- How painful is this?
- Who's involved?
- When do you want to solve this?
- What are you doing now?
- How can I solve this?
A short list of considerations:
- Your customers buy from people they like. There's a complex vibe going on mixing personality, likability, respect, and trust.
- Keep it simple. The more convoluted the answers, the more I start looking for BS.
- Avoid word games and cliches. Use industry terms in grammatically correct context. But let it go if someone speaks with artistic license as long as the point is made.
- Match tone and pace. If I'm tired - don't come at me like a rabid pit bull. Just slow down and chill. If I'm upbeat, then don't bring me down. Match me. Then take me for a ride. Watch experienced Grandmothers. They'll do this with small children, and it works like a charm for adults too.