Impact questions uncover your customer’s motivations and sense of urgency — or lack thereof. Based on his response, you can quickly determine whether you’ve earned the right to start selling, or you need to find a different line of questioning to uncover his real needs, or realize it’s time to walk away. Once he outlines his business problem, get to the heart of the matter:

If this problem you’ve identified continues (without being corrected), what will the consequences be?

An impact question like this can snap your customer out of his complacency, making him recognize the need for the positive change your solutions can bring.