Sales professionals are in hot pursuit of the ultimate decision maker. Who gives the final yes or no? That’s the person we want to be in front of.
When you are trying to determine if the person you are talking to is the final decision maker, never ask him or her directly if they are the decision maker. It could sound something like… “Are you the person that will be making the final decision?” If that doesn’t make you cringe a little, it’s time to re-evaluate how you uncover the decision maker.
Here is the problem:
This puts pressure on the person's ego and may force them to lie to you. Often the prospect will feel like they have to say they are, even when others involved. There could be multiple decision makers and influencers who determine the sales – and if we belittle our contact by implying they’re not important enough to work with, we’ve lost our connection to them.
When the truth finally comes out the prospect may feel embarrassed or even hide from you to protect their dignity. You end up feeling frustrated and confused about what happened. You end up wasting a lot of valuable time only to find that there are additional players. Now you have to start all over, assuming you have the chance.
It’s your job as a professional to craft and ask compelling questions that reveal who else is involved in the decision process, what the key issues are for that person, and how your contact will represent you with the other decision makers. Rather than a direct question that may insult them, we ask nurturing questions like, “Typically whom would you bring in to help you make these decisions, if anyone?”
Here is the rule: “Always allow the prospect the opportunity to maintain their dignity and feel good about working with you.”
How will you allow them to tell you who the players are without undermining the part they play?
