Going Deeper in Prospect Conversations

In your initial conversations with a prospect, there is a key question to ask—and a way to ask it—that will yield timesaving, immensely useful information for your sales process.

The question to ask is “Who else cares?” Your prospect’s response should tell you a lot about other influencers within their company so that you're not surprised later down the road.

I always come back to my friend Bill Caskey’s rule of thumb: Never ask a question that forces a lie. So, if you inquire about “who else cares” with the phrasing, “Are you the decision maker?” or “Tell me who the decision makers are,” your prospect will feel backed into a corner, and they will almost always claim to be the one making the decision, even if other stakeholders are involved in the process.

Instead, ask a more thoughtful, provocative question, such as “Who else cares?” / “Who else would be interested in what we just talked about?” / “Who else does this matter to?”/ “Who else has a stake in solving this problem?” You’re going to get much more truth and much more information when you ask questions like those; the answers will then inform your sales process so you can decide who else you need to speak with as part of your next steps.

Though it sounds counterintuitive, asking a more open-ended question will often get you a more efficient, direct response. Keep this technique in mind and see where it leads.

Onward.

Tom