Latest / Closing the Deal with Fexingo: Sales, Negotiation, and Revenue Conversations for Operators / Asking for the Adoption Plan That Sealed the Deal
Transcript
- Lucas: So here's something I've been thinking about. We talk a lot about the questions you ask during discovery—the ones that surface budget, authority, need, timeline. But there's one question I rarely see in sales playbooks that made the difference for a rep I spoke with recently. Luna: I'm all ears. What's the question? Lucas: It's deceptively simple: 'Can you walk me through how your team will actually adopt this solution?' Not just implement—adopt. The rep's name is Sarah, and she sells a mid-market SaaS tool for project management. She was going head to head with a bigger competitor that had more features and a lower price. Luna: Sounds like a tough sell. How did that question save her? Lucas: Well, everyone else was focused on features and ROI. Sarah asked the buyer, a VP of operations named Mark, to map out the adoption plan. Who would roll it out? Who would train? What did success look like in month one? And Mark started sketching it out on a whiteboard. That's when he realized his IT team wasn't on board—they had a competing platform they were already piloting. Luna: So the adoption plan surfaced a hidden objection that would have killed the deal later. Lucas: Exactly. Sarah asked if she could meet the IT lead. Mark agreed. In that meeting, Sarah didn't pitch; she asked about their current tool and what they'd need to switch. It turned out the IT lead's big concern was data migration. Sarah adjusted her proposal to include a free migration service—something the competitor didn't offer. That turned the IT lead into an advocate. Luna: So by asking about adoption early, she uncovered a stakeholder who wasn't even in the original buying group. Lucas: Right. And she didn't just add them; she customized the offer to address their specific risk. The result: Sarah won a three-year contract at full price, while the competitor's cheaper offer was rejected because they hadn't addressed the adoption barrier. Luna: What's interesting is that most reps would have tried to talk about the migration problem only after the buyer raised it. But Sarah proactively asked about adoption, which opened the door. Lucas: That's the insight. When you ask for the adoption plan, you're essentially asking the buyer to visualise success and failure. They start to see gaps they didn't know existed. And if you can help fill those gaps, you become indispensable. Luna: That reminds me of a study from Gartner—they found that buyers who feel like their vendor helps them navigate the purchase process are three times more likely to buy. Sarah's question is a perfect example of that. Lucas: And it's not just about closing the deal. It's about ensuring the solution actually delivers value, which means fewer churns and better references. Luna: If today's episode gave you a useful takeaway, these conversations are made possible by listener support. You can help keep the show ad-free at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small way to say this content matters. And we really appreciate it. Luna: So back to the adoption plan. How can a rep make this question part of their standard discovery? Lucas: I think the timing matters. Don't ask it too early—you need to have established some trust. But once you've understood the surface-level need, you can say something like, 'Help me see the path from signing to success. Who needs to be involved? What training will they need? What are the biggest barriers?' Luna: And if the buyer can't answer? That's a red flag. Lucas: Huge red flag. It means they haven't thought about change management, or they don't have the authority to drive adoption. Either way, you need to address it before closing. Luna: Sarah's story shows that the adoption plan can also be a tool to differentiate. The competitor with more features and lower price lost because they didn't address the people side. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just for SaaS. Any complex B2B sale where implementation is non-trivial can benefit from this question. I've seen reps in manufacturing software, medical devices, even consulting services use it. Luna: What about the buyer who says, 'We'll figure that out after we sign'? Lucas: That's a buyer who's not ready for a good outcome. You can push gently: 'I've seen deals where the adoption plan wasn't clear and the project stalled. Let's avoid that by spending 30 minutes now mapping it out.' If they resist, it might be a sign they're not the real decision-maker, or they don't care about success. Luna: So it's also a qualification tool. If they won't engage on adoption, maybe they're not worth pursuing. Lucas: Right. And if they do engage, you're not just selling a product—you're selling a successful outcome. That's a much stronger value proposition. Luna: Let's talk about how to actually structure that conversation. What specific questions should a rep have in their back pocket? Lucas: I'd break it into four parts: people, process, technology, and metrics. For people: 'Who are the key stakeholders that need to be on board for this to succeed?' For process: 'What does the workflow look like from start to finish after implementation?' For technology: 'What systems need to integrate, and how will data flow?' And for metrics: 'How will you measure adoption in the first 90 days?' Luna: That's a whole discovery framework wrapped up in one question. Lucas: It is. And it forces the buyer to think holistically. Most buyers are so focused on features and price that they forget about the human side of change. Your job as a sales rep is to bring that to light. Luna: One thing I loved about Sarah's approach is that she didn't assume she knew the answer. She asked, listened, and then adapted. Lucas: Yes. And by doing that, she built a coalition inside the buyer's organization. The IT lead became her champion because she solved his data migration problem. The VP of ops felt confident because the plan was solid. Luna: So the adoption plan isn't just a sales tactic—it's a relationship-building tool. Lucas: Absolutely. It's showing the buyer that you care about their success beyond the signature. And that's rare. Most reps are transactional. If you become the person who helps them navigate the messy middle, you'll win more deals and retain more accounts. Luna: Let's talk numbers. Do you have any data on how this might affect close rates? Lucas: I don't have a specific study, but I've seen anecdotally that reps who incorporate an adoption plan discussion early in the cycle see lower discounting and faster implementation later. The deal in Sarah's pipeline that she used this on closed in 60 days, while her average was 90. And at full price. Luna: That's a 33% shorter sales cycle. That's significant. Lucas: And it makes sense. When the buyer already has a plan, they can move faster internally because they've already answered the tough questions. They're not scrambling at the end. Luna: So for any salesperson listening, the homework is to take a deal in your pipeline and ask the buyer this week: 'Can we map out the adoption plan?' Lucas: I'd love to hear what happens. I think you'll be surprised at how much you learn—and how much more confident the buyer becomes. Luna: Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time. Lucas: Take care, everyone.