I Need Approval
Help the buyer understand how approval is earned and what could stop it.
Approval is a process, and most people describing it have never had to explain it out loud. Ask how it works and you often find out they are not sure either.
What they say
- “I need to get this approved”
- “That's above my pay grade”
- “It has to go up the chain”
What's actually underneath it
A genuine authority ceiling with a knowable process
They do not know the process themselves
Approval is the excuse; personal conviction is missing
The ten questions that open it up
Ask one. Then stop talking. The answer is worth more than anything you were about to say.
- 1.“What does the approval process involve?”
- 2.“Who has the final authority?”
- 3.“What does that person normally require before saying yes?”
- 4.“What financial threshold changes the approval process?”
- 5.“What objections are you likely to encounter internally?”
- 6.“Which part of the solution will be easiest for leadership to support?”
- 7.“Which part will require the strongest evidence?”
- 8.“How will the decision be presented to them?”
- 9.“Would it be useful for us to answer their questions directly?”
- 10.“If approval were granted, would you personally feel ready to proceed?”
The trap
Preparing the approver's case without first checking whether your champion is actually sold.
Before you build the approver's case, find out whether your champion is sold. If they are not, nothing they carry upstairs will be.
Related objections
Provide proof, but first determine what the buyer is trying to verify.
A previous failure can create caution, but it can also reveal exactly what the new solution must do differently.
Do not minimize disruption. Compare the temporary inconvenience of change with the permanent cost of dysfunction.
Try it live
Paste the objection you actually got this week and get the question to ask back.
Reverse your objection