Sometimes the worst questions we can ask on a sales call are the ones that come out of our mouths the easiest. A great example is, What are you paying?

It’s a natural question to ask, and it has a valid purpose, because you never want to throw prices out blindly. However, asking the question this way is, as they say in The Sweet Science, leading with your chin.

Here’s a much better question — What is your target price?

Sound simple? It is simple. But if you ask these two questions interchangeably, without really thinking about it, you might cause money to fly out the window.

1. When you ask what a customer is paying, you’re putting the buyer in a very uncomfortable position. Most buyers will not want to answer truthfully (would you?), so your question is an invitation to lie, something else the buyer does not want to do. Even if the buyer wants to work with you, revealing price information is something his company does not want him to do. More discomfort. Putting a buyer on the spot like this is not the way to build a solid relationship.

2. An even more serious problem with What are you paying? is that it gets you no closer to an order. If the buyer gives you an answer, he’s not making any sort of commitment to you should you meet or beat the price. So what have you accomplished?

The question, What is your target price?, overcomes these problems. Asking for a target price is a reasonable request, so the issue of revealing company secrets goes away. And although the buyer probably will give you a price lower than what he would actually accept, you’ve laid the groundwork for a professional negotiation instead of painting the buyer into a corner. Most important, asking the question this way does commit the buyer to ordering from you or at least giving you serious consideration should you meet or beat the target price.

Another way of asking the question, Where do I need to be priced on this requirement?, is also good, but with some buyers is too direct and too personal. As a result, you may get a vague answer or a deflection, such as I’d rather review your pricing first. The same thing might happen with the “target” question, but now you have two things going for you. First, the question is less personal — you’re talking about a company target rather than a personal decision — so it’s softer. Second, a buyer may not want to admit he doesn’t have a target, so he’ll be inclined to give you an answer, if for no other reason than to appear competent.

Lots of analysis for a simple question, but the simple things are where money can be made or lost. Asking the right question the wrong way will result in a 1% lower price here and a 2% lower price there. When you add it all up, it’ll cost you thousands.