The best sales questions to ask customers are the ones that get your customers talking. Yup - it's pretty basic.

Once you ask your questions you can employee your ears before you engage your mouth. Your questions put you in to an automatic listening mode. Not asking questions gets you, the wrong person, talking too much.

Being a good listener is the fastest way to increase your sales - it also happens to be the best way.

Preparing good questions is a No-Brainer when you follow these five guidelines:

1. Be sure your questions are open-ended. You're not a lawyer. You're an explorer. You won't learn much when you ask yes/no type questions. Remember your goal is to get your prospects and customers talking.

2. Be sure your questions are personalized and tailored to the person you're talking to. A good question shows interest and reveals your concern for the buyer's current situation.

3. Prepare your questions in writing. A really good question starts in your mind and ends up on paper. If it's not on paper you can't make it better.

4. You can make every word count by eliminating all unnecessary words from the question you are crafting. Make sure every word in your question adds value to the question.

5. Focus on brevity. If you want to be clear, you must be concise. Less is always more when it comes to a carefully worded question. Short and sweet is better than long and sour.

In sales, having a good personality is important.

Unfortunately, what most salespeople don't get is, your choice of words during a sales call is even more important.

I just finished Robert Ludlum's newest novel titled, "Ambler Warning" and came across this line. "It's no use having the right answer if you aren't asking the right questions."

A really good question is like a burning ember, it has the potential to linger on.

The right oyster knife makes shucking oysters an easy chore. Asking the right questions makes getting your customers to open up an easy chore too. Don't dilly-dally around with your questions.