Are you digging deep enough?

Phil Fisher was a founding partner in the Midwest-Family Broadcast Group and one of my early mentors in sales. Phil was not known for his charm or tact when dealing with seller problems. If I were to tell Phil that I was having trouble getting enough appointments or having clients respond to my emails, he would say, "Jeffrey, that's your problem!" See what I mean by harsh? He would then follow that up with a question: "What's your client's problem?" Phil's valuable teaching was that if we focus on client problems, our problems go away.

Focusing on customer problems is a crucial sales strategy that can significantly boost your success rate and build lasting client relationships. By prioritizing the customer's needs and pain points, you position yourself as a trusted advisor rather than just another salesperson pushing a product.

This week, we completed step five in our Seven Steps to Selling Success series of live presentations at RAB. Reviewing the past sessions and preparing for the next two, I couldn't help but notice how much research is vital to our success. Led by Annette Malave, the research and insights team at RAB is your personal research department. They are constantly updating and filling the pages of RAB.com with valuable information for you to share with your clients. Why is this so important?

"B2B buyers at all levels operate with a simple philosophy — understand how I work, what I care about and my role in the organization," Accenture SVP Neil Padwardhan said. "Advise me on a tailored solution that will not just solve my problem today but also contribute to revenue in the long term. My advice to salespeople is to really take the time to dig deep because sales are never about the sale itself. Instead, it's about the relationships you build along the way."

To effectively address customer problems, start by actively listening to your prospects. Ask probing questions to uncover their challenges, frustrations and goals. Don't just listen for surface-level issues; dig deeper to understand the root causes and potential impacts on their business or personal lives. Then, let the research begin based on what they've shared with you.

According to Marcus Chan, president of Venli Consulting Group, one crucial aspect of successful selling is having a deep understanding of the industry you're selling to. Chan emphasizes, "You need to know common pains… You should know it inside and out." This insight underscores the importance of thorough industry research as a foundation for practical sales approaches.

Rob Humphrey, global client director at LinkedIn and host of the Deep Sales Podcast, takes the research process further by delving into personal motivations. He recommends asking prospects about their career goals: "Assuming I'm talking to one person, I always ask them their career game plan." This approach helps uncover the prospect's personal motivations, which can be crucial in tailoring solutions and building stronger relationships.

It's not just about knowing the product or industry landscape but also understanding future trends, common pain points and individual career aspirations. By incorporating these elements into your sales strategy, you can position yourself as a knowledgeable, forward-thinking partner who understands both the business and personal dimensions of your prospects' needs.

A great place to start your research is by doing what you're doing now: reading Radio Sales Today. (Reminder: All articles are archived, so don’t forget to use the search function on RAB.com.) Then head over to RAB.com to the Research drop-down and see all the fantastic tools and resources Annette and her team have assembled for you.

Happy Monday!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@rab.com. You can all so connect with him on X and LinkedIn.