Preparing the probing dialog- Research tips

So I am back from vacation, and I realize I had promised everybody that I will help with tips on how to prepare for the probing dialog using modern tools and plain old common sense so here goes some excerpts from my upcoming book-


Now more than ever this is exactly what you need. Why?
People don't have time and money to loose - every penny is important, every purchase, every payment under scrutiny. so please don't go unprepared to your customers - it is very annoying and very detrimental to your sales

First and Foremost- the important thing is that you are pitching to a person working for a company- yes say that out aloud- I am pitching to a person working for a company-

The research you do must entail the interests of the person- their work role and style - and the company- yes all three are equally important! if you want to be a winner- maintain a file - digital or paper on your contact- any information you can get- Google them, - on their position and role- and the company they work for-

the web is changing the way people think but it is also making them more "transparent" so find out if they are on Linkedin, classmates.com or whatever- this will allow you to make relevant talk- not just small talk- you can find out where they graduated, may be they are active in a non for profit - may be they have a passion for diving- whatever you find out- store it at the back of your mind - no matter what people say- hobbies and private life have a great impact on how people work and operate!

Research the title of the person in the relevant industry in various career websites and maybe salary.com- this will give you a good idea on what they do or are suppose to do.

Research the company website for any company initiatives, the company mission statements, products and technologies.

Now research the web for more about the processes that could exists in their plants or business - and their top competitors- send out emails to your organization and contacts asking if anyone has dealt with any of their competitors- and if yes- you are in luck- ask for what was the killer criteria to sell your product to the competitor- regardless if your coworker was successful or not

Finally , please research the industry- even if you have to spend some money to download a research- hey you can resell it on e-bay or to a coworker
now in the next part we will structure your research- and then the do's and dont's of the probing dialog

Winners, prepare to have a "Probing Dialog"!

I have already made my point that the consumers and customers have easy access to know your product and review the product features and competitors. So what can they not do on the Internet? That my friends is now the key to be a winner- Probing Dialog!
Sounds simple? It is but then it isn't.


If you get some time to prepare, it could be a tad easier. If you are in B2B business , you are in luck. You can do the same thing a consumer is doing to you- surf the web, check the news reports, check the products they sell, any reviews about the company. If they are public and global it becomes even easier as there are certain things they have to divulge by law.

Now go a step further- research any information that would pertain to the usage of your product.

If you are in the B2C business , the game plan changed a bit. Now you need to be a little more of a research agent about demographics , usage patterns, regional preferences.

In both cases- beware- be no hostage to any filters - the real customer profile must be built only through probing dialog!

Since I have dedicated my professional life to B2B - this is what I shall tackle first. B2C will come second - tackled through the eyes of a very difficult but consumer friendly customer- ME!

So the next post will talk about combining plain old common sense- "pocs" with modern analysis , technology and preparation to have a probing dialog in a B2B environment.