Christian Polk explains why "Is that what you're looking for?" signals you've lost the prospect. The phrase triggers sales-call defenses. Instead, clarify your intent upfront, re-ask in conversational language, and focus on understanding rather than selling.
Is that what you're looking for? If I ever hear that, like, number one, I got to understand that this person feels like they're in a sales process. So what you're looking for, like, they feel like you're looking for something. You're doing something to them. So if you do come up to that, just understand that their defenses are up. Okay? And we have to do things to help lower that. So it's like, oh, is that what you're looking for? Like, I don't mean like, I'm not looking for anything. I'm truly just trying to understand where you're at to see if I can even help. So help me understand. And you go back and you re ask the question. So you want to change the perception of how she views you, because right now, just from some of her language, she views you as somebody who is taking her through a process. Like, is that what you're looking for? So something you have to be careful of?