An earlier article suggested that you start each new sales relationship by withholding the information you have in order to bargain for the information you want.
This article will show you how to do that without irritating your prospect.
The strategy comes from Jim Camp, my mentor in sales negotiations. He’s the only person I know of who recommends this approach. That’s a pity, because it’s worked well for me.
Why Not Go Straight Into Your Pitch?
It sounds crazy at first. If someone asks you what you’re selling, why not just tell her?
Because the moment you’ve satisfied your prospect’s curiosity, she is less motivated to share what you want to know about her.
Details Provoke Objections
As soon as you start telling her about your offering, she’ll begin making snap judgments about whether she wants to hear more. At first mention of feature or function she doesn’t like, she may shut you down.
And you’re unlikely to find something that will appeal to her in the short time she’ll give you to describe your offering.
Viscerally, she dislikes that you’ve interrupted her. She dislikes even more that you’ve interrupted her for a sales pitch. Rationally, she’s looking for a logical way to get rid of you and move on.
Should You Send Your Information?
If she’s polite and you’re been polite, she may not cut you off abruptly. She may say she’s willing to look at some information if you’d like to send it.
So what information do you send?
At this point you just don’t know. Whatever you send is likely to be hit or miss.
You don’t even know if it’s worth taking your time to send her anything. You haven’t gotten any of the information you need.
Don’t agree to send any information until you’ve gotten the basic information you need.
How to Withhold Your Information Without Looking Like a Jerk
Let’s assume you’re cold calling on the phone. The conversation might go like this:
Me: Hello. My name is Scott Silverback. I, I’m not sure if you’re the right person for me to be talking with. Please just tell me, and I’ll get right off the phone. Is that fair?”
Her: Sure. I’ll try to help. But I’m sorry. I’m in a hurry. [Helpful.]
Me: OK. Thanks. Who in your organization is ultimately responsible for revenue? I thought from your title that it might be you.
Her: Are you selling something? [Starting to pull back.]
Me: I, I’m not selling anything. I have no idea if I can offer you anything you might want or need. The purpose of my call is to find out. If it’s not a fit now, just tell me, and I’ll get off the phone right way. OK?
Me: Can I ask you a question that’ll help us both find out pretty fast?
Her: Go ahead. But please make it brief. I’m in the middle of something.
Me: I’ll make it very brief. How comfortable are you that…
Ask Your Big Question
This is where you ask your Big Question. Your Big Question meets these criteria:
- It states or suggests the primary, high-level benefit your offering is likely to provide to people like the person you’re talking to.
- It’s thought provoking, intriguing and a little emotionally unsettling.
- It’s as graphic as you can make it. It contains concrete imagery that engages the prospect’s vision of the benefit or her current pain.
- It doesn’t telegraph too much information about the nature of your offering.
- It begins with who, what, when, where, why, or how. It does not begin with a verb as in “Do you…?” Your prospect can’t answer it with a simple yes or no.
Here’s an example.
Me: How comfortable are you that you can blow through your sales quota quarter after quarter, without all the heartburn that so many people in your shoes feel every day?
Where to Go Next
At this point your prospect will probably give you one of four answers.
- “I’m very comfortable.”
- “I’m somewhat uncomfortable, but I don’t have time to talk now.”
- “I’m not so comfortable. Tell me more.”
- “I’m not the right person for this discussion.”
The first response tells you she’s not a good prospect now.
The second response is your signal to try to schedule a better time.
The fourth response is your invitation for her to tell you who she thinks is the right person and to make a referral.
The third response is your invitation to start your pitch, right?
Now Can I Give My Pitch?
No. Her expression of interest is your invitation to continue negotiating for the information you need in order to present your offering in the best possible light.
Me: You said you’re pressed for time, and I’m respectful of that. This could take a few more minutes. Is that OK? Please tell me no if that doesn’t work for you.
Her: I can give it five more minutes. But no more. I’ve got a hard stop at 2:00. Please tell me what you offer.
You have to judge the level of her impatience. You don’t want to irritate her by appearing to play games. If you feel you’re pushing the limits of her patience, describe what you offer in one or two short sentences.
Your description should be high-level, vague, intriguing, and benefit oriented. It should leave her wanting more information. It should be designed specifically not to raise her objections.
It should still leave her saying, “Tell me more.”
Go Back to What You Want to Know
Me: To be as efficient as possible with your limited time, I need to ask just a few more questions. Is that OK?
Then ask your most important additional questions, being aware of her time constraints.
When Do I Finally Get to Give My Pitch?
If you haven’t already given her a quick summary of your offering, do so now. Your summary is more likely to appeal to her if you can key it to the information she’s given you.
Never get into your presentation until the timing is right for you to do it well. You certainly don’t want to do it during a cold call.
How much time do you need? What are the most favorable circumstances for you to succeed with your next step?
Where to Go From Here
When you have the next step you want clearly in your mind, you try to close her on it, right?
Wrong.
You defer the control to her.
Me: (after my brief summary) What would you like me to do?
What if She Asks You to Send Information?
Her: Do you have something you can send me?
Me: Frankly, what I have is pretty useless. Our marketing department… well, I hope yours is better than ours. You know, it’s just not likely to be right for you, considering the information you’ve just shared with me.
Suggest a Next Step that Provides a Good Opportunity to Present Your Offering
Me: I suggest another brief discussion on the phone [or face-to-face meeting, as your process suggests].
Me: If you’re open to talking at a more convenient time, 20 minutes should do it. What page are you looking at on your calendar?
How Does This Feel?
How do you feel as you read this dialog?
I can tell you, I’ve never felt so comfortable in cold calling as when I do it this way.
You’re the opposite of pushy. You’re asking permission at each step. You’re passing control back to your prospect several times throughout the discussion.
You’re encouraging her to say no at every step. You’re acting reasonably.
You’re starting to build a relationship of trust and mutual respect. And you’re getting all the information you need in order to be successful in your next step.
What’s not for you and your prospect to like about that?
Maybe you noticed that I wrote a stammer into part of my dialog. I’ll explain why next time.
Stay fresh.
– Scott Silverback