The Tiny Questions Before The Main Question

12 March 2023

Everyone knows that we don’t get paid until we close a deal, or as Solicitors, say, complete.

Sometimes we ask questions which are awkward, and we get ugly silences when we speak with our prospects.

Let’s take, for example, when we speak on the phone to make an appointment, we could say:

“Hello John, what are you doing at 3 o’clock on Thursday?”

John will pause and think ‘Oh my God, what is he trying to sell me?  What does he want? ….. I’m already busy! ….. Does he know we just received our budget?’

So, John will reply with something like this:

• “I’m not really sure”.
• “I have a meeting pencilled in”.
• “I’m on a conference call so not sure if I can get out of it”.
• “Why, what did you have in mind?”

We can take the anxiety out of John’s thought process by saying the following:

“John, I’ve got access to some software which I have been given that will really help you with prospecting.  What are you doing on Thursday at 3 o’clock?”

Now this makes it easier for John to say yes or no, because he knows why you want to see him.  Or you could say:

“John, we have an event next week for around one hour with people in the audience you want to connect with.  What are you doing on Thursday at 3 o’clock?”

This makes it easier for John; there is no anxiety, and it makes it easier for him to say yes or no.

So, for example, if you said:

“Most businesses want more business”, the prospect says “Yes” whilst thinking “This person is a mind reader”.

Or you could say:

“Would it be okay if we show you how to increase profits?”

The tiny question before the main question makes it easier for the prospect to want to see us.

Humour

Two friends were in the wine section at their local supermarket, and one said to the other:

"How much do you normally spend on a bottle of wine?"

"About an hour," the friend replied.

My boss asked me:

"Do you believe in life after death?"

"Yes," I replied.

"I thought you would," he said.

"Yesterday after you left to go to your grandmother's funeral, she phoned the office asking to speak to you."

Back

Comments