When asked why salespeople don’t close more sales, a company president answered instantly, “They don’t ask enough questions.”

Often, we’re in such a hurry to get across what we want to say to our prospects that we ignore what they want from us. But today’s prospects won’t tolerate such insensitive behavior.

So where does this leave salespeople? What are we to do if we can’t advance our agenda? How do we close sales? To put it bluntly, a salesperson’s agenda is irrelevant. It’s what the prospect cares about that should demand attention.

The purpose of meeting with prospects is to recognize and understand what’s going on with them, which requires getting them talking about what they know best: themselves. They don’t get many chances to do this because others are too busy with their own lives to listen. This gives salespeople the unique opportunity to stop talking, start asking questions—and listen.

Don’t fall into the trap of wanting to get your message across—the urge to tell your story kills sales. Your job is to create the conditions in which your prospects feel comfortable telling you their story.

Since salespeople learn when we’re listening, here are eight questions that get prospects talking:

1) Why did you agree to meet with me today? Everyone in sales knows that just because they ask for a meeting doesn’t mean the prospect will say yes. But when the prospect agrees, inquisitive salespeople don’t stop there. They wonder why. They want to know what’s going on and why prospects are interested. The more you know from the start, the better.

2) What would you like to have happen as a result of this meeting? The purpose of asking questions is gathering information. This will help you keep an open mind so you can avoid making mistakes. By filling in the picture, you will stay on track as you plan your next moves.

3) What specific issues do you want to address? One mistake salespeople make is glossing over or even avoiding significant issues because they don’t want to turn off prospects. But what they don’t realize is that digging down lets a prospect know they’re serious. Follow-up questions take it a step further: “How satisfied are you with your analysis?” “How would you feel if someone challenged it?”

4) As you see it, what hurdles must be overcome? It’s always a good idea to come at issues from various angles. It’s a good way to find out the lay of the land. In other words, the answer to this question can give you a more complete picture of what’s involved.

5) If my company offered exactly what you’re looking for, how would you describe it? This is a pivotal question because it offers insight into what’s important to a prospect, which is something that’s not always as obvious as it may seem. It’s a serious mistake to assume you’re getting the message correctly. Far too frequently, words don’t have the same meaning to everyone. This question serves as a check to be sure you and your prospect are on the same page.

6) How satisfied are you at this point in your decision-making process? Asking how close prospects are to making a decision often puts them on the defensive. By contrast, this question is designed to help expand the conversation—to let them know you’re interested, but not nosey. If they’re just getting started, you can follow up by asking about their expectations. If they’re further along, you can ask about possible concerns.

7) Those in your position are cost-conscious—what’s your thinking around what the right solution should cost? This question avoids the old and tired “What’s your budget?” question, which usually results in a useless and vague answer. A follow-up question might sound like, “Can you tell me how you arrived at that figure?”

8) How do you feel about our meeting today? You want to know if the meeting was helpful. Did it meet the person’s expectations? To follow up, ask, “Can we talk about what should happen next?” This is the action step that establishes the agenda for the next meeting.

Unless salespeople drive the conversation with strategic questions, meeting with prospects often results in too much talking and not enough listening. The result: prospects who are less than satisfied—and salespeople who are unable to move forward with confidence.

John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer.