Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / The One Question That Turns a Skeptic Into a Champion
Transcript
- Lucas: So let me set the scene. It's the tail end of Q2 — late May 2026 — and a rep I know is trying to close a six-figure SaaS deal with a mid-market manufacturer. The product is workflow automation, the champion inside is the VP of Operations, and everything is tracking well until the procurement director gets involved. Luna: Ah, the procurement firewall. That's where deals go to die. Lucas: Exactly. Procurement reviews the proposal, finds a few things they don't like — some contract terms, an implementation timeline that's a bit aggressive — and then the director just goes cold. No more responses. The champion starts getting nervous. The rep senses the whole deal slipping away. Luna: So what did the rep do? More data? A discount? Lucas: Neither. He asked one question. And that question flipped the entire dynamic. Luna: Okay, I'm listening. What was it? Lucas: 'What would have to be true for you to champion this deal?' Not 'why are you blocking this?' Not 'what's your objection?' Not 'how can I change your mind?' Just: What would have to be true for you to advocate for this internally. Luna: That's interesting. Because it frames the buyer as a potential ally, not an adversary. Lucas: Right. The procurement director — let's call her Sarah — she's used to being attacked. Reps come in with spreadsheets, ROI projections, testimonials. They try to overwhelm her with evidence. But that just makes her dig in deeper. Luna: Because she's not being heard. She has real concerns, and the rep is just trying to bulldoze past them. Lucas: Exactly. So when the rep asked that question, Sarah paused. She actually took a breath. And then she said, 'Well, first, the implementation timeline can't be eight weeks. We have a plant shutdown in July, and if we're not live before that, it's worthless for a whole quarter.' Luna: Oh wow. That's a real blocker. Not a negotiation tactic — a genuine operational constraint. Lucas: Second, she said, 'I need to see the security audit from your last SOC 2. I've been burned before.' And third, 'I need a rollback clause if the integration fails within 90 days.' Luna: So all three were concrete, addressable concerns. But she never would have voiced them if the rep had just kept pushing. Lucas: That's the key. The question 'What would have to be true for you to champion this?' fundamentally reframes the conversation. It invites the buyer into a collaborative problem-solving mode instead of a defensive posture. Luna: It also signals that you respect their judgment. That you're not trying to trick them, you're trying to earn their support. Lucas: And the results were dramatic. The rep adjusted the timeline to six weeks with a phased rollout. He sent the SOC 2 report within 24 hours. And he added a 90-day rollback clause with a 10 percent fee if they triggered it. Luna: Did they trigger it? Lucas: No. They went live in week five, the integration was smooth, and the deal closed at full price. Sarah actually became an internal champion after that. She told the VP of Operations, 'This vendor listens. They're different.' Luna: So the question didn't just unblock the deal — it created an advocate inside the organization. Lucas: That's the real win. Most reps treat procurement as a hurdle to overcome. But if you can turn that person into a sponsor, you're not just closing one deal — you're opening a door to the entire company. Luna: I've seen a version of this too. A friend of mine in enterprise sales once asked a skeptical IT director, 'What would make this a no-brainer for you?' And the guy said, 'If you could guarantee 99.99 percent uptime in the contract.' My friend's company had never offered that before, but they made it happen and closed a seven-figure deal. Lucas: That's a great example. The question works because it forces the buyer to articulate their ideal outcome, not just their objection. And once they've said it, they're invested in making it happen. Luna: But I imagine some reps are afraid to ask that question. What if the buyer says something impossible? Lucas: Then you know exactly where you stand. If their condition is truly impossible — say, 'I need a 50 percent discount' or 'I need a feature you don't have' — then you've saved yourself months of chasing a phantom deal. But more often than not, their condition is something you can address, or at least negotiate around. Luna: So it's a filter too. You qualify the opportunity by seeing if there's a path to a yes. Lucas: Exactly. And the psychology behind it is fascinating. When you ask someone 'What would have to be true for you to champion this?', you're essentially asking them to step into the role of a leader. You're saying, 'I see you as someone who could own this decision and drive it forward.' Most people want to live up to that identity. Luna: So it's not just a question — it's a subtle status play. Lucas: Precisely. You're inviting them to be the hero of the story, not the villain. And once they start thinking in terms of 'what I would need to champion this,' they're already co-creating the solution with you. Luna: I can see how this would work especially well with skeptical or gatekeeper-type buyers. They're used to being the roadblock. This gives them a way to become the bridge. Lucas: Right. And it works at any stage. You can use it in discovery: 'What would have to be true for you to consider us seriously?' You can use it after a demo: 'What would have to be true for you to move forward this quarter?' You can use it when the deal is stuck in legal: 'What would have to be true for you to sign off today?' Luna: It's a universal unlock. And it's so simple that most reps overlook it because it doesn't feel aggressive enough. Lucas: Exactly. We're trained to overcome objections, to push back, to be assertive. But sometimes the most powerful move is to step back and ask a genuine question that invites the other person to reveal their path forward. Luna: Alright, I want to try this myself. I have a prospect who's been dragging their feet for three weeks. I'm going to ask them tomorrow. Lucas: Do it. And let us know how it goes. Honestly, if today's conversation moved your thinking forward even a little bit, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep these episodes ad-free and coming. Luna: Yeah, it really helps. And we appreciate every single person who chips in. Lucas: So back to the question. One last nuance: when you ask it, you have to be genuinely ready to hear the answer. If you're not willing to adjust your deal — timeline, price, scope — then don't ask. Because the buyer will sense if you're just performing curiosity. Luna: Authenticity matters. If you ask it as a scripted line, it falls flat. Lucas: Exactly. But if you ask it because you genuinely want to understand what it would take, it's transformative. The rep in my example went in with a mindset of 'I want this buyer to win, and I want to help them win with my product.' That's the foundation. Luna: So the question is a tool, but the intent behind it is what makes it work. Lucas: That's the takeaway. Next time you're facing a skeptical buyer, or a deal that's gone silent, try it. Just ask: 'What would have to be true for you to champion this?' You might be surprised at what you hear. Luna: And if that champion ends up being you — you got the deal. Lucas: Exactly. That's all for today. We'll see you next time on Closing the Deal.