Think about it... you need to know who makes the decision, right? You've even been told by managers and other sales people that you need to know "who pulls the trigger". You might have even been through some training classes that stress uncovering the decision maker. So, you ask, "are you the decision maker" or "who else gets involved in this decision?"
So, you've done what you 've been told and yet you still get duped! Sometimes people who tell you they make decisions, don't. Sometimes people who say they don't, do. So what gives and what strategies could we employ to raise our percentages and get more "truthful" information? We need to develop and deploy (consistently) a strategy that will get us better results.
First, know that the question "are you the decision maker" is a very transparent and "sales like" question. Anyone with half a brain knows where this is going... and they've heard it over and over again from other sales people. Although we need to know who makes the decision, maybe our way of finding out is the problem. Maybe we need another question to get to the issue!
Think about it for a minute... most of the time when you ask someone "are you the decision maker" they either "are", or "are a part of", or "are not involved in the decision". Let's look at the three options and assess the impact of our question to see if it is getting us what we want.
First, let's look at when you ask "are you...", how someone who is the decision maker will respond. If they are the decision maker they might answer "yes"... good outcome. They might be offended by the question as in "you question my authority", not a good outcome. Or, they might be threatened by the question as in "uh,oh, here comes the close!" So they "lie" and send you off to talk with alot of other people that really don't matter, not a good outcome. So, three options, two leave us in less than a positive position with the prospect.
Let's suppose for a minute that they are not the decision maker. They might misunderstand your question... thinking because they are the ones that decide what information get's to "Ms. Big" they answer "yes". So, without intentionally misleading you they believe they have answered your question correctly, when in fact they haven't. Or, they are the type of people that can't decide when to blow their nose, but just don't want you to know (or admit it to themselves)
Then "what" you ask, should I say instead?? What you need is a question that eliminates the negative outcomes but will get you the information that you need. You need to find out who, when and how they will make their decision. The key is to focus on the process, "how", and you will find out who and when (most of the time) without ever needing to ask.
Start with "how do/does you/your company, make a decision like this? You will now be able to get your contact to tell you "how" which will lead you to information like "once I see your offer I'll need to bring it to my director". The question is less threatening and will get you the information you need to be with the real decision makers. Employ this strategy consistently... and you'll get consistently better results.
Action Step: Practice asking about the "process" and commit to changing your approach.
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