What if there was a way to end your sales calls that told you everything you need to know about where the lead currently sits?
The question I ask during my sales calls, and occasionally in direct messages, is simple yet incredibly powerful: “What would stop you from working with me?” Now, before I delve deeper, let me clarify that while I’m often associated with direct messaging sales strategies, I also utilize sales calls, especially for higher-ticket offerings like my VIP days and social media management retainers. It’s essential to ensure a strong fit, and sometimes, that vibe can only be gauged through a conversation.
So, why does this question work so effectively? Let’s break it down:
1. Forces Customers to Consider Potential Obstacles: By asking this question, you’re prompting your potential client to contemplate any hesitations or uncertainties they may have about working with you. It goes beyond the typical “Do you have any questions?” and encourages deeper reflection. This can lead to valuable insights and uncover concerns or queries they might not have otherwise expressed.
2. Addresses Objections in Real Time: Moreover, this question provides an opportunity to address objections or concerns as they arise. It allows you to handle any hesitations head-on, demonstrating your commitment to understanding and resolving their potential barriers to collaboration. However, it’s essential to note that these “objections” aren’t always obstacles but can also reveal opportunities to serve your client better.
3. Identifies Additional Service Opportunities: In some cases, asking this question can uncover new ways to support your client beyond their initial needs. For instance, I once had a client who was undergoing a significant rebranding process, facing challenges in project management amidst the transition. Recognizing this, I was able to cross-sell project management services, not only aiding in the rebranding process but also setting the stage for future collaboration.
4. Streamlines the Sales Process: Perhaps most notably, this question can expedite the sales process, potentially leading to immediate acceptance of your proposal. By addressing concerns directly and demonstrating your willingness to overcome any obstacles, you create a sense of trust and confidence that can culminate in a swift decision to move forward.
In the fast-paced world of business, success often hinges on the ability to ask the right questions at the right time. As we’ve explored today, the simple act of inquiring, “What would stop you from working with me?” can unlock a wealth of insights and opportunities. So, whether you’re in a sales call, a networking event, or any other client interaction, remember the power of this question. Embrace it, adapt it, and watch as it transforms your approach to sales and client relationships. Here’s to asking the questions that truly matter—and to the boundless possibilities they bring.
Show Notes:
In this episode, Victoria is spilling the beans on a sales strategy that’s brought in over $24,000. She drops a bomb with the question she asks during sales calls and DM chats: “What would stop you from working with me?” Victoria breaks down how this question gets customers thinking about any roadblocks, helps her handle objections right then and there, and even uncovers new ways to serve her clients. She’s seen it lead to clients sealing the deal on the spot, skipping the whole contract and invoice rigmarole. Victoria urges you to give this question a whirl in your own sales talks for some serious game-changing action.
Transcript
Victoria Boyd [00:00:02]:
Welcome to the Strategies That Stack podcast. I’m your host, Victoria h Boyd. I’m a corporate escapee and marketing consultant, and I’m on a mission to help you build a marketing strategy that is so Stack, you become absolutely unignorable. Each week, I will bring you real stories, the actual data, and the true strategies that have propelled online creators and entrepreneurs to the top of their industries. So grab your coffee, and let’s jump in. I’m really excited to be here because we’re gonna be talking about a question that has quite literally paid me to 24 $1,000. This is a 5 figure strategy that I’m sharing with you today. And as a matter of fact, while I’m speaking out loud, I don’t know if I’ve ever shared this strategy, like, ever.
Victoria Boyd [00:00:50]:
I mean, I made 1 Instagram post about it. That was it. I don’t think I have this included in my sales call trainings, in My coaching programs I don’t know where this actually where that strategy actually lives inside of my business. So now it has a home on my podcast, which I’m not mad about. I’m not mad about it. It’s here. We’re gonna talk about it. So Let’s get right in to talking about the question that I’ll share with you in a second that has paid me over $24,000.
Victoria Boyd [00:01:21]:
Five figure sales strategy right here coming in hot. This will be a short episode. I’m not gonna drag it out. Alright. So the question that I ask during my sales calls, and I’ve also used this in the DMs, but that’s a different conversation, Is that would stop you from working with me? And before I jump in, I know I’m typically known as the DM gal. Oh, I sell a lot in the DMs. I have DM sales products or DM products for sale. That was a really weird way to put that.
Victoria Boyd [00:01:51]:
I have a DM selling mini mind course thing. Anyway, I’m a DM gal, but I will Also use sales calls, especially for my higher ticket stuff such as my VIP days, which are really my VIP days aren’t that crazy expensive. They’re pretty mid ticket. But my social media management, like anything on a retainer, I like to do a sales call for just because I wanna make sure we’re a really good fit. Not to get too woo, but I wanna feel the vibe of the call. I just want to really see how things are going. So, anyway, this is a strategy I mostly use on sales calls, and this is not a question I’ll ask if I don’t have a good vibe from the sales call, obviously, because I don’t want to encourage somebody to work with me if we’re not a good fit for one reason or another. But the question, what would stop you from working with me? That literally led to clients signing signing contracts with me right on the phone.
Victoria Boyd [00:02:44]:
That’s how powerful this strategy and this question can be when it’s done the right way. So let’s talk all about why this question works as well as How you can use it? So, again, the question is, in case you missed it the Stack couple times I think I’ve said it twice. I don’t know. What would stop you from working with me? So the reason it works is there’s, like, 4 reasons that I’ve kinda highlighted or figured out, which we’re gonna go through together. Number 1 is it forces the customer to think about working with you and anything standing in their way. So this could be questions. Right? Like, this is a much more powerful question than just asking, do you have any follow-up questions for me, or is there anything else you need clarity on? When you literally ask them what’s stopping you from working with me, that gives them, like, a different thing to think about. And that can really bring up questions that they have.
Victoria Boyd [00:03:35]:
It can encourage them to ask for any clarity they may need, even if that’s, like, next steps. It can just, Like, it, like, lights up a different part of their brain, I guess. I don’t know. It says it kind of like I think psychologically to them, it’s like, oh, okay. So this person really wants to work with me. What would stop me from wanting to work with them? I think it’s kind of like it kinda compliments them in a way because you are insinuating you are ready to move forward while also asking them questions. I think that’s why it works. I don’t know.
Victoria Boyd [00:04:04]:
I just thought about that out loud while I’m sitting here, but I think it kind of works because Kinda compliments them. So that’s a little side tangent thing. The second way I’ve seen it work is that it allows you to handle objections in real time. What I will say about this is it doesn’t necessarily have to be an objection though. Could actually be an opportunity to serve your client deeper. Segway into the next one. It allows you to see other ways that you can serve them. So for example, I had a past client.
Victoria Boyd [00:04:34]:
We had been talking for, I don’t remember the exact time frame. I think it was, like, 6 or 7 months, and I just kept following up. I just it was a squeaky wheel. Like, how’s things going? Are you ready to move forward? Is this a priority for you. You know? And that’s what you have to do in sales. You have to be a squeaky wheel. Not always, but a lot of times, you have to be a little bit of a squeaky wheel. And that’s exactly what I was doing at this point.
Victoria Boyd [00:04:57]:
I was following up, so on and so forth. We’d gotten on our, like, 2nd or 3rd sales call. Again, this was over a long period of time. This wasn’t like 3 calls in a week. This was like 3 calls over, like, the course of, like, 6 months to 9 months. I don’t even remember. It was so long ago. But they were in the middle of a really big rebrand.
Victoria Boyd [00:05:17]:
Like a like a tongue twister, rebrand so big that were working on getting into retail spaces like Target. Right? That’s the size of this project. And she was having a lot of trouble managing the project, making decisions. Like, you know, she was just having trouble. She was so in it that she is having trouble guiding the project. So I was able to come in and cross sell her into project management, which was really cool because, a, it was a project, and, b, it set me up for a lot of success when I took over their social media pages. So not only did it help the project get done faster for her, her rebrand was done sooner, I was better equipped to take over her social media account because I was in the brand. I was part of the brand during the rebrand.
Victoria Boyd [00:06:05]:
That sounded so funny, but I hope you follow what I mean. I was in the business at that point. The next reason this question works so well is because it can get them to accept the proposal right then and there, allowing you to skip the contract and the invoice. So I really want to encourage you. When you are on a sales call or having a sales conversation that feels really good, Ask them, what would stop you from working with me? And let the conversation go from there. I will see you on our next episode.
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