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So often, salespeople like Tom find themselves having great rapport with prospects, like Sylvia, who appear interested, and ready to take action—only for them to suddenly back-pedal and not be able to make a decision. Here are some typical prospect responses:

* “We want to hold off this year.”
* “I need to think about it. Let me talk to my counterparts.”
* “I'll get back to you.”
* “I need to look at other options.”

Tom mistakenly would let the prospect off-the-hook by saying, “OK. When’s a good time for us to talk again?” What Tom needed to do was discover the real reason why they could not come to a decision—to discover the prospect’s real decision-making process. This would help him overcome any hidden objections, allowing him to eventually QUALIFY the sales opportunity. But how?