Understanding Customer Needs in Sales Conversations

Here's a lil secret about “check in" or cadence calls with your customers. Many of us were taught that these touchpoints are to understand how the customer is using our product, address any issues, and identify expansion opportunities. Here's the fatal flaw in that theory. Your customer hasn't woken up thinking about your product today. They're not sitting around wondering how to use more of your features. And they certainly haven't assembled a list of needs for you to solve. They have a job, with a job description and priorities they need to execute. So, at best they think of your product maybe 40% of their. At worst its 0%. So, how could we approach customer discovery in a constant fashion? 1 - Build a hypothesis on what business objectives this account is trying to achieve this quarter/year, and seek to understand what you're missing as an outsider. Find this in their latest earnings call, leadership announcements, press releases about new initiatives. Bring it to the call, and frame it as, "This is what I can observe from my research - what did I miss?" 2 - Be curious about HOW your champion currently believes they will accomplish those goals, and seek to understand HOW they formed that opinion. Example: Company's goal is to reduce customer acquisition costs by 30%. Your champion believes they need better lead scoring. They believe this because Marketing keeps sending "bad leads" to Sales. 3 - Introduce evidence that contradicts those beliefs/assumptions. Our goal isn't to tell them they're wrong. It's to introduce an insight that reveals a crack in their thinking. "We analyzed 200 companies in your industry and found the ones with the lowest CAC actually focus first on conversion rate optimization, not lead scoring." 4 - Give them a formula to calculate the implications of continuing with their current approach. This is NOT about your ROI. This is about the cost of continuing down their current path. Always tie this back to a P&L impact: increased costs, decreased revenue, or missed growth opportunities that affect the bottom line. Make it concrete, not conceptual. 5 - If you've piqued their curiosity, suggest that they collect the inputs needed to calculate the size of the problem, and bring those to the next call. Don't jump to how your solution helps yet. Just agree that you'll explore the size of the opportunity together. Customer success calls shouldn't feel like a product usage review or a veiled sales pitch. They should feel like two colleagues looking at the business landscape together, with you bringing outside perspective they can't see from within. The most valuable CS teams don't just ensure adoption—they impact their customer's P&L. When your discovery connects directly to revenue growth, cost reduction, or margin improvement, you transform from a vendor contact to a strategic advisor. What would happen if your CS team approached discovery this way?

Most customers don’t actually know their goals. We spend so much time trying to “uncover” customer goals, but what if there’s nothing to uncover? Not because customers don’t care. Not because they’re not strategic. But because they’ve never been asked to think that way. Most customers are thinking: “𝘐 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮.” Not: “𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.” Also, the initiative with your tool is new and something they don't do very often so they don't have same level of experience you and your company has. That’s where you come in. You’ve seen hundreds of accounts. You know what success should look like. You know the goals that actually drive results and the benchmarks that show if they’re on track. So here’s how to shift the conversation: 𝟭. 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿:  • Save time  • Save money  • Drive leads  • Boost productivity 𝟮. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀:  • Open rate  • Cost per lead  • Leads per month  • Resolution time 𝟯. 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀: Poor → Good → Best (ex: <5 Leads/mo, 6-15 Leads/mo, 16+ Leads/mo) 𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲. If they’re generating 1 lead a month, don’t aim for 25. Example: “𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘦 10 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴/𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘘1, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦 2 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 20 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴/𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩.”) The opportunity isn’t to 𝘢𝘴𝘬 for customer goals. It’s to help them 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 the right ones together and guide the path forward. Because the CSM isn’t just a partner. You’re the strategic coach they didn’t even know they needed. How do you guide goal setting with your customers? #customersuccess

When my better half wants something, she doesn’t ask directly. Instead, she drops hints that are about as subtle as a neon sign: “We haven’t had Thai food in a while.” “I heard France is gorgeous in June.” “The living room looks like a mess.” While I'm not that great of a salesperson, my decades trying to be has given me an uncanny ability to pick up on these unspoken needs. “I’ll grab the vacuum.” The same principle applies in sales. A good sales rep listens to what a prospect says. A great one listens for what they mean. Explicit needs are what the prospect already knows and is ready to solve. Implicit needs? That’s where you come in. On discovery calls, listen carefully. There’s often a bigger challenge beneath the surface: “We need a better way to manage our emails.” “What’s been your biggest challenge?” “Customers keep complaining about slow responses.” Those aren’t just problems—they’re clues. “You’re probably hearing frustration from your team too, and I bet it’s impacting KPIs or even revenue, right?” “Exactly. That’s the real issue—our customer support process isn’t cutting it.” Now we’re talking. By uncovering implied needs and connecting the dots, you can broaden the conversation—and the solution. Because when you turn an unspoken challenge into an explicit need, you’re not just solving the problem at hand—you’re creating real value for your customer.

🌟 Unlocking Insights: The Top 10 Best Discovery Questions to Elevate Your Sales Conversations! 🚀 Hello Small Business Sales Leaders! Mastering the art of discovery is the key to understanding your customers and tailoring your approach effectively. Here are some of the best discovery questions to guide your sales conversations: **1. "Can You Walk Me Through Your Current Challenges and Pain Points?" Understanding the challenges your prospect is facing provides valuable insights into their immediate needs and priorities. **2. "What Goals Are You Looking to Achieve in the Next Quarter/Year?" Aligning your solution with the prospect's goals allows you to position your product or service as a strategic asset to their success. **3. "How Does Your Decision-Making Process Typically Work?" Uncovering the decision-making dynamics within the prospect's organization helps you navigate the sales process more effectively. **4. "Who Are the Key Stakeholders Involved in This Decision?" Identifying and understanding the key decision-makers and influencers ensures you engage with the right individuals throughout the sales journey. **5. "What Solutions Have You Tried in the Past, and What Were the Results?" Learning about past solutions provides insights into what has or hasn't worked for the prospect, guiding your recommendations. **6. "What Timelines Are You Working Within for Implementation?" Understanding the prospect's timelines allows you to tailor your proposal to align with their urgency and priorities. **7. "How Would You Measure Success in Implementing a Solution Like Ours?" Defining success metrics ensures that both you and your prospect have a clear understanding of what a successful partnership looks like. **8. "What Concerns or Objections Do You Have About Implementing a Solution?" Addressing concerns upfront allows you to build trust and tailor your pitch to alleviate any reservations the prospect may have. **9. "Can You Share Insights About Your Current Vendor or Solution?" Gaining insights into the prospect's current relationships helps you position your solution as a valuable enhancement or alternative. **10. "How Can Our Solution Best Support Your Unique Business Needs?" Tailoring your solution to the prospect's specific business needs demonstrates a commitment to a personalized and impactful partnership. 🚀 Pro Tip: The art of discovery lies in active listening and adapting your questions based on the prospect's responses. Make it a conversational exploration rather than a checklist. Ready to Elevate Your Discovery Conversations? Let's Connect! If you're looking to refine your discovery process or discuss how to tailor these questions to your unique sales landscape, let's connect. Together, we can unlock valuable insights that drive successful sales outcomes. Here's to impactful discovery conversations and the thriving journey ahead! 🌟💼 #SalesDiscovery #ElevateConversations #UnlockInsights 🚀✨

Sales isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about asking the right questions. We’ve all been there: You’re on a call, diving into your pitch, and suddenly… radio silence on the other end. The problem? You’re selling what you think they need, not what they’re actually looking for. Here’s what I’ve learned: thoughtful questions are the real MVP of any sales conversation. They’re how you turn a pitch into a partnership. Some of my go-to favorites: “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?” Simple, but it opens the floodgates for meaningful dialogue. “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂?” Because their goals should shape your solution. “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱—𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗱—𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁?” This helps you build on what’s already been done, rather than starting from scratch. Or worse, repeating what didn’t work. The best part? Asking great questions not only helps you uncover their true needs, but it also builds trust. It shows you’re there to listen and understand, not just sell. Because at the end of the day, customers don’t buy products or services. They buy solutions to their problems. And the only way to figure out what they truly need is to ask. --- Follow Michael Cleary 🏳️🌈 for more tips like this. ♻️ Share with someone who needs help with their sales conversations #sales #trustbuilding #marketing