The Situation
Leslie is a consultant at a senior living placement agency. She has had several consultations with Daniel about the right senior facility for his elderly mother. Based on previous conversations, they’re meeting to go over the three finalists. Here’s part of the conversation:
Leslie: | I know the kind of facility you want for your mother, Daniel, and I have the three best, which we can line up for visits. |
Daniel: | Great! You really know your stuff, if you can get all the benefits I mentioned for Mom and keep costs so low. |
Leslie: | Well … uh … I didn’t know cost was the overriding factor. Two of these were not the lowest. |
Daniel: | Hmm. I thought I mentioned we have to keep a lid on — |
Leslie: | — Okay, and the ones I chose are not the most expensive. You had said that a facility with lots of activities for residents was very important. That costs more. |
Daniel: | I know I mentioned activities, and I mentioned the meals too — but neither was as important as a reasonable cost. |
Leslie: | Daniel, I feel we’re not really on the same page anymore. |
Daniel: | No problem … we’re just going over details. |
A Plan Undone
It’s good that this conversation took place before Leslie scheduled any visits. However, it has unwound Leslie’s selling process and wasted time for both of them. It could create an impasse. In Q4 consultative selling, what very helpful probe could Leslie have employed earlier to make sure she and her client were on the same track?