Sales superstars quantify a prospect’s pain. They are skilled at asking the questions as to how much a problem is costing the prospect. They lead the prospect through a journey of discovery as to what the financial gap is between where they are today and where they want to be. They walk through how big the issue is, what it is costing the prospect in lost profits or productivity, and whether the cost is enough to matter. In this way, the prospect can begin to do the math on the problem. The sales superstar is able to formulate what a problem costs, presents it in a way that the prospect can follow, and calculate the cost of doing nothing.
Sales superstars let the prospect do the math themselves. In that way, the numbers are the prospects and therefore credible. Sales superstars even encourage a prospect to be conservative in their estimate. When dealing with what a problem costs, it has to seem credible to the prospect. Both parties know the numbers are speculative, so keeping the estimate conservative adds a layer of belief. Poor salespeople frequently assign numbers to the prospect’s problems. “Wouldn’t you agree that this is costing $x”. They assign this cost without getting any real agreement or input from the prospect. Never assume that the problem is costing them a lot or anything. They will not put any stock in our assumptions.
The final thing that the sales superstar does is to make sure that the amount of money the problem is costing is enough for the prospect to care about. Superstars ask, “Is this enough to matter? Is it important enough to take action?” There is no sense doing a great dog and pony show presentation if the problem isn’t important enough to fix or there is no commitment to take action. We have to know how important the problem is.
Be a superstar and quantify the problem. Help your prospect understand if there is a return on investment. You’ll move away from price and focus on the real issue. If done appropriately, our cost becomes a needed investment.
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