How to understand decision making using a revealing ‘Killer Question!’

How often do we hear of lost sales opportunities because we as professional business entrepreneurs and sales people did not understand the decision-making process in the prospective customer that we were talking to early enough?

So here is a useful ‘killer question’ to use when it is appropriate during the sales process that we think you will find uncovers the real decision-making capability of your target client:

‘.... So, given all the useful things we've talked about during our meeting today and assuming that you like what you have seen/heard….What input will you take on this from within the business when making a decision to go ahead with our proposals?...’

Likely reactions are:

They are indeed the main decision maker and can sign/decide on their own without any reference to anybody else.
They are not the main decision maker! (Surprise surprise!). In fact, they need to consult with A N Other in the business (e.g. finance director)
Alternatively, they may respond by telling you that they need to refer to their manager/boss before agreement. In which case, we'll be trying to go and meet with him/her as part of the sales process, won’t we?
When we are unable to meet with the other decision maker (for whatever reason), then it is all about how we can help our contact ‘sell’ our ideas internally. This includes copies of presentations/proposals/brochures etc.
Again, in any event, whatever the answer we uncover, we will be dealing with reality rather than subjective guesswork.
In this way, we say that you have really gained a competitive edge!
….And business!