To improve communications and avoid misinterpreting the intent of prospects’ questions or the meaning of their answers to your questions, David Sandler recommended that you ask for clarification by using a technique known as reversing. This simply means responding to the person’s question with a question of your own – rather than reverting to childhood mode by answering every question put to you, as though the prospect were the teacher (read: the authority figure) and you were the student.
Fight the Instinct to Answer Immediately
For example, a prospect may ask, “How much do you know about my company?” You’re under no moral, social, or legal obligation to simply answer this question like a five-year old on the first day of school. In fact, you’ll both be better off if, instead of doing that, you pose a question of your own.
Why? Well, consider. This may be a “smoke-screen” question to determine if you’ve done your homework before calling on him. Or the prospect may simply be eager to tell you about the company—how she took it over when her father retired and how she doubled its revenue in three years. The meeting will be more productive for both sides if you clarify which intention is in play.
Another prospect may ask, “How strict are you with quantity discounts?” when he really wants to know if he can take advantage of a quantity discount and then arrange for a 14-day split shipment. But how would you know that? A third prospect may ask, “How big is your company?” when she really wants to know if you’ll be able to handle an eleven-state distribution schedule. Again: How would you know?
Wouldn’t it be nice to know the reasons behind the questions before you answer them?
To simply ask prospects for the motive behind their questions, however, may be a bit too abrupt. To avoid being perceived as confrontational, you can soften your question by preceding it with an appropriately named softening statement.
Example:
Prospect: Have you done work for any of my competitors?
Salesperson: That’s a very interesting question. (Followed by a clarifying question:) Why do you ask?
The softening statement, “That’s a very interesting question,” allows you to ease into the
clarification question.
Other softening statements include:
- I’m glad you asked me that.
- That’s a good question.
- Good point.
- Many people ask me that.
- I haven’t been asked that question for quite a while.
Sandler aptly called this strategy of responding to any question for which the meaning or intent is unclear with your own questions “reversing” because doing so reverses the flow of information—from prospects to you, rather than from you to the prospects.
In almost all cases, when you apply reversing strategy, prospects will reword or expand their question to reveal the motive behind it. It may take more than one reversing question, however, to fully expose the real question.
Classic Sandler reversing questions Include:
Why do you ask?
Why is that important? (And that’s important because…?)
What are you hoping I’ll tell you?
Why did you bring that up just now?
What are you really asking?
Reversing strategy can also be used to clarify prospects’ answers to your questions. For example:
Salesperson: When will you be making your decision?
Prospect: We’ll be making it very soon.
Does “very soon” mean tomorrow? Next week? Next month?
Salesperson: I appreciate you sharing that information with me. When you say
“very soon,” what exactly does that mean?
Or consider this exchange:
Salesperson: Is the project funded?
Prospect: Funding is not a problem.
Salesperson: I see. And by “not a problem,” you mean…?
Important: It may take more than one reversing question (perhaps three or four) to get to the intent of the original response and the “real” answer.
Reversing Cures the “Weasel Words” Problem
Prospects will sometimes make statements that, on the surface, sound positive, but on closer inspection, reveal no actual commitment. They contain indecisive, play-it-safe words or phrases – “weasel language” -- that allow prospects (and customers alike) to avoid making commitments.
Examples:
I believe that there’s a good chance that we will award the project to your firm.
Things look pretty good.
We’re inclined to place the order this quarter.
How much certainty can you attribute to the italicized words? Reversing strategy can help you uncover the real meaning of these statements. For example: “When you say ‘a good chance – what does that mean exactly? Can you help me understand what has to happen for that to take place?”
A memorable slogan David Sandler came up with about reversing during the discovery phase sounds like this: “Answer every question with a question.” The slogan makes for a simple, powerful, and impossible-to-forget reminder … but it’s important to remember that Sandler didn’t mean this literally! If the prospect asks you how your vacation in Hawaii was, you probably won’t want to respond with “That’s a good question. Why did you bring that up just now?”
