In B2B sales, some conversations really do matter more than others. They provoke ‘better’.
With insights that could never have occurred ‘on their own’.
Such ‘conversations that matter’ are often what Steven Johnson refers to as ‘collisions of small hunches’. He sees so much value in such ‘collisions’ that he champions the use of systems that make them happen. That cause small hunches to form into breakthroughs that are much bigger than the sum of their parts.
In B2B sales, conversations that matter really do matter. Two reasons.
First, they are the form of conversation that’s most valuable for both buyers and sellers. Ones where a seller’s perspectives [with deep domain knowledge] collide with the buyer’s perspectives [with deep situational knowledge]. They reveal opportunities for breakthroughs in outcomes that neither party could have imagined without talking to the other.
Second, they are often the form of conversation that’s most valuable amongst peers in a company. When trying to conquer complex problems, colleagues typically spend 90% of their time coming to a shared agreement on reality. Then 10% of their time discussing ways to change it. With analytics that illuminate reality, that equation’s flipped. Honest dialogues can occur. More small hunches can collide. Colleagues can spend 90% of their time designing ways to improve results.
In both cases, ‘conversations that matter’ seed the joy of a job well done.
And the fun of learning how to get there.
As such, systems that yield more of these types of conversations are like found money. They convert investments of ‘time and effort’ into the rewards of better results. They make important conversations more likely and more rewarding. For everyone involved.
How many conversations that matter did your team have today? With buyers? With each other? Both matter.
