Pain is Your Ally in B2B Sales
Not in that way...
Today, we're not discussing walking on fire or braving cold baths—those have their merits, but they're outside the scope of our discussion. Instead, let's delve into the crucial realm of understanding your customer's pain points. There are two key dimensions to consider: the quantitative and the qualitative.
Quantitatively: your aim is to uncover as many pain points as possible with your counterparts. Remember, the more perspectives you gather, the clearer your 360-degree view of the situation becomes.
Qualitative: you want to dig deep into these pains—after all, the tougher the pain, the more valuable the insight. Your objective here is to establish a hierarchy of needs, prioritizing your arguments during negotiations accordingly.
But why go through all this effort? It's simple: if you don't, if you merely take your customer's word for their problem or needs, you risk falling into the commoditization trap. You'll find yourself merely trying to match their request, and the competition will be solely based on price. However, if one of your competitors has identified more pain points than you, they may gain a significant advantage.
That's why it's critical to uncover your customer's pain points—because behind every pain lies an unmet need. And the more needs you uncover, the greater the chance your offer addresses them. Each additional need or pain point you solve beyond the initial scope adds more value. And the more value you create, the more you differentiate yourself from the competition, giving you the leverage to command higher prices. Welcome to the realm of Value Selling.
However, offering additional capabilities to your offering that haven't been identified as a need by your customers might seem like unnecessary charges. This is why asking questions is paramount.
In conclusion, to steer clear of the "commoditization" trap, you must ask questions to uncover additional pain points (or needs). Addressing these needs beyond the initial scope sets your offering apart from the competition. Thus, price will no longer be the sole differentiator—you're now selling value.