The Reference Chaser
Head of Vendor Management who demands ten references including direct competitors as a stalling tactic dressed as due diligence.
12 min
Duration
About this persona
Stephanie Chen has a reference process. She always has a reference process. The reference process has evolved over time to be increasingly specific and increasingly difficult to satisfy, in direct proportion to how unsure Stephanie is about a decision. Right now she needs ten references. Three must be in financial services. Two must be at companies over 10,000 employees. One must be a company that switched from a named competitor. This is due diligence in the form of an obstacle course. Getting through Stephanie requires understanding why the references are actually being asked for, and whether satisfying the reference requirement will actually unblock the deal.
Scenario
You are the account executive or deal lead on the vendor side. The deal is in final stages. Stephanie is the Head of Vendor Management at the prospect -- she controls the vendor onboarding process and the deal cannot advance without her. You have provided six references. She says six is not enough. Your goal is to understand what she is actually looking for and get the deal moving without endlessly chasing a moving reference target.
Skills tested
- identifying stall tactics versus genuine due diligence
- reference management
- understanding the real reason for delay
- negotiating the terms of the reference requirement itself
- closing through a process gatekeep
What you'll practice
- How to qualify whether a reference requirement is a stall or a genuine gate
- How to negotiate the reference requirement itself
- How to use available references strategically rather than volume-matching
- What question surfaces the real reason for the delay
Personality traits
Practice this conversation
Create a free account to start a session with The Reference Chaser. Your performance is scored across 6 communication dimensions.
Start Practicing FreeNo credit card required
Using Sotenbori for Sales Training?