No Why, then no way
Know the “why” before “what” or “how”
A great consultant, sales rep, or mentor starts with an intention to understand, and this begins with knowing the “why” behind the customer’s ask or stated needs. Knowing their situation helps you learn their high-level concerns. For example, they might be focused on reducing costs, increasing profits, building efficiencies with automation, competitive differentiation, increasing maturity, decreasing friction or risk. Identifying the root causes of high-level concerns will help you find the real problems to solve.
However , this discovery needs to be a dialogue, where a consultant brings their unique point of view to the subject. The process is simple but requires a lot of listening and reflecting by the consultant in order to confirm understanding. A non-judgmental approach is also taken, which creates trust. The result is Authentic Influence resulting in a resilient relationship that lasts over time.
Joe the Customer: I want a quote to replace all my house windows.
Sales Person 1: “Let me count the windows, show you the different models, understand the timing, and get back with you with the quote in 2 days.” There was no dialogue, no relationship built as a result of that.
Sales Person 2: “Got it. Why are you replacing the windows? What is driving the ask? Are you doing this to sell the house, or making an investment for your comfort? Oh, by the way, your garage windows look fine, they don’t need to be replaced.” This prompted a dialogue and a “stickiness” with Sales Person 2. He showed empathy, knowledge and even challenged my views of my needs.
Who do you think the customer went with eventually?
Questions to understand a customer situation?
Why does a particular situation exists? Why does it present a problem?
Why does it create a need? Who is the need for? Why does it create an opportunity?
Why change now?
What does success look like? What is the expected outcome?
What assumptions need to be questioned?