Doing Discovery – The Importance of “Why” Questions

    Prospect asks, “Can your software do X?”

 

    Vendor replies, “Yes, absolutely.”  

 

I can’t tell you how many times that brief conversation has occurred without any followup questions from the vendor! What’s missing? 

 

Asking “Why?”

 

Far too often vendors execute discovery by simply asking questions about the prospect’s needs, without asking any clarifying questions. This is a huge lost opportunity!

 

Let’s review the conversation again, this time with a more engaged vendor:

 

    Prospect asks, “Can your software do X?”

 

    Vendor replies, “Yes, absolutely – but tell me, why is this important for you?”

 

    Prospect responds, “Oh, it’s really difficult to do today. It’s largely a manual process that takes hours and it is a key requirement for us.”

 

    “I understand,” says the vendor, “How often do you have to do this – and what else does it impact…?”

 

The conversation continues with two intriguing outcomes:

1. The vendor gains a much richer understanding of the prospect’s situation along with the associated value of a solution.
2. The prospect feels the vendor has much richer understanding of their situation, making the prospect much more comfortable about working with that vendor. 

“Why” questions are delightful triggers. Don’t miss these opportunities in your discovery dialogs!

 

You’ll find many more tips and practices in Doing Discovery!