Arkansas Business

• Don’t slam competitors or talk about yourself too much; focus on the customer’s reality.

• Make sure that customers know they aren’t the only ones in this non-ideal status quo. After all, if they believe the problem is uniquely theirs, then they might assume they’re a lost cause.

• Do point out the common problems in the status quo for them and peer organizations, or how common approaches diverge from practices you know would work better.

• Do your homework and ask questions so that you understand the pain points of the flawed status quo. Don’t just ask prospects what their pain points are.

• Don’t start proposing solutions (which is part of re-comforting) before you have explored and understood the de-comforting.

Effective re-comforting practices include:

• Create with your customer or prospect a shared vision of what “problem resolution” or that “better tomorrow” looks like.

• Talk about your differentiators and expertise.

• Use stories and examples that feel relevant to the customer. Some companies put together case studies in a way that unfortunately fails to connect.

Is your company equally adept at de-comforting and re-comforting?

Jim Karrh of Little Rock is a marketing consultant, researcher, speaker and author. Visit JimKarrh.com or email him at Jim@JimKarrh.com.