You explain what you found. The customer nods. You assume you’re on the same page.
But they may be seeing something completely different.
In this episode of Windshield Time, Chris Elmore demonstrates the customer communication gap with one simple exercise: draw a picture of yourself at the beach.
Everybody hears the same instruction. Everybody fills in the missing details differently.
Customers do the same thing.
You know what you mean when you explain the problem, the urgency, the value, or the best long-term solution. But your customer hears those words through their own experiences and priorities.
The answer isn’t to talk more.
Ask questions. Observe. Diagnose thoroughly. Learn what matters to the customer.
Then present the solution so it includes what they want and what you know technically needs to be there.
You’re not changing the truth. You’re making sure the customer can actually see why the right solution matters to them.
That’s how you close the value gap.
-Service Excellence
Inside This Episode:
- Why customers can hear your explanation and still understand something different
- How technicians unknowingly make customers fill in missing information
- Why a customer’s nod does not prove they see the same value you see
- How value, urgency, time, money, and emotion shape the customer’s picture
- Why discovery and observation need to happen before the presentation
- How a thorough diagnostic tells you what actually belongs in the solution
- How to communicate the best long-term solution without manipulating the customer
Episode Chapters & Summary
Draw Yourself at the Beach
Chris starts with a simple instruction: draw a picture of yourself at the beach.
The words are clear. The pictures are not. Each person automatically adds details based on their own experience.
Key takeaways:
- Everyone receives the same instruction.
- People automatically supply the details that were never stated.
- Shared words do not create identical pictures.
- That same difference in perspective shows up in a customer’s home.
They’re Filling in the Blanks
Chris tells Alex his picture is wrong even though he followed the instructions.
That exposes the problem. Chris had a picture in his own head and expected someone else to somehow know what it looked like.
Key takeaways:
- People naturally fill in missing information.
- Assumptions create communication gaps.
- A shared definition does not mean a shared experience.
- You can judge someone’s understanding against information you never actually communicated. WT S02E21
The Customer Communication Gap
Chris takes the beach exercise into the customer’s home.
A technician can use the right words and still assume the customer understands the intended meaning behind them.
Key takeaways:
- A customer nodding does not prove they see what you see.
- Understanding a word is different from understanding what you mean by it.
- This is not about memorizing the perfect script.
- Be conscious of what your words intentionally and unintentionally cause the customer to picture. WT S02E21
Closing the Value Gap
Chris connects that missing information to value, urgency, savings, time, money, and emotion.
If the customer does not see enough value to move forward, something important may still be missing from their picture.
Key takeaways:
- Value is not automatically understood.
- Urgency looks different from the customer’s perspective.
- Time, money, and emotion can all change how the solution is viewed.
- You first have to understand what value the customer needs to see. WT S02E21
Discover Before You Present
Instead of telling the customer exactly what their picture should look like, Chris moves to questions.
Discovery, observation, and diagnosis give the technician the information needed to communicate the right solution.
Key takeaways:
- Ask before assuming.
- Observe before presenting.
- Technical excellence and thorough diagnosis still come first.
- Never recommend something that isn’t needed or cannot be proven.
- Questions help you understand what matters to the individual customer. WT S02E21
Get on the Same Picture
A good presentation brings the technician’s expertise and the customer’s priorities together.
The customer sees the things that matter to them, while the technician makes sure everything technically necessary is still included.
Key takeaways:
- Stop trying to prove your picture is better.
- Diagnosis determines what needs to be there.
- Discovery determines what matters to the customer.
- Prepare the presentation around what the customer needs to see and understand.
- The goal is for both sides to understand the same solution.
