Customer Conversation Challenge 1: Comfort

La-Z-Boy sells a lot of recliners. Some of those are, um, aesthetically challenged. Need we more evidence that people like to be comfortable?x87eq22s

I see marketing and sales as a recurring cycle of “de-comforting” and “re-comforting.”

If you’re on the hunt for new customers, then your biggest hurdle is likely getting that prospect to feel uncomfortable enough with their status quo to seriously consider a change. Sometimes the impetus for change makes itself obvious to an executive–disruptive technologies, new competition, regulatory mandates–but often the marketer must make the case for change. That means helping the prospect see their current situation differently through insights, fresh ideas, and examples. Then you’ll need your prospect to feel most comfortable with you as providing the best path to resolving the problem(s).

If you’re focused on retention and expansion rather than new business, then you still need to master de-comforting as well as re-comforting…unless you are somehow sure competitors would never, ever try to make the case for change with your customers.
I often see the desire for comfort hold marketing and sales teams back. Reps, recruiters, development officers, and others can easily fall into the trap of calling on the same people and saying the same things.

Is your organization good at bringing new ideas and insights into their conversations? Are people talking to executive, financial, and technical buyers?

There’s nothing wrong with comfort. We just don’t want that recliner to swallow the room.

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