At Miller Heiman we often say, "if there isn't a gap, there isn't an opportunity." The only way to know for sure if your customer perceives a discrepancy between where he is and where he wants to be is for you to understand his challenges.

Equally important is to establish what's in it for you. This may sound contradictory when you want to put the spotlight on your customer, but we have found it to be essential to true customer focus. Read the full Tip to learn how this concept works and how it connects with the customer-focused selling approach.