This document provides guidance on asking great questions to move business discussions forward more effectively. It discusses: 1) Why questions are important for opening doors, painting a vision of the future, and guiding buyer decision making. 2) Techniques for moving discussions from "blah" to engaging, such as getting buyers laughing, being open-ended, probing lightly for details, and providing context. 3) Questions to ask buyers to determine next steps, like envisioning future success, addressing follow up questions, and criteria for deciding. 4) Facilitating buyer decision making by bringing awareness, discovering strategic issues, and asking for opportunities.

1. ASK GREAT QUESTIONS AND MOVE FORWARD FASTER

2. ZIP Learning
1. Blah to Yeah!
2. Getting to NEXT
3. Questions and Buyer
Decision Making
4. Creating/Sharing YOUR
Best Questions

3. WHY QUESTIONS MATTER
1. Open the door 4. Take us beyond problem
solving and putting out fires
2. Offer a canvas on which to
paint the future 5. Guide buyer decision making
3. Put us on the same playing
field

4. BLAH to YEAH!
1. Get them laughing. Does your dog bite?
2. Be open (avoid “yes/no” answers)
• Instead of “Do you have any questions?”, ask
“What questions are most on your mind?”
3. Dig for data… lightly. The budget range story:
“Could you narrow it down, just a bit?”
4. Provide context
5. Try floating… test the water
6. Scale the options: “On a scale of 1‐10, with 1 low and
10 the highest, how important is the decision?”

5. GETTING TO NEXT
1. (First name), we have about x minutes left… what questions are still on your mind? (Probe—
need, timing, resources, approvals, priorities)
2. Let’s pretend it’s 2 years from now… what’s been successful in the work we have done
together?
3. Often, after a meeting ends, there are more questions. How should we address those?
4. We’ve shared lots of ideas and options. What key criteria will you use to decide what’s next?
5. (First name), what’s your intention, in terms of what’s next?
6. A question I often ask myself, (first name): “What could hold me back, from moving forward?”
If I asked you that…
7. What questions do we need to talk about that will determine whether we can move forward?

6. BUYER DECISION MAKING
1. Awareness (with substance, reason)
2. AAT, ATT
3. Discover what’s wrong with or what’s missing
– Strategic issues
– Structure
– Tactics
4. Facilitate action conversations with Buyer
Decision Team
– Clarify internal issues
– Demonstrate how you can address them
5. Ask for the opportunity

7. ASK THE COACH
Questions about:
1. Specific challenges
2. Places you’re stuck
3. Fears
4. Creating possibilities
5. Reframing

8. WHAT’S NEXT?
November 2, 2012 All Coach Is In Webinars are on the first
Friday of the month, from 2‐3CT.
• Self‐Evaluations & Personal
Development.
• One page plan, resources
December 7, 2012
• Action Plan for 2013
• Find, Focus, Forecast & Fix
January 4, 2013
• How—and Why—Substance is the
Base of a Buyer’s Decision Making
Process

9. Betsy’s One Hour Breakthrough™

10. Want results?
Ask, don’t tell…