Are you sabotaging your Customer conversations by asking the wrong questions?
I liken the customer conversation journey to a staircase.
On the first step, our customer knows little about who we are or what we represent. They are cooperative, curious and willing to learn.
The final step is our aspirational destination.
Let’s say our customer is ascending the staircase. They are standing on the third step, looking at the thirteen steps they’ve yet to climb.
We’ve two options.
We can walk down, ask for our customer’s hand, and attempt to drag them to the top.
OR
We can meet them on the third step, turn around, take them by the hand, and patiently walk side by side to the top.
While our customer sets the pace of ascent, we must lead the way by determining their level of readiness, and supporting them through subsequent conversations. Each time, prioritising human connection - a tapestry of empathy, selfless listening, authenticity and presence, woven together by the needle of our words.
One of my most frequent sales coaching conversations is stepping clients through this process.
Here’s how it generally goes:
We reflect on the client’s customer conversation.
They articulate their frustration for not achieving their desired outcome.
I ask a few pointed questions regarding the customer’s responses to determine the (customer) mindset.
Quickly, my client realises they’ve been trying to drag their customer up the stairs by making them have a conversation they weren’t ready for.
Let’s face it, no one likes being dragged up the stairs.
Few customers will be ready to discuss how to access your product or show willingness to construct a deal, if they don’t believe in your (product or service) impact or recognise value.
And if they do, I’d be skeptical.
It’s on us to recognise our customer’s level of conversation readiness. To meet them where they are, and support their stair climb.
Here are three phases of customer “readiness” which help determine the most appropriate conversation focus to facilitate connection:
BELIEF: Your customer is looking to believe that what you claim is correct
RELEVANCE: Your customer is determining relevance and recognise value
ACCESS: Your customer is ready to explore making it happen (the deal)
Once we determine the conversation phase our customer is in, we then prepare for that conversation, always prioritising connection.
How do we prepare for a conversation to climb the staircase?
1. Prepare with Questions
Preparing with questions immediately instils a learning mindset.
Check out our preparing with questions framework in a previous blog here
2. Design calibrated questions beginning with “what” & “how”
Calibrated questions divulge “HIFI” (high quality) information which supports future decision making. Remember to avoid questions starting with “why”, they keep people focused on the past and can provoke defensiveness.
Almost every “why” question can be replaced with a calibrated question starting with “what” and “how”.
3. Align your calibrated questions with your Customer’s level of readiness
The key to human connection in conversation is aligning the right question with the right customer mindset.
“What” questions set the direction.
“How” questions enable progress.
Exploring “how” when the customer is still determining the “what”, leads to disconnect through a perceived lack of understanding.
4. Establish conversation momentum
Build trust with your Customer through frequent, focused conversations. Deliver on your promises and validate your claims based on your customer’s preferences.
A practical discussion, lean into data and reasoning.
An empathetic discussion, lean into stories and compassion.
Align your calibrated questions with your customer’s level of conversation readiness.
Too many of us confuse meeting a customer for the first time with meeting a customer for the right time.
Every customer introduction is the start of an engagement journey we either choose to commit to, or we don’t.
Consider this, if we aren’t committed to the journey, how on earth can we expect our customer to be committed to the journey too?
Take the time to understand the journey from your customer’s perspective and watch them leap up that staircase!
Peta
Psst: let me know how you go!
Sales Coach | Consultant
Founder of Momentum Mindset - Sustainable Selling
Author of My Beautiful Mess - living through burnout and rediscovering me
Mental Health Speaker for Beyond Blue
Peta’s sustainable selling philosophy:
We grow business and sustain performance when we focus on growing human connection, with ourselves and our customers.
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