Convincing customers to be interviewed
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      1. BLUE HELP
      2. Discovery Interviews (Step 2)
      3. Convincing customers to be interviewed

      2. Tools for setting up Discovery interviews

      6 Aids you can use to request a Discovery interview.

      We’ve provided six aids for you to use when scheduling Discovery interviews, all located at www.blueprintingcenter.com > BlueTools > Schedule Discovery Interviews. Some of these aids can be sent to your customers. In these cases, notice we refer to Discovery interviews as “sessions” or “meetings” (because many customers have been bored by traditional “interviews.”)

      1. Script Points for Interview Setup: This is a simple sheet you can have in front of you while you’re on the phone requesting an interview. Or you can use it as a guide for an email you compose. It’s available in nine languages.
      2. Discovery Interview Agenda Template: This Microsoft Word document describes what you’d like to accomplish, and can be sent to your customer contact. You can customize this as much as you’d like before sending it. Be sure to ask them to forward this document to any colleagues they invite. This is available in nine languages.
      3. Have You Been Discovered: This is a website that explains why the customer should enjoy a Discovery interview. They can mouse over 12 common questions to get answers. Ask your customer contact to forward this to his/her colleagues, so everyone knows what to expect. This is available in nine languages, so you can provide the url www.haveyoubeendiscovered.com to English speakers, and http://www.haveyoubeendiscovered.com/fr/ to French speakers, for instance. This and the Discovery Interview Agenda Template above are our two most popular aids.
      4. Blueprinting for Sales: Will your sales professionals be reaching out to customers to request interviews? If so, make sure they fully understand what they’re requesting and how to request it. This website, www.blueprintingforsales.com, includes a video and other content that will take your sales reps about 45 minutes to review. To ensure you busy sales rep actually reviews this, set up a later phone call to see if he/her “has any questions” after they go through it. Also consider role-playing a short Discovery interview (perhaps by web-conference) with your sales team.
      5. Discovery – A New B2B Innovation Model: Perhaps you’re meeting with a customer and would like to request a later Discovery interview. Check out this 7-slide PowerPoint file—complete with speaker’s notes. Many find that slides # 3 and #6 are particularly useful.
      6. Interviewing in Asia: This aid is loaded with tips on how to a) request a Discovery interview, and b) conduct a Discovery interview in Asia. Thousands of successful Discovery interviews have been conducted across Asia, but some special cultural considerations are often called for. For more, see Interviewing in different global cultures & languages.

      For more, see e-Learning Module 13: Interview Logistics at www.blueprintingcenter.com > e-Learning. Also, you can download the AIM e-book, Reinventing VOC for B2B, pp.8-9.

       

      Keywords: request Discovery interview, set up Discovery interview, script points for interview setup, Discovery interview agenda template, Have You Been Discovered, Blueprinting for Sales, Discovery - A New B2B Innovation Model, Discovery PowerPoint slides, Interviewing in Asia