There’s no extraordinary skill needed to be a strong question-asker: combine your preparation skills with a strong dose of assertiveness and you’ll get what you need.

If you’re prepared with three or four, open-ended and strategic questions ahead of your meeting, you’ll be surprised at how assertive and direct you will become in your meetings.

Preparing your questions while you’re quiet and unrushed helps you think strategically about the holistic state of your progress on the account… and with that specific buyer.

What are the info gaps about the account you need to fill?

What type of personal commitment do you need from that buyer? ("Hey, can you introduce me to Bob?")

And what about obstacles or objections: "In your eyes, what might derail this deal?"

If you write your questions in your notebook before the meeting, the chances of you asking them goes up exponentially!