The 70/30 Rule

These past few classes, Professor Sweet has discussed and shown the true importance of the 70/30 rule. The rule itself makes sense, but it can be difficult to follow and abide to, especially for beginners. Its easy to slip into a spilling mode where facts are just thrown out at the customer, so it dangerously easy to break the 70/30 rule. Here are a few things to consider and apply when trying to follow this important rule.

• Come up with a follow up question as they are answering. This does not mean you blow off what they are saying, because the customer is after all the main focus of the discussion. Rather, try to become better at coming up with questions quickly. By doing this, you are still following along with what they are saying but you’re able to continue digging to find what their true pain and needs are.
• Usually we won’t know if we’re talking too much until its too late. Because of that, try to be extra mindful of how much each person is talking. Once a customer is done responding, try to follow up with a question or react to what they said and then ask another question. Never say more than a few lines and never give out information while doing so.
• The amount the customer talks should determine how much you talk. We still want the customer to do a majority of the talking but if they have a long answer to a question, respond to it and then ask a follow up question. Doing so will show the customer that you are listening to them and are on the same page. You can also smile and nod your head to show that you are listening… but be sure NOT to do it the Schrute way!