Asking Questions: Some Characteristics of Successful Sales Encounters

Abstract

AbstractPrevious research investigating sales interactions using the Bales' Interaction Process Analysis method found socio-emotional and task comments to be related to success in making a sale. In addition, salespeople seem to control the interaction by the questions they ask. However, the precise types of questions asked, which socioemotional comments, or which task comments lead to sales in which situations are not well documented. This research analyzed conversations between agents selling a service and their customers. The question-asking categories in the Bales' format were modified to gather information on the types of questions used during sales conversations. The results indicate that closed questions, solidarity comments, and giving opinions successfully discriminated between sales encounters that end in a sale and those that do not.

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