Listening and Discovery Skills
In practice, many client meetings (and prospective client meetings) turn into high-advocacy pitches even if we know we should learn more about them before trying to sell our products or services. Spending inadequate time and skill in learning ("discovering") can cause us to miss crucial information or opportunities, and negatively impact the relationship. This half-day or 1-day workshop enables participants to:
- Understand why asking clients questions is an often underutilized skill;
- Conduct efficient, targeted, research on the client or prospect in advance of a discovery-focused meeting;
- Learn a range of question-types that can help unearth important information (opportunity, implication, impact, payoff, probing, follow-up questions);
- Prepare in a structured way for a listening/discovery conversation;
- Practice engaging in the discovery conversation and experiencing the tension of wanting to "sell" despite needing to learn more.
