After identifying the decision maker, what should your next step be to ensure relevance?

• A. Focus on their personal preferences and rapport only.
• B. Skip questions about value to save time.
• C. Tailor questions to their metrics and concerns to address what matters to them.
• D. Move immediately to pricing and terms.

Answer: (C)

After identifying the decision maker, the next step is to tailor questions to their metrics and concerns to address what matters to them. This keeps the conversation anchored in outcomes the organization cares about—like ROI, cost savings, efficiency, or risk reduction—and lets you show exactly how your solution impacts those targets. By asking about specific KPIs, current challenges, desired results, and timelines, you demonstrate you’ve done your homework and can quantify the value, making it easier for them to see the payoff and justify the investment. This also helps reveal their decision criteria and potential objections so you can respond with relevant data and examples.

Focusing only on personal preferences and rapport might build warmth but won’t establish the business case. Skipping value questions to save time undermines relevance and buy-in. Moving to pricing and terms too soon bypasses the critical step of proving value and can derail the discussion if you haven’t shown how you meet their goals.