1. What is the purpose of your company? (One sentence please)
2. What are three words that describe the company?
3. What are some companies that you would like to emulate?
4. What are the most compelling aspects of your product/service, etc.?
5. What business and consumer trends will affect your business going forward?
6. What are the most important drivers for your customer/client?
7. What are the advantages for someone to buy from you versus your competition?
8. Describe what your company will look like as a company five years from now.
9. What is important about the history and background of the owners?
10. Describe the perfect prospect for your products and services. Tell me their average age, kinds of restaurant they visit, vacation spots, what do we need to know about them has “people” that you think is important?
11. If I make the statement, “I’d like my company to be more? What would be your response?”
12. If I make the statement, “I’d like my company to be less? What would be your response?”
13. What is the number one goal you have for my company for the coming year?
14. What do you believe the greatest obstacle to your future success to be?
15. What do you believe is the greatest immediate opportunity for your company?
16. What do you think the greatest long-term opportunity to be?
17. What do you personally have to do, change, commit to in order to meet your goals and those opportunities?
18. Have you made a commitment to this project or are you still analyzing it?
19. What are the key criteria in choosing (insert whatever you are selling)?
20. How soon do you expect to begin or to purchase or whatever action it is you want them to take?
21. Are you making the decision to move ahead or will you have to seek other approvals?
22. Who else will be involved in the decision?
23. What would be the consequence of not (taking whatever action you want them to take)?
24. How will you know when the results have met your expectations? How will you measure that?
25. What if this fails (if you are providing a service this is a good question)?
26. How do we keep it from failing?
27. Have you considered what you are willing to spend to meet your goals?
28. Have resources already been allocated?
29. Who else in your organization could benefit from this same thing?
30. Are you pleased with our conversation and have I said anything that surprised you?