The principle. A great question feels easy to answer and surfaces information the buyer didn't know they had. Closed questions ("Do you have a budget?") get monosyllables. Calibrated questions ("How did you arrive at the budget you have in mind?") get stories.
Five high-leverage questions.
- "Walk me through how you're handling that today."
- "What would have to be true for this to make sense?"
- "If we did nothing, what does that cost you in 6 months?"
- "What's the hardest part of this for you personally?"
- "Who else is part of this decision, and what matters most to them?"
The follow-up rule. Every answer earns a "Tell me more about that…" — at least once. The second answer is always richer than the first.
Key takeaway. Better questions don't require more skill — they require fewer yes/no traps and more "how" and "what."