I recently listened to a wonderful podcast with Annie Duke.
Annie is a former poker player and author of some books related to decision science and decision education. As you know, decision making is an important part of being a Salesforce consultant.
One of the strategies she teaches is how to get a client to think a little more deeply about what they just said.
For example, let’s say a client seems convinced of a particular approach. Perhaps they say something like, “I think this widget is good enough for the end user.”
One way to respond is, “wanna bet?” and then patiently wait for a reply.
This is an effective strategy because
- It forces the client to reconsider their position. No matter how sure they might be while making their statement, these words will have them re-verify.
- It puts you in a position of authority, because it looks like you know more about this particular topic than they do.
- You if have a friendly smile while saying it, you don’t appear to be overly confrontational.
The takeaway
A simple, “wanna bet?” is a great hack to have your client to re-evaluate their position.
Like all similar tactics, don’t overly use it and use it for good only.