Core Principle
“The royal road to a person’s heart is to talk about what they care about most”
Strong conversations are driven by:
Curiosity
Questions
Understanding
Your role:
Guide the conversation
Help the prospect think clearly
Uncover real motivations
Training Overview
The 5 core question types covered:
Connection
Situation
Problem Awareness
Probing
Solution Awareness
How to structure conversations using these questions
How to go deeper and create meaningful dialogue
Rules of Engagement (Training Environment)
Participate actively
One person speaks at a time
Stay in character during role play
Setter always eventually wins during roleplay
1. Connection Questions
Purpose
Build rapport
Lower resistance
Establish trust
Set collaborative tone
Mindset
👉 “I want to help you”
Examples
“What about the ad / our first conversation caught your attention?”
“What can I help you with today?”
“Off the record, what can I clarify for you?”
Best Practices
Be genuine and relaxed
Avoid sounding scripted
Focus on them, not your product
2. Situation Questions
Purpose
Gather factual information
Understand current setup
Build context
Examples
“Who are you buying your electricity from?”
“Can you tell me about your electric bills?”
“What’s the condition of your roof?”
“Any plans for EV fleets in the future?”
Best Practices
Keep questions simple
Don’t overload the prospect
Listen carefully and take notes
3. Problem Awareness Questions
Purpose
Surface pain points
Create awareness of issues
Introduce urgency
Examples
“Have you noticed your bill changing over time?”
“When do you think these increases will stop?”
“How have outages impacted you?”
“Any concerns about grid reliability?”
Key Principle
👉 Help them realize the problem themselves
Best Practices
Let them verbalize the issue
Avoid telling—guide discovery
Connect to real-world impact
4. Probing Questions
Purpose
Go deeper into problems
Understand impact and motivation
Identify true decision drivers
Examples
“How is ___ impacting your business?”
“Why is that important to you?”
“If this continues, what happens?”
“What do you think is causing this?”
Key Principle
👉 This is where depth happens
Best Practices
Ask follow-up questions
Stay curious, not interrogative
Focus on:
Financial impact
Operational impact
Emotional impact
5. Solution Awareness Questions
Purpose
Shift conversation toward solutions
Understand goals and expectations
Align your solution naturally
Examples
“What are you hoping to get out of this conversation?”
“What does an ideal outcome look like?”
“If you implemented this now, how would that help?”
“Is this your first time exploring this?”
“Do you know what your options are?”
“Why haven’t you already installed ___?”
Key Principle
👉 Let them define success
Best Practices
Tie solutions back to their problems
Avoid jumping into a pitch too early
Let them articulate value
Question Flow & Structure
Typical Conversation Flow
Connection
Problem Awareness
Probing
Solution Awareness
Situation (can be mixed throughout)
Important Notes
You will naturally move between categories
Conversations are not perfectly linear
Flexibility is key
Depth Hierarchy (Least → Most Depth)
Connection
Situation
Problem Awareness
Solution Awareness
Probing
Key Insight
Most reps:
Are good at situation questions
Do NOT go deep enough with probing questions
👉 Probing = where real deals are made
Practice Framework
Role Play Setup
One person = Business Owner
One person = Strategist
Rules
Owner has a “persona”
Only reveals information when asked correctly
Switch roles every ~15 minutes
Exercise Requirements
Use at least 3 questions from each category
Conduct a full conversation (phone-style)
Goal
Extract as much relevant information as possible
Practice natural flow and depth
Homework
Tracking Exercise
Track your next 5–10 conversations
Record:
Types of questions used
Balance between categories
Self-Reflection
Which question types do you overuse?
Where are you lacking depth?
Are you asking enough probing questions?
Key Takeaways
Questions drive the conversation—not statements
Depth matters more than quantity
Curiosity builds trust
Better questions = better outcomes
Final Principle
👉 You are not selling - You are helping the prospect:
Think clearly
Understand their situation
Make a better decision