What happens if you ask the “On a scale of 1 to 10…” question and the individual says they’re a 1? Well shoot. Do you just shut up and say, “Okay, goodbye. I’m gonna go rot in a hole now.” Of course not! Dan Pink, the author of To Sell Is Human, suggests a different method.
Using the example of trying to get Maria to clean her room, a father asks the question, “Maria, on a scale of 1 to 10, how ready are you to clean your room?” ~ “Dad, really and truly, I’m a 1.” ~ “Okay, well what can we do to get you to a two?”
By asking what to do in order to move Maria from a 1 to a 2, her dad is asking Maria to describe what is in her way of choosing to be a 2. When people choose to say “1” it’s usually because there’s an environmental obstacle. Find out the obstacle and see how you can move that obstacle.
If you want to hear it described in Pink’s words, check out 02:30 of this video.
BoweryJE22
I was always wondering that. It seemed like to leave the prospect alone would be the attuned reation to a no. I just worry that if they are on such a low level that if you ask how to increase that they will just brush you off and think you are just pushy. I know there is an art to it, but I think Pink has a point, as he usually does, about how to go about the sales situation without seeming too pushy.
This is a really interesting tactic – and forces more empathy into the situation. In your case above, Maria is now forced to look at her situation from an outside as well as inside perspective and thus can attune her to her dad better as well as give her a more rational perspective. This also seems to relate to Mattson’s concept of making your prospect think that they make every decision instead of you pushing them there. By Maria’s dad asking her what needs to be done to get her to a two, Maria seems more in control of her fate… thus making her happier with the decisions she’s making.