uses don’t just ask, “What kind of metal free product are you prescribing for your patients?” Ask if they had to get a crown today what product would they use for themselves? This will get them to think about their products that they offer for their customers.

Here is a list of questions that should not be used:

  • Are you the person that makes all the decisions? You should already know this answer.
  • How much are you currently paying for the product? You should not be concern with this at the time you are making the call.
  • Tell me about your business. You should already know about their business.
  • What would it take to get your business? How many times have we heard that question?


Here are some questions that may get you a sale.

  • What do you look for in a lab? Make it all about them.
  • What is the one thing you would improve about your current lab? Once again you are making it all about them.
  • Are there any other factors you would like to talk about?
  • How can my company make you more successful?


Don’t let price get in the way of a good question. If you ask questions that are intelligent and engaging they will consider you a person of value. If every other word is about price they will think that you are just a salesperson that is selling price.

Remember the next new customer is out there you just have to ask.

Author Information
Dena Lanier
Lanier is president and owner of The Lab 2000, a dental laboratory serving a national market out of Columbus, Ga. She started her career in the dental field in 1980 with dentures and partials.  Since opening her laboratory is 1995, she has grown The Lab 2000 into one of the largest female-owned laboratories in the country. The Lab 2000 maintains it membership with the National Dental Laboratory Association, along with Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, Eastern Conference and the Southeastern Conference of Dental Laboratories. She is the 2009 president of the Georgia Dental Laboratory Association and serves as an NADL laboratory representative.