First is the Technical Problem. This is about what is broken. For example: "Our customer data is siloed across three different platforms." This is where most salespeople focus. They love to show how their product can fix this tangible issue. Second is the Business Problem. This is about the financial pain the technical problem is causing. For example: "Because our data is siloed, our marketing efforts are inefficient, costing us $500,000 in lost revenue last quarter." Here is the critical mistake: Executives don't approve large budgets to solve technical problems. They approve budgets to solve business problems. Don’t sell a platform that integrates data. Instead, sell a solution that recovers that lost $500,000 in revenue. Frame every conversation around the business impact, because that is the language that secures a signature.

Not usually, anyway. What they tell you first is almost always a symptom: the thing they can see, the thing annoying them right now. But symptoms don't tell you where to aim. And if you solve the wrong thing? You've just wasted their time and yours. So how do you dig to the real issue? You ask "why" until it hurts a little. - Why does that matter to you? - What's actually causing that to happen? - If we fixed that, what else would shift? Each answer peels back a layer. You're listening for the moment when they pause, when the answer moves from operational to strategic, from "this is broken" to "this is costing us something we can't afford." The root cause lives where the stakes get real. Keep digging until you find it.

But you don't. Let me explain why. Here's what most salespeople miss: Buyers don't wake up wanting your product. They wake up frustrated, stuck, bleeding money, or falling behind. Your product? It's just the vehicle. You sell better when you flip the script entirely. - You're selling change. The distance between their painful now and their better tomorrow. - You're selling impact. What happens when the problem disappears: more revenue, less chaos. - You're selling the gap itself. The bigger it is, the more they'll pay to close it. When you obsess over problems instead of products, everything shifts. - Buyers stop tuning out. - Urgency appears naturally. - Price objections fade Because you're not defending features. You're quantifying what it costs them to stay stuck. The sale isn't about you anymore.

The sentence right after you say the number. I used to do this all the time. Quote the fee, then immediately follow with "...but that includes X, Y, and Z" or "...which I know sounds like a lot, but..." I was negotiating with myself. Before they even blinked. Don't: Justify the number before they ask. Do: Say it. Then stop talking. Don't: Fill the silence with reasons. Do: Let them sit with the value you've already established. Don't: Treat the price like an accusation. Do: Treat it like information. The shift? It's not about confidence tricks or power poses. It's about this: If you don't believe the number, no amount of justification will convince them. So maybe the real question isn't how to stop flinching. It's whether you've done the internal work to stop doubting.

"Are they not ready, or did I just reach out at the wrong time?" Here's the truth: You'll never know for certain by analyzing from the sidelines. But here's what I've learned—you don't diagnose readiness. You reveal it. Ask about their timeline: → Vague answers? They're not ready. → Specific dates? You're in their cycle. Propose next steps: → They commit? Timing is right. → They deflect? It's not about timing. Test their problem urgency: → Cost of inaction clear? Ready. → "We'll revisit this"? Not ready. The prospects worth your time don't need you to guess. They respond to structure. They engage with your process. They treat urgency like the adult conversation it is. The ones who aren't ready? They'll tell you: through hesitation, vagueness, and endless "let me think about it." Your job isn't to decode them. It's to lead and see who follows.