Hey, 👋 Scott from The Sales Mastermind here.

Today’s edition only takes 3 minutes.

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"Never, on cross-examination, ask a witness a question you don't already know the answer to." - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mocking Bird.

The sales translation is "Never answer a question if you don't already know the motivation."

I led a webinar on Friday for junior to mid-level sellers: SDRs, AEs, and other individual contributors.

The talk is basically:

• If you're getting bad outcomes, learn to ask better questions
• Ask bad questions, get bad answers
• Ask good questions, get good answers
• And most of all, be aware of Black Swan Questions from your buyers.

Black Swans

Nassim Taleb coined the term "Black Swan" to mean a rare event with dramatic consequences, which is obvious in hindsight.

It comes from the idea that Northern Hemisphere swans are (almost) exclusively white.

And, to the shock of the "Old World," black swans were discovered in Western Australia in the 1600s. In hindsight, nothing stopped swans from evolving black feathers.

Treat every question like a gun. Assume it is loaded

Black Swan Questions are when your buyer asks a question that often isn't intended to catch you out but ultimately does.

The reason they are called Black Swan Questions is that 99 times out of 100, the apparent answer is fine. Yet, 1 time in 100, the apparent answer is a colossal mistake.

Safe owners treat every gun as if it is loaded, so they never accidentally fire an "unloaded" gun.

Great sellers treat every question as a Black Swan Question so they never accidentally fall into a trap.

Example

Imagine you're selling a CRM that includes a dialler.

Or...

Hence, "never answer a question if you don't already know the motivation."

Get-out-of-jail questions

When you need clarification on what the buyer is asking, be like a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Be a professional.

In a call on Monday, about 15 minutes, my wife made a statement to which our Paediatrician replied, "And… why do you make that point?"

When a buyer asks a question, find out why. The onus is on them to explain what they are talking about.

Good examples:

• "When you say XXX, what does that mean to you?"
• "Help me understand, you've just said XXX. I'm not sure I follow how that relates to ABC"
• "And why do you make that point?"

Or, the ultimate get-out-of-jail question:

• "What do you mean?"

When you put the question back on the buyer, they'll often rephrase it —buying you time to form an answer. Or it could be a more straightforward question the second time around.

Be aware of Black Swans and use your get-out-of-jail questions to keep the conversation flowing.
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Until next week,
Scott Cowley

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