What does pain have to do with selling?

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John Nieuwenburg

John Nieuwenburg has been a professional business coach since 2004. Prior to becoming a coach, he held executive positions with Tip Top Tailors and BC Liquor Stores. In 2019, MacKay CEO Forums awarded him with Canada’s CEO Trusted Advisor Award in the Small Business category. Since becoming a coach, John has worked with over 350 clients, taking them through a systematic process that helps them feel organized, confident and in control of their businesses.

There’s really only one reason why money exchanges hands for goods and services. It’s pain!

The sooner we realize that customers are feeling pain, and the sooner we begin relieving their pain, the quicker we can land a sale.

The first step is to believe that your customers are in pain. They may not be in physical pain, but they’re in some emotional state of pain. If your product or service can’t relieve the pain–guess what, you won’t get the sale because there’s no reason for it.

Emotional pain may be described in a number of ways:

“I hate my bathroom–it’s old and dirty.” Sounds like pain to me. And the relief would be a remodeled bathroom.

“We want to sell our house, but the carpet is old and worn.” Sounds like pain to me. And the relief is some new carpet.

“I need to get my windshield replaced. But I don’t have the time to find someone who will do it.” More pain! The relief: A professional company that replaces windshields, quickly.

Your job, as a sales person, is to ask questions that uncover and describe the pain that’s being felt by your customers. Here are some questions that may help you:

1. What’s troubling you about (your business, house, automobile, health, computer, etc.)?

2. How can (my company, my service, my product) help solve the problem (alleviate the pain)?

3. What don’t you like about the product (or service)?

4. If you could have everything you wanted in this product (or service), what would it be?

5. Day in and day out, what’s the major complaint that you have about your (product, service, equipment, business, life, etc.)?

These questions will help bring pain to the surface. Customers aren’t always quick to tell you about their pain. You need to ask at least three questions to uncover the real pain.

Sometimes a customer is unsatisfied and truly doesn’t know why. By doing a little probing, you may be able to detect where the pain rests and then you’re more than half way to getting the sale! Take away the pain and the sale is yours.

The faster you expose pain for your customer, the sooner you will get the sale.

By John Nieuwenburg

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