60 Open-Ended Sales Questions (By Call Stage)

In short

An open-ended question cannot be answered with yes or no; it usually starts with what, how, or "tell me about".
Use open questions to explore and closed questions to confirm.
Ask one question at a time and wait for the whole answer.
The best follow-up is often just "tell me more about that".

An open-ended sales question is one that cannot be answered with yes or no, such as "how do you handle that today?" Open questions get the buyer describing their world in their own words, which is where you find the problem, the urgency and the language to use later. Below are sixty, grouped by stage.

Opening the call (1-8)

What made you take this call?
What would make this a good use of your time?
What is happening in the business at the moment that made this relevant?
How did you come across us?
What have you already looked at?
Tell me about your role and what you are responsible for.
What are your priorities this quarter?
What would you like to be different six months from now?

Understanding the situation (9-20)

How do you handle this today?
Walk me through what happens from start to finish.
Who is involved in that process?
What tools do you use for it?
How long has it worked this way?
What made you set it up like that?
What works well about the current approach?
Where does it break down?
What have you tried in order to fix it?
What happened when you tried?
How does this compare with how you would like it to work?
What is the hardest part?

Finding the impact (21-32)

What does that cost you?
How often does it happen?
Who else is affected when it does?
What does it stop you from doing?
How does it affect your customers?
What happens if nothing changes this year?
How does your leadership see this problem?
What would solving it be worth?
What would you do with the time you got back?
How would you know it was fixed?
What would that mean for you personally?
Why is this a priority now rather than last year?

The decision (33-44)

How have you made decisions like this before?
Who else will want a say?
What will each of them care about?
What does the process look like from here to a decision?
What could slow it down?
How is something like this usually funded?
What will you compare us against?
What matters most in choosing?
What would make this an easy yes?
What would make it a no?
When do you need it working, and what is driving that date?
What happens if that date slips?

When there is a concern (45-52)

What makes you say that?
What were you expecting?
What are you comparing it with?
What would you need to see to feel comfortable?
What is behind that concern?
How have you handled that worry with other suppliers?
What else is on your mind about this?
If we resolved that, what else would be in the way?

Closing and next steps (53-60)

How does this sound so far?
What stood out to you today?
What questions has this raised?
What would you want your colleagues to see?
What do you see as the next step?
What needs to happen on your side before we speak again?
How would you like me to follow up?
What would stop us from moving forward?

Turning closed questions into open ones

Closed	Open
Are you happy with your current supplier?	What would you change about your current supplier?
Is budget approved?	How does something like this usually get funded?
Are you the decision-maker?	How do decisions like this get made here?
Does that make sense?	How does that compare with what you do today?

How to use a list like this

Do not read it out. Pick two or three per stage that fit this buyer, ask one at a time, and follow the answer rather than the list. Frameworks for ordering them are in SPIN selling questions and discovery call questions that qualify.

Crack Sales notices question droughts on a live call, the long stretches where the rep has stopped asking, and nudges with a question to ask. It is free to use and starts after a 15-minute intro call: book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

What is an open-ended question in sales?

A question that invites an explanation rather than a yes or no, typically starting with what, how, why or "tell me about". For example: "How do you handle this today?"

What are the best open-ended sales questions?

Ones about the buyer's current process, the cost of the problem and how decisions are made: "Walk me through what happens today", "What does that cost you?", and "How have you made decisions like this before?"

When should you use closed questions?

To confirm a fact or get a commitment: "Is Tuesday at two good?" or "Have I understood that correctly?" Explore with open questions, confirm with closed ones.

Try it on your own calls

Crack Sales is free to use on your own sales calls, and it starts after a 15-minute intro call. Book a demo.

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