Turning Cold Leads Warm: Using Listening Frameworks to Shape Strategic Conversations Around India

Thanks to Jeroen Nijland, former NFIA Director, who gifted me The Trusted Advisor back in 2017. That book—and many conversations since—taught me something simple yet profound: the smartest people in the room are often the best listeners. Especially in cross-border business development, listening isn’t just polite—it’s strategic.

In this post, I want to walk you through three proven frameworks that help you listen actively, ask better questions, and navigate complex conversations. These are especially helpful when you’re speaking to cold leads—European companies unsure of India and unsure if they even want to talk about it.

Let’s begin with the tools.

1. LAER Framework: Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond

Used extensively in sales, leadership, and high-trust advisory roles, the LAER model helps you handle conversations with empathy and precision.

Step	What to Do
Listen	Focus fully, avoid interrupting. Capture key words, tone, and intent.
Acknowledge	Show that you heard. Use phrases like “I see,” or “That makes sense.”
Explore	Ask clarifying questions: “Can you tell me more about…?”
Respond	Offer a thoughtful answer or summary. Match your response to their need.

Client Example:

Client: “We’re struggling with managing project handovers between teams in Europe and India.”

You (LAER):

• Listen: Note down the emotional cues and key pain points.
• Acknowledge: “That sounds like a common issue in distributed teams.”
• Explore: “Is this more about documentation gaps, unclear ownership, or handover timing?”
• Respond: “We could co-create a handover playbook that includes role clarity and checkpoints.”

What makes LAER effective is its rhythm. You’re not just reacting; you’re building understanding layer by layer.

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2. SPIN Framework: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff

Made popular by Neil Rackham in his classic book SPIN Selling, this model is great for consultative discussions that move from data to decisions.

Step	Purpose
Situation	Ask for basic context: “What systems are you currently using?”
Problem	Identify key challenges: “Where do you face roadblocks?”
Implication	Unpack the consequences: “How does this affect delivery or cost?”
Need-Payoff	Link the benefit to the solution: “Would this improve client engagement?”

Strategic Consulting Example:

You:

• “How do you manage your remote development teams?” (Situation)
• “Where does collaboration break down?” (Problem)
• “What impact does that have on time-to-market?” (Implication)
• “Would clearer communication protocols reduce friction and speed up delivery?” (Need-Payoff)

This is more than just Q&A. It’s building a logic chain that moves the client from vague dissatisfaction to urgency for change.

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3. TED + T Prompts: Tell Me, Explain, Describe, Talk Me Through

This coaching-inspired model encourages your counterpart to reflect, elaborate, and get specific. It works exceptionally well when you want to understand someone’s process, mindset, or past experience.

Prompt	Purpose
Tell me…	Opens up personal views: “Tell me how you arrived at that view.”
Explain…	Unpacks logic: “Explain why this approach worked better.”
Describe…	Makes it specific: “Describe a situation where that happened.”
Talk me through…	Encourages narrative: “Talk me through your onboarding process.”

Internal Team Meeting Example:

• “Tell me how you structured the last product launch.”
• “Explain the decision to go with a local vendor.”
• “Describe what made that client onboarding smooth.”
• “Talk me through how you handled that escalation.”

TED+T is powerful because it allows people to arrive at clarity through reflection. That’s rare in transactional business conversations.

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Putting It All Together: A Strategic Conversation on India

Let’s imagine a real scenario: You’re speaking to a European consulting firm that helps mid-sized clients expand globally. India isn’t on their radar yet.

Them: “Most of our clients look at Eastern Europe. India gets dismissed early due to complexity.”

You start with LAER:

• Listen: (Note concerns: regulation, IP, scale)
• Acknowledge: “That’s a common perception. India can feel chaotic from a distance.”
• Explore: “Are your clients worried more about managing delivery or finding the right talent?”
• Respond: “We’ve helped similar firms run a 3-month pilot in India—very low capex, fully managed.”

Then move to SPIN:

• Situation: “What’s your current offshore model—Vietnam, Poland, or in-house?”
• Problem: “Any complaints around cost spikes or hiring quality?”
• Implication: “What happens if clients delay transformation due to those risks?”
• Need-Payoff: “Would having a pre-vetted India entry plan make you look more future-ready to them?”

And finally, bring in TED+T to extract depth:

• “Talk me through a recent client who expanded to Poland. What helped build confidence?”
• “Describe how you normally de-risk expansion proposals.”
• “Explain how your leadership team evaluates new partnerships.”

Instead of pitching India, you’re co-exploring the possibility. You’re asking the kinds of questions that Harvard Business Review articles call “catalytic questions” — they don’t just gather facts; they move thinking.

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Handling Objections Gracefully

Let’s say they say:

“Our clients have no ties to India. It’s unfamiliar territory.”

LAER can help you respond:

• Listen: (You note the fear of unfamiliarity)
• Acknowledge: “That’s completely fair. India can seem distant if you’ve never operated there.”
• Explore: “Would it help if you had a local partner to build a transition plan with guaranteed milestones?”
• Respond: “In fact, we ran a similar co-owned program for a Dutch software firm that had zero India exposure. In 90 days, they had an ops manager, a 10-person team, and proof of delivery.”

The trick is not to win the debate—but to help them rewrite their own assumptions.

How to Practice These Frameworks in Real Life

1. Record and Review: Try recording your calls (with permission) and review whether you used LAER, SPIN, or TED prompts.
2. Framework Flashcards: Before every meeting, pick one framework to focus on. Carry flashcards or digital notes.
3. Peer Role-Play: Practice with a colleague. One plays the “skeptical partner,” and the other responds using the frameworks.
4. Reflect in Writing: After each conversation, write down: “What did I hear? What did I explore well? What could I have framed better?”

According to research from Harvard’s Negotiation Project, structured reflection like this improves conversational agility by 37% over time.

Conclusion: Listening is Strategy

In global business conversations, especially those involving new markets like India, success doesn’t come from pitching harder. It comes from listening better. These three frameworks—LAER, SPIN, TED+T—aren’t just for salespeople. They’re for anyone who wants to unlock trust, shape strategy, and build something meaningful across cultures.

Next time you walk into a meeting with a hesitant partner, don’t just talk about India. Use these tools to make them feel heard, understood, and excited to explore.

Let India become their idea.

Resources for Further Learning:

• The Trusted Advisor by Maister, Green & Galford
• SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
• Harvard Business Review: “The Art of Asking Questions”
• Daniel Kahneman: Thinking, Fast and Slow (for cognitive framing)