A picture’s worth a thousand words, but managers need well-chosen words at the right time to keep employees in the picture. Let’s say you’re the V.P. of sales for a major corporation. You feel qualified and competent in your position…you think it’s all smooth sailing…you’re the king of the world! Then the company’s president calls an executive-level meeting, where she unveils the company’s new sales compensation program. It’s an innovative, creative plan—one that you had no clue the company was contemplating! Instead of “the king of the world,” you feel like you’re treading water as the Titanic sinks from under you.

Let’s say a conglomerate recently bought out your company.  Everyone in your department knows their days could be numbered. Each morning, there’s another rumor about who’ll be laid off next. Your department spends so much time speculating about the future that you’re barely getting any work done. As the merger moves forward, nobody gives you and your colleagues any information about the future. Are you still at the top of the company food chain, or a guppy about to become a whale’s lunch?Let’s say a conglomerate recently bought out your company. Everyone in your department knows their days could be numbered. Each morning, there’s another rumor about who’ll be laid off next. Your department spends so much time speculating about the future that you’re barely getting any work done. As the merger moves forward, nobody gives you and your colleagues any information about the future. Are you still at the top of the company food chain, or a guppy about to become a whale’s lunch?

It’s tempting to stick with the sales techniques that have worked for us in the past, but going that extra mile beguiles customers, sparking new interest in what we have to offer. When customers have positive experiences with a business and the people in it, they’ll say, “Wow! I’ve got to tell my friends to check this out!” This “Wow Factor” piques your customers’ interest. Intrigue customers with the unique little details that make your business a draw. Without it, you may find yourself outpaced by competitors with improved versions of your services.

Take Captain Denny Flanagan of United Airlines.  He’s living proof that flying doesn’t have to be an ordeal. The subject of a recent Wall Street Journal article, Captain Flanagan has done his bit to overcome the trials and tribulations of air travel by going out of his way to make his flights as pleasant and stress-free as possible for his passengers.  This veteran pilot calls the parents of unaccompanied child passengers with reassuring updates. He has flight attendants raffle off discount coupons and unopened bottles of wine. He writes notes to first-class passengers on the back of his business cards, addressing them by name and thanking them for their business. When delays arise, Captain Flanagan informs his passengers ASAP, giving them realistic ETAs, helping them retrieve and recheck luggage, even seeking out fast-food joints or snack shops to feed the hungry travelers. Passengers have rewarded him with sky-high praise, both in person and in glowing letters to United Airlines.  Next time I fly, I’d like to find out what United flight Captain Flanagan is piloting in hopes that I can fly the friendly skies with him!

It’s amazing how you can talk with some customers for hours without ever pinpointing what’s really bothering them. These customers don’t verbalize their real concerns and problems 80 percent of the time. In other words, most of our time with customers is spent talking about the wrong stuff! Customers don’t mean to mislead you. It’s simply human nature to try to conceal issues that might reveal vulnerability. The lock-on question is a powerful tool that allows you to get customers to open up quickly. Instead of becoming bogged down in superficialities, the conversation reveals facts and experiences that really matter. You can use this information to better understand the customer’s emotions, beliefs and values. Here’s why lock-on questions work: Though people avoid revealing their vulnerabilities directly, they often drop verbal hints about their true state of mind. It’s as if they’re saying: “If you can show me that you’re listening carefully enough to pick up on these clues, then I’m willing to trust you.” The lock-on question shows you’ve listened well, and at the same time allows you to direct the customer’s attention to a particular point, allowing you to move toward a solution quickly.