You will undoubtedly come across and work with many customers who give you nothing! …information, that is. Insights. Guidance. Context.

You should be more on guard with those who talk too much and give away the store with little prompting. (Are they saying anything of value?)

Either way, you can’t be a true solution provider and partner to your customers if you don’t have the truth. Right now, you’re muttering, "I always get the truth…my customers tell me everything."

Do they?

There’s always more insights and truth to learn…and, of course, information is worth a lot in the sales game.

Assuming you feel you can get more from each client, ramp up your qualifying and probing. This skill is not about walking around with a hammer looking for nails, it’s about gentle, easy-going probing and question layering.

Today, go further with your customers. Ask smart and strategic questions…and then listen. What’s the worst that could happen?