An Exercise

So far we have assumed that the prospect has a felt requirement. But suppose they don't. Suppose they are quite happy with their present arrangements. How many times have you been on a call and then felt stumped? You just did not know which way to go.

A possible way forward is to do one of two things: either a) uncover a problem and enlarge it to the point where they are willing to do something about it, or b) help them to see an opportunity that we can help them to achieve.

To help us focus our approach we use a consultative technique called FPOOP©. This will expose certain areas of weakness in our understanding or knowledge.

FPOOP© stands for	Fear
	Preference
	Obstacle
	Opportunity
	Problem

List any fears your prospect might have:

Now simply convert them into 'W' questions:

List any preferences your prospect might have:

Now convert them into 'W' questions:

List any potential opportunities your prospect might have:

Now simply convert them into 'W' questions:

List the potential obstacles your prospect might have:

Now convert them into 'W' questions:

List the potential problems your prospect might have:

Now convert them into 'W' questions:

What reasons could we use to convince the prospect that the problem you have uncovered is really serious?

Can we convert these 'reasons' into questions?

Note 

Arrange these questions in order of importance, ie which ones yield the most important information for your negotiating process. This means that if your counterpart does not allow you to ask all the questions, the key ones have been covered.

Remember, these are not intended to be 'perfect' or exhaustive. They are a start. You will change, add and delete in the light of experience and what works best for you.