You don’t think about question type when you’re asking your buyers, you just… ask. That’s the way it should be.

Or maybe not?

Because you’re a student of the game, and because you want to achieve a sustaining membership in the TOP 10%, you study things like question types. So you know that qualifying questions are the secret weapon for sellers.

In a world where buyers often hide behind ambiguous and generic answers, qualifying questions yield clarity and details.

Qualifying questions are especially helpful when it comes to qualifying the likelihood of business…and how much.

If this one isn’t part of your repertoire, it should be: "What’s the probability you’ll approve our proposal this week?"

Here’s the rub: A savvy, experienced buyer rarely answers that question specifically. You might hear something like, "…yeah, lookin’ good." Or, "…everyone’s got their eyes on it." (Arrgh.)

Fear not. Double-down and ask again…probe! Rephrase it and come at ’em again. Your job is to get an answer, and an answer is what you’ll get…but only if you persist.

You might say, "Hey, me and my team have invested a ton of energy into this proposal – which is fine – that’s what we do, but I do need to know where we stand right now. So what can you tell me?"