Asking for feedback on your products. Does the advice influence tactic work?

A popular tactic to begin a conversation with a potential buyer entails asking for feedback on your product or service. “We are reaching out to experts in the field, and I would like to know if we can schedule a call to get your feedback on a new solution we have developed.” Then, when you call them, you use the opportunity to pitch the solution and start a sales conversation.

It’s the classic advice influence tactic. By asking for advice, you are implicitly or explicitly acknowledging the expertise of the buyer, offering an ingratiatory compliment that can warm up the relationship. In addition, the request for advice is likely to sound less salesy than a request for a sales call, and you can more easily break the ice and start a conversation.

In my book, I have described how the advice influence tactics can potentially have positive results. So, does it work?

No. It might work when the sales conversation has already started and is warm, but not as an excuse to start a sales conversation. And the reason is that it is disingenuous. Most sellers do not use the tactic because they are actually motivated to get feedback information. They use it as an excuse to establish a communication bridge and start a sales conversation. The solution or product proposed is, most of the time, already finalized, so feedback information is unlikely to be integrated to change the product features. Even if your intent is actually to get feedback, due to expectations from the behavior of other sellers, an experienced buyer will surmise you are using the advice request as a manipulative tactic to start the sales conversation, and it will not help establish trust.

So, what if you really just want feedback? In sales, the concept of “prosumer” has been popular for quite some time. It’s the idea that consumers, with their ideas, can help companies better shape the products or services, and contribute directly to value creation. There is merit in integrating customer feedback to improve product design.

But there are better ways to ask for feedback. Instead of a phone call, an email, or a LinkedIn message, you could use social media channels. You could produce a video in which you are asking your followers to comment on a product or service idea. Followers can exchange thoughts, build on each other’s thoughts, generate engagement, and increase visibility for the idea. If they are already your followers, they might actually enjoy being called upon to express their thoughts. And if their response is positive, you can message them once the product is ready and see if they wish to start a conversation. This could be an effective solution. It’s important, though, that the motivation be genuine. If you have already launched the product and the product is finalized, your request for feedback will sound like an excuse, and you will not be able to establish trustworthiness. 

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