As we continue our series on UnSelling, this is a technique to identify or validate potential client issues and/or objections that the prospect is usually not inclined to talk about. Often the sales team is afraid to bring them up as well (for fear that it will spoil an otherwise good, forecasted opportunity). Our goal in UnSelling is to minimize (perhaps even eliminate) all surprises. We don’t hope that bad news won’t come up, we proactively ensure that it does.
I’ve spent many years in sales within technology and business process outsourcing. In the outsourcing industry, many prospects either use the evaluation process to get smart on what’s broken within their function being evaluated (call centers as an example) so that they can either fix it themselves (what I call the dreaded, “Do Nothing”) or, equally dangerous, they go to their existing vendor and use the knowledge gained in the evaluation process to squeeze them on performance standards and price but with every intention of staying with this vendor.
Given how frequently this occurs, when I sell in this environment I like to pose the whiplash statement:
“Mr. Customer, one of the options I would suggest you consider initially is to first determine if it makes sense to outsource this function at all.”
You mean we’re actually encouraging the potential client to consider not outsourcing?
That’s selling suicide, isn’t it?!
That’s why I call it a whiplash statement – it is intended to be provocative. So much so that if you were with another sales team member when you made this statement their head would snap your way (hence the reason we call it a “whiplash” question) with a look that says, “What in the world are you saying that for?!” Not only is it a relatively provocative statement, it’s also entirely advocating the client’s best interests – while attempting to learn the truth about their intent.
The response I often hear from executives when you make statements like the one above is, “Yes, that is one of the options we have considered. We just didn’t think you’d be willing to talk about that since you sell outsourcing for a living. Can you help us assess this as part of the process?”
Do you see the power of the approach? If they’re likely to not outsource the function, when would you want to know that? As early as possible! Asked well, whiplash questions will change the way you interact with potential clients and will foster open, honest, and useful conversations between buyer and seller.