Many of my favorite authors and podcast hosts have frequently been discussing the need for proper discovery with prospects. This compelled me to think and write about some of my recent experiences in the Kitchen and Bath industry about why proper discovery is important.

Because so many of us in this industry are passionate and excited about what we, our company, and the products we offer can provide, we frequently begin giving our prospects an overview of these products and services far too early in the sales process. In the effort to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, we want to show our prospect that they have come to the right place and that we have the perfect products and services for them. In the process of doing so, we are not actually setting ourselves apart from the competition, but rather doing the same thing that the studio up the road is doing.

Stop. Wait. Slow down.

We may have the perfect choice for our prospect but we also may not. Guess what? You don’t know yet! You have not yet asked the proper questions and also dug deep into your prospect’s answers to know that your service or product could the proper choice.

As a well-known author on sales and many others have said,

“Issuing a prescription prior to a diagnosis is malpractice.”

It is possible that your product or service is perfect for this prospect but you have yet to have a reason to recommend it to your prospect that makes sense to them.

Have a reason to recommend it.

Here are two stories to explain what I mean:

Scenario One:

I was with a newer kitchen designer when they were greeting a brand new prospect. This woman said that she wanted to re-do her kitchen so that she and her husband could more easily sell their home. I am a representative of a cabinet company and my first thought was that my product was probably not the best choice for this client. Typically, people looking to sell a house want new cabinets that look nice but cost little. Why invest more in cabinets when it is just for home selling purposes, right? With more discovery and discussion, I learned that they had only been in their current home for about 10 years and that it was also a log home. Aha! Now, I had my reason to suggest my product.

I explained the unique qualities of our cabinets that differentiated us from other brands in the store and that the people considering buying a log home were most likely interested in the superior build quality of this sort of home and that the quality of the cabinetry should match the quality of the home.

The prospect agreed that this made sense.

Scenario Two:

When with a designer, I was invited to join a conversation with a new prospect. They were an older couple who stated they would like to re-do their kitchen. After a couple of initial questions, the designer inquired about the scope of the project and the client said “Oh, we’ll be gutting the space. It is the last room in the house to do and we want to do it right.” The designer then asked if they had an overall look in mind for the new space. After answering this question, the designer invited the client to join her to look at some options.

Stop. Wait. Slow down.

I joined the conversation and asked if I could ask some questions. After they said sure, the 4 of us talked for roughly another hour.

After the designer and I were finished with the meeting, we reviewed the conversation together. The designer realized that after this chat, not only were we able to demonstrate a genuine interest in our prospect and that what they have to say about their project is important, we were able to discover that their home is lakefront property at a nearby resort lake, that it is 3,000 sq. ft. which is actually larger than their permanent residence, that this is their summer place and they shared with us the greater metropolitan area of their permanent residence, that their now-adult children come to visit here during the summer with their kids and frequently bring at least one dog in addition, and that they plan to pass this home down through generations of their family.

Now, I have a reason to present certain choices to this prospect, not just because I like a certain product, but why it might be a good choice because of the prospect’s circumstances.

If you make the discussion about your customer and not your product or about yourself, you will frequently earn the client’s mindshare and their business, before you even present your work.

I wish you all the best success!