Conversation Playbook — Prospect / Client Conversation — Rep

Conversation Playbook

Prospect / Client Conversation — Rep

Better Conversations | Stronger Relationships | Better Outcomes

Before the call

Have a real conversation, not a performance. The more natural the call, the clearer a picture you'll get of where you actually stand with this prospect.
Prioritize discovery over pitching — it's how you see what the prospect is really thinking, not just what they're telling you.
Pull up your last Clarion report on this prospect for 10–15 min before dialing in, so you can see what's changed since you last spoke and pick up open threads.

Self-Awareness

Intro call“What's driving the urgency behind this initiative right now?”
Solution development“As we've been mapping out options, what's stood out as most valuable to you?”
Closing call“Now that we're this close, what's still on your mind before you're ready to move forward?”

Self-Management

Intro call“How is your team handling the pressure to solve this quickly?”
Solution development“How are you managing competing priorities while we build this out together?”
Closing call“How are you planning to manage the transition once this is signed?”

Social Awareness

Intro call“Who else needs to be comfortable with this decision?”
Solution development“How are the other stakeholders reacting to the solution as it's taken shape?”
Closing call“Is everyone who needs to sign off aligned at this point?”

Relationship Management

Intro call“What would make you feel confident partnering with us on this?”
Solution development“How has this partnership felt so far as we've worked through the details?”
Closing call“What would make this feel like a strong start to our partnership once we sign?”

A read on where the deal actually stands: end with a mutual next step, stated out loud, so you can see whether the prospect is really committing or just being polite.
Where you're building or losing trust: use LCD (Likeable, Credible, Dependable) as your own lens — the brief will show you which of the three came through strongest, and where you lost ground.
A clearer signal, not a fuzzier one: specific business questions, not small talk, are what let you see real risk and real interest instead of surface-level rapport.

Let the prospect do most of the talking — hesitation and unspoken concerns are exactly what you want visibility into, and you won't see them if you're the one filling the silence.
Don't rush to pitch — the longer the prospect talks, the more you'll be able to see about what's really driving (or blocking) this deal.
Send a written recap of commitments within 24 hours — it reinforces Dependable and gives you a clean starting point to compare against next time.