The Conversation About the Cost of Inaction

The conversations resulting from the Q2C Selling method allow you to build a framework for your sales process. Q2C Selling is a method to better prepare for sales meetings, control your sales cycle, and close deals faster. The conversation about the cost of inaction is the first step to closing.  

In this article, find the definition and essence of the conversation on the cost of inaction and discover how to structure it effectively on Salesdeck:  discover the cards associated with this conversation and personalize them according to your offer and prospect’s needs.

To learn more about sales, their conversations, and successful implementation, we invite you to download an extract from our book Q2C Selling written by Gabriel Dabi Schwebel and Nicolas Delignières.  

What is the cost of inaction conversation?

In most sales processes, your primary opponent is not necessarily a competitor. More often than not, it is inaction from prospects that prevent salespeople from hitting the correct numbers. Regardless of the situation, resistance to change exists in everyone, and so does the fear of failure. To thwart inaction, the best method remains to materialize the risk and the cost entailed by the absence of action.

Materialize the cost of inaction

A business that stagnates is a business that dies. Inaction always has a cost; even if it is not always easy to quantify, it does exist. If there’s one topic you need to work on, this is it. You need to explain clearly, and without a sales pitch, it’s difficult for clients to take action right away.

It’s also a story of the loss of opportunity.

When we talk about cost, we think of what the prospect will lose: money, time, reputation, skills… But it is also the loss of opportunity that must be measured. Because your solutions often do not only solve an immediate problem, they open up new perspectives. These possibilities are all future benefits that your prospect will not be able to claim.

What information do you get from the conversation about the cost of inaction?

We are at the closing; you should not discover any more new elements. But discussing the cost of inaction allows you to check two key things with your prospect.

Is he well aware of the consequences of his problem?

This may seem obvious, but when you have your “head in the handlebars,” taking the necessary step back to realize all the consequences of the problem we face is far from simple.

Moreover, we can focus on one type of problem while neglecting others. Your prospect may be aware of the impact this issue has on his company or those around him while obscuring its effect on him, for example.

Is he well aware of what your solution will bring him?

Solving a problem is good, but the value of solving this problem is more significant than one might think. When you solve a problem, you also unlock new possibilities if only “brain time” is available for something else. It would help if you made your prospect fully aware that solving their problem will earn them far more than they might realize.

The cards associated with the conversation on the cost of inaction

You have understood the principle and the interest of the conversation on the cost of inaction, but you do not know how to construct it practically. Here are the cards that will be very useful for you to structure your conversation and set up your deck in Salesdeck. You are free to keep the cards that suit you and change the order you use them.

The projection of the cost of inaction

Your primary opponent is often indecisive from the start of the closing phase to the follow-up after your value proposition. Leveraging Salesdeck, you will be able to illustrate the direct and indirect costs that your prospect takes.

To nudge prospective buyers to take action, inform them about previous prospects who found themself in the same situation and who took a little too long to make up their minds and regretted not making up their minds sooner. This will highlight what they stand to lose for not making up their mind earlier.

A good customer testimonial validating the seriousness of your business and the high level of satisfaction of a customer who looks like your prospect can make the difference. Give preference to video testimonials, which are easier to consume and share.

Action/inaction assumptions

Help your prospect compare the difference between action and inaction. What would their life look like after using your product? Would it make their life easier? Help them save time and money? Or shorten their sales cycle?

If you have other tools or content that allow you to visualize the impact of your solution on your prospect, this is an excellent lever to help them decide. Beyond the figures proposed in absolute value, the fact of demonstrating this attachment to the return on investment can convince.

Getting in touch with a client

If your prospect is convinced but afraid to get started or fears that the result will not meet their expectations, present a case study of one of your prospects they share a lot of similarities with (market, size of the company, initial problem ). This can unlock a sale, even though your prospect will not ultimately contact the customer.

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