“Understand the problem that you’re trying to solve as much as you possibly can so you can be in the best position to solve it.” – Jeff Bajorek in today’s Tip 229
Do you have a discovery problem?
Join the conversation below and share your thoughts!
Jeff Bajorek on LinkedIn
The Why and The Buy podcast
208: You Don’t Have a Closing Problem – Jeff Bajorek
215: You Have an Opening Problem – Jeff Bajorek
222: You Have an Engagement Problem – Jeff Bajorek
Have feedback? Want to share a sales tip? Call or text the Sales Success Hotline: 512-777-1442 or Email: [email protected]
Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Jeff Bajorek. This is a continuation of the 16 part series that Jeff kicked off back in tip #208 called “You Don’t Have a Closing Problem” Here he is with today’s installment:
Jeff Bajorek: You don’t have a closing problem. You have a discovery problem. Yes, This is where the best truly separate themselves. When I study and work with the top, top, top performers. The biggest differentiator between them and anybody else’s, how much time they spend here, right here in discovery. This is where it’s all about your prospect. It’s all about your customer and it hasn’t have anything to do with you. People don’t care about your product here. They don’t care about the logos that you’ve worked within the past. They want to know that you understand their real needs. And here’s the deal, you need to know that you understand their real needs before you move forward. Stephen Covey used to say that “Before you climb the ladder to success, make sure it’s leaning against the right wall.” And I get called, I get calls, I get emails all the time. “Jeff, do you know how this tool integrates with this other tool that you’re already using? “ Not realizing that I’m not using either of those tools. That’s a waste of a message. It’s a waste of an outbound opportunity. Now, I’m sure that’s a lot more egregious than the situations you’re finding yourself in on a regular basis, but the lesson is still there. Understand the problem that you’re trying to solve as much as you possibly can so you can be in the best position to solve it. This is the part of the process where it really pays to slow down. Stop being in a hurry. I know that you’ve got a hundred calls to make and I know that you got so many meetings you need to set, but who cares if you set the meeting if it’s a garbage meeting. Think about what you’re really trying to accomplish and those people who spend the most time here. I’m going to keep going. This is even more ironic. They don’t talk about their product at all. I’m serious, Discovery is not the time to pitch your product. Discovery is the time for you to fully identify what the problem is so that you can go back to your own drawing board, come up with an effective message and an effective campaign to solve that problem at a later date. Your win for a discovery meeting is to get that understanding, get that diagnosis, and then schedule another meeting where you can actually talk to them about how you can solve it. This is running counter to just about everything you’ve ever heard when it comes to selling because you’re listening to the wrong people, but it also is running counter to that urgency that your manager and her manager and his manager above him is driving on them. Take your time here, really flesh out the problem and the rest of the process will go much more smoothly.
Scott Ingram: For more about Jeff and for links to the previous tips in this series just click over to DailySales.Tips/229 that’s also where you’ll find the video version of Jeff’s tip.
Thanks for listening and be sure come back tomorrow for another great sales tip!