What do you need? How can I help?

I was browsing through Netflix and the write up for "New Amsterdam" caught my attention, and I decided to give it a go. The Medical Director's phrase "How can I help?" caught my attention in the first episode. This was what I had asked the customer recently after our self-introduction and some casual chatting.

This changes the meeting setup from selling something to the customer to understanding what could be their problem. It varies from potentially being fixated on the solution to framing the problem correctly.

Finding Hammer for a Nail

In another recent meeting with a potential customer, they are fixated on the solution before trying to see if they have other underlying problems. They have a massive warehouse, and we noticed many potential opportunities for improvement, even without introducing any technologies. However, they are fixated on trying to introduce technology to solve one of the challenges they face.

What could be the situation here after introducing the technology? They might have the technology to solve one of their problems, but this might escalate the other underlying issues and make things difficult for the ground team members. Without looking at things from another perspective and being fixated on the solution causes this situation that might further escalate the challenges.

Seeing beyond the Nail

To make sure that we do not contribute to the problem, we need first to seek to understand what are their issues. Then, we help them frame their situation correctly and try to uncover the respective challenges that the customer might have. Then, after framing the challenges, which are their needs, we start to ask them, "How can we help?".

In performing a solutioning, we need to be on the ground to understand the challenges from the customer's perspective. While we might have the technological solution, what we have might not be suitable until we see what's happening with our own eyes and clarify with the people involved in that aspect of the operation. These people are facing the problem daily.

Summary

Do not start our engagement with the customer by bringing a hammer and seeing nails all around. Instead, start by knowing more about the situation and render our help by asking.