Need Type Classifier
by @quochungto
Classify customer statements from sales calls as Implied Needs (problems, difficulties, dissatisfactions) or Explicit Needs (wants, desires, intentions to ac...
Scenario: Post-call classification of transcript excerpt (large enterprise deal)
Trigger: Rep shares: "Here are four things our prospect said on the call today. Did the call go well?" Statements: 1. "Our current reporting is really painful β it takes the team 2 days to pull together the board deck." 2. "We've had compliance issues with our current data process." 3. "We're actively evaluating vendors for a new reporting platform." 4. "We have about 50 analysts who use the system."
Process:
Output: Needs classification report written to needs-log.md. Rep advised to plan Implication Questions for the next call and NOT lead with a product demo.
Scenario: Single statement quick-check (large sale)
Trigger: "My prospect said 'we're not happy with our current platform.' Is that a buying signal?" Process: Classify the single statement. "Not happy with" = dissatisfaction = Implied Need. Apply large-sale gate: no, this is NOT a buying signal in a large sale. The customer has expressed a problem, not a desire for change. Next move: develop with Implication Questions. Output: Classification report (short form). Clear warning that treating this as a buying signal would be premature β this is the error that cost the inexperienced telecom rep the deal in the book (CS-07).
Scenario: Pre-demo sufficiency check
Trigger: Rep asks: "We have a demo tomorrow. Here's our needs log from the last two calls β are we ready?"
Process: Read needs-log.md. Count Implied vs Explicit Needs. Apply large-sale gate: if the needs log contains only Implied Needs and no Explicit Needs, the customer has not yet expressed a want or desire that can be linked to a Benefit. A demo at this stage risks presenting Features and Advantages to a customer who has not confirmed any Explicit Need β which predicts objections and value challenges, not advancement.
Output: Pre-demo sufficiency report. If Explicit Needs are present: ready to proceed, list which capabilities can be linked to which Explicit Needs. If no Explicit Needs: recommend one more discovery call to develop the strongest Implied Need into an Explicit Need before presenting.
clawhub install bookforge-need-type-classifier