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If this were a perfect world, when prospecting and qualifying we would always get to speak with the decision maker and, while questioning them, we would discover that they were looking for our solution, and that they have the budget and authority to make a decision. Furthermore, when asked about their timeline for making a decision, they would reply, “Can you get it here yesterday?”
Too bad we don’t live in a perfect world…
Instead, it’s more likely these days that we don’t get right through to the decision maker – or to that mysterious “committee” that is going to decide at some undisclosed point in the future – instead, there are usually some layers to go through first, before our product or service can finally get to the right set of eyes.
Usually the person standing in the way of the final decision maker is an influencer – someone who might weigh in on the decision but who doesn’t have the final authority to make the ultimate decision.
Now here’s the key: just because an influencer doesn’t have the authority to make the final decision, that’s not to say they don’t know other crucial information that might help you navigate the decision tree and ultimately make a sale.
Unfortunately, many sales reps are terrible at vetting or qualifying the influencer, so they just send their information and then hope for the best.
If you follow the advice below, you will not only know how to get this crucial information, but you’ll also separate yourself from 90% of the other sales reps who just don’t know how to qualify influencers properly.
Questions to ask: Even though your influencer might not be the final decision maker, they often have some insight into what the decision is looking for, or what their interest in your product or service is.
Because this is true more times than it isn’t, you must always ask any of the following questions to get this insight. If the person you’re talking to is hiding behind the real decision maker, then ask things like:
“_________, you probably work quite closely with (the decision maker), tell me, how open are they to adding (your product or solution)?”
OR
“_________, in terms of what you know, what is their (the decision maker or committee’s) timeline for putting something like this into effect?”
OR
“What other solutions are they considering right now?”
AND
“How do you get involved in the decision on something like this?”
OR
“How much influence (or input) do you have on the final decision?”
AND
“How closely do you work with (the decision maker or committee)?”
[If they are involved]:
“What are you recommending they do?”
OR
“From what we’ve just gone over, do you think this is something that would work for them?”
AND
“Give me your thoughts on how (the decision maker) is going to decide who to pick for this”
OR
“From what you know, what is (the decision maker) looking for in a solution like this?”
AND
“Given what you know about the urgency for making this decision, how soon do you think they will decide on a solution?”
AND
“In terms of budget, what are they thinking?”
AND
“From your perspective, what is involved in their decision process?”
OR
“How many other vendors are they going to look at before they make a decision?”
AND
“From the other companies they’ve looked at, who are they leaning towards now?”
AND
“Is the company they’re using now still in the running?”
AND
“How likely do you think they’ll just use the same company they’re using now?”
AND
“What do you think it will take for them to choose a different solution from who they’re using now?”
AND
“Is there any reason you can see that they wouldn’t move forward with something like this?”
AND
“Is there anything you can think of that I should know that’s important for them in making this decision?”
AND
“What do you think I need to do to have the best shot of earning their business?”
As you can see, there are many areas and many questions you can ask which will give you tremendous insight into the sales process – if you just ask.
Is the influencer going to know any or all of this? Of course not! But, again, more times than not, they’ll know a lot more than you might think.
And if you begin asking some of these questions, you will know it, too!