Terms

Closed Question

A closed question is a type of query that requires a respondent to choose an answer from a limited, pre-defined set of responses, such as 'yes' or 'no' or from a list of multiple-choice options. This format is primarily used to gather quantitative data in surveys and questionnaires, as the structured responses are straightforward to analyze statistically and identify trends.

Examples of Closed Questions

Closed questions come in several formats, each tailored to gather specific types of structured feedback. They range from simple binary choices to more complex scales and rankings. These formats guide the respondent toward a clear, quantifiable answer.

  • Dichotomous: Questions offering two opposing answers, such as "Yes/No" or "True/False."
  • Multiple-choice: Questions that provide a list of options from which the respondent can select one or more answers.
  • Rating scale: Questions that ask respondents to rate an item on a numerical scale, like rating satisfaction from 1 to 5.

Advantages of Using Closed Questions

Closed questions are straightforward for respondents, speeding up data collection. Their simplicity leads to higher completion rates and makes people more willing to answer sensitive questions. This format also ensures responses are consistent and relevant.

The main advantage is the ease of analysis. Quantitative responses can be easily converted into charts and graphs for clear visualization. This simplifies data comparison across groups, allowing for efficient, evidence-backed conclusions.

Closed Question vs. Open Question

The choice between closed and open questions hinges on your data collection goals and the depth of insight required.

  • Closed: These questions provide a limited set of answers, generating quantitative data that is easy to analyze. They are ideal for large-scale enterprise surveys where consistent, comparable data is needed for statistical analysis. However, they can restrict respondent expression and may miss nuanced feedback.
  • Open: These questions allow for free-form, detailed responses, providing rich qualitative insights. They help companies understand the “why” behind customer behavior but are more time-consuming to analyze. They are best used to gather in-depth feedback or explore new ideas.

Common Uses in Surveys and Interviews

Closed questions are a cornerstone of quantitative research, widely used in surveys to gather structured data efficiently. In interviews, they serve to confirm specific details or narrow down topics. Their primary function is to collect data that is easy to categorize and analyze across large groups.

  • Surveys: Ideal for large-scale data collection where statistical analysis is key.
  • Interviews: Used to gather specific facts or confirm information quickly.
  • Quantitative Data: Essential for collecting numerical insights and measurable feedback.
  • Consistency: Ensures all respondents answer from the same options, making data comparable.

Tips for Crafting Effective Closed Questions

To create effective closed questions, use clear and simple language that is easy for respondents to understand. Ensure your response options are distinct, cover all likely answers, and don't overlap. This clarity helps gather consistent, quantifiable data and reduces ambiguity, leading to more reliable insights for analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions about Closed Question

Can closed questions be biased?

Yes, they can introduce bias if options are leading or incomplete. To avoid this, ensure options are mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive, and phrased neutrally. This keeps the data objective and reliable for analysis.

When should I use closed questions over open questions?

Use closed questions for quantitative data collection, like large-scale surveys where statistical analysis is needed. They are ideal for validating hypotheses or measuring satisfaction, providing structured, comparable data efficiently.

How many options should a multiple-choice question have?

While there's no strict rule, 3 to 5 options are generally effective. This range provides enough choice without overwhelming the respondent, ensuring balanced and meaningful data collection for most survey scenarios.

Other terms

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Brag Book

Learn about brag book, including crafting your outstanding brag book, essential components of a brag book, & brag book vs. resume: unveiling the differences.

Brag Book

Brand Awareness

Learn about brand awareness, including understanding its importance, building an effective strategy, key metrics to track, & examples in the real world.

Brand Awareness

Inventory Management

Inventory management is the process of ordering, storing, and using a company's inventory, from raw materials to finished goods.

Inventory Management

After-Sales Service

After-sales service is the support provided to customers after they've purchased a product. It includes things like warranties, training, or repairs.

After-Sales Service

Net Revenue Retention (NRR)

Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is the percentage of recurring revenue kept from existing customers, including upsells, downgrades, and churn.

Net Revenue Retention (NRR)

Cold Email

A cold email is an initial outreach sent to a potential customer with whom you've had no prior contact, aiming to introduce your business.

Cold Email

Serverless Computing

Serverless computing is a cloud model where the provider manages servers, so developers can focus on code without worrying about infrastructure.

Serverless Computing

Sales Champion

A sales champion is your internal advocate at a target company. They believe in your product and help you push the deal forward to close.

Sales Champion

Remote Sales

Remote sales is selling from a distance. Reps use digital tools to connect with prospects and close deals without meeting them in person.

Remote Sales

Sales Dialer

A sales dialer is software that automates outbound calling for sales teams, allowing reps to connect with more prospects in less time.

Sales Dialer

Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)

Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method where all expenses are re-evaluated and must be justified from scratch for each new budget period.

Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB)

Predictive Customer Lifetime Value

Predictive Customer Lifetime Value (pCLV) is a forecast of the total net profit a single customer is expected to generate for your business.

Predictive Customer Lifetime Value

Marketing Qualified Opportunity

A Marketing Qualified Opportunity (MQO) is a lead vetted by marketing as a genuine sales opportunity, ready for direct sales follow-up.

Marketing Qualified Opportunity

Marketo

Marketo is a marketing automation platform used by B2B marketers to manage lead generation, nurturing, email marketing, and analytics.

Marketo

Browser Compatibility

Learn about browser compatibility, including understanding the importance, common challenges, best practices, & tools for testing.

Browser Compatibility

Account-Based Everything

Account-Based Everything (ABE) is a strategy aligning sales, marketing, and success teams to focus on a specific set of high-value accounts.

Account-Based Everything

Product Champion

A product champion is an internal evangelist who drives a product's adoption and success by ensuring it solves real problems for their team.

Product Champion

Applicant Tracking System

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application that manages your entire hiring and recruitment process from a single dashboard.

Applicant Tracking System

Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is a customer’s devotion to a brand, shown by their repeat purchases and engagement, driven by positive experiences and trust.

Customer Loyalty

Sales Enablement Platform

A sales enablement platform centralizes content, training, and analytics to help sales teams engage buyers and effectively close deals.

Sales Enablement Platform

Draw on Sales Commission

A draw on commission is an advance payment a salesperson receives against future earnings, which is later repaid from earned commissions.

Draw on Sales Commission

A/B Testing

A/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of something, like a webpage or email, to determine which one performs better with your audience.

A/B Testing

LPI

LPI, or Lead Per Inquiry, is a key metric that measures how many leads are generated from each inquiry in a marketing campaign.

LPI

Messaging Strategy

A messaging strategy defines what your brand says, how it says it, and where it says it to connect effectively with your target audience.

Messaging Strategy

B2B Contact Base

Learn about B2B contact base, including building an effective B2B contact base, & strategies for expanding your contact base.

B2B Contact Base

Data-Driven Lead Generation

Data-driven lead generation is the process of using data insights to identify, attract, and convert high-quality leads into customers.

Data-Driven Lead Generation

Direct Sales

Direct sales involves selling products directly to consumers in a non-retail setting, such as at home, online, or person-to-person.

Direct Sales

Business Process Management

Learn about business process management, including benefits of implementing BPM, steps to effective BPM, common BPM mistakes to avoid, & BPM tools and software.

Business Process Management

Sales Coaching

Sales coaching is a process where managers help reps improve their skills and performance through personalized feedback, training, and guidance.

Sales Coaching

Buying Cycle

The buying cycle is the journey a customer takes from first realizing they have a need to making the final purchase decision.

Buying Cycle

Serviceable Obtainable Market

Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) is the portion of the market you can realistically capture with your current resources, sales, and marketing.

Serviceable Obtainable Market

Challenger Sales

The Challenger Sales model is a methodology where reps teach prospects, tailor their pitch, and take control of the sales conversation.

Challenger Sales

Electronic Signatures

An electronic signature is a digital method for getting consent on electronic documents. It's a legally binding way to sign agreements online.

Electronic Signatures

Sales Lead

A sales lead is a potential customer—an individual or organization that has shown interest in your company's products or services.

Sales Lead

Dark Funnel

The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.

Dark Funnel

Lead Enrichment Software

Lead enrichment software adds crucial data to your leads, like contact info and firmographics, to help you better understand and engage them.

Lead Enrichment Software

Letter of Intent

A Letter of Intent (LOI) is a document declaring the preliminary commitment of one party to do business with another, outlining the chief terms.

Letter of Intent

Load Testing

Load testing is a type of performance testing that determines how a system behaves under both normal and anticipated peak load conditions.

Load Testing

Mobile Compatibility

Mobile compatibility ensures your site or app works flawlessly on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, for a seamless user experience.

Mobile Compatibility

Referral Marketing

Referral marketing is a strategy that incentivizes existing customers to recommend a company's products or services to their personal network.

Referral Marketing

Gone Dark

Going dark is when a once-responsive prospect suddenly stops all communication, leaving you wondering what went wrong.

Gone Dark

Sales Funnel Metrics

Sales funnel metrics are key data points that track how effectively you're moving potential customers from awareness to a final purchase.

Sales Funnel Metrics

Git

Git is a distributed version control system that tracks changes in code, allowing developers to collaborate and manage project history effectively.

Git

Call for Proposal

A Call for Proposal (CFP) is a document that solicits proposals, often through a bidding process, for a specific project or service.

Call for Proposal

Outside Sales

Outside sales reps sell products/services in person, traveling to meet clients and close deals face-to-face, outside of a traditional office.

Outside Sales

Data Appending

Data appending is the process of adding new data fields to your existing database records to enrich and complete your information.

Data Appending

Business Intelligence In Marketing

Learn about business intelligence in marketing, including the role of data in marketing BI, key components of marketing BI, & marketing BI vs. market research.

Business Intelligence In Marketing

Yield Management

Yield management is a dynamic pricing strategy that adjusts prices based on demand to maximize revenue from a fixed, perishable inventory.

Yield Management

Cost Per Impression

Cost Per Impression (CPI) is the price an advertiser pays for each time their ad is displayed to a user, irrespective of clicks.

Cost Per Impression

Buying Committee

A buying committee is a group of stakeholders within an organization who are jointly responsible for making major purchasing decisions.

Buying Committee

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organization, motivating them to contribute to the company's success.

Employee Engagement

Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing is the process of developing and reinforcing relationships with buyers at every stage of the sales funnel.

Lead Nurturing

Persona-Based Marketing

Persona-based marketing uses fictional customer profiles, or personas, to create targeted messaging for specific audience segments.

Persona-Based Marketing

B2B Marketing KPIs

Learn about B2B marketing KPIs, including identifying key B2B marketing KPIs, setting achievable KPI targets, B2B vs B2C marketing KPIs: understanding the differences.

B2B Marketing KPIs

ClickFunnels

ClickFunnels is a popular online tool that lets entrepreneurs easily build sales funnels to guide potential customers through the buying process.

ClickFunnels

Customer Segmentation

Customer segmentation is dividing customers into groups based on shared traits. This allows for more targeted and effective marketing efforts.

Customer Segmentation

Loss Aversion

Loss aversion is our tendency to feel the sting of a loss more acutely than the pleasure of an equivalent gain.

Loss Aversion

Video Messaging

Video messaging involves sending short, personalized video clips to prospects or customers, replacing traditional text-based communication.

Video Messaging

Warm Calling

Warm calling is contacting prospects with a prior connection, like a referral or social media interaction, to make your outreach more relevant.

Warm Calling

Net Promoter Score

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a metric measuring customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your company or product to others.

Net Promoter Score

CDP

A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is software that gathers and organizes customer data from various touchpoints into a single, unified profile.

CDP

Feature Flags

Feature flags let you remotely control features in your app without new code. This enables safe testing, gradual rollouts, and quick rollbacks.

Feature Flags

Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is a short, memorable summary of what you do, designed to be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator.

Elevator Pitch

Omnichannel Marketing

Omnichannel marketing creates a seamless, unified customer experience by integrating a company's various communication and sales channels.

Omnichannel Marketing

Request for Quotation

A Request for Quotation (RFQ) is a document that a company sends to one or more suppliers to get a quote for specific products or services.

Request for Quotation

Inbound Sales

Inbound sales attracts interested prospects who've engaged with your brand, letting sales reps connect with warm leads instead of cold outreach.

Inbound Sales

CPM

CPM, or Cost Per Mille, is a key advertising metric. It's the cost an advertiser pays for one thousand views or impressions of a single ad.

CPM

Social Proof

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect correct behavior for a given situation.

Social Proof

Quarterly Business Review

A Quarterly Business Review (QBR) is a recurring meeting to assess performance against goals and align on strategy for the next quarter.

Quarterly Business Review

Demographic Segmentation in Marketing

Demographic segmentation divides a market into groups based on traits like age, gender, and income, allowing for more targeted marketing efforts.

Demographic Segmentation in Marketing

Demand Forecasting

Demand forecasting is the process of predicting future customer demand for a product or service based on historical data and market trends.

Demand Forecasting

Performance Plan

A performance plan is a formal document outlining an employee's goals, expectations, and metrics for success over a specific period.

Performance Plan

Gated Content

Gated content is premium online material, like an ebook or webinar, that users can only access after providing their contact information.

Gated Content

Contract Management

Contract management is the process of creating, executing, and analyzing contracts to maximize performance and minimize financial risk.

Contract Management

Competitive Landscape

A competitive landscape is an analysis of your direct and indirect competitors, revealing their strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning.

Competitive Landscape

Jobs to Be Done Framework

The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework focuses on understanding customer needs by identifying the specific 'job' they are trying to accomplish.

Jobs to Be Done Framework

Application Programming Interface

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of rules that lets different software applications talk to each other and share information.

Application Programming Interface

Sales Manager

A Sales Manager leads a sales team, setting goals, analyzing performance, and developing strategies to drive revenue and meet targets.

Sales Manager

Lead Management

Lead management is the process of capturing, nurturing, and qualifying leads to guide them from initial interest to sales-ready.

Lead Management

Agile Methodology

Agile methodology is an iterative approach to project management and software development, focusing on delivering value in small, incremental steps.

Agile Methodology

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a digital strategy where businesses send targeted emails to prospects and customers to build relationships and drive sales.

Email Marketing

High Availability

High availability (HA) describes a system's capacity to function continuously with minimal downtime, ensuring consistent operational performance.

High Availability

NoSQL

NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.

NoSQL

Subscription Models

Subscription models are a business strategy where customers pay a recurring fee at regular intervals for access to a product or service.

Subscription Models

SPIN Selling

SPIN selling is a sales technique using a sequence of questions—Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff—to uncover a buyer's needs.

SPIN Selling

Market Intelligence

Market intelligence is the process of collecting and analyzing data about your target market, competitors, and industry to guide business strategy.

Market Intelligence

Marketing Attribution Model

A marketing attribution model is a framework for assigning credit to the marketing touchpoints that lead a customer to convert.

Marketing Attribution Model

Account Executive

An Account Executive (AE) is a sales professional responsible for closing new business deals and managing existing client relationships to drive revenue.

Account Executive

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management oversees the entire production flow of a good or service, from raw materials to final delivery to the consumer.

Supply Chain Management

CCPA Compliance

CCPA compliance is adhering to the California Consumer Privacy Act, a law that grants consumers more control over their personal data.

CCPA Compliance

Cross-Selling

Cross-selling is a sales tactic of encouraging customers to purchase products or services that are related to what they're already buying.

Cross-Selling

End of Day

End of Day (EOD) refers to the close of business hours. It's a common deadline for tasks and reports to be completed before the workday ends.

End of Day

CRM Data

CRM data is the information businesses use to manage customer relationships. It covers contact details, purchase history, and communication logs.

CRM Data

Analytical CRM

Analytical CRM analyzes customer data to uncover actionable insights, helping businesses make smarter decisions and improve customer interactions.

Analytical CRM

Account

An account is a company or organization that you're targeting for sales. It can be a prospective, current, or even a past customer.

Account

Salesforce Object Query Language

Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL) is a query language used to search your organization's Salesforce data for specific information.

Salesforce Object Query Language

Email Engagement

Email engagement measures how your audience interacts with your emails. It includes key actions like opens, clicks, replies, and forwards.

Email Engagement

Economic Order Quantity

Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is the ideal order quantity a company should purchase to minimize its total inventory-related costs.

Economic Order Quantity

Spiff

A spiff is a short-term sales incentive, often a cash bonus, paid directly to a salesperson for selling a specific product or service.

Spiff

Sales Bundle

A sales bundle groups multiple products or services into a single offering, often at a discounted price to provide greater value to customers.

Sales Bundle