Eric was sharp. Confident. He was top of his class in product knowledge and always the first to volunteer when a deal looked promising. He considered himself a seasoned sales pro until the Thompson account.
“We’re looking to reduce costs,” the prospect had said.
Easy, Eric thought. He had a slide deck for that.
Within minutes, Eric launched into a detailed breakdown of return on investment, long-term savings, and feature comparisons. He was certain he nailed it.
Two weeks later: no response. Follow-up emails were met with silence. Finally, a polite decline.
Puzzled, Eric brought the situation to his sales coaching session with Topaz. That’s when his coach asked the question that stopped him cold:
“What did ‘reduce costs’ mean to them?”
Eric blinked. “It means… they want to spend less?”
“Or it could mean the CFO is trigger-shy after a failed vendor. Maybe it means they’re cutting headcount. Or they’re stuck in a contract they regret. What did you ask to find out?”
That’s when it hit him: he hadn’t asked. He’d assumed.
Eric had fallen into the free consulting, I’m the expert, trap. He heard what he thought was a familiar problem and reacted with a rehearsed pitch. What he missed was the real story behind the words. The pain. The nuance. The opportunity to build trust.
Through Buyer Facilitator sales training, Eric learned to do what traditional reps don’t: pause, reflect, and ask the questions only a trusted advisor would dare to ask. He started replacing assumptions with curiosity. Instead of pitching, he began uncovering.
Weeks later, a similar phrase came up with a new prospect: “We’re trying to lower expenses.”
This time, Eric didn’t jump. He leaned in and asked, “Can I ask, when you say lower expenses, what’s behind that priority right now?”
That one question changed everything—and won him the deal.
Moral of the Tale
Every time you assume, you shortcut the conversation. But when you get curious, you earn the right to uncover what really matters. That’s the difference between being a salesperson… and becoming a Buyer Facilitator.
