I found this scribble of how I described what people WANT conversations to look like vs. what they actually look like recently.
Think about your conversations, the unknown is how your prospect or customer will answer that first question.
Yet masterful conversations ask questions about their answer. Which is why I love having question strings that have blank spaces where that answer might be slipped in.
Go along with the conversation never loosing sight of the fact your goal is to set a next action – move to another step.
Certainly you’re going to have a next action you want them to take before you call. Be open to changing those next actions or taking conversational detours before you arrive there.