Prospects often describe wants (e.g., "a more efficient system"), which are not true problems. Asking about the motivation behind their desire forces them to articulate the underlying pain that actually drives a purchase decision.

Asking users for solutions yields incremental ideas like "faster horses." Instead, ask them to tell detailed stories about their workflow. This narrative approach uncovers the true context, pain points, and decision journeys that direct questions miss, leading to breakthrough insights about the actual problem to be solved.

Standard discovery questions about 'pain points' are too broad. Instead, focus on concrete 'projects on their to-do list.' This reveals their immediate priorities, existing attempts, and the specific 'pull' that will drive a purchase, allowing you to align your solution perfectly.

Transactional questions get transactional answers. A "story-worthy" question, like "Tell me about the moment you first sensed trouble with your supplier?", prompts a narrative. This approach extracts the emotion, context, and deeper story behind an issue, leading to more authentic connection and insight.

Instead of pitching a solution, create a presentation deck that outlines your core assumptions as bold statements. Use this "story deck" to facilitate a conversation, not a presentation. This prompts customers to agree or disagree, revealing their true pain points and validating your hypothesis more effectively.

Directly asking customers for solutions yields generic answers your competitors also hear. The goal is to uncover their underlying problems, which is your job to solve, not theirs to articulate. This approach leads to unique insights and avoids creating 'me-too' products.

To move beyond metrics and access the emotional resonance of a problem, ask prospects about the specific moment they realized something had to change. This question prompts them to tell a story, often involving senior leadership, which reveals the true business impact and urgency.

Move beyond just identifying a problem by asking for the specific story or "magic moment" the prospect realized it needed to be fixed. This uncovers the emotional context and visceral details of their pain, which is far more powerful for building a business case.

The first step to humanizing a brand is not internal brainstorming, but conducting deep-dive interviews with recent customers. The goal is to understand precisely what problem they were solving and why they chose your solution over others, grounding your brand messaging in real-world validation.