October 8, 2016
Three categories of Why
Sometimes people tell me that they understand the “Why Conversation” in theory, but when it comes time to have one in a sales call with a prospect, they don’t know what to actually ask. They either go blank, revert to status quo (asking about requirements), or stop asking Why too soon.
There are three categories of Why. You should explore each with your prospects:
- Why this?
- Why now?
- Why me?
Here are some sample lines for each category:
Why this?
- Why do anything at all?
- Why not just leave things the way they are?
- Are things really so bad that you need to embark on a costly / risky project?
Why now?
- Why do this now?
- Why not keep an eye on it for six months and decide then?
- You’ve known about this problem for a long time, did something change recently that increased the urgency?
Why me?
- Why not handle this internally?
- Why not outsource to India?
- Why not hire some junior contractors?
- Isn’t there an off-the-shelf solution that you could use?
Start with one category and keep going until you are satisfied or don’t know what else to ask, and then switch to another category. It’ll increase the value and your chance of closing the deal if you can get solid answers in all three categories.
However, you may find that your prospect will be so impressed with your concern for their well-being that they’ll practically beg for a quote before you can make it through all three categories.
Yours,
—J
P.S For more info about how to have a Why Conversation, check out my book -> hourlybillingisnuts.com