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Speaking To Decision Makers And Key Influencers

In a more complex B2B (business-to-business) sale, the stakes and the competition are high, and a consensus usually is required to make a decision. In this case a more thorough discovery process involving speaking to key individuals within the propect’s organization is necessary to help you develop a focused, tight case and differentiate yourself from your competitors.

The best source of information about a company is the one that is often skipped by most salespeople: the company’s own employees, particularly problem owners, stakeholders, and other key influencers. Nothing sets you up for success more than having a conversation with these key people within your prospect’s organization. These conversations should take place early in the planning process so that you can get on these individual’s calendars and incorporate any valuable findings into your presentation. The following sections walk you through how to set up and conduct a discovery conversation.

Asking for a discovery conversation

A discovery conversation is a one-on-one meeting or phone call with someone in your prospect’s organization who can provide insight or shed light on the challenge you’re addressing in your presentation. Don’t be shy about asking for input. It’s a fair and reasonable request that benefits not only you, but also the prospect. Gaining a better understanding of your prospect’s needs shortens your presentation and allows you to provide a more accurate and precise recommendation. The following steps help you secure a meeting with key individuals within your prospect’s organization:

• Ask your primary contact for three or four names of key people to speak with.

These names may be people who will be attending the presentation, key influencers, or those who work behind the scenes and who are able to provide insight on the problem or challenge.

• Send a short, to-the-point email requesting a call or meeting with each individual.

Use one or two sentences to describe why you want to speak and how much time you’re requesting, (for example 20 to 30 minutes.) You can use the same template for each person, but be sure to personalize the names and contact information for greater response.

• Offer two or three different options of times to speak.

• Use a subject line that identifies your contact to increase your acceptance rate.

• Follow up with a meeting invite to secure the time on the person’s calendar.

If prospects are hesitant to speak with you, they typically don’t see the

value. A quick statement like the following can make it easy for them to see

the benefit in speaking with you: “I understand you’re busy, which is why I

don’t want to waste any of your time (or your manager’s time) during the

presentation. Your input now will help me make sure I can get right to the

point during the presentation and be sure to address your top concerns. Does

that make sense?”

Conducting a discovery conversation

The key to a great discovery meeting is knowing what you want to find out and leaving room for your prospect to surprise you. For example, you may uncover additional challenges, competitive insights, or strategic goals that help you more closely align with your prospect’s needs. Following are some key findings you want to look for when speaking with someone in your prospect’s company:

• Get everyone’s point of view. Don’t assume that everyone within your prospect’s organization has the same understanding of the problem or agree on the solution. Ask each person her perspective on the problem and expectations of a solution. You want as full a picture as possible. If the answers are conflicting, circle back with your primary contact and ask for help to ensure that you understand the issues so that you can properly address the best interests of the company.

• Understand the decision-making process. Figure out how the prospect makes decisions. Does the organization have a formal process? Do all decision makers have equal say or does one person’s opinion have more weight? The more you know about the decision-making process, the more you can tailor your message. For example, if the CEO is the sole decision maker, you know to structure your presentation more around how your solution impacts the organization as a whole and less around the details of the process.

• Define the personal impact. In addition to discovering how the current problem affects the organization, determine how it affects each prospect individually. The closer to home you can bring the problem and solution, the more powerful and memorable your presentation.

Comprehending additional benefits of discovery

In a competitive market more than likely you won’t be the only one asking your prospect questions prior to the presentation. In fact, your competitor may be asking many of the same or very similar questions and use the answers to help build a case for its product or service. If you’re the third or fourth vendor doing the questioning, your prospect’s answers can sound quite perfunctory. Set yourself apart by recognizing the following underutilized benefits of the discovery conversation:

• Revealing insights. Each question is an opportunity to gain insight around a prospect’s experience, expectations, and preferences. Don’t just settle for a pat answer. Take a four-year-old’s approach and ask why. Why do you do things that way? Why are you considering that option? Ask your prospect if there’s anything you may have missed. You’re looking for anything that can give you an insider’s view, which may include information on how bad the problem is, what’s at stake, and why the prospect needs to make a change. The answers you receive can help you to tailor your presentation to fit your prospect’s needs and expectations.

• Speaking your prospect’s language. Every company has its own buzzwords and acronyms. Instead of expecting the prospect to learn your language, make the effort to learn the prospect’s and incorporate some of the terminology into your presentation to build your credibility. For example, does your prospect call its salespeople “account executives” or “business consultants”? Does it refer to “customers” or “clients?” You may want to ask pointed questions about how your prospect refers to specific things or just take note of her word choice when she speaks.

• Planting seeds. The discovery conversation isn’t the time for a full-court sales press, but you do want the prospect to get off the phone with a sense of excitement and anticipation about your presentation if she’s attending, or a motivation to pass on her support if she’s not. Statements like, “It sounds like you could really use the extra time to focus on your new responsibilities if this were resolved quickly” can set expectations early.

Aim for subtlety and be careful not to slip into a full-on selling mode.

Building rapport and interest. Asking questions isn’t just about getting answers. You have a prospect on the phone or in person, so use this valuable time to strengthen your relationship and create some early interest going into your presentation. Here are some effective ways to do so:

• Really listen. The discovery conversation is the time to listen. End users in particular may have never been asked their opinion before and therefore may be more than happy to share given the chance, so keep your pencil sharp and listen. This time isn’t just about checking off a box. Don’t make assumptions or finish your prospect’s sentences. You’ll have plenty of time to speak during your presentation.

• Repeat back. Make sure that you’re clear on your prospect’s meaning, especially on important points, by repeating back to her what you heard her say. If you don’t understand something, ask questions until you do.

• Respond with empathy. Your conversation isn’t a therapy session, but it also isn’t a deposition. You’re talking to real people about real problems. Taking a moment to express appropriate emotion can go a long way toward establishing rapport. For example, “Wow, that sounds really frustrating” or “I imagine that must create a lot of pressure for your department,” will make your prospect feel validated and may get them to open up more.

Defusing potential objections

Not preparing for objections — reasons your prospect would have to not move forward with the sale — is like waterskiing without a life vest. You may glide along just fine for a while, but when you hit the water, you’re going to be glad you planned ahead. Although most salespeople prepare to address objections in their presentation, you can begin to neutralize many of them early in the planning stage before positions have hardened by doing a thorough job of discovery with your prospect. Following are some common objections that may come up in your initial prospect calls or discovery conversations and how to nip them in the bud or lessen their impact during your presentation.

• It’s not that bad/we’re in no hurry/other decisions are more pressing. These objections all fall into the “lack of urgency” category. You can usually handle them early on by getting the prospect to acknowledge or share the full financial impact of not solving the problem. If the prospect still brings up her objections in the presentation, you’ll be able to remind your prospect of the cost of delay.

• It’s too expensive. When price is an issue, the prospect doesn’t perceive enough value in your solution. Reaching agreement early on about the impact of resolving the problem or embracing the opportunity allows you to compare that cost objection to the value you’re providing. If this objection still comes up in the presentation, reflect the agreement on the financial impact back to your prospect and ask him if anything has changed since you last spoke.

• We prefer a competitor. Consider this objection a gift if it comes up early in the planning stages of your presentation. Armed with a competitive analysis, you can emphasize those attributes that differentiate you from your competitor throughout your presentation. Focusing on competitive strengths without necessarily mentioning your competition early on can diffuse this objection as can opening designed to address the objection.