Four questions to diagnose why your numbers are down

Executive overview

When sales go soft and you don't know why, the instinct is to look inward. The real answer is usually with your customers — but only if you ask the right questions.

The 4Q conversation framework, developed by Fred Reichheld at Bain, gives you four structured questions to uncover what's really happening with your best customers.

The four questions

1. How are you doing? — Ask about the customer's own situation, job, or business. Treat it as a genuine inquiry, not a throwaway opener.
2. How are things in your world? — Zoom out to their industry, region, or sector. Understand the broader context they're operating in.
3. Do you hear from any of our competitors? — The question most people skip. Ask openly, with curiosity, and give them room to decline. You may learn about new pitches, lost business, or competitor offerings you didn't know existed.
4. How are we doing for you? — Ask this last, after you've built context. With that foundation, customers share more — gaps, underperformance, opportunities.

How to use it

• Deploy with top customers on a regular cadence.
• Bring senior leadership into these conversations, not just sales.
• Include service teams alongside sales teams.
• The sequence matters — don't jump to "how are we doing" before establishing the other three.