Give yourself a question quota

How many open-ended, strategic questions do you think you get to ask in a 30-minute pitch meeting? Four? …five?

Hmmm….maybe not that many.

The questions you ask will, of course, map to what you need to find out from that buyer at that moment in your pursuit of the business.

What you ask can be as important to how you ask: NEVER answer the question for the buyer.

And, of course, never interrupt.

Ask your open-ended question…then zip it.

Fine…craft your objections-probing questions…your long-term strategic needs questions…and your personal buyer motivations questions for your meetings today…that’s an important meeting prep task.

But more importantly, ask yourself, "How am I going to be disciplined enough to shut my mouth and open my ears after I ask my questions?

Seriously.

Interrupting is probably the rudest – and dumbest – way you can treat your buyers.

It’s not much better when you interrupt yourself.

Watch this Short from the TV show Kim’s Convenience and chortle…pretty obnoxious, huh?