Your prospects are wired to avoid change. Here’s why.

Welcome back to the 18th issue of Disrupting Conversations!

Let’s talk about a universal tendency that limits our ability to grow and evolve as human beings: avoiding change. In this newsletter I’m going to spotlight how attachment, biases, and the fear of doing something different affect your prospects’ ability to debate change—even when the act of changing makes the most sense. 

This one’s a slightly longer read, but I promise it’s worth your time. 

As always, I hope you enjoy it, and I’m grateful that you’re here. 

– Dan 

Breaking Sales is my podcast to connect with those who are ready to break free from the chains of old sales methodologies that don’t work.

🎙 On this episode of Breaking Sales, I sit down with Pam to explore how she uses the psychology around decision-making to help our clients understand that prospects don't make decisions based on facts, but rather how those facts impact them.

We discuss how different factors influence decision-making, including budgeting, stakeholders, and perceptions. And we cover why it’s so important to slow the conversation down to make sure the prospect/client can assess the risks and gains objectively, especially when competing against larger and better-known competition.  

Listen in to our insightful conversation about how Risk Perception Outweighs Risk Reality, and be sure to subscribe to hear more from the Breaking Sales podcast.

Think Different: The Meeting You’re Not Invited To! 

After the prospect team leaves your finalist presentation, they will have a meeting you’re not invited to. They’ll reconvene to debate the risks and benefits of making the change to your services or expertise.

The transition is often announced with, “This has been very helpful. You’ve given us a lot to think about—give us some time to get ourselves organized and we’ll get back to you.”

👉 Here’s the challenge: Who’s going to keep them honest and objective while they deliberate?  

Our brains are very adept at avoiding change to maintain the illusion of safety and control. Left to their own devices, the prospect can conjure up a whole host of reasons to hold off on change. With that in mind, there are three things every prospect (or human) brings into a conversation to protect themselves: 

Attachments. The more time and effort we spend on something, the more attached we become to it and/or to our desired outcome. Your prospect’s current solution may seem outdated or as if it’s simply falling short, but if they have invested time and effort to create or maintain it, they will feel a sense of attachment to it.

Biases. Because we are innately attached to what we’ve created, we form biases to protect it. Your prospect’s biases are strengthened through the stories they tell themselves and how they view alternatives that would pull them away from what they’ve created.

Fear of Failure. Lastly, there’s the fear of failure—big and small. We make decisions based on the safest path or the one of least resistance, with thoughts like, What if it doesn’t go right? What if it doesn’t work? What if I look foolish? 

So, if you were to listen in on that meeting you’re not invited to, you might hear: 

“I really like their approach and offer, but maybe we should give our current solution or relationship one more chance.”

Or 

“Their platform or process represents where we want to go, but are we prepared to commit the time and resources to make the change?”

What you are reading is a controlled acknowledgment of the benefit—“I like their approach”—followed by a rationalization based on uncertainty or fear, “should we…”

What can you do about it? 

Start the conversations your prospect or client would typically have without you while you’re still in the room. Impact questions help them move away from the present—and the attachments, biases, and fears that come with it— to consider the future: what they objectively, and realistically, gain if they invest in change and what they risk if they don’t. 

Here’s an example: 

“If you make this change, what do you gain 18 months down the line?” 

“If you don’t make this change, what do you risk?” 

For more on impact questions and how to help your prospects weigh their pros and cons, check out part 1 of my conversation with Pam about Powering Through Your Prospects Procrastination.

Thanks for reading!

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