--- title: Developing confidence to lead insight-driven customer conversations | Built for This · Formula L4 description: "If you want to move from vendor to solutions provider, you need to be equipped to provide more than just service to your customers.\nInsight-driven conversations require market and trend understanding AND confidence. Here's how to develop both." image: https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/392dbd_5ab132bfcd5048d0b18855c366e84654~mv2-1.jpg --- [![Formula L4](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/FormulaL4_Primary_WhiteLogo_Large.png)](https://www.formulal4.com) - [Home](https://www.formulal4.com/home) - [The OS](https://www.formulal4.com/os) - [The Operating System](https://www.formulal4.com/os) - [The Growth Platform](https://www.formulal4.com/growth-platform) - [How We Work](https://www.formulal4.com/how-we-work) - [About](https://www.formulal4.com/team) - [Insights](https://www.formulal4.com/insights) - [Speaking](https://www.formulal4.com/speaking) - [Client Login](https://formulal4.learnupon.com/) - [Book a Growth Momentum Review](https://www.formulal4.com/meetings/hollylaboda/growth-consult) [Home](https://www.formulal4.com/home) [The OS](https://www.formulal4.com/os) [— The Growth Platform](https://www.formulal4.com/growth-platform) [How We Work](https://www.formulal4.com/how-we-work) [About](https://www.formulal4.com/team) [Insights](https://www.formulal4.com/insights) [Speaking](https://www.formulal4.com/speaking) [Client Login](https://formulal4.learnupon.com/) [Book a Growth Momentum Review](https://www.formulal4.com/meetings/hollylaboda/growth-consult) [Insights](https://www.formulal4.com/insights) · Built for This · # Developing confidence to lead insight-driven customer conversations If you want to move from vendor to solutions provider, you need to be equipped to provide more than just service to your customers. Insight-driven conversations require market and trend understanding AND confidence. Here's how to develop both. ![Holly LaBoda](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/cf4a8f3a-f8c3-40bc-9904-8c147672e61e.png) Holly LaBoda Founder · Formula L4 April 1, 2024 Built for This ![](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/392dbd_5ab132bfcd5048d0b18855c366e84654~mv2-1.jpg) Listen to this article # Developing confidence to lead insight-driven customer conversations - ![Writer: Holly LaBoda](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/ACg8ocKjk9KWsJ6ToFMafxblpDJF-lZ5Za-avr79bfUQCDif8w=s96-c-Jan-05-2026-07-26-51-1011-PM.jpg) [Holly LaBoda](https://www.luminariesconsulting.com/profile/holly/profile) - Apr 2, 2024 - 3 min read When working with a team recently, I asked the group to rate on a 1-5 scale how confident they are discussing market trends with their customers. I saw a couple of 4s, and a lot of 1s & 2s, which did not surprise me. We often find that smart sales and account managers who live and breathe their own and their customer's markets every day are still intimidated by leading a conversation here. Sometimes there is a knowledge gap, but more often than not it's a **confidence** gap. > As one account manager we worked with summarized so simply, *"What I have realized now is that we are the experts"*. ![Market data example](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/392dbd_5ab132bfcd5048d0b18855c366e84654~mv2.jpg) Sometimes economic and market trends can leave us feeling like insecure freshmen sweating through Econ 101. But here's the bottom line: most of us know WAY more than we give ourselves credit for in this area. So our job is to get more comfortable finding information and using what we know to add value to our client conversations. Could you or your team do a little better here? Try this simple, yet powerful approach. **Weekly Market Research Rotation** James Clear taught me about the power of [habit stacking](https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking), and this plays right into that concept (and all the things we know [sustained development](https://www.luminariesconsulting.com/post/are-you-growing-or-dying) entails). Most of the leaders we work with also don't have hours of extra time that they can spend developing their team, so let's take a meeting or other connection point you already have - a weekly team meeting for example, and add a market insights dimension to it.  1. **Introduce the concept** by sharing an example of how being comfortable speaking to the market trends impacted your relationship or results with a customer. Then start a discussion about resources you use to keep up on trends (Google Alerts, Freightwaves, JOC, etc). Ask the team what they use and encourage everyone to write down a new resource or two. 2. **Provide the framework** for development: tell the team how it will work. If you meet weekly, assign 1 person a week to delve into market research related to logistics or your customers' industries. Task them with discovering a new piece of information and sharing it with the group. 3. **Coach in the moment**: When they present their findings, inquire about the information source and challenge them to derive insightful implications from the facts they uncovered. Encourage team members to connect the dots between market trends and your business. Taking a piece of data, and adding meaning to it to create insights. For example, anticipating a significant improvement in the housing market in Q3/Q4 could signal a surge in demand for flatbed services, leading to increased FTL needs for furniture manufacturers in late '24 or early '25. Initially, it may require guidance to draw meaningful insights, but with practice, the skill will sharpen rapidly. 4. **Support and encourage**: Recognize and celebrate the efforts of team members as they embrace this challenging task. Positive reinforcement fosters a supportive environment where individuals feel encouraged to contribute and grow. Avoid overly critiquing the first attempts; instead, emphasize the value of the effort and the knowledge gained to instill confidence and motivation. If you meet less frequently, adjust this approach to having more than 1 person share each time. **Watch for impact** Before you begin, commit yourself to sustain this for some time - a quarter, 6 months, whatever feels reasonable. Employees get frustrated and stop following through when it feels like development is a "flavor of the week".  If you stick with it, you'll quickly notice an improvement in powerful ways: - Your team should be paying attention to market trends more. - Your team will become more confident speaking to the market. - Your team should be better equipped to add MEANING to the data and turn information into insights. - Ultimately, by increasing their confidence in doing this with their team, they should be more comfortable talking to their customers and prospects as well. Watch for this and encourage it! Try this approach out and let us know if it's helpful. If you need more, we've got you there, too. Reach out for a [free development strategy consultation](https://meetings.hubspot.com/holly54?__hstc=17059494.09ca38d6c217cc275988528adc4c72f7.1767059264612.1767059264612.1767059264612.1&__hssc=17059494.5.1767059264612&__hsfp=1936580737). - [Sales](https://www.luminariesconsulting.com/blog/categories/sales) - [Leadership](https://www.luminariesconsulting.com/blog/categories/leadership) - [Account Management](https://www.luminariesconsulting.com/blog/categories/account-management) 64 64 views 0 0 comments Post not marked as liked [Back to Built for This](https://www.formulal4.com/insights) Share this article Built *for This.* Formula L4 Newsletter & Insights Strategy is built in the boardroom. It lives or dies in the field. Practical thinking on getting a growth strategy all the way to the front line. Published by Holly LaBoda. Written by ![Holly LaBoda](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/cf4a8f3a-f8c3-40bc-9904-8c147672e61e.png) Holly LaBoda Founder · Formula L4 Facilitator, growth strategist, and the person growth leaders call when their organization has outgrown how it operates. M.S. Performance Improvement. 18 years inside logistics, supply chain, and distribution. Take the next step See where your strategy breaks down Eight questions, about seven minutes, no email needed. See exactly where your strategy and your system pull apart. [Take the Alignment Check →](https://www.formulal4.com/alignment) Talk with Holly 30 minutes to find out if your situation is one we can help with. [Book a Growth Momentum Review](https://www.formulal4.com/meetings/hollylaboda/growth-consult) What's next ## From reading *to executing.* The thinking is free. The system that makes it real is what we build together. Start with the Sales Strategy Alignment Check — or book a Growth Momentum Review directly. [Take the Alignment Check](https://www.formulal4.com/alignment) [Book a Growth Momentum Review](https://www.formulal4.com/meetings/hollylaboda/growth-consult) No commitment required · Logistics · Supply Chain · Distribution · Professional Services [![Formula L4](https://www.formulal4.com/hubfs/FormulaL4_Primary_WhiteLogo_Large.png)](https://www.formulal4.com) [Home](https://www.formulal4.com/home) [The OS](https://www.formulal4.com/os) [How We Work](https://www.formulal4.com/how-we-work) [About](https://www.formulal4.com/team) [Insights](https://www.formulal4.com/insights) [Speaking](https://www.formulal4.com/speaking) [Growth Inflection Signals](https://www.formulal4.com/growth-inflection-signals) [Client Login](https://formulal4.learnupon.com/) [holly@formulal4.com](mailto:holly@formulal4.com) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "jobTitle" : "Founder", "name" : "Holly LaBoda", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollylaboda/" ], "url" : "https://www.formulal4.com" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-05", "datePublished" : "2024-04-01", "description" : "If you want to move from vendor to solutions provider, you need to be equipped to provide more than just service to your customers.\nInsight-driven conversations require market and trend understanding AND confidence. 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