Platonic

The common mistake many of us make is confusing these two.

They are not the same.

In my early days of running an agency, I thought I had it all figured out – I’d do some qualifying and then jump straight into discovery. Yet, the results were sometimes better than I’d hoped, and I soon realized why. Qualifying and discovery aren’t just two steps in the sales process; they’re two entirely different mindsets. Allow me to explain.

Qualifying is about asking the hard, straightforward questions: Can this prospect afford our solution? Do they have the authority to buy? Is there a real need for what we’re selling? It’s more like a checkbox exercise to ensure we’re not wasting time on prospects that will never close.

On the other hand, discovery is a deep dive into understanding the prospect’s world. It’s where you unpack their challenges, goals, fears, and dreams. It’s not just about the ‘what’ but the ‘why.’

The common mistake many of us make is confusing these two. As a result, we may ask qualifying questions during the discovery phase or vice versa, thereby losing the plot. Or even worse, we see discovery as a task to rush through, aiming to present our solutions as quickly as possible.

Remember, as Rory Sutherland once said, “People are more influenced by the direction they are moving in than the position they find themselves in.” If we rush the discovery phase, we fail to understand that direction.

In the words of Alan Weiss, “The only way to grow a business is to become better known, better thought of, and more often thought of.” This applies beautifully to the sales discovery process too.

By taking the time to understand your prospect’s world, you become ‘better known’ to them, you’re ‘better thought of’ as you show empathy and understanding, and you’re ‘more often thought of’ as a trusted advisor rather than a salesperson.

So, how should one approach qualifying and discovery? During the qualifying phase, focus on the tangible details. Ask questions like:

“Who is involved in the decision-making process?”
“What’s your budget for this kind of solution?”
“When are you planning to implement this?”

Then, once they’re qualified, shift your mindset for the discovery phase. This is about more than rushing to present your solution. It’s about understanding their world, their challenges, their goals. You might ask:

“Help me understand the challenges you’re facing in more detail.”
“What does success look like for you in this project?”
“How does this challenge affect your day-to-day operations?”

Avoid the mistake of rushing discovery or misplacing your qualifying questions. Remember, your role in discovery is to be a helpful guide, not a salesperson. Lead with curiosity and empathy, and you’ll find your conversations become richer and your relationships deeper. That’s where true sales success lies.

Jawaharlal Nehru (Former Prime Minister of India) and Le Corbusier were the OG Web3 founders! Hear me out!

A significant global shift is underway. Businesses worldwide are embracing Web3 technologies – decentralized systems powered by blockchain – and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at a pace that could make your head spin. The promise is a utopia of decentralized, secure, and transparent systems that fundamentally restructure how we live, work and play.

However, based on my interactions and experiences working with them, the focus seems overwhelmingly lopsided toward technology and jargon. In this great leap forward, are we forgetting something equally, if not more, crucial: the human element? Let’s take a page from the experiences of rapidly developing countries for context (hinting at Chandigarh, India, where I grew up).

In a bid to ‘catch up’ with the developed world, developing countries are in a race to build infrastructure and implement the latest technology. India’s Chandigarh, envisioned by the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and executed by famed architect Le Corbusier, is a prime example (I’m a fanboy).

Nehru envisaged Chandigarh to be “unfettered by the traditions of the past, an expression of the nation’s faith in the future.” However, juxtaposing modernistic city design with a population still being prepared for it underscores crucial learning: infrastructure and technology do not directly equate to mental or cultural development.

Likewise, Web3 and AI companies, focused on cutting-edge technology and reaping its rewards, can fall into the same trap, forgetting the critical role of the human element.

The People Paradox

As we pioneer into digital-first landscapes, the human element – the very fabric that holds organizations together – risks being relegated. Web3 and AI businesses with remote and often dispersed teams may need to pay more attention to the importance of human-centric leadership, a supportive culture, and strong interpersonal connections. The Harvard Business Review’s landmark study on the “The Neuroscience of Trust” underscores that human connections remain the cornerstone of any successful organization, irrespective of the technology it leverages.

Human Connections: The Heart of the Organization

Gallup’s 2012 “State of the American Workplace” survey demonstrated that employee engagement can significantly boost productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction. Fueling this engagement are simple human connections and a nurturing culture. The fundamental attribution error theory, a concept from social psychology, highlights our propensity to disregard situational factors when interpreting people’s behaviour. In the context of Web3 and AI companies, it becomes vital to acknowledge the unique challenges and potential isolation of remote work.

Leadership: The Guiding Light

Web3 organizations require robust leadership to navigate the technological frontier successfully. A leader’s role isn’t just to guide and inspire their teams internally; they must also construct a coherent external narrative. (Ask me about perception management offline.) Transformational leadership, where leaders inspire their teams with a shared vision of the future, can play a crucial role, as per James V. Downton’s seminal work.

Consider these four steps when building Web3 and AI Culture

1. Establishing Clear Roles and Responsibilities: Teams need clarity, whether developing blockchain solutions or creating AI algorithms. Clear roles foster accountability and lead to higher productivity. Or they’ll leave.
2. Nurturing Trust and Collaboration: Building trust can be challenging, especially for remote teams. However, as Paul J. Zak’s HBR article “The Neuroscience of Trust” emphasizes, trust can be cultivated by fostering social interactions, setting clear expectations, and promoting a culture of respect and transparency. Everyone on the team should know what the other does.
3. Instilling Top-Down Leadership: Effective leaders set the vision, lead by example, and facilitate a culture that encourages learning and innovation. You see, our mammalian and reptilian brains have yet to be digitally transformed.
4. Reimagining Onboarding and External Collaborations: Given the nascent nature of this space, onboarding programs need to be more than just a process; they should be an experience that introduces and integrates new members into the organization’s fabric, sparking a sense of belonging right from the start. This includes employees, vendors, contractors and third parties. Begin by facilitating easy knowledge sharing and collaboration, fostering a culture of collective growth. 

We must maintain sight of the human factor as we sprint towards a future dominated by Web3, AI, and other advanced technologies. Striking a balance between technology, leadership, and human connections is vital in building successful companies in this space.

The famed psychologist Carl Rogers once said, “What is most personal is most universal.” Le Corbusier also elegantly articulated that “architecture is about creating a way of life.”

As we transition to a more universal, decentralized, and technologically advanced way of working, let’s remember to keep the personal, the human, at its heart – designing not just sophisticated tech solutions but also a culture that cherishes human connection.

How can you show up to conversations to understand the client better or, when talking to a friend or colleague, help them uncover their true challenge? 

TL;DR — Be more childlike.

The first thing is metacognition — being aware of your thinking. For example, do I have an agenda? Am I just waiting for the other person to finish talking so I can say something? Am I talking just so I look good or interrupting them because what I have to say is more important? Send your ego for a walk. 

Based on years of experience, when I have no agenda, I’m not worried about what I’m going to say, I can honestly focus on what the other person is telling me, and I can listen and ask meaningful questions.

Listening in conversation goes way beyond asking pre-canned questions or nodding along and acting out some of that shallow surface-level stuff to let the other person know that we’re listening to them. Minimize the theatrics. You’re not fooling anyone. 

Deep listening begins by not worrying about what you will say next. In the beginning, you will feel pressured to finish the other person’s sentence or offer a solution. Avoid doing that, and instead, sit back in a meditative state as the other person is unpacking their thoughts. Next, start building out a visual map of the conversation, literally or metaphorically.

And wherever the map is low resolution, those are the questions you want to begin asking. When you’re doing that, the other person will feel understood and heard, and you’re not just doing it to fulfill some shallow desire to look good. Being self-aware and having empathy is what’s under the hood.

So, authentic communication and understanding are all about the things you’re not doing. You’d think it’s about what to say, but it’s actually about shutting those lips tight and just listening, paying attention to what the person is saying and not saying. Read between the lines in four dimensions.

So let’s go ahead and summarize. You’re listening without an agenda, without judgment and okay with having paradoxes and juxtaposing views from different stakeholders, especially if you are in conversations with a larger group (corporate settings) because all those perspectives could be correct based on the person expressing them. Ever imagine what the map of the world looks like to a fish?

I’ll admit, at first, it’s hard to do. But every time you listen, time should fly by quickly. They (wise folks) say creation happens in a flow state. Listening is no different. And when you’re in the flow state of listening, you’re enjoying what the other person is saying while making mental images in your head. Kids below age seven do this naturally in a theta brainwave state.

High-resolution understanding begins by tapping into the kid inside you.