Let the Prospect Do the Math
If accounts receivable are averaging 65 days before collection, ask what that delay actually costs them in working capital or in staff time spent chasing payment. When prospects arrive at the number themselves, they believe it far more deeply than if you simply stated it for them.
Avoid Sounding Defensive
Presenting the full cost breakdown yourself, down to the exact dollar figure can put a prospect on the defensive. Letting them calculate and say the number out loud avoids that reaction entirely and makes the need feel like their own discovery.
Prepare Your Prospect to Sell Internally
When a prospect can clearly articulate the cost of a problem in their own words, they are far better equipped to explain that same issue to colleagues inside their own organisation. This quietly extends your influence to people you may never meet directly.
Final Thoughts
Deeper questions do more than uncover a problem, they help the prospect feel the true cost of leaving it unsolved. People remember what they say themselves far more than what you tell them. In your next meeting try to resist the urge to state the cost yourself instead of asking a question that lets your prospect discover it.
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