Hey, 👋 Scott from The Sales Mastermind here.

Today’s edition only takes 4 minutes.

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The first answer probably isn’t a lie, but it’s rarely the whole truth.

The second answer is less of a lie, but it still isn’t the whole truth.

If the third answer is the same as the second, you have the truth.

Otherwise, ask a fourth time.

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Today we’ll cover:

• Storytime
• Applied to Sales
• Optional Techniques

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Storytime

On the weekend, I ran into an old friend in the supermarket.

We had a quick catch-up followed by them saying, “Let’s grab a beer sometime”.

I agreed and went about my shop.

Realistically, neither of us will follow up on the beer catch-up.

This is hands down the most annoying social nicety there is. An awkward amount of small talk, followed by the obligatory surface-level invitation to “catch up.”

But because it was small talk, you either:

• Forget
• Don’t want to appear needy by reaching out first
• Assume the other person was just being polite (after all, you were just being nice, right?), and
• For whatever reason, the invitation is too soft, so nothing happens

Neither of you is intentionally lying. It’s a lie of omission.

The social contract of lying-but-not-lying is rampant in the buying journey.

The only way through is to ask deeper questions to move beyond the surface.

Imagine if, instead of simply agreeing, I followed up with “Yes, let’s catch up, how are you for Friday or next Tuesday after work?”

They’d either agree or make an excuse why that won’t work.

Either way, by making the invitation specific, it quickly becomes clear whether it was genuine or just politeness.

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Applied to Discovery

During Discovery, you’re attempting to gather enough evidence to confirm that this buyer is worth your time, energy, and effort for a full sales cycle.

No matter what you ask, the first question will always elicit surface-level answers.

Ultimately, it’s because:

• Buyers don’t trust you, yet
• Other sellers accept surface-level answers
• It’s easier for buyers to give the same answers to all sellers.

Elite sellers accept that the buyer’s first answer is never enough.

Only once you probe deeper will the buyer begin to see you as someone they can trust, an expert who won’t accept surface-level answers.

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Applied to the Pitch

After Discovery, you’re going to Pitch a solution.

The Pitch is when you collate everything you’ve learnt about them and the industry to present your product or service as the answer to their specific pains.

And throughout the Pitch elite sellers are constantly confirming the buyer is onboard. They go beyond the classic:

Because every buyer will respond “Yes” to the first question (that’s what they do in every other sales meeting, and the seller starts talking again).

Elite sellers are different. They follow up with a different question to get to the real answer.

By asking again and moving beyond the surface-level canned “yes” response, either the second answer will be the same, or the truth will come out.

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Applied to Commitment

Lastly, when trying to close, most sellers shy away from confirming the buyer’s commitment.

Most sellers are afraid the buyer will say “no.” But that is exactly the outcomes elite sellers are seeking from their buyers.

Every buyer will have hesitations and reservations about every deal. A closed won deal has twice as many objections as a closed lost deal.

Therefore, sellers either accept the first answer and never get to the real objection.

Or elite sellers probe by asking again to uncover real objections or hesitations, then support their buyers with what is really going on.

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Techniques

Theory is great, but let’s make it real. Each of the following is a named technique, with a quick explanation and example.

You can use any of these techniques in your next sales meeting to get beyond the surface-level answers you may have been stuck with in the past.

Ultimately, we have to accept that most buyers treat a sales meeting like running into an old friend. They plan to give polite, surface-level small talk. However, the deeper you go, the more likely you are to progress on the right deals. So ask again.

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Until next week,
Scott Cowley

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