Identify a genuinely useful additional scope or decide that expansion would be premature.
The situation
In this fictional brief, attendance varies and meeting rooms are difficult to reserve. The buyer wants a workspace arrangement matched to actual attendance and meeting needs. Your offer is a flexible team workspace agreement, but you must first establish whether its scope addresses the actual need.
A relevant delivery constraint is that peak meeting times and access requirements must fit the available space. Treat that as a fact in the exercise; do not remove it to make the sale easier.
| Your counterpart | an operations manager arranging space for a hybrid team |
|---|---|
| Offer under discussion | a flexible team workspace agreement |
| Evidence available | a tour using the team’s proposed weekly schedule |
| Terms to clarify | Clarify deposits, access hours, guests, room allowances and notice periods. |
How to approach account expansion
A useful question for this stage: “What is different about that team’s requirements?” Ask it when the conversation creates a reason for it, rather than reciting every question in order.
- Review the current result. Ask permission to explore a related need. Treat the new scope as a fresh discovery process.
- Ground the discussion in the buyer’s work. Ask: “How many people attend on your busiest day, and what do they need to do?” Listen for a concrete example before making a claim.
- Use evidence relevant to the decision: a tour using the team’s proposed weekly schedule. Explain what it demonstrates and what remains unverified.
- Identify a genuinely useful additional scope or decide that expansion would be premature.
Example exchange
An illustrative exchange. Real conversations will take a different path.
SellerIs there another team or workflow facing a similar problem, or should we focus on improving the current one?
BuyerOur concern is that attendance varies and meeting rooms are difficult to reserve. Also, peak meeting times and access requirements must fit the available space.
SellerHow many people attend on your busiest day, and what do they need to do?
BuyerA permanent office looks cheaper per desk.
SellerLet us compare the expected use, meeting facilities, service costs and commitment period on the same basis.
SellerWhat is different about that team’s requirements?
An industry-specific concern
Buyer: “A permanent office looks cheaper per desk.”
Possible response: “Let us compare the expected use, meeting facilities, service costs and commitment period on the same basis.”
Why this response helps: it acknowledges the concern, brings the discussion back to a verifiable requirement and leaves room for a different decision. Adapt the wording to what the buyer actually said.
Run the practice
- Prepare for two minutes. One person takes the seller role and one plays an operations manager arranging space for a hybrid team. Read the offer and constraint separately from your preferred answer.
- Have a five-minute conversation focused on explore an additional need only after establishing that the existing work is useful. The buyer should answer consistently with the brief and ask for evidence when a claim is vague.
- Add this challenge: A senior sponsor wants a wider rollout but the current users still have unresolved issues. Make those dependencies explicit.
- Pause for feedback. Quote one useful question and one missed opportunity. Repeat the difficult exchange using a different response.
- Finish by writing the actual agreement. A sensible option, when it fits, is to trial an agreed team day and review the room and desk experience. A clear decision to pause is also a useful outcome.
What to avoid
| Common mistake | Using customer loyalty as a reason to skip qualification. |
|---|---|
| A stronger direction | Before extending this, we should check the new team’s goals, constraints and decision process. |
| Scope and claim boundary | Do not promise availability before checking current inventory. |
| What to measure in real work | fit between booked capacity and the team’s actual attendance. Establish a baseline and definition before interpreting a change. |
Your working sheet
Write your own version below. Notes are saved on this browser when local storage is available. Use Download to keep a separate copy; avoid adding confidential information on a shared device.
Example: attendance varies and meeting rooms are difficult to reserve; peak meeting times and access requirements must fit the available space.
Example: What is different about that team’s requirements? Industry question: How many people attend on your busiest day, and what do they need to do?
Example: a tour using the team’s proposed weekly schedule. Do not promise availability before checking current inventory.
Example: Propose a clear next step, such as: trial an agreed team day and review the room and desk experience. Confirm the owner and date.
Review your work
Tick only what you can support with your answer or practice. This is a reflection checklist, not an automated assessment.
Questions about this resource
Who is this coworking spaces exercise for?
Founders, salespeople and account managers preparing for a conversation about a flexible team workspace agreement. Adapt the brief to your real offer and authority before using it at work.
Can I use the example as a script?
Use the questions as prompts. Listen and respond to the buyer’s actual meaning. The target is to explore an additional need only after establishing that the existing work is useful, not to deliver a memorised speech.
How should I assess the result?
Identify a genuinely useful additional scope or decide that expansion would be premature. Use the three review questions below. The checklist is for reflection; it is not a validated prediction of sales performance.
Fictional training scenario. The dialogue illustrates response choices; it is not a customer testimonial or a record of a real sale. About these resources.