Most of us purchase to resolve a problem (pain) or fulfill a desire (pleasure).
But we sometimes don't want to feel the extent of how bad the problem really is.
If you are able to help your customer get in touch with how much pain this problem is causing them, you will motivate them to take action.
Also, if you help them clearly see a vision of their desires being fulfilled - you will create enough value to have a sale.
Here are a list of questions that you can use to help your customers truly get in touch with their pain, and have a vision for a happier future.
Intro Questions

1. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions so that I can understand your needs better?
2. How can I help you?

Problem Questions

1. What seems to be the problem?
2. What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing?
3. What is your greatest limiting factor right now?
4. If you could magically erase your biggest challenge right now, what would it be?
5. What's bothering you?
6. What is your biggest obstacle in reaching your vision right now?
7. In a scale of 1 - 10 how satisfied are you with the way things are?
8. What would you say is your greatest headache right now?
9. How bad is the problem?
10. Why is this such a problem for you?
11. Why is this problem causing you so much stress?
12. Why do you feel this is such a problem?
13. How does having this problem make you feel? (or How do you feel about this problem?)
14. How long have you had this problem?
15. How bad is it, really?
16. When this meeting is over - how will you deal with this problem?
17. What is your biggest regret in having this problem?
18. What have you tried in the past to help you get rid of this problem? What happened? (or how come it didn't work?).
    
19. What else have you tried to help resolve this problem?

Consequence Questions

1. How is this problem affecting the rest of your business/ revenue/ profit?
2. If you could put a dollar figure to how much this problem is costing you, what would it be? (have them write it down).
   
3. What have been the (biggest) consequences caused by this problem?
4. What have you had to do in response to this problem?
5. What is the extent that this problem has affected the rest of the business?
6. What is the extent of damage that this problem has caused?
7. If you could name all of the consequences you have endured because of this problem, what would they be?
8. What are the 3 biggest challenges you have faced because of this problem?
9. How has this problem affected you personally?
10. How has your staff/spouse/children responded to this problem?
11. Have you lost any customers/sleep/ because of this problem?
12. How many customers have you lost because of this problem?
13. How much time/money/resources have you spent trying to deal with this problem?
14. If this problem does not get resolved, what do you think will happen?
15. How much longer can your business survive without dealing with this problem?
16. If you do not resolve this problem, what are your options?
17. If you do not get this problem resolved, what do you think will happen?
18. If this problem does not get resolved, what are you going to do (or what is going to happen with the business)?
19. A year from now, if you are still struggling with this, what will you say to yourself?

Criteria Questions

1. What are the most important criteria that you are looking for in a solution?
2. If you could have any solution for this problem - what would you like it to be (or look like)?
3. What would you say are the most important criteria that you have for ____________________?
4. You mentioned __________, what about that makes it important to you?
5. What are the three most important things you look for in a product/service like this?
6. So that I can better understand, why is that (criteria) so important to you?
7. How would you rank those criteria in order of importance?

Reward Questions

1. If we are able to resolve this problem, how will that benefit you (or what will be the greatest benefit to you)?
2. Why is it so important to you that we resolve this problem?
3. How will the business benefit most from resolving this problem?
4. In what other ways will the business (or you) benefit from taking care of this problem?
5. Why is that important to you?
6. Could you tell me more how this solution could help you?
7. How would it help you to ____________?
8. Would you explain how having ________ would help you?
9. Is ________ important because of __________?
10. How much could you __________, if we could ____________?
11. If we could __________, how much more __________ could you accomplish?
12. Could the new _________, help you to __________?
13. Is there any other way this would help you?
14. Is there any other way that using __________ would help you?
15. What other benefits could you foresee from using this solution?
16. Couldn't ____________ also _____________?
17. What other ways could this help you?

Vision Questions

1. Imagine you were to resolve this issue once and for all - what will your business look like (or what will you be able to do with your business)?
2. Once the problem is gone, what will you be able to do?
3. How will you feel once this problem is resolved once and for all?
4. Let's say we remove this obstacle - then what will you be able to do?
5. What would you do with the time/money/resources that you would save?
6. What could you do with the _____________ our solution would provide you?
7. What other things could you accomplish if you didn't have to ___________anymore?
8. If you could ___________ what would you do with the money you would save?
9. What would it be worth if you could ___________?

Urgency Questions

1. How important is it to you, to resolve this problem?
2. When do you want to get this problem resolved?
3. How much longer do you want to wait until this problem is resolved?
4. If it was up to you, how quickly would you like to get rid of this problem?
5. How much does it mean to you to resolve this problem as quick as possible?
6. If you do not deal with this problem immediately, what do you think will happen? (or - what will happen in the next few weeks or months?)
7. How quickly do you want to resolve this problem?
8. If money was not a problem, how quickly would you resolve this problem?
9. How much more money will it cost you to not deal with this problem immediately?
10. Every day that you do not resolve this problem, how much is it costing you?
11. When would you like to get started?

Decision Questions

1. Now that you have a solution to your problem, do you have any reason not to get this resolved and out of your way as soon as possible?
2. If you do not get this resolved there will be serious consequences, right? Yes.
   If you get this out of your way you will be able to have less problems, achieve more, make more, and get closer to your vision? Yes.
   Once the problem is resolved, you will be no longer hindered from seeing your vision a reality, right? Yes.
   And, the quicker we get started the better results you will get, correct? Yes.
   Then when would you like to get started?

Just try these out in all your sales meetings - and see the results you get...
And don't be surprised if your sales triple instead of double.