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

  1. 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.
  2. It puts you in a position of authority, because it looks like you know more about this particular topic than they do.
  3. 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.

Category:
Communication