In sales, pain is a far stronger motivator than aspiration. That’s why most salespeople are trained to uncover pain points. However, the instinctive next step to immediately pitching your solution is often where deals stall.
The real challenge isn’t just pain; it’s the status quo. More often than not, the pain isn’t urgent enough to justify the time, money, and emotional commitment required to solve it.
Buyers weigh the risks:
- Will this solution actually work?
- Is it worth prioritizing right now?
- What happens if it fails?
- How will this affect my reputation?
Instead of rushing to offer a fix, your role is to help the prospect fully grasp the consequences of inaction. The key is to shift their focus from “solving the problem” to “what happens if we don’t solve it?”
Dig deeper by asking:
- What would happen if this issue remains unaddressed? In the next 6 months, year, 3 years etc.
- What are the direct and indirect impacts and implications for you personally? For your team? For the organization?
- What will be the financial, operational, and reputational costs of leaving this unresolved?
Your goal is to create a compelling narrative that makes inaction feel riskier than taking the leap.
Rather than emphasizing the benefits of your solution, highlight the risks of doing nothing.
When the pain becomes undeniable and they see that ignoring it will only make things worse you create urgency. At that point, they’re far more likely to listen, take action and move towards implementing a solution.
