Business Marketing:

When was the last time you gave a sales presentation, walked away and thought: "That's a sale!" How many times have you had that very thought only to realize later that you lost out to another company? Perhaps your analysis of the sales call looked something like this:

I was dressed appropriately. We determined the color they wanted. The price was right. The square footage was dead on. I know my competitors. What could have gone wrong?

The first question I would ask a salesperson of mine in this situation is:

What do you know about the prospect?

This one simple question will open up a whole new realm of analysis:

Why were they shopping for this change? What concerns did they have? What other alternatives had they explored? What are the names of the children? How much did they know about the process before you arrived? How much did they know after your meeting? Who were you competing with? Did you present first or second? When do they expect to make a decision? Who did you present to? Was the actual decision-maker in the meeting?

Studies in sales process, negotiation technique and performance interviews all point to the same thing: To be persuasive, you must ask questions. Whether discussing a sales call or selling to a prospect, asking the right questions is more persuasive than any other action you can take as a salesperson.