Remember to Consider Rhetorical Questions

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the best retail salespeople ask questions of the shopper and later use the answers to verify the shopper’s preferences by asking more questions.
     If the salesperson’s memory serves her or him well, the questions in that second round might be rhetorical. In retailing, a rhetorical question is a query to which the answer is felt to be so obvious that no reply is necessary. Examples include “Wouldn’t it be fun to have this couch in your living room by tonight?,” and “Do you want to miss this wonderful opportunity?”
     In accord with the WSJ advice, rhetorical questions help close a sale. But be careful. Researchers at University of Kansas and Ohio State University find that rhetorical questions work only with customers who are already feeling favorable. Then the customer will often answer the question inside his head, if not aloud, with the result that he’ll be thinking more about what you’ve been telling him. If you’ve been telling him the advantages of purchasing the product, he becomes more likely to make that purchase. When he’s already feeling favorable, rhetorical questions help the customer convince himself he’s making an excellent decision.
     However, if either your perception or memory slipped, you might not know that a shopper has nagging doubts about the product, service, store, or salesperson. In these cases, rhetorical questions make the shopper feel all boxed in. He’ll have a sense that you're trying to manipulate him, and he’ll want to escape from the purchase. You’ll lose the sale.
     In personal selling, it’s best to use rhetorical questions only after you sense that the customer wants to make the purchase, but needs a bit of a nudge. If you’re not sure of the degree of shopper resistance, soften any rhetorical questions. One way to soften is to use the questions infrequently. Research findings suggest using rhetorical questions no more than three times in your sales presentation around cautious consumers.
     Another way to soften the rhetorical is to introduce it by asking the customer’s permission and presenting the rhetorical as a statement instead of a question. You could say something like, “May I tell you a question my other customers have considered when making this kind of purchase decision?” The customer is much more likely to say yes than no, and by him giving you permission to go on, the psychological barriers to persuasion are relaxed.

Click below for more:
Use Rhetorical Questions to Close Sales
Soften Rhetoricals Around Cautious Shoppers