An acronym needs a definition
Some three-C frameworks concern strategy, some communication and some seller behaviour. Kenichi Ohmae's strategic triangle is commonly described through customer, competitor and corporation. That is a strategic lens, not a complete selling script.
Do not merge unrelated models because they share a letter. State the author or define your own working version. A useful acronym helps someone remember a decision process. It does not provide evidence that the process works in every context.
Customer context
Understand the situation, problem, desired outcome and constraints. Check what is known and what remains an assumption. The customer may be exploring options rather than ready to buy. They may be asking on behalf of someone else. They may need a different service.
A useful opening question is: "What has changed that makes this worth looking at now?" It can reveal a buying trigger without presuming urgency. Follow the answer rather than forcing it into your prepared pitch.
Clarity
Explain the relevant offer, scope, limits and next step in language the customer can use. Ask them what remains uncertain. Clarity is not the same as brevity at any cost. Some decisions require detail, but the detail should answer a real question.
Avoid claims that sound precise but have no basis. A promise to improve revenue by a fixed amount needs more support than enthusiasm. A demonstration of how the service works is often more useful than another adjective.
Unlock the rest of this lesson
You're halfway through. Enter your email to read the full lesson, use the exercises and quizzes, and unlock the rest of The Business of Growth library.
Already signed up through The Business of Growth? Use the existing signup to return and unlock this browser. No payment required.
Commitment
Agree a next action that makes sense for both sides. It could be supplying missing information, reviewing a scope, arranging a relevant discussion or deciding not to proceed. Commitment does not mean forcing a purchase at every meeting.
Name the action, owner and timing. If the customer has not agreed, label it as your planned follow-up rather than their commitment. This distinction keeps the pipeline honest.
Worked example (illustrative): a vague enquiry
A customer says they need "help with growth". Context reveals that enquiries are healthy but quotations wait on technical approval. Clarity means explaining a process-review offer rather than presenting every service the consultant sells. Commitment means agreeing which records will be reviewed and when to decide whether the work fits.
The framework did not diagnose the business. It helped structure a useful conversation. The next step still needs evidence, scope and a deliverable promise.
Use the check after the meeting
Write three sentences: what context was established, what became clearer and what was agreed. If one sentence is mostly guesswork, that is a follow-up question rather than a fact. Review the pattern across several conversations.
The purpose of the three-Cs check is not to make you sound trained. It is to make the customer's decision and the business's commitments easier to understand.
Your next action
Write the source and meaning of any three-Cs model your team uses. Then review one conversation using context, clarity and commitment. Mark assumptions and unagreed next steps. Rewrite the follow-up so the customer can correct your understanding.
Your notes stay on this page unless you choose device saving, download them or submit them to Greg below.
Keep names, private customer details and confidential information out of your notes. Device saving is optional. Only the separate Send my lesson work button below sends anything to Greg. There is no account or cross-device sync.
Two questions before you move on
These checks support learning. They do not assess business health, award a qualification or send a result to Greg.
Ask Greg
Ask a question about this lesson or a challenge in your own business. I read submissions and may reply or cover common questions in future lessons. I cannot promise an individual reply to every question.
Lesson: The three Cs in sales: which framework are you using?. Please do not include confidential client, financial, health or staff information.
Questions this lesson answers
What are the three C's in sales?
There are several three-Cs formulations. This lesson distinguishes the strategic triangle from our practical context, clarity and commitment check.
What are the three C's of effective sales?
Specify the framework. Context, clarity and commitment are used here as an original conversation-review prompt, not a universal official definition.
Work out where your business is getting stuck
The free Growth Diagnostic asks ten questions across acquisition, conversion, relationships, delivery and commercial control. It gives you an area to investigate and three things you can do next.
One complete sample lesson in each stream is fully open. Read halfway into every other lesson, then enter your email to unlock the remaining content, exercises and quizzes across the library. Ongoing marketing emails are optional.