I was in a bakery recently. The range of the phone. The clerk responded. There was a pause as the caller asked a question. Then, the clerk took a deep breath, sighed, and in a voice that sounded like he was rolling his eyes while dripping mockery at the same time, said, “Yes, we sell birthday cakes, this is a bakery.”

How often does a prospect ask a question in your business where the answer should be clearly evident…in other words, a “dumb question”? It may seem like a silly question, but it really is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to improve and clarify the way your company communicates. It’s also an opportunity to add a direct sales message to the response or to respond with a question that engages the caller. Imagine how much more likely the bakery would be to make a sale if the employee had replied, “Yes, we bake delicious and beautiful birthday cakes; everything from fun decorated cupcakes to triple layer chocolate with double fudge sprinkles on top and always have at least twenty sample cakes on display.

• They ask the realtor. “Do you sell houses on the north side of town?”
• They ask the printer. “Do you want to fold and check my print?”
• They ask the banker. “Do you have safe deposit boxes to rent?”

What do they ask you when they call your business? Perhaps instead of answering the question with a mocking tone and rolling your eyes, you can turn that question into an opportunity. Take a look at your communication efforts and think of innovative, sales-generating responses to opportunities that arise. Create some “standard” responses that better explain and differentiate your products and services and engage prospects in a discussion that will have a much higher percentage of making a sale than “Yes, we sell birthday cakes, this is a bakery.” If your clients or prospects do not know the services or products you offer, you should be spreading it better, not only in your advertising, but in all possible communication devices.

As a project for the next few weeks, make a list of all the “dumb” questions your business gets asked. Then review potential answers and create talking points to explain, differentiate, and entice those who ask to become customers. Get everyone who might be on the receiving end of these questions to practice their answers instead of making callers feel foolish for asking.