You don’t have to go too far to see this type of ‘expert x-ray vision’ in practice.

I recently had an annual physical, and the visit with my doctor was so swift and ordinary that I don’t even remember any medical questions he asked.

In fact, I mostly recall just some casual conversation throughout the appointment about recent goings-on in the neighborhood.

But, reading my Visit Summary the next day, I saw that there were quite a few things he assessed without me even noticing:

Now, that x-ray vision you’ve honed to intuitively notice client issues or opportunities is no different than the lens a doctor uses to effortlessly perform a physical.

Your assessment of a client’s situation comes so naturally that you might not even be aware of the triage checklist you’re scanning for in your mind.

But if you haven’t already, consider jotting down your triage factors — i.e. the 5 critical ‘symptoms’ within your problem space that you’d be scanning a client for.

For example:

An expert in strategic partnerships might be looking for the following symptoms to gauge a client’s need for a partnerships strategy:

• Ambitious growth commitments
• Evidence of market headwinds
• Organic inbound partnership interest
• Mature complementing technologies
• Market ‘buzz’ around client’s offering

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Having your triage checklist codified, in your mind or otherwise, serves many purposes, like developing your ICP, vetting potential clients, and structuring sales conversations.

And zooming out, this step turns your x-ray vision from something intangible and 'supernatural' to something intensely practical.

💡

-Wes