Investigate: Investigation or Interrogation?

“Talk to people about themselves and they will listen for hours.”

—BENJAMIN DISRAELI

Transitioning from one step to the next in WIIFT is easy. After connecting with the buyer and earning the right to talk business in the Initiate step, it’s a seamless move into the Investigate step. And this is where your real focus becomes transparent. Will your focus on Them be collaborative or will it turn the conversation into an interrogation?

The Investigate step identifies and explores the buyer’s POWNs—problems, opportunities, wants, and needs; it qualifies the buyer and clarifies their sense of urgency in addressing their POWNs. Keeping the focus on your buyer is easy when you ask the right questions. The questions you ask are a gauge of what you know. When you use your knowledge to guide Them in clarifying their POWNs and discovering new ones, you provide extra value for Them.

Asking the right questions to open collaboration possibilities is a skill that requires expertise, patience, and preparation. These questions ensure your investigation does not become an interrogation—and there’s a big difference between these two approaches. An investigation involves researching information in advance, looking for clues, and examining a situation. An interrogation involves asking direct, pointed questions focused on a specific course of action determined by the interrogator. When I hear the word interrogation, I picture a bright light shining on a heavily sweating interviewee struggling to answer very direct and leading questions. No one wants to be that sweaty interviewee on the receiving end of an interrogation—especially today’s buyers who already have enough pressures.

Your ability to be an effective and collaborative investigator greatly advances your sales opportunities. Helping the buyer clarify their POWNs is valuable and increases the likelihood of them wanting to work with you again and again.