People (and companies) perceive themselves as unique, particularly with respect to their situations – but they also want to feel that they are not alone, that others suffer from similar problems (and have found good ways to solve those problems that may also apply to them…).
When doing Discovery, one objective is to make the customer feel comfortable that you understand their unique situation. This is best accomplished by asking good, relevant questions.
A second objective in the Discovery process is to help the customer visualize the possibility of a solution to their problems (not the details, just that a solution is possible). One way to achieve this is, after you have a clear understanding of their situation, is to comment “We’ve been able to help others in situations that were very similar to yours…” This places them into a group where they perceive they are not alone… [Some sales methodologies, e.g., Solution Selling and CustomerCentric Selling, call this generating “hope and curiosity” – great phrase!).
It is interesting how the humans hold onto both ideas – of being unique and part of a group – simultaneously. Humans are really fascinating…!
