The question you forgot to ask
You walk out of the meeting and think: I should have asked that. Why it happens and how to prevent it.
The conversation went well. The customer was enthusiastic and a follow-up is planned. In the car on the way back, it hits you: you did not ask who else is involved in the decision. Or when it needs to be settled.
The problem
In almost every conversation, an important question gets left behind. That means an extra email, an extra call or an extra meeting. And time is exactly what sales is short of. Salespeople spend only 28 percent of their time actually selling, according to Salesforce research among nearly 7,800 sales professionals. Every conversation that has to be repeated eats into that.
The cause
In a conversation, you are paying attention to a great deal at once. What is the other person saying, how are they saying it, what do you want to achieve and what are you going to say next? Your head is full, and the question that seemed so important beforehand disappears.
On top of that, many conversations start without a clear goal. If you do not know where you are heading, you do not know which question you are missing either. German research into 92 filmed team meetings showed that conversations that work purposefully towards solutions and concrete actions turn out better. Those teams were more productive, and their organisations performed better up to two and a half years later.
Teams displaying more functional interaction, such as problem-solving interaction and action planning, were significantly more satisfied with their meetings.
Kauffeld and Lehmann-Willenbrock, Small Group Research
The solution
- Decide in advance what the conversation should deliver. Then you also know which questions need asking.
- During the conversation, keep track of what you already know and what is still missing.
- Get a nudge at the moment you are about to skip an important question.
That last point is where Stiqqs makes the difference. Stiqqs asks for the goal of your conversation at the start. While you talk, you see where you stand and which three questions will move you forward now. If you get stuck, you get a bridging question towards the next step. So you ask the question in the conversation, not in the email afterwards.