Of course, to get to the point first, you need to really understand what the person is asking. And this is the great art: to read between the lines, understand their concerns, and respond to the underlying context.
I wish people asked things directly more often. It leaves much less to be guessed.
If you ask directly sometimes you get a no, sometimes you get a yes, and sometimes you save a shitload of time - for both persons - by directly asking what you want to ask.