The three moves
Teach
Bring an idea that changes how the customer sees their own business: a hidden cost, an underestimated risk, a missed opportunity. It has to be true, relevant and surprising — and lead, in the end, to what you do best.
Tailor
The same insight has to be told differently to the CFO, to quality, to the people who use the product: each has their own metrics and concerns.
Take control
Keep the conversation on value, even when it turns to price or timing, and push tactfully toward a decision.
How to build an insight
- Start from what you know about the industry and the account: data, trends, common mistakes.
- Look for the belief the customer takes for granted, and that carries a cost.
- Measure that cost, with verifiable numbers or stated estimates.
- Connect the solution to the problem only at the end: the insight isn’t a product pitch.
- Prepare an opener: the first lines you’ll use to bring the insight into the meeting.
An example. A spare-parts distributor pushes its private labels to gain margin. The insight: on steering and suspension, every defect costs — in returns, complaints and the trust of repair shops — more than the margin gained.
The most common mistakes
- Provoking without proof. An insight that doesn’t hold up to questions costs you credibility.
- Mistaking challenge for arrogance. You challenge an idea, not the person.
- One insight for everyone. Without tailoring, it convinces only one role.
