Best questions for b2b buyer survey about contract terms preferences

Here are some of the best questions for a B2B buyer survey about contract terms preferences, plus tips for building high-impact surveys. With Specific, you can generate these surveys in just seconds—AI-powered, conversational, and tailored to your needs.

Best open-ended questions for a B2B buyer survey about contract terms preferences

Open-ended questions are my go-to for uncovering real motivations and pain points. They generate rich, qualitative feedback and let buyers explain preferences in their own words. I use them when I want stories, nuanced opinions, and actionable context that goes far beyond checkboxes.

1. What aspects of contract terms are most important to you when choosing a new supplier?

2. Can you describe any challenges you’ve faced with contract terms in previous B2B purchases?

3. How do flexible payment options, like net terms, impact your decision to work with a vendor?

4. What contract terms or clauses do you wish vendors would be more transparent about?

5. How do you typically negotiate contract terms during the buying process?

6. Are there specific payment options you prefer, and why?

7. Tell us about a purchase decision that was heavily influenced by contract terms. What tipped the scale?

8. What information do you need upfront to feel comfortable signing a contract?

9. How can vendors improve the clarity and accessibility of their contract terms?

10. If you could change one thing about standard contract terms you typically see, what would it be?

Open-ended questions work especially well for B2B buyers because their purchase journeys involve complexity, multiple stakeholders, and a high expectation for customized terms. According to recent research, over 50% of B2B buyers actually prefer net terms over upfront payment, showing how preferences for contract flexibility shape their choices. [1]

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for B2B buyer survey about contract terms preferences

I switch to single-select multiple-choice questions when I need to quantify preferences or want to warm up the conversation. They’re great for quick insights or when respondents might be overwhelmed by open-ended questions. Simple options get responses flowing—which makes it easier to dig deeper later with follow-ups.

Question: Which contract length do you typically prefer with new vendors?

• Month-to-month

• 6 months

• 12 months

• 24 months or more

• Other

Question: What payment term is most appealing to your organization?

• Immediate payment (upon invoice)

• Net 15

• Net 30

• Net 60

• Other

Question: How do you prefer to review contract terms during the buying process?

• Self-service portal with downloadable contracts

• Direct email from the vendor

• Legal review call with the vendor’s team

• Other

When to follow up with "why?" When a B2B buyer selects an option, always ask "why?" in a follow-up if you want to uncover motivations, objections, or specifics the initial answer doesn’t capture. For example, if a buyer selects "Net 30" as their preferred payment term, a follow-up like "Why does Net 30 work better for your business than other options?" reveals valuable context for contract negotiations.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Always include “Other” if you think your list might miss fringe cases or emerging trends. Follow-up on “Other” selections lets you capture unique answers you hadn’t anticipated, turning surprises into insight gold mines.

NPS-style question for contract terms preference surveys

If you want a clear, benchmarked signal in your B2B buyer survey, use a Net Promoter Score (NPS) style question. NPS asks, “How likely are you to recommend [vendor or contract terms] to a colleague?” and is a classic for measuring overall satisfaction and advocacy. For contract terms, it surfaces promoter, passive, and detractor mindsets—especially when paired with targeted follow-ups.

NPS makes sense here because contract terms are a critical trust-builder or dealbreaker for buyers. In fact, nearly two-thirds of B2B leads take at least three months to decide on a purchase—with contract details often being the most debated topic before signing. [2] If you want to try it right away, you can use our tailored NPS survey template for B2B buyers about contract terms preferences.

The power of follow-up questions

Let’s talk about follow-ups—they’re an absolute superpower. Automated follow-up questions (see this deep-dive on AI follow-up questions) give every survey an expert’s touch, clarifying answers and gathering richer insights. With Specific, our AI builds off each reply, asking smart, personalized prompts just like a seasoned B2B interviewer would. This is crucial in contracts, where buyers use industry-specific terms and want their context understood immediately, not in a dozen back-and-forth emails.

• B2B Buyer: "We prefer longer contract terms."

• AI follow-up: "Can you share why longer contract terms work better for your organization, and if there are any risks or concerns that come with them?"

How many follow-ups to ask? Generally, 2-3 follow-ups is the sweet spot. You can also allow respondents to skip to the next question once you have what you need. Specific’s settings give you full control over follow-up intensity.

This makes it a conversational survey, turning your data collection into a true dialogue—not a sterile form fill.

AI survey responses are easy to analyze with new tools. Even when you have loads of open-ended feedback, AI (like the one described here) summarizes key themes instantly and lets you chat with the findings. No more sifting through mountains of text.

Automated AI follow-ups are pretty new in the market—try generating a survey and you’ll feel the difference in how natural, human, and actionable the answers become.

How to use ChatGPT or GPTs to craft questions for a B2B buyer contract terms survey

Creating high-quality questions fast? Prompts are your fuel. Start with simple requests, then pile on context for better results. For example:

Start here:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for B2B buyer survey about contract terms preferences.

Now, add more context—always the best way to improve AI output:

We are a SaaS company selling to medium and large enterprises. Our goal is to learn how B2B buyers evaluate contract term flexibility and how this influences their willingness to buy. Suggest 10 open-ended questions for our contract terms preference survey.

Organize the output further:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Finally, once you see your categories—maybe “payment options”, “negotiation process”, and “clarity/transparency”—dive deeper:

Generate 10 questions for the "payment options" and "clarity/transparency" categories.

Prompts can take you from broad lists to highly targeted, effective survey questions—just keep layering your specifics.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey mimics a natural dialogue. Instead of static forms, respondents engage in what feels like a chat with a real human—guided by an AI agent that tailors its approach to context and prior replies. The benefit over form-based surveys? Conversational surveys drive richer responses, clarify ambiguity in real time, and keep engagement high—ideal for topics like contract terms where clarity is everything.

Why use AI for B2B buyer surveys? Because B2B buyer journeys are lengthy, have multiple stakeholders, and require deep understanding. Over two-thirds (69%) of buyers prefer modern, digital tools, and using an AI survey generator means you can adapt fast, uncover real objections, and turn a clunky process into an engaging conversation. [2] AI also lets you iterate—want to update language, add new choices, or adjust logic? Just ask the AI-powered survey editor and you’re done.

Curious how to make your own? Check out this end-to-end guide on how to create a B2B buyer survey about contract terms preferences.

I see Specific as offering absolute best-in-class user experience in conversational surveys. It makes feedback collection easy for you and seamless for your respondents, capturing more insight with far less friction.

See this contract terms preferences survey example now

Get clarity on your buyers’ contract term preferences in minutes—see conversational surveys in action and unlock insights you can use with every deal.