Create a Customer-Centric Conversation Message
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Summarize the value and need for discovery.
- Identify the components of the customer-centric conversation framework.
- Use the customer-centric conversation framework to practice your message.
Introduction
Customer-centric conversations (CCC) are conversations where you place your customer at the center of the conversation and use the information you learn during discovery to uncover new opportunities. Why is this important? Because the more you understand your customers, the greater the value of your opportunity.
Discover the Right Point of View
First, let’s discuss the relationship between discovery and customer-centric conversations. To put it simply, discovery is the foundation for customer-centric conversations. It’s the key to establishing your credibility as a trusted advisor. Discovery not only helps build valuable relationships with customers; it also confirms trust. You are there to guide your customers and help them be successful, not push them to solutions without value.
As you may recall from the Customer-Centric Discovery module, there are four steps to the discovery process.
- Know the customer by learning their priorities, most recent KPIs, leadership changes, and so on.
- Be the customer by experiencing their perspective. Go to their store, browse their website, buy something, or call their support line.
- Connect with the customer. Share any insights you gained during your discovery process with your customer.
- Create a point of view for the customer-centric conversation.
Now that you’ve reviewed the discovery process, let’s see how you can use this information to create your point of view and have more customer-centric conversations.
Customer-Centric Conversations
Once you have a point of view, you’re ready to craft your message. This means placing the information you uncovered during discovery into the context of the customer engagement.
The customer-centric conversation (CCC) framework consists of the following.
- Risk
- Outcome
- Challenge
- Ask
Use this framework to target specific pieces of information you want to bring to the customer. You can then use the discovery information to mold the conversation so it’s a solution focused on the customer’s needs.
Thinking about these four items ahead of time helps you prepare for any possible turns or twists during the conversation.
Let’s look at them a bit more.
| Risk |
If your customer doesn’t reconnect to their customers, their sales will continue to plummet and they may go bankrupt or be sold again within 5 years. This has been predicted through their forecasting. With the shift in leadership, the new leader has a relationship with another IT vendor, and they are questioning the investment of your product and the need to move to a new version. Your team is risking not one but two accounts not renewing or canceling and you will increase our attrition. Your customer is a large account and your leadership team has a standing relationship with their leadership. |
|
Outcome |
If all goes well, the outcome for the situation is that your customer adopts your product. You should also be prepared with other innovative solutions if they are not ready to commit to these solutions. Ultimately, you want them to see an increase of customer connection. |
|
Challenge |
Your customer is facing financial hardships, and you will be asking for more money to meet their needs. Their leadership team has questionable faith in your solutions. |
|
Ask |
Now it is time to gain buy-in from your customer’s executives. To achieve this, you can ask the executives open-ended questions. |
Get to the Bottom Line
Once the framework has been established, think about which piece is the most important. If you get 30 seconds to have a customer-centric conversation, which of the framework components is the most important to highlight? One recommendation is the bottom line up front (or BLUF) method.
The BLUF method has four key steps.
- Always keep your ask and the desired outcome of the conversation in mind.
- Lead with outcome where possible.
- Be brief and concise.
- Go big!
Let’s take a closer look at these steps.
Always keep your ask and the desired outcome of the conversation in mind.
Have you ever gone into someone’s office with a question, but then listened so much that you don’t get to ask it? It’s important to keep your ask and the outcome at the forefront so you don’t get lost in the other person’s needs, requests, or points.
Lead with outcome where possible.
Whether your conversations are with internal or external executives, you will want to lead with outcomes. Let’s look at two statements during a conversation with an internal executive. Can you spot the difference?
Example 1: "Hi Naomi! We are making great strides for XYZ customer thanks to Susha! We have successfully adopted 7,300 new users for XYQ company. To hit our 10,000 mark, we need another week with the program architect, Susha. Is it possible for Susha to be assigned to us through next Wednesday?"
Example 2: "Hi Naomi. We still aren’t at 10,000 users for XYQ company, but I think we might get there if we can hang on to Susha for another week. Would you mind assigning Susha to us through Wednesday?"
Which do you think lead with outcomes? That’s right, example 1. It is easy to imagine the tone and positive nature of the request because it leads with a headline, provides a quantitative measurement, and ends with a solution.
Which would you respond to if you were on the receiving end?
Which would you think is a priority?
Be brief and concise.
Executives are busy. The faster you get to the point, the more likely they are to hear it. Whether your executive is internal or external, being concise is key.
Go big!
This one can be easily misunderstood. We aren’t talking supersized big, we mean making sure your request is something that needs an executive’s input.
Ensure your request is something that only this particular executive can do and that it’s also necessary for the executive to do. If you are asking an external executive for something, be sure it’s a decision they can make. This typically means a plan with next steps.
Let’s bring this all together. Once you have done effective discovery, use the framework to focus the research and conversation on the customer's needs. Don’t forget to match the customer’s lingo and terms. Once you have your message developed, it’s essential to tailor it to your audience. You look at how to do that next.