"Mover" questions are an excellent tool to remove awkwardness from a situation when meeting with a new prospect that may not have an immediate need or interest in what you sell. They are used to move the conversation along. It can be embarrassing to be in front of someone and at a loss of words so preparing ahead and learning how to move the conversation along with "mover" questions will help alleviate this problem.
Generally, you would not use "mover" questions when working on the phone. If there is no interest from your prospect it is more polite to respectfully thank them for their time and end the call unless you are getting clear signals that the prospect is still interested in continuing the conversation. You need to go with your gut feeling on this.
Examples of Mover Questions:- This is a beautiful facility/office. How long have you been at this location?
- Do you have other locations? Where?
- How many product lines or services does you offer?
- I have a client that might have an interest in your products; in passing your information along, who should I have him ask for? (This can be a very powerful question but only use it if the question is true because you may be asked what the name of the client is.)
The idea is to have questions that will encourage your potential prospect to talk about themselves or their business so that you can listen and learn about them. Never bombard them with questions. Use them to initiate friendly conversation. Many times, especially on an IPC call the company or person you call upon may not have an interest in you, but they may know of someone who does. By your taking an interest in them it will make your visit more memorable. It often happens that they may be impressed with you enough that they'll pass your information along to someone else.