Niche Consulting Growth · 2026-05-05 · 8 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
35 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Rather than launching into sales pitches, consultants should adopt a diagnostic mindset that uncovers the gap between where clients currently are and where they want to be. Michelle Serra breaks down this approach into two distinct phases: jabs and right hooks. Jabs are direct, factual, logic-based questions focused on measurable external aspects of the business - like customer retention rates or revenue targets - that build credibility and comfort. Right hooks then transition into emotion-based questions that uncover personal stakes and urgency, such as how it feels to miss targets or what keeps them up at night. The rhythm matters critically; jumping to emotional questions too early feels intrusive and manipulative. Instead, consultants should establish comfort through logic-based questioning first, use active listening to identify transition points, then introduce emotional territory naturally. After landing the right hook, replay the client's challenges back using their own language - a technique drawn from copywriting that creates the sensation of being deeply understood. This approach converts better than traditional sales techniques because it addresses both the logical and emotional dimensions of decision-making.
Jabs are direct, logic-based questions focused on measurable external business aspects (like retention rates or revenue targets) that build credibility and comfort. Right hooks are emotion-based questions that dig into personal stakes and urgency (like how it feels to miss targets or what keeps them awake at night).
Jumping to emotional questions before establishing comfort feels intrusive and strange to the client. You need to build trust through logic-based questions first, establish comfort, and then use active listening to identify natural clues for transitioning into emotional territory.
Replay the client's challenges back to them using their own words and language so they feel deeply understood and like you're inside their head - this creates a powerful sense of connection and makes them feel you truly get their situation.
Instead of jumping to selling solutions, the diagnostic approach mirrors how a doctor works: you diagnose first by uncovering the deeper gap and full scope of the situation, which actually sells better than traditional sales techniques because it addresses both logic and emotion.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode introduces a clear framework (jabs vs. right hooks) that provides some utility for sales conversations, but relies heavily on restating basic principles (listen first, ask questions, understand emotion) that most experienced operators already know. The core insight - alternating logic-based and emotion-based questions in diagnostic conversations - is sound but not novel, and much of the runtime is devoted to reiterating the same idea and explaining why you shouldn't rush the emotional questions.
A doctor would never prescribe random medication without first asking questions and thoroughly examining you to find the root cause of your pain. But think about it. A doctor is going to diagnose first.
You start with objective details to make sure that the client is comfortable, and then you use active listening to look for clues to transition into emotional territory.
The doctor-versus-consultant analogy and the jabs/right-hook boxing metaphor are memorable but not particularly original - both are common in sales training literature. The concept of logic-based then emotion-based questioning is standard consultative selling methodology, and framing buyers as emotionally-driven actors seeking logical justification is textbook. No contrarian positions or first-principles thinking are present.
A doctor versus a consultant. So a doctor would never prescribe random medication without first asking questions
The jab and right hook of diagnostic conversations.
This is a solo host episode with no guest. Michelle Serra delivers the content herself, and while she references prior experience as a senior copywriter, there is no practitioner guest with demonstrated scale or operational credibility to evaluate.
I'm Michelle Serra, and in these short episodes, we'll look at the positioning, trust, and demand-building work that helps consultants grow more steadily.
The episode uses generic example questions (e.g., 'What is your current customer retention rate?' and 'How does it feel to miss those retention targets?') but provides zero named companies, real case studies, metrics, timelines, or concrete data points. The advice is illustrated with conversational examples rather than evidence of actual results or outcomes.
when you're asking questions like, what is your current customer retention rate? Or did you hit your revenue targets last year?
Like, how does it feel to miss those retention targets? Or what's keeping up at night about this situation.
This is a monologue with no actual conversation or guest to interrogate. The host does not push back on her own ideas, test assumptions, or demonstrate the diagnostic conversation technique in practice. While the delivery is personable and uses audience address ('I want you to imagine...'), there is no conversational depth, follow-up questioning, or genuine dialogue.
This is a monologue episode with no guest interaction.
I know, not in real life, but here they're non-threatening.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this episode, Michelle breaks down why great consultants do not lead with selling . Using the analogy of a doctor, she explains that the best client conversations are not about pitching your services right away. They are about uncovering the real problem beneath the surface-level symptoms a prospect first describes. Michelle introduces the rhythm of diagnostic conversations through two types of questions: jabs and the right hook. She emphasizes that this process should feel natural, not forced, beginning with objective questions, then listening closely, and watching for clues that tell you when it is appropriate to go deeper. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why consultants should stop selling and start ________. How to uncover the deeper gap beneath surface-level symptoms What logic-based “jab” questions sound like What “right hook” questions are meant to uncover Why business decisions are THIS first, logical second How to transition naturally from factual questions into deeper territory Why rushing certain questions too early can backfire How using a prospect’s own words builds trust and connection Key takeaway: A strong diagnostic conversation is not a sales trick.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
This is the Niche Consulting Growth Podcast for consultants who want to become the obvious choice and move beyond feast or famine. I'm Michelle Serra, and in these short episodes, we'll look at the positioning, trust, and demand-building work that helps consultants grow more steadily. Welcome. The jab and right hook of diagnostic conversations.
That's what we're here to discuss today. I want you to think of this analogy. A doctor versus a consultant. So a doctor would never prescribe random medication without first asking questions and thoroughly examining you to find the root cause of your pain.
At least we hope not, right? Like, I really hope not. But think about it. A doctor is going to diagnose first.
So if you're a consultant and you're jumping into conversations with prospective clients, With the focus of selling right away, I want you to stop. I want you to stop selling and start diagnosing. Great consultants don't sell solutions. They diagnose problems.
Let's dig into this concept a little bit more. I want you to begin to uncover the gap. So when you're having conversations with prospective clients, you're going to hear from them. They're going to They're going to be describing surface-level symptoms, all the things that are going on on the surface because of this deeper problem.
But your job, your job is to uncover the deeper gap between where they are and where they want to be. In that gap, that's where that huge cost lives. I want you to uncover the full scope of a client's situation, and to do this, there's this very delicate, or, you know, Chris might say strategic, I'll say delicate, balance of logic-based and emotion-based questions. You start by setting the foundation with what we call Jabs.
These are the logic-based questions. So a Jab is a direct factual question focused on measurable external aspects of the client's business. So let me just repeat part of that. It's a very direct factual question that's focused on measurable external aspects of the client's business.
JABS are non-threatening. I know, not in real life, but here they're non-threatening. They help you gather data, demonstrate your expertise, and build credibility. So when you're asking questions like, what is your current customer retention rate?
Or did you hit your revenue targets last year? You know, when you hear someone say in reference to someone else, hey, they asked all the right questions. That's what I want people to be saying about you. That's what I want your prospective clients to say about you.
Then you're going to land that right hook. These are the emotion-based questions. The right hook digs into the personal, emotional, or aspirational side of the business problem. Hooks actually uncover the personal stakes and urgency behind the problem.
Like, how does it feel to miss those retention targets? Or what's keeping up at night about this situation. I spent many, many years as a senior copywriter. And one of the things that we know is that we people, human beings, we buy based on how we feel in the moment.
However, we need logic to back up our emotional decision. This is no different for your prospective client. They make a decision to invest in you. Based on how they feel, and they're looking for the logic piece to back that emotional decision.
You are giving them both. The trick here is to master that rhythm. You know, this should be a natural conversation. It should flow just like a natural conversation.
You start with objective details to make sure that the client is comfortable, and then you use active listening to look for clues to transition into emotional territory. Now I'm going to pause because I can hear all of those kind of objections coming my way, that this sounds like a whole lot of psychology. Well, hello, you're in selling. This is psychology.
The important thing here though is to know you have had these conversations before. If you've ever had a conversation with a good friend, colleague, someone you care about, you have had these conversations. What I'm asking you to do is to simply show up, be fully present, set the selling aside for just a moment, and have a genuine conversation. Learn this flow, this rhythm of the logic-based and emotion-based questions.
I do want to caution you though, do not rush in with the right hook. Do not rush in asking emotional questions right away because that feel intrusive. I mean, just imagine if you and I were to have a conversation for the first time and, you know, maybe we're on Google Meet or Zoom and we pop up on the screen and I say, "Hi Susan, it's really good to meet you. Hey, you know, I read on your form when you booked the call that you are really struggling to get clients right now.
How does that feel? Is that, you know, I bet you're losing sleep. Is that keeping you up at night?" Wow.
Yeah, that's just going to feel strange and that's really not okay. So please don't do that. Okay? Don't jump to the emotion-based questions.
You're going to know when that clue pops up too, that it's okay to transition into the emotional territory. As I said, you've had these kinds of conversations before. You'll know, don't worry about it. You wanna make sure that you are letting the client get comfortable with the conversation first and that you're using a few jabs first.
I know that sounds very counterintuitive, but if you are bringing in those logic-based questions, you're asking all the right questions, they're impressed, they're comfortable with you, uh, you're fully present. They can tell that, right? And then you bring in those emotional questions that really begin to identify the gap and where that true cost lives. That is a diagnostic conversation, and that will sell better than any sales technique you've probably learned.
So let's wrap up by pointing out what to do after the right hook. So what do we do after we've brought in these emotional questions? Do we just leave them hanging after we've asked these rather personal questions? No, we want to be able to replay the client's challenges back to them using their own words.
I want to come back to my reference of having been a senior copywriter for so very long. This is another aspect of the work that I did is being able to identify the language of, in my case, it would be the reader, but it's always the prospective client. We want to be able to identify their language and use their words and how they talk about the problem and the struggle because then it begins to feel like I'm in their head, or you're in their head. And it becomes this point at which they say, when you do this so well, clients feel so very deeply understood, like you get them, and they're like, hey, are you a fly on my wall?
Because you must have heard me say this. It's like you're in my head. That's when you have hit the target. All right.
I hope that helps. Till next time. If you've enjoyed this episode and want to know more about how we can help, schedule a conversation. The link is in the notes.
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