ASK further…qualify!

The buyer looks up from reviewing your proposal and says, "Yeah, it looks good." You think to yourself, "…awesome….but wait…WHAT looks good?"

Why aren’t you asking the buyer that question?

Qualify them. Right then and there.

The buyer continues, "We might move this through the org and see what others think."

Again, you think: "WHO are you gonna send it to?"

Don’t squander the opportunity to learn what you need to know. ASK!

Speak up! Probe. Push. Qualify!

Today, listen closely to what your buyer says, and immediately decide how generic and ambiguous their answers are.

Counter with this basic qualifying move: "Tell me more."

Take a step further when you’re ready and focus your qualifying questions on clarifying context and weight.

Context: "I’m glad you like our proposal…what specifically is appealing to you?"

Weight: "It’s good to hear feedback about that feature you like. How important is it to you?"

This entertaining "Questions Only" game from the Whose Line Is It Anyway show brilliantly illustrates the mental dexterity needed to ask questions when you’re in the moment.

This clip is fun – and funny – and shows how hard it is to stay curious and probe with questions.

Keep probing! Qualify everything!