Prospect survey about decision criteria

Want to understand your prospects’ decision criteria? You can generate an AI-powered survey in seconds—just tap the button and watch “Specific” create your custom survey right on this page.

Why decision criteria surveys matter for prospect feedback

When we’re building relationships with prospects, guessing their decision-making process is a risk we can’t afford. Surveys targeting decision criteria help us uncover what really drives their choices—and if you’re not running these, you’re missing out on valuable insights that steer crucial product, marketing, and sales decisions.

Consider this: AI-powered surveys can increase response rates by up to 25%, leading to more accurate and reliable feedback compared to classic survey tools [1]. Higher response rates mean we’re hearing from more prospects, giving us a richer, more honest picture of their priorities and deal-breakers.

• Importance of prospect recognition survey: Pinpoints buying triggers and barriers.

• Benefits of prospect feedback: Reveals gaps in our offer and clears a path for better solutions.

• If you’re not capturing this, your competitors might be, giving them a strategic edge you’ll feel in every lost deal.

We regularly see these surveys unveil not just individual pain points, but wider market opportunities—and they ensure your messaging always hits home. For tips on designing these surveys, check out the best questions to ask prospects about decision criteria.

The advantage of using an AI survey generator

Let’s be honest—building a smart, effective survey from scratch is a chore. Manual survey creators often feel like a clunky form builder, leaving us to work out question flow, language, and follow-up logic ourselves. That’s where an AI survey generator like Specific changes the game, making our lives (and the prospect’s) much easier.

Just how much easier? Here’s a simple breakdown:

Why use AI for prospect surveys?

• Faster creation, smarter probing, and higher completion—organizations using AI in survey research experience a 60-70% reduction in the total time from survey creation to final insights report [2]

• Specific’s conversational format feels like a natural interaction, encouraging real answers—not box-ticking.

• The feedback loop closes with auto-analysis, so you aren’t left with a stack of raw data to decode.

If you’ve used other survey platforms and wondered why response rates are low, or answers feel surface-level, now you know: AI adapts and engages in ways forms simply can’t.

Want a deep dive into making your survey stand out? Read our guide on how to create a prospect survey about decision criteria.

Designing questions that drive real insight

We all know a poorly worded question delivers weak results. Specific draws on expert knowledge to help you avoid the “bad question trap”—for example:

• Bad: “What do you think of our product?” (Too vague—leads to “It’s good,” and nothing more.)

• Good: “What factors most influenced your decision to consider our solution over alternatives?” (Leads to specific, actionable replies.)

Our AI survey generator builds surveys with clear, purposeful questions designed to avoid bias and confusion. We guide you toward neutral wording, logical order, and targeted follow-up prompts. If you’re creating your own:

• Be specific in your asks (“Which three criteria were most important?” beats “What did you like?”).

• Avoid leading language (“How easy did you find our tool?” vs. “Did you find our tool easy or hard to use?”).

• Allow for open-ended responses, but direct them to your central theme.

Need more? Visit our full guide on best prospect survey questions for decision criteria.

Automatic follow-up questions based on previous reply

Here’s where the magic happens: Specific’s AI doesn’t just stick to a script. It listens, then asks thoughtful follow-up questions based on what the prospect just said. This ensures true conversational surveys—where missing detail or ambiguity is clarified on the spot, not left guessing or requiring back-and-forth emails.

Why does this matter? Imagine you send a classic survey and get:

• Prospect: “Price was a consideration.”

• AI follow-up: “Could you share what specific price points or ranges would have changed your decision?”

Compare that to a dead-end where you know price matters, but have no clue how, or what range tipped the scales. This real-time clarification unlocks far richer insight, without extra work for you or frustration for them.

Want to see it in action? Try generating a survey with Specific—you’ll feel the difference. For an inside look, check out the automatic AI follow-up questions feature.

By turning surveys into conversations, follow-ups ensure you get the “why” behind every answer—making every interview a genuinely conversational survey.

How to deliver decision criteria surveys to your prospects

There’s no “one way” to reach your audience, so we make delivery flexible. Here’s how you can use Specific for prospect feedback on decision criteria:

• Sharable landing page surveys: Perfect for emailing, posting, or sharing in social channels. Great use cases include:

  • Contacting leads directly after a demo or trial.

  • Running cold outreach to qualify new sales prospects.

  • Collecting feedback at an event or via QR codes.

• In-product surveys: Ideal if your prospects already use your app or SaaS product. Trigger surveys based on actions (like signing up, or finishing a free trial) to learn what influenced their decision directly in context.

For most “decision criteria” discovery, the landing page format offers the easiest way to quickly reach a broad group—just grab your link and go. But for SaaS or product trials, in-product timing captures feedback while choices are fresh.

How easy it is to analyze survey responses using AI

Specific’s AI survey analysis takes the pain out of feedback review. AI instantly summarizes responses, highlights common themes, and pinpoints what truly drives decisions—all without a spreadsheet in sight. Features like automatic topic detection and chat-based Q&A around your data mean actionable insights land in your lap, not weeks later. Dive into more details in our article on how to analyze Prospect Decision Criteria survey responses with AI.

Create your Decision Criteria survey now

Don’t wait—generate your own AI-powered decision criteria survey for prospects in seconds and unlock actionable insights with a single click.