Positively challenging your Salesforce clients is fun.
Getting them to open their minds to the possibilities and seeing a grin slowly spread across their faces is priceless.
Of course, in the early stages of the sales cycle, it’s not always easy to build excitement. And building excitement is an important factor in leading the client to sign the project’s contract.
One effective way to build excitement and to challenge your client is to ask “What if…” questions.
- What if you had a system that could scale with your business?
- What if you didn’t have to follow existing business processes?
- What if we didn’t import 20 years of legacy data?
“What if” is a powerful question because it forces your client to think about the outcomes in a way that doesn’t make them feel they need to justify things.
By contrast, “Why” is popular, but every answer will make them feel they need to provide a reason why things are the way they are. It could also push them into an uncomfortable corner in which they don’t know the answer.
The takeaway
Instead of asking the 5 “Why” questions, rephrase them as “What if” questions. “What if” is about opportunities, about the future, and about options.