Q P R O S P E C T I N G T H AT W O R K S 87 month?'' By asking a question like this, you will be able to begin qualifying how to serve the prospect should he become a customer. If you ask the customer a tactical question and he chooses not to answer, you should move immediately to ask- ing strategic questions. Strategic Questions Lead to Long-Term Relationships Strategic questions are those that are going to allow you to develop a long-term relationship with the customer, and most likely a relationship that is profitable for both you and the customer. Strategic questions involve topics where the answers are not always clear-cut. Often, strategic questions deal with things that may or may not occur in the future. An example of a good strategic question would be, ``What do you think will be the big changes the industry is going to deal with next year?'' The idea is to get the prospect talking and thinking. Salespeople who ask strategic questions are always going to be seen in a different light than the vast majority of salespeople who are only able to think in a tactical manner. When you find prospects who want to discuss strategic issues, you immediately should plan to increase your focus on them. These are the types of prospects who have the ability to significantly enhance your bottom line. Customers who are strategically focused are those who are not overly concerned with the immediate cost of something, but rather are looking at the long-term benefit of what they are going to gain. As I American Managememt Association · www.amanet.org