18 lessons · evergreen
Discovery & Questioning
SPIN selling, Sandler pain funnel, calibrated 'how/what' questions, Problem-Agitate-Solve. Run discovery calls that uncover the real pain — every time.
SPIN selling: the 4-question discovery
Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff. Most reps do S and stop.
Sandler pain funnel: 5 layers deep
The first answer is never the real pain. Drill 5 layers down to find it.
Calibrated questions: 'how' and 'what' over 'why'
Voss again: 'why' triggers defense. 'How' and 'what' trigger collaboration. Swap them.
Problem-Agitate-Solve: the persuasion arc
Find the problem. Make them feel it. Then solve it. Skip step 2 and they yawn.
The budget question without flinching
Asking about budget early kills tire-kickers. Asking it wrong kills the deal. Here's the script.
Implication questions: make the pain expand
Don't ask if it hurts. Ask what happens when it keeps hurting.
Pre-suasion: set the frame before you pitch
What you put in their head 60 seconds BEFORE the pitch decides if the pitch lands.
Gap Selling: the gap IS the deal
Keenan: stop selling product. Start selling the distance between where they are and where they need to be.
Jobs-to-be-done: people don't buy products, they hire them
Customers don't want a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole. They actually want a shelf on the wall. Ask deeper.
Sandler pain funnel: peel until it bleeds
Most reps stop at the first 'we have a problem.' Sandler reps keep asking until the buyer feels it.
The 5-Why ladder: dig until you find the actual buyer
The first 'why' gives you the symptom. The fifth 'why' gives you the deal.
Calibrated questions: the Voss 'how' and 'what'
Open-ended 'how' and 'what' questions hand you control while making the buyer feel in charge.
Implication questions: make the pain expensive
Problems people live with feel cheap. Implications make them expensive — and budget appears.
Discovery before pitching
If you don't know what they want, you can't sell it. Discovery comes first — always.
Asking better sales questions
Yes/no questions get nothing. Calibrated questions get the truth.
Active listening in sales
Listening isn't waiting to talk. It's the most persuasive thing you can do.
Listening for hidden objections
The objection they say isn't always the objection that kills the deal.
Discovery by buyer personality
Same questions, wrong order, wrong tone — buyer shuts down. Match the persona.