After the discovery it builds on — never instead of it. A leading question frames agreement around a value the homeowner has already expressed: “You'd want something that's going to last a long time, correct?” Run during discovery, the same question is a documented mistake: it collects agreement and teaches you nothing.
The short answer
“You'd want to know that if something goes wrong, the company is actually going to show up, right?”
A documented leading question — powerful because discovery already established that trust is this homeowner's wound.
Notice the precondition: the question works because the value is theirs, discovered earlier. Leading questions earn their place in the presentation and the buying-commitment build, where agreement is the goal and the facts are already on the table.
How it runs
Ask it in minute five and you get a yes that trades away the truth: the homeowner agrees the installation should be done right — who wouldn't — and you learn nothing about their last contractor, their fear, or their criteria. Then the presentation gets built on agreements instead of understanding. That is why “leading when you need discovery” sits on the thirteen-mistakes list. The sequence is the skill: discover with open questions first, then lead with what you found.
Go deeper
The homeowner in a Spar round will test your ears the way a real one does. Round 1 is free; the full camp is $29/month. Spar before you knock.