So said Yogi Berra.  I hear he said this when giving directions to his home. Both paths led to his residence, so it didn’t matter which was taken.  Taken on its own, the advice sounds absurd, which is why it’s remembered, but there’s wisdom here for the sales professional.

Asking questions is sort of like charting a course.  You have a place you want to go and your questions move you along with a purpose.  That purpose is to acquire an understanding of the prospect and to ascertain whether or not what you offer is a good fit.

You may come to a question in which the prospect answers one way, but to which you sense there may be more the prospect could say.  Don’t just move on with your questions.  Go back to the “fork in the road” and go the other direction as well.  Get to know your prospect from a variety of angles.