As discovery, not as closing — early, and woven into the needs work. You are mapping how this household decides: their timeline and what drives it, what a great experience looks like to them, how they're evaluating companies, what “fair” and “quality” mean in their words, and what stopped them the last time they almost decided.
The short answer
Timeline. Understand it, and understand that timeline and motivation are connected — a date on their calendar usually has a reason standing behind it. Expectations. Ask what they're expecting from the project and the process, and what a great experience looks like — their answer is the standard you'll be measured against, so hear it before you're judged by it. Evaluation. Find out how they're comparing companies, and don't assume they're comparing the same scopes — two “estimates” are rarely the same job. Their definitions. Fair and quality are words whose meanings you must borrow, not bring: find theirs.
How it runs
Ask about their previous shopping experience — and specifically what stopped the previous decision. A household that got three estimates last spring and did nothing has told you, if you ask, exactly where this appointment will stall. Their investment expectations and how they prefer to handle the investment belong in the same map, learned now rather than discovered at the proposal.
One distinction guards all of it: don't confuse budget with value. A number they name may be a guess, a hope, or a figure from a neighbor's different project — criteria questions tell you which, before the number ever gets treated as a verdict.
The moves in this guide are graded in Spar's rounds — Round 1 is free, the full camp is $29/month. Spar before you knock.