Really great advice. All of the points made in this article can be distilled into one maxim - LISTEN. If you actually listen to your customer instead of trying to "sell" your product the conversation will naturally lead into discussions of budget, time frame, objections, etc.

The biggest mistake I've made with sales is getting nervous and talking too much. Ask open-ended questions and let the prospect do the rest.

Can't stress getting to the top quickly enough. It's so rare for a sale to close from the bottom-up in my personal experience.