Salespeople often rush to present a solution after hearing a surface-level problem, which leads to ghosting. Asking simple, open-ended follow-ups like "Interesting, tell me more" or "Is there anything else?" forces the prospect to reveal the true impact and urgency of their issue, building a stronger case for your solution.

Go beyond simply describing customer pain points. Give their core problem a unique, memorable name (e.g., "the invisible sales team"). This act of naming establishes you as an expert, builds instant credibility, and gives the prospect a new lens through which to view their challenge.

Instead of asking standard discovery questions, top performers pose strategic questions that require joint exploration. This shifts the dynamic from a sales pitch to a collaborative problem-solving session, creating a deeper partnership and revealing unforeseen opportunities that standard questions would miss.

Instead of asking broad, open-ended questions about pain, provide prospects with a multiple-choice list of the common problems you solve. This steers the conversation toward your solution's strengths and prevents wasting time on issues you can't address.

Technical audiences are "human lie detectors." To build trust, don't lead with a sales pitch. Instead, ask insightful questions about their stack and pain points to prove you understand their world. This curiosity earns you the credibility needed to offer solutions and advice.

Instead of a feature-focused presentation, close deals by first articulating the customer's problem, then sharing a relatable story of solving it for a similar company, and only then presenting the proposal. This sequence builds trust and makes the solution self-evident.

Move beyond selling products or solutions. The highest level of selling is articulating the customer's problem so well, and expanding on its implications, that they see you as the only one who truly understands and can solve it.

Begin calls by expressing uncertainty about whether you're a fit. Stating, "there's some firms where there's just not much we can do," positions you as a detached expert, not a needy salesperson. This sparks curiosity and compels the prospect to prove they are a good fit.

To sell effectively, avoid leading with product features. Instead, ask diagnostic questions to uncover the buyer's specific problems and desired outcomes. Then, frame your solution using their own words, confirming that your product meets the exact needs they just articulated. This transforms a pitch into a collaborative solution.