Navigating Assumptive Questions
There are 4 main types of questions I use.
Assumptive, NLP based, pump up/confused, and layered hard-hitting questions.
Assumptive questions are incredibly powerful if used the right way.
They work off assuming a specific standard is the norm for them.
You would have seen some influencers and public figures using them to get a reaction or make their point.
On a sales call, it allows you ask the prospect something that directly relates to one of the key deliverables/pillars of your program.
You do it in such a way that they realize they’ve been operating without an integral piece for a period of time.
The issue is, very few get it right.
They either go too hard with the question, they don’t set it up or use an accusatory tone.
The prospect gets defensive, the salesperson tries to backtrack and nobody wins.
The good news is that it’s not that hard.
There’s a 3 step process.
- The set up.
- The delivery.
- The reaction.
Example 1
You’re selling a mastermind to men who need support. This might be marriage, fatherhood, work, discipline, accountability.
A key component of what your program offers is a community of likeminded men all supporting one another.
The set up:
Given the type of program, it’s typically a pain avoidant sales process.
You will start by having them map out what prompted them to reach out.
How it shows up in their life.
How it affects those around them.
Where they see it taking them as well as their loved ones if they weren’t to make a change.
The delivery:
Gentle tone, curious, relaxed expression on your face.
“When you speak to your close friends about this, what do they say?”
You already know with a high probability that he won’t have any friends or anyone he can talk to.
He has to say to you that he doesn’t have any friends.
There’s no one in his life that he can talk to.
This is something your program can fix.
The reaction:
Either:
Gentle and reassuring as this is a vulnerable moment.
“That’s not too dissimilar from most of the men that come into this program”
Or:
Probe further as to why that's the case.
Example 2
You’re selling an investment opportunity.
You’ve got someone on the call who thinks they’re a big deal, even though you know in the scheme of things they’re not.
Their buying process is to have salespeople chase them and feed into their ego.
The majority of times you have someone that conducts themselves like this, they don't buy because they can't.
If they can, you would never want to bring them into the program if this is how they act.
The set up:
You’ve asked them about what success looks like to them.
The timeframes and the deliverables.
You let them talk about how good they are.
You’ve built them up and let them show some ego.
The delivery:
Curious but almost in admiration of them.
“How did you celebrate your first million dollar month?”
You know with a high probability that they haven’t made anywhere near that.
They have to say that they’re not at that level and aspire to be.
The whole tone of the call changes.
The reaction:
Surprised, almost taken aback.
You can use all manner of questions here to understand from their point of view why they aren’t there.
My favourite is the pump up/confused, but we’ll cover that in a future newsletter.
You also become the vehicle by which they can achieve the newly-set benchmark.
Example 3
A picture you can hear.
This is by far the most famous example of an assumptive question.
Action Steps
Break down the top 3-4 deliverables/outcomes of your program.
Write out 3-4 assumptive questions for every deliverable/outcome.
Trial them on your calls for the next month and see which ones work the best.