Quick tip when speaking to customers: “The most interesting people you will ever meet are the people who are most interested in you.”

The average sales rep spends about 47 seconds in talking about customers prior to talking about the solution.  That number should be increased, greatly.  On the plus side, because the industry is so comprehensively screwed up here, even minor improvements provide an opportunity to surprise and delight customers.  ”Goodness, the CEO of that company spent five whole minutes talking to me about how we go about our business!  They really care!”

Key takeaway: The quality of your dialogue with customers is directly proportional to the quality of the customers you will acquire.  If you understand their needs better, you will close bigger deals with happier customers who consume less resources.
Customer faith in your product as a solution to their problem is directly proportional to how well they believe that you understand their problem.  This again counsels spending more time talking to them and asking perceptive questions, then repeating their own language right back at them.  If they call it a foo, you call it a foo, even if internally everyone knows it is “really” a bar and, after all, it implements IBarable in the source code.  Relatedly, you cannot tell your way into a dialogue with the customer, you can only ask your way in.
Customers have DNA: Drivers, Needs, and Aspirations.  You should be capturing your understanding of these as you talk to customers, or you aren’t learning what you need to learn to bring the customer and the firm to a mutually satisfactory relationship.
Some factors to consider

• Customer needs
• Timescale for implementation
• Scalability
• Integration with existing systems/processes
• Affordability
• Results

Customers have many priorities:

• Ego (underrated by engineers in my opinion… even those who own iPhones because they’re worth owning iPhones)
• Perceived gain
• Sense of belonging (“Nobody ever got fired for…”)
• Security
• Ease of use

If you think of a funnel of concerns prior to sale, starting at the top:

• The experiences customers have right now.
• Their business case or project which may benefit from your solution.
• The utility your solution can offer.  (Note to engineers: many of you stop inquiring here.  That is a mistake.)
• Options they have competing with your solution.
• What the company values in terms of outcomes, drivers, etc.
• Resources they have to solve the problem (i.e. talk budget last, not first)

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