Get the buyer to say what doing nothing costs

What it does

Buyers don’t move because your product is good. They move because staying where they are costs more than changing. If they never say that cost out loud, in their own words and with a number, the deal stalls after a great demo. The questions are simple. Most people skip them because they feel uncomfortable to ask.

What you need

• Your discovery questions (see write down your sales process)
• A spreadsheet open during the call
• Your call recordings, to check yourself

How it works

1. 1

   Ask about the problem first

   What happens, how often, and who deals with it. Get the facts before the feelings.

2. 2

   Ask what it costs them today

   “What does that cost you today, in hours, money or customers?” Let them work it out. If they can’t, offer to do it together.

3. 3

   Ask what happens if nothing changes

   “If nothing changes, what does a year from now look like?” Then stop talking, and let them answer.

4. 4

   Put a number on it, together

   Google Sheets: paste into A1, then swap in their numbers

   What it costs	Their numbers
   Hours a week spent on the problem	6
   Cost of an hour, all in	40
   Working weeks a year	48
   Customers or deals lost to it a year	2
   What one customer or deal is worth a year	12000
   Cost of the hours, a year	=B2*B3*B4
   Cost of what's lost, a year	=B5*B6
   Cost of doing nothing, a year	=B7+B8

5. 5

   Play it back before you show anything

   “So if I’ve got this right: about six hours a week, about $35,500 a year, and it gets worse as you grow. Is that right?” Only after their yes do you show how you’d fix it.

6. 6

   Check yourself on your recordings

   Once a month, search your call transcripts for the consequence question. The calls where it never came up are usually the ones that stalled.

What good looks like

On every call, the buyer says the cost in their own words, with a number you worked out together, before they see anything.

Mistakes to skip

• Doing the math for them. A number they worked out is one they believe.
• Asking it like a trap. Ask it because you need to know.
• Showing the product before they’ve said the cost.