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| Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet 216-272-4449
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The market is tilted in favor of commoditization – easy access to information about multiple options, a simplistic assessment of those options to fit them into pre-determined boxes, and little time or interest in exploring alternatives beyond what is evident through readily available information.
Responding to your inquiries without discovering why solving the prospect’s problem is important to them just reinforces their perception of you as a commodity supplier. It wastes the opportunity to be distinctive, the chance to reveal how your knowledge and expertise can make a difference for them.
Engaging the prospect in a discovery process before responding to an inquiry:
- Takes you beyond stated needs and problems to learn how the prospect defines value or success;
- Enables detection of why solving the problem is significant – unmet goals, unfulfilled strategies;
- Uncovers barriers that are inhibiting progress, raising frustrations and fear;
- Heightens the prospect’s recognition that prompt action is needed;
- Expedites your understanding about the prospect’s decision making process.
Discovery is asking the right questions, in the right order, to uncover a prospect’s stated and unstated needs, and why they are important. What’s the current situation? How does resolving it support success?What’s inhibiting progress? What benefits arise from a productive resolution? How does the reaction to one suggested potential solution compare with one or two other suggestions?
Discovery motivates the prospect to do more of the talking, providing you with an opportunity to demonstrate empathy, expertise and your interest in helping them succeed.
Discovery is the antidote for commoditization.
How well does you discovery process uncover a prospect’s goals?
How consistently does your team implement
a productive discovery process?
a productive discovery process?
