The Top 6 Sales Questions That Make Prospects Sell Themselves
In this 7‑minute YouTube presentation Jeremy Miner introduces his Neuro‑Emotional Persuasion Questioning (NEPQ) methodology and walks viewers through the six core question types that, when used correctly, shift prospects from price‑focused thinking to results‑focused buying. He explains the purpose, psychological underpinning, and pacing of each question type, provides concrete, industry‑specific scripts (auto, SaaS, real‑estate, finance, health, dental, benefits, fitness, etc.), and demonstrates how the questions build a gap, surface hidden pains, and create future‑pacing. Throughout, Miner emphasizes the need to disarm prospects, uncover factual situations, surface multiple problems, paint a vivid solution future, highlight consequences of inaction, and secure micro‑ and macro‑commitments. The video serves both as a teaser for his "ADPQ Black Book of Questions" (a 273‑question script library) and a call‑to‑action for viewers to comment “black book” to receive the resource. The overarching claim is that mastering these six question categories dramatically increases conversion rates across B2B, B2C, and B2G sales.
Chapters
Close to 200,000 people have already bought the ADPQ Black Book of Questions in the last two years alone. Now, in case you haven't, my friend, I'm going to give you the top questions in this book that you can use for what you sell right now. Doesn't matter if you sell on the phone in person. B2B. B2C. B2G. It's going to help you right now. Take a look. You're going to want to check this out. Now the first questions we're going to dive into in this book, in case you haven't had it, in case you got it, maybe you don't know, maybe you haven't really opened it up, which could be trouble for you. You definitely want to get involved, right? You're committed to mastery. The first type of questions we ask are what are called connection questions. Okay. If you're not one of our clients. Our methodology stands for nvq, stands for Neuro Emotional Persuasion Questioning. It's a methodology I developed in my background in behavioral science in university, becoming a psychologist. And I used in my 18 year sales career that I was in both B2C and B2B before I retired and about a year later started this company. Here we are now. So some would say a pretty successful sales career. So connection questions, what do we do with these? All right, so connection questions are the first stage of this book. Now connection questions do three things. Okay. In another video I'll go through more details, but basically I'm disarming the prospect to get their guard down. Now why is that important? Because how many times do you start a conversation or you get in the middle of a conversation and you ask questions and you notice the prospect gives you a lot of what? Vague generalized surface level answers. Now why did that happen? Because typically in the beginning of that conversation something you said or how you said it, your tone or questions you asked caused their guard to go up where they've kind of like stayed surface level with you. Right? So we want to get their guard down because if their guard's down, it's a lot easier to settle them. Right. I also want to take them out of price or cost based thinking because what question do you have? Anytime a salesperson first starts talking to you, what question do you have in your mind? Probably what, how much is this going to cost? Right? You always think about now why does the brain go there? Okay, the question is, if you're thinking that question yourself when you first start talking to a salesperson, what's the likelihood your Prospects are thinking that question when you first start talking to them. See what I mean? Okay, so I want to get them out of that, into results based thinking. So my questions need to develop that from the very beginning. So a generic one would be something like this. Okay, I'll write this out. Let's say the first part of the question, exchange, presence fees, all that kind of stuff. And let's say that you have maybe in this example, an SDR that books an appointment with what you sell. Just give me an example. Okay, so I might simply say, so when you talked to Jamie or my associate Jamie or whatever, what was it that, excuse my spelling, spelling be Nazis you went over that caused you to wanna. Right and fast look into this further. Let's pray that so hey, so when you were talking with my associate Jamie, what was it that you guys kind of went over that caused you to feel like, hey, maybe, maybe I need to look into this a bit further. See, I'm just nice and relaxed. Nice and disarming. Now why is this question so important? Now obviously if you're knocking on doors, you're not gonna ask this question right here. There's different questions we're gon ask. But let's say this is my second or third connection question and STR booked the appointment. It's an inbound appointment now I'm on zoom or in person or whatever. When this prospect starts to tell you, what was it that they talked about with this other person that caused them to want to look into this further? Who are they also telling themselves? So you're getting information that you'll need further throughout the sale about kind of what drives them, what's going on. But they're starting to get themselves from price or cost based thinking to results based thinking. By telling you why they're wanting to look into it further, they're getting into that result. See what we're doing there. Okay, there's a lot more to that. There's stuff before and after that. So an industry specific example might be something like this. Okay, let's see if I sold. I'm in the auto industry. That's the fourth biggest industry we train. And let's say that somebody responds to an ad, Internet ad and you call them back. Yeah, John. Hey, it's John. It's, it's James, James Miller. You asked us to call you back. Looks like you responded to the ad on Facebook this morning about the 2025 red Audi. Right. See what I'm doing? Taking them from price or cost base thinking to results based Thinking, see what I'm doing there? You asked us to call you back. Okay. Because they responded to an ad. Put a name, email, phone number, it looks like you responded to an ad on you. Remind their brain where they responded this morning about possibly notice I'm still neutral, but possibly looking at that red 2025 A6 Audi. Right, right. So then I'm going to go right into that next connection question. I gave you the generic version a second ago. Yeah, we just got that car. And because I'm going to tie in what I sell to the question we show you to do that in this book. Yeah, I just got that car in a trade in that you're looking at, I guess, what aspects of the car cause you maybe to maybe want to come in and test drive it. So see, I'm saying instead of saying, what did you talk about with XYZ that caused you to want to look into this further? That's generic now. I'm industry specific. Yeah, we just got that car in a trade in that you're looking at? Well, I guess what aspects of the car cause you to feel like, hey, maybe, maybe I might come in and test drive it or what aspects of the car cause you to maybe want to test drive it? So I'm already getting that to end result. So when they tell me why they're looking for the car, who are they also telling themselves? So I'm starting to take them from price or cost to results based thinking. See how that works. Okay. Another question I might use, let's go to a different industry. Let's say if I'm selling an inbound lead and let's say I'm selling SaaS for associations. I think SaaS is the fifth or sixth biggest industry in the world. We train now and I could be some. They booked on the call and SDR put them on there. Okay. So exchange pleasantly, all that stuff. Okay. So it looks like you booked with us to I guess look at maybe getting some outside help with your awards program to really automate the process for your judges. Right. Okay. I say okay, so it looks like you booked with this about maybe getting some help with automating the process for the company. Right, Because I'm saving them time by automating their process. Okay. I'm taking them from price or cost based thinking to what results based thinking. You're starting to get this. Hey, so when you were talking with my associate Dave, what was it that you guys kind of went over that caused you to feel like, hey, maybe, maybe I need to look into this further, See how that works. Okay. All right, let's keep moving on. I could give you a bunch of questions, but I'm just giving you some in there. Okay. Make sure you probably want to get this book if you want all of them. Now, let's keep going. All right, now, the second type of questions, we call those NEPQ situation questions. Now, why are these so important to you, to really master? Because these are where you're finding out the facts of what's going on. So I'm finding out what is the prospect's real situation. Okay. And I'm also. Because I got to know. Right, you got to know the real situation. But more importantly, who has to know the prospect? These questions help the prospect understand the real situation. Because do your prospects just understand their entire real situation when you first start talking to them? Unlikely. Okay, so your questions, these questions, we train you. Allow them to understand them. Because if they don't understand where they're at right now, how can you build a gap to where they want to be? If they don't really understand where they're at, that's really hard to build the gap. So if I can get them to understand where they're at, I can't tell them. That just goes in one area at the end. My questions have to get them to open up. So let's say this one question in here. Let's say I'm finding out the facts. So let's say if I sold for a marketing agency, it's like one of the top 10 insurgents you're training. So walk me through. What are you guys doing to generate new leads and clients? Now, just so I understand, it's just a curious tone. So walk me through, what are you guys doing to generate new leads and clients for the business? And they start to tell you it's just a nice, easy situation. Now, there's obviously more that you're going to ask. Let's pick another industry. A lot of industry. So I'll give you frameworks in here that show you how to tie it into any industry. And then I give you several examples from many different industries so you can see what it is. Okay, let's see right here. Let's say if I'm a relationship therapist or a psychologist per se, because you're selling your services. Right. That's a big industry we train as well. So, okay, I was reading your application and you had mentioned that you guys are having some issues with some kind of the connection, the communication with your husband. Can you tell me a little Bit about what's going on. Seem nice and easy and kind of a concerned tone there. Because this, you're talking about marriage and relationship. So you're like, you're concerned. You have empathy there. Okay, So I was reading your application, if they fill out one, and you mentioned that you're having some issues around some resentment and some. Some communication stuff with your husband. Can you tell me a little bit more about what's going on? Boom. Right there you start getting some facts. Okay? Now there's going to be other questions I'm going to ask after that, of course, but those are examples of situation questions. Okay, let's move on to the next section. The third section we're going to talk about here in the book here. These are called NEPQ problem awareness questions. Okay, so we've got problems awareness. Now why do I call them problem awareness? Because if we can't help them find problems. Notice I didn't say problem problems. Now why do I want to find multiple problems? Because if I can, if I only find one problem for them, how big is that gap? Not that big, but if I can help them find two or three or four, maybe even five other problems they didn't realize they had, see how big that gap gets. And it's harder for them to feel like they can do it on their own. They don't need me. Then go with somebody else. Because nobody else they're talking to from other companies can build that big of a gap. So that's why they're always going to go with you, because they perceive your value as far higher than anybody else that only found one problem. Okay? So these questions are meant to do two things. And I want to show you this. So write this down. This is important to you. The two biggest. Write this down. Emotional drivers that causes a human being to want to change are what? Pain. And the fear of future pain. Okay? Even if they don't have a problem, I can get them to fear that there could be pain in the future that they have to prevent. Life insurance, for example. Cybersecurity, Many different industries, okay? Pain can be of their current state or their past history. Something happened in the past that was painful, okay? And they don't want to have that pain continue. Or they feared that it could happen again. You see what I'm saying here? So let's say these questions could be. Let's say if I sold financial services, okay? And I'm talking to an investor, that's the third biggest industry. We're trained, and I might be there. So the retirement strategies you have right now, do you 100% love the returns you've been getting? Now what did I do there? See how I slowed that down? I'm pacing that question out because if I was like, so the retirement strategy has, with Ameriprise, do you love what the returns you're getting. Yeah, they're pretty good. See, if I say a question, if I ask a question too fast, I give the prospect, what, no time to internalize and think deeper about what I asked. What? When I slow that down and I pace that question out, it causes them like, I don't wanna say force, but it causes their brain to focus on. Internalize what I asked. Okay? So it takes them deeper. That's where the emotional connection comes in there. Now what did I do there? Notice I said 100% in love with the returns you've been getting. Now why did I say 100%? Why don't I say, are you in love with the returns you're getting? Because is anybody satisfied with anything 100%? Think about everything you've ever bought. Do you love it 100%? Unlikely. Think about the person you're dating or married with. You loved them for the you. Cloud nine, the first three to four or five months, they did no wrong. They were perfect. And then six months in, you found stuff that you didn't like, Right? And they probably found stuff that they didn't like about you, right? So nobody's 100% happy with anything. That just goes against human nature. That's why I'm putting that in there. Okay, See how that works? Another example right here. Let's say if I sold for a recruiting agency here, there's all different industry specific examples in here. So help me understand, you've been posting, you know, on these job boards the last four years. Like indeed. I mean, what's caused you to feel like indeed might not be getting you the best people? See what I'm doing there? Okay. Now that's obviously going to be a booked appointment. That's not going to be a cold call that I'm going to say that question because I'm reached out to them. But let's say if I make that cold call, okay, and then I book them on an appointment, then this question makes sense because they showed up. Okay, so help me understand. You've been using like LinkedIn and indeed the last several years. I mean, they're fairly decent. I mean, what's caused you to feel like they might not be getting you the best people? Well, we like them. Jeremy. But. And now they start to do what? They start to tell you what they don't like rather than you saying, what don't you like about what you have? Or do you like it? Okay, what don't you like? What would you change? Those are predictable questions. What are two issues you're having with this? What are some problems? Every prospect knows those questions and where they lead. Right? So I have to interrupt that pattern with these type of questions. You get me? Okay. All right. This just warming up here. Let's say if I sold. If I'm real estate agent, that's the second biggest interchange. So, I mean, the home you have, it's a. It's a very beautiful home. I mean, what's caused you to feel like you might want to sell it? Well, we love it, but. And now they start to tell me why they want to sell it. But more importantly, who are they telling? They're starting to tell themselves why they want to sell it. And now they're persuading themselves. See, we're wanting to internally persuade them rather than trying to externally persuade them, because we all know that doesn't work that well. Right? Okay, let's keep going here. We're going to go over to solution awareness questions now. So solution awareness questions, why are these important here? Let's go purple here, baby. Let's go some seventh level. So solution awareness questions now. Why are we asking these? Okay, so these are what are called solution awareness. Might even rename them future awareness. I don't know. So what we're doing here, you've heard of, like, future pacing, right? So we're getting to focus on what the future looks and feels like once the newfound problems are solved. Now, why is that so critical for you to master? Because even if you build a huge gap from where they are, right? And you help them find all these problems, you pull out the pain. If they can't connect what the future will look like once that pain, once those problems are gone, there's probably no sale. So I still have to get them to see and feel like, what does that see? Like they're viewing it. It's like they're seeing the future. What that feels like once the problems are solved or once their emotional needs are met. Okay. You know, if I sell a $500,000 Rolls Royce, it's not like it solves a problem, Right? They can drive a used Honda from point A to point B, but it probably does solve an emotional need. They want higher status. They want people to view them differently. They want people to know that they're successful. So it solves that emotional need they feel themselves driving in that car, what it feels like. See what I'm doing there? Okay, so let's see a couple examples here. Might be, let's say if I sold fitness, huge industry. We trained as well. Like, you help people, you sell to consumers, you help them lose weight. Keep it off. Okay, so let's say that we come in, we get you involved in XYZ plan, we help you lose the 105 pounds. What would you be able to do that you feel you can't do right now or maybe you can't do your best at now? I'm just reading out the script so it sounds unscripted. Let's do that again. Okay, so let's say that we come in, we're able to help you lose 105 pounds like we do with our other clients. What would you be able to do that maybe you can't do now, or maybe you're not your best at now? Notice I'm going down to that concerned tone, a tone that shows empathy. Now, why do you want to do that there? Because that concerned tone shows that you what you care. And when the prospect feels like you actually care about what happens to them or the consequences if they don't do anything, does that lower trust or does that raise your trust with them? Of course. I mean, you're smart, right? You wouldn't be following me if you were. Of course that raises your trust. Okay, so I'm getting them to see and feel what? Oh, my gosh. I'd be able to play basketball with my sons. I'd be able to do this. But being able to play ball with your sons, again, what would it do for you? Oh, my gosh, it would take so much stress off. See, I'm getting them to feel that emotion. Remember, human beings, do they buy off logic or emotion? It's 100% emotion. Brain studies prove that. There's no debate on science with that. Okay, so 100% emotion. So selling is not something, right? It's selling something to do to them or for them. Selling something to do for people to solve their problems and get where they want to be. And if I can't master how to help them feel that pain and relive that pain, have a fear of future pain and then get them to see what that future looks like. Like, once that's gone, I offered them no value. I just wasted their freaking time. And I know you don't want to do that, right? Because you're the type of person that got into sales probably to help people you want to make money, but the more people you help, the more what? The more money you make. The more companies you help, the more money you make. And that's the way it should be. Okay, Follow the frameworks. You're going to see the frameworks when you get this book. Okay, let's say if you sold health insurance. Big industry. We train as well. We train a big division of United Healthcare down at the Southwest. They're crushing it. Okay, so let's suppose that we're able to get you a policy that has a nationwide network so that you can see any doctor you want and know that when something big happens, that you're completely covered financially. Knowing that was there, what would that do for you guys? Now, I'm going a little bit slow because I'm reading here. I don't have all these questions memorized from thousands of industries we train. Okay, so let's suppose we're able to get you the policy that has the nationwide network. I'm going to repeat back what they want. Let's say this prospect wanted a nationwide network that has a nationwide network so that you can see any doctor you want. So when something big happens, you're completely covered financially. Knowing that was there, what would that do for you? Oh, it would do this. It would do that. See, I'm getting them to see and feel what that future looks like once the newfound problems are solved. Are you getting this? Okay. All right, perfect. Now let's keep going here. All right, let's go into. These are called consequence questions. What are the consequences if they don't do anything? That could be trouble. Right. So what are the consequences? Learned these from Brian Tracy a long, long time ago, my friend. All right, so consequence questions. Okay, so what happens if they don't do anything? What are the ramifications? What are the consequences if they don't change? If they don't get the problem solved? Okay, see how that works? All right, that is really important so I can lean and say so. Okay, so let's say if I'm selling dental implants, it's another huge industry. Retrain, train. If you're watching me, we're training your industry. Okay? Dental implants. So what happens if you don't do anything about this? You keep losing the bone density in your jaw, and now you can't even get implants. So with implants, if they don't do anything, after a while, they literally lose the bone density and they can't get implants even if they want to. So it's a valid question. So what happens if you don't do anything about this, though? You keep losing the bone density in your jaw and now you can't even get implants. See, it's a consequence. Now notice how I'm starting off a little bit challenging. So what happens if you don't do anything about this? You keep losing that bone density in your jaw and now you can't even get implants. Now see how I'm starting off challenging a little bit? Raise the emotion and then I get down to that concern tone. Tone that shows empathy because it shows that I what? That I have empathy for them if they don't do anything like the I, I, I'm concerned for you if you don't do this. You with me on that? Okay, so let's say if I sold employee benefits, big one for us as well, to companies. Okay. But on the flip side, here's another frame. On the flip side, what happens if you just keep the same plan and you keep having your top executives go over to XYZ Co. I mean, what's going to happen to the business at that point? So let's say if I found it in the conversation, that the, the benefit package they had is not very good. Their competitors are stealing away some of their top executives because they have better benefits. So I'm tying that into the consequence question because a generic consequence question for industry could be like, what happens if this stays the same? Or what happens if you don't do anything about this? Okay, these are, that's just generic. So I want to tie that in to what their actually problem is. So I could start. Okay. But on. So let's say if they're like, no, I need to do something, I really need to change. Well, on the flip side, now you're not going to ask a consequence question in the first couple of minutes. This is like 75% in the conversation, right? So when you're in our client, like when you're in our training programs, like level one through level seven certification, you always hit us up if you want to get trained. So you sell more when you see that. You're going to see when to ask these questions. You're not going to randomly ask these questions. Because I always say this. The best question asked at the wrong time can actually be the worst question. So you have to know when and why and how. If you don't know the when, why and how, you're just winging it like other people out there. And I Know that you're not a winger like all those people out there. For sure. Okay, so those are consequence questions. I could ask anything here. Home improvement. So what happens if you don't end up putting the pool in? The kids keep having to drive all the way down to the YMCA and you guys miss out on all those memories with them. I'm only going to ask that if they told me the reason why they want the pool is say the grandparents, they're tired of their grandkids going to the YMCA 30 miles away and they're missing all this time in the summer with their grandkids. So I'm tying that in. So what happens if you don't, you don't put the pull in your grandkids keep driving all the way to the YMCA and you don't have those summer memories with them because that's probably important. See, I'm pulling out what they said. I'm not making that up. I'm pulling it out that emotionally connects the dot with the prospect where they feel like they can trust you. They feel like you understand them. They feel like you can solve their problems and get them where they want to be. And I know that's what you want to do as well. Okay, let's keep going. I'm going to give you a couple of more. This is going to be fun. We're going to wrap it up, baby. All right, now these, let's go here. These are called NEPQ commitment questions. Now I don't like using closing questions. I don't like closing. It sounds awkward. Like does anybody want to be closed? No. But do you want to buy? Yes. Do you want to have problems solved? Yes. Do you want, you have your emotional needs solved? Yes. So this is a commitment to take the next step and purchase what you're offering. Now it can also ask what are called micro commitment questions. And these are just smaller commitment questions that lead to the larger step of buying whatever you sell. Okay, so like setting up a next step appointment. Let's say if you sell to companies and you have a three month sales cycle or whatever. Okay. Every commitment, give them getting on the next calendar, on the calendar for the next appointment, next point. That's a micro commitment. Okay. Or I'm asking straight commitment questions where basically it's taking the next step to purchase what you're offering. So I might lean in a generic one that you can use for any industry. Do you feel like this could be the answer for you? Yeah, I do. Well, hold on. Why do you feel like it is Well, I, you know, or they could say, yeah, I do, but. And they're going to tell you their objection, which I want. I want to know the objection right there. Which you would want to know the objection. Right? You wouldn't want to just like hope and pray that they don't have an objection. I want to, I want to trigger an objection to happen at the end so I know what it is. I don't want to like try to like throw some dust over it and hope and pray it doesn't happen once I leave the house or the office or zoom and they just cancel. You don't want to do that. Okay, now a couple industry specific examples. I can take that same question and lean in and let's say if I sold, I don't know, let's say if I'm a real estate agent. So do you feel like the marketing plan that we put together, do you feel like, do you feel like that can be the answer for you guys to sell this house pretty quickly? See, I just tied in. So do you feel like the marketing plan we put together, do you feel like that's going to sell your house a lot quicker than the last guy? I could ask that if that was the thing they had. They said the last guy had a bad marketing plan. I could tie that in. Okay, let's say if they're a buyer, do you feel like this could be the home for you and your family? Yeah, we do. Hold on. Why do you feel like it is though? That's a probing question. See how I could do that? I mean, I could do this for any industry. Let's say if I sold life insurance, I could present three different plans and I could simply. This is a different type of commitment question. If you're presenting different options, which one of those would you lean more towards? I think I'd lean more towards plan A. Hold on. Why do you feel like plan A compared to the others? Well, plan A is because of. See how I'm doing that? All right. Hope that helped you today. Now if you're the type of person that knows they have to sell more, your next step is here. Comment the word black book. Below my team will get you out a copy of this. 273 different questions and phrases you can use and frameworks. Right. To tie it into any industry, including yours. We already trained your industry. You watch. We train every industry now. So if you're the type of person, get the black book right now. Comment the word black book. Hit the subscribe button and commit to mastery because here's the deal, and I think you know this. We all know people who let something stop them, like something little stop them in life. And they blame outside circumstances, and they never commit. Right. You all know somebody that never commits. And we all know that people who don't commit are never successful in life. And that's why I'm glad that you're here. And that's why I'm glad that you watch me. And that's why I'm glad that you're committed. Mastery. So click the link below. We'll throw something in here, a link to get the black book. And until next time, Jeremy Miner. Hope that helped you.
