The fastest way to mess up a sales call

A prospect tells you they’ve got a problem.

You know exactly how to fix it.

So you explain the solution.

Makes sense, right?

That’s what you’re there for.

But sometimes...

you’ve just made the problem feel smaller.

Because now they’ve heard the answer.

They know there’s a solution.

And suddenly, it doesn’t feel quite as urgent anymore.

I’ve seen reps do this all the time.

A prospect says something like:

“We’ve been struggling to get enough qualified leads.”

And 30 seconds later, the rep is explaining the entire acquisition strategy.

The prospect nods.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Great conversation.

Except...

nothing really happened.

Try staying with the problem instead.

How long has this been going on?

What have you tried so far?

What’s it costing you?

And probably the most important one...

What happens if you don’t fix it?

You don’t need to make the problem sound worse than it is.

You just need to understand it properly.

Because when someone explains their own problem in enough detail...

they usually don’t need much convincing that it needs fixing.

And that’s when your solution becomes a lot more interesting.

- David