Phil Risher shows marketing consultants and customer-service reps how to ask callers what problem they want solved. Probe deeper: ask if a dog soiled the carpet or what specifically needs cleaning. Identify the real problem, offer a tailored solution, give a price range, and confirm it fits. Problems, not price, drive what customers buy.
As a marketing consultant, we listen to our clients calls to help them convert calls into jobs booked. And one of the common themes that we find is issues is that the customer service representatives are not asking, why are you calling? Or why are you calling now? Or what problem are you looking to solve? Because problems trigger behavior. And so when you have a problem, you're looking to get that problem solved. So a lot of times people will call and say, hey, you know, I'm looking at my carpets clean. How much does it cost? Cost is not the driver. The driver is really, I have this problem that I need solved. I think you can do it, but what's the cost to get that problem solved? So when you ask them, well, what's going on? What are you looking to get cleaned? Did your dog poop on the carpet? You know, do you just have normal stains that you're looking to get taken care of? Right. Trying to get to the problem and say, you know, I think we can solve that for you, and I think you'll probably need this. You don't need this. I think this will work for you, and the price is going to be around this. Does that sound like it's going to work for you? Once you get to that point, people understand, oh, they understand my problem. And here's a solution that they're offering. It takes.
