Good Communication Feels Uncomfortable
When I was in law school at Drake University, we learned as students that if you walked out of a final exam thinking you nailed every answer, then you probably in fact failed to recognize key issues that needed to be addressed. On the other hand, if you walked out of the exam appreciating the complexity of the issues with which you just dealt, then you probably did pretty well.
Good communication with clients should be like a tough exam. It should feel a bit uncomfortable.
When discussing client issues, needs, resources, and decision making criteria in complex sales, if conversations are going too smoothly a warning buzzer should be going off in the consultant's head. This warning buzzer is a sign that the consultant is not getting below the surface issue.
The consultant should be able to notice the slow formation of questions in their own head and carefully choose their words. It should be noticeable that the client is taking time to think about their responses as well.
What happens if the consultant is not getting below the surface with clients? They won't get many sales that they should have gotten and they won't know why. These consultants say things like, "That client was just kicking tires. I proposed a solution to their problems at a good price and they passed."
The fact is, the consultant did not really understand how to meet all of their needs because they accepted simple answers to complex questions.
The consultant wouldn't get uncomfortable with his or her communication.
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