As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details. Which is why I encourage my clients to be as specific as possible when asking questions. This is especially useful during the AMS sales process.

For example, if you ask an AMS salesperson, "Can your product handle student membership?" you're more than likely going to get the answer "yes." That's because the question is actually quite vague.

A better way to ask the question might be: "Can your product manage a student membership process where the student has to apply online, provide an upload of their transcript, wait for approval from staff, and when they renew, they can only renew into a NEW membership type?"

This is a much more specific question. (Notice that a more specific question is actually multiple questions!) This question will get you a much more specific answer than just "yes."

Of course, this rule applies to just about any conversation, not just sales. "Do you want to eat?" is a vague question. (My answer will always be YES!) But "Do you want to walk ten minutes right now to get sushi?" is far more specific (and will also change my answer!).

Vague questions elicit vague answers. Be specific!