This document provides tips and strategies for discovering customer needs and priorities through agenda-less listening. It discusses conducting listening tours to understand what customers and prospects aren't saying directly. Key tips include starting conversations without an agenda, keeping questions open-ended, embracing customer rants, and focusing on understanding their goals rather than selling. The purpose is to gain insights that can provide value to customers and inform product strategy and positioning.

1. HOW TO DISCOVER
WHAT CUSTOMERS
(& PROSPECTS)
DON’T TELL YOU
BOB LONDON
???
$%&*@!

2. IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES!
BEST-IN-CLASS FEATURES!
Gorgeous,
Rich Hues
Elegant, Hand-
carved, Rare
Brazilian Teak
Limited
Edition—
Autographed!

3. Meanwhile, David is thinking, ”Hmmmm…”

4. SELFIE-STYLE
MARKETING

5. 18x
5
B2B MARKETING EXECUTIVE & CONSULTANT
1990 - 2010
CHIEF LISTENER & STRATEGIST
2011 - Present

6. “I wonder what they thought of our
presentation yesterday?”
“Are we adding enough value?”
WOULDN’T YOU
LIKE TO KNOW…
“Hey, I was wondering…what did you
guys talk about after we left?”
SO JUST ASK.
“What would you lose if we went away?”SO JUST ASK.
“Why aren’t prospects clicking on our
content?”
“If you had a free hour with a renowned
industry expert, what would you ask?”
SO JUST ASK.

7. Automated Cloud Optimization Platform
“Enterprise software to
run your public cloud
more efficiently"
$0 Sales in 18 months
Disinterested Beta
Customers
Angry
Investors
One feature lets you
automatically turn off idle
AWS resources… reducing
costs by <65%.
Pivoted to single-
purpose, self-service
enterprise SaaS app
ELEVATOR RANT
“Too much stuff.
We don’t even
know our
requirements yet.
What one
problem does it
solve really well?”
$1.7M in Funding /
300+ Enterprise
Customers / Minimal
Marketing & Sales

8. 50-Person Managed Services Provider
Tried every type of
marketing tactic
$90K
base
sales
person
No differentiator
or unique value
add
“We’re great at
tech! The difference
is our service!”
Growth
plateau
Introducing Bi-Annual
Tech Briefings for Non-
Tech CXOs
“Clients ask when
next briefing is.
Prospects’
eyebrows fly off
their heads.”
ELEVATOR
RANT
“Tech &
support are
fine”
“I’m anxious
about next
tech wave”
Complimentary / Value-Add
Personalized for key clients
Distributed to all clients
Content for prospects

9. INTRODUCTION TO
AGENDA-LESS LISTENING

10. 6 DISRUPTIVE, THOUGHT-PROVOKING
QUESTIONS YOUR COMPETITORS
AREN’T ASKING….YET

11. • What’s in their
“brain pie chart”?
• Tie your product
or service to their
goals & budget
priorities.
@chief_listener 11
WHAT’S ON YOUR WHITE
BOARD? WHAT ARE
YOUR TOP 2 BUSINESS
PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT
YEAR OR TWO?
1/6

12. • Quickly identify the
delta between
where they want to
be (priorities) and
where they are now.
• See how their
answers align with
your proven—and
hopefully unique—
strengths.
@chief_listener 12
2/6
WHAT DO YOU AND
YOUR TEAM NEED
TO GET BETTER AT
THIS YEAR?

13. • Buyers don’t want
all things to all
people.
• They want “a job
done right.”
• Your sweet spot is
the foundation of
your positioning.
• It’s what creates
pride among your
team.
@chief_listener 13
WHAT ARE WE
GREAT AT? BETTER
AT THAN ANYONE
ELSE?
3/6

14. • This reveals their
knowledge gaps.
• Your insights can
provide
tremendous value
to them.
• BTW, why aren’t
they asking you
these questions?
@chief_listener 14
4/6
IF YOU HAD A FREE
HOUR WITH A WORLD-
RENOWNED INDUSTRY
EXPERT, WHAT WOULD
YOU ASK?

15. • Are you
vulnerable—even
a little bit?
• Why? What’s
driving their open-
ness to engage
with another
potential solution?
@chief_listener 15
5/6
IF YOU GOT A CALL
FROM A COMPETITOR
TOMORROW, WOULD
YOU LISTEN?

16. • ”Great question.
No one’s ever
asked me that
before!”
• Wait: We all want
customers for life
but never ask
what that looks
like to them?
@chief_listener 16
(the killer question)
6/6
WHAT WOULD
MAKE YOU A
CUSTOMER FOR
LIFE?

17. IT’S
ABOUT
THEM,
NOT YOU
Start with a
quiet mind.
Relax. It’s a conversation
not an interview.
Be authentic.
Start with their big picture. Go
where they want to go
Keep asking "why?” &
“what do you mean?”
Drop ego, biases &
defensiveness.
Embrace their rants.
Be agile and iterative.
Breath, smile.
No selling.
AGENDA-LESS LISTENING TIPS

18. WHY DO AN
AGENDA-LESS
LISTENING
TOUR?
REBRANDING/ RE-POSITIONING
PRODUCT-MARKET FIT
CUSTOMER LISTENING TOUR
WIN/LOSS ANALYSIS
M&A DUE DILIGENCE

19. AND NOW: A MESSAGE FROM
YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Understand—or at
least ask me about--
my goals.
Help me solve one
problem really well.
Then we’ll consider
more.
Am I doing this right?
What are industry
best practices?
Educate me on
what’s coming next.
Send me an SME
instead of a sales
person.
Stop saying you’re my
“partner,” and align
with my interests.
Explain your
differentiator without
saying things you
competitors also say.
Be in touch when you
don’t need anything.

20. THANK YOU & HAPPY LISTENING
Get the FREE Customer Re-Discovery Playbook at
www.customerrediscovery.com
SPECIAL MINDSHARE OFFER: Complimentary Elevator Rant Discovery Session
www.chieflisteningofficers.com/book-a-call-with-bob-london
BOB LONDON
BOB@CHIEFLISTENINGOFFICERS.COM
+1.240.994.7644