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Most sales conversations die at the same moment.
You've explained the value. Walked through the solution. Answered their questions. Then you wait for them to decide.
That's where you lose them. Not because your offer was wrong. Because the silence invited doubt.
Here's the question that changes the conversation:
"What would need to be true for this to be an obvious yes?"
Not "do you want to move forward?" Not "any other questions?" Not "what do you think?"
This question does three things at once:
1. It surfaces the real objection They stop being polite and tell you what's actually stopping them. Budget isn't approved yet. They need to loop in someone else. They're comparing you to another option. Now you know what you're solving, not guessing.
2. It reframes the close as problem-solving You're not pushing for a decision. You're diagnosing what's missing. The conversation shifts from interrogation to collaboration. They start helping you close them.
3. It reveals if this is closeable or not If they answer with something solvable ("I need to see examples from similar companies"), you're still in. If they answer with something vague ("I just need to think about it"), they're not ready — and you've saved yourself three follow-up emails.
Better prompts. Better AI output.
AI gets smarter when your input is complete. Wispr Flow helps you think out loud and capture full context by voice, then turns that speech into a clean, structured prompt you can paste into ChatGPT, Claude, or any assistant. No more chopping up thoughts into typed paragraphs. Preserve constraints, examples, edge cases, and tone by speaking them once. The result is faster iteration, more precise outputs, and less time re-prompting. Try Wispr Flow for AI or see a 30-second demo.
Corporate track: Use this in internal pitches. "What would need to be true for this project to get approved?" Your manager tells you exactly what the real approval criteria is — not the surface-level feedback.
Creator track: Use this when a prospect goes quiet. "What would need to be true for this to be a clear fit?" They either re-engage with the real blocker, or they tell you they're not serious. Either way, you stop chasing ghosts.
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Try this the first possible opportunity you get:
Next conversation where someone hesitates, ask it. "What would need to be true for this to be an obvious yes?" Then stop talking. Let them work through it out loud.
You'll close more deals. And the ones you don't close, you'll walk away from faster.
The question works because it assumes the close is possible, it just needs the right conditions. That assumption changes how they think about the decision.
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