NEPQ Consequence Questions
Consequence questions are a type of Neuro-Emotional Persuasion Questions (NEPQ) that help prospects realize the value of solving their problems and motivate them to take action. They focus on the negative outcomes of not addressing the problem or delaying the solution.
GENERIC VERSIONS
You can use these questions for any problem or situation. Just plug in the specific details of your prospect’s problem where indicated.
What if you don’t do anything about this problem (plug in what the problem is) and your situation gets even worse? (Ask in a skeptical/concerned tone)
Have you thought about what would happen if you don’t do anything about this?
Have you considered the possible ramifications if you don’t do anything about this?
What are you going to do if nothing changes, if you keep using/doing (plug in what they said the problem was) for the next (plug in three, six, or 12 months, or five, 10, 15 years) without using the product you sell and nothing changes?
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
You can use these questions for specific industries or scenarios. Just adapt them to your product or service and your prospect’s situation.
SAAS INDUSTRY - MANUAL PROCESS/NO EXISTING SYSTEM
What if you don’t get a real system in place, and you keep losing all that time with manual processes? The judges get fed up… What would happen to your job at that point? (Start with a challenging tone/end with a concerned tone)
Remember, your tone is how the prospect interprets the intention behind the question you’re asking. So, if you’re concerned for them that if they don’t do anything the problems are going to stay the same, it causes them to emotionally open up more, to build a bigger gap, and to trust you more. Trust is king in sales.
(People buy from companies or people who they trust can get them the best result. They do not simply buy because they like you.) You build trust by building a gap from where they are to where they want to be. That is what sets you apart from everybody else.
You can only do that by two things: the questions you ask and how you ask the questions that get them to view you as more of an expert, more of a trusted authority in the market.
IUL (INDEXED UNIVERSAL LIFE) OR ANNUITIES
What will your retirement look like if you stick with your current provider’s plan (xyz’s strategy) and you keep having all these ups and downs in the market? How would you be able to retire by 63? (Challenging tone/Concerned tone)
Or
Okay, but for you why look at doing this now? Why not push it down the road and… and I don’t know, just hope and pray the market will somehow stay consistent every year? (Challenging tone)
You’re repeating back something negative that they know will not happen. And now they start telling you and themselves why they can’t keep pushing it down the road. It’s another way to prevent the “I want to think it over”, “I need to do more research”, “I need to keep looking around” objections.
DENTAL IMPLANTS
What happens if you don’t do anything about this though? You keep losing the bone density in your jaw and now you can’t even get implants? (Start with a challenging tone/end with a concerned tone)
If negative:
Do you want to keep living with that pain in your mouth if you don’t have to? (Start with a confused but yet a concerned tone)
Solar-Residential
This is another example of a consequence question for the solar industry. You can use this question to create a sense of urgency in your prospects and make them realize the cost of inaction.
QUESTION
What happens if you don’t do anything about this? They keep raising your rates every year like they have and now you’re 75-80 years old, still having to pay your bill every month, but the bill is more than three times what it is now and now you’re on a limited income/social security. (Start in a challenging tone, then lower your tone to a concerned tone and verbally pace this out)
[Verbal pacing is where you pace out the question using verbal pauses that trigger the prospect to emotionally stay in tune with what you’re asking. It triggers the prospect’s brain to internalize the question you’re asking. If you say it too fast, you don’t give them enough time to internalize what you’re asking and it goes in one ear and out the other and that’s why you get surface level responses.]
EXPLANATION
This question causes your prospect to think deeper about the consequences if they don’t change now. It drives massive urgency for them to want to change and change with you. You know why? Because no salesperson has ever got them to feel that way. They don’t even know what happened. Which is good because, if you can’t help them relive the pain of the problems or fear what the future pain will look and feel like if they don’t do anything, they don’t feel any need to change. No need to change means no sale. You are hurting your prospects. You haven’t learned yet how to ask the questions with your tone. You are quite literally losing tons of deals you should be making. And your prospects are suffering from it. You got to think differently if you want to make more money and help more people.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
You can use these questions to probe further into your prospect’s situation and elicit more emotional responses.
How would you pay for it at that point?
What happens then?
Do you want to have to keep being forced to pay the rate hikes if you don’t have to?
Okay, but for you, why look at going solar? Why not push it down the road and keep paying the rate hikes like a lot of homeowners do who don’t know anything about solar? (Start challenging/end with concerned tone)
They would more than likely respond back with, “Well, I don’t want to pay the rate hikes!”
Pest Control - D2D
This is another example of a consequence question for the pest control industry. You can use this question to create a sense of urgency in your prospects and make them realize the cost of inaction.
QUESTION
What happens if you don’t do anything about this and the brown recluses keep breeding and nesting in your home? And then one of the kids gets bit? (Start with a concerned tone and slow your pace down)
EXPLANATION
This question causes your prospect to imagine the worst-case scenario of not addressing their pest problem. It taps into their fear and concern for their family’s safety and well-being. It also implies that the problem is not going to go away by itself, but will only get worse over time.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
You can use these questions to probe further into your prospect’s situation and elicit more emotional responses.
How would you feel if that happened?
How would that affect your family?
Do you want to take that risk?
What are you going to do about it?
Car Dealerships
This is another example of a consequence question for the car dealership industry. You can use this question to create a sense of urgency in your prospects and make them realize the cost of inaction.
QUESTION
What happens if you keep your car and it keeps breaking down on your way to work? What would happen to your job at that point? (Plug in the problem they say they have) (Start with a challenging tone/end with a concerned tone)
EXPLANATION
This question causes your prospect to think about the impact of their car problem on their career and income. It taps into their fear and frustration of losing their job or missing important opportunities because of their unreliable vehicle. It also implies that the problem is not going to go away by itself, but will only get worse over time.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
You can use these questions to probe further into your prospect’s situation and elicit more emotional responses.
Okay, so it’s important for you to do something then?
So, time for a change possibly?
Are you willing to settle for that though?
Do you want to keep putting yourself in that situation if you didn’t have to?
Cyber security (talking to a bank)
This is another example of a consequence question for the cyber security industry. You can use this question to create a sense of urgency in your prospects and make them realize the cost of inaction.
QUESTION
So if you continue to use XYZ vendor, what are the consequences if you don’t do anything about your false positive rates and you continue to reject good customers? (Start with a challenging tone/end with a concerned tone)
EXPLANATION
This question causes your prospect to think about the impact of their cyber security problem on their customer satisfaction and retention. It taps into their fear and frustration of losing potential revenue and reputation because of their faulty system. It also implies that the problem is not going to go away by itself, but will only get worse over time.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS
You can use these questions to probe further into your prospect’s situation and elicit more emotional responses.
How much money are you losing every month because of this?
How many customers are you turning away because of this?
How does that affect your competitive advantage in the market?
Do you want that to keep happening to you if you don’t have to?
MORE EXAMPLES OF CONSEQUENCE QUESTIONS ARE:
What if you don’t do anything about this problem and your situation gets even worse?
Have you considered the possible ramifications of not doing anything about your situation?
What would it do to you if you were not able to get what you’re looking for?
How would your life be different than it is now if you don’t solve this problem?
What if you lost (something valuable) because of this problem?
Does that cause you to be concerned?
What if it didn’t work out for you?
How would it make you feel if you weren’t able to solve this?
What are you going to do if nothing changes?
Why not just keep doing what you’ve been doing this whole time?
These questions are designed to create a sense of urgency in the prospects and make them realize the cost of inaction. They also help to uncover the real problem and the emotional impact it has on the prospects. By asking these questions, you can position yourself as a trusted advisor who can help them find the best solution for their situation.