Double-Click On The Emotional Words

Prospects tell you where to go in discovery.

The problem is, we often don’t notice.

Listen for emotional words.

Frustrated.

Concerned.

Excited.

Disappointed.

Nervous.

Overwhelmed.

Those words are invitations.

I call it double-clicking.

A prospect says:

“We’ve been pretty frustrated with our current supplier.”

A lot of salespeople hear:

Current supplier = opportunity.

And immediately start selling.

“We could definitely help you with that…”

Too soon.

Double-click the word.

“Frustrated?”

Then stop talking.

Let them explain.

Maybe they say:

“Yeah, deliveries keep showing up late.”

Now there’s another thread.

“How often is that happening?”

“What happens when something arrives late?”

“Who does that affect?”

“How are you dealing with it today?”

Look how much you can learn from one word.

You don’t need a brilliant list of discovery questions.

Sometimes the prospect has already given you the next question.

You just have to hear it.

And this works outside sales.

An employee says:

“I’m a little concerned about the new process.”

“Concerned?”

Your customer says:

“It’s been frustrating.”

“Frustrating?”

Your kid says:

“School was weird today.”

“Weird?”

One word can open an entire conversation.

So listen for the words that have emotion attached to them.

Don’t rush past them.

Double-click.

There’s probably more underneath.