Good morning, 

Too many deals stall because sellers assume they understand the buyer’s priorities. 

You hear a problem, connect it to your solution, and move forward. 

The issue is that buyers rarely reveal the real decision criteria in the first conversation. 

When you guess, you design proposals around partial information. The result is stalled momentum and lost deals.

For you as a seller, this skill changes how you run conversations. Instead of pitching early, you diagnose first. For you as a manager, this gives you a way to coach discovery instead of reviewing outcomes after the fact. For you as a business owner, it ensures your team sells based on verified buyer priorities, not internal assumptions. 

When you stop guessing and start confirming what buyers actually value, revenue becomes more predictable, and trust increases because buyers feel understood.

Objective

Your job is not to sell immediately. Your job is to understand the real problem the buyer is solving. Many deals fail because the seller solves the wrong problem. When you diagnose first, you align your solution to the buyer’s real priorities.

Focus on impact questions. Ask about consequences, urgency, and metrics. If the buyer cannot describe measurable impact, the problem may not be a priority. Stay curious longer than feels comfortable.

Instead of asking “Are you interested in improving performance?” ask “What happens to revenue if this issue continues for another quarter?” Instead of asking “Would you like to see our platform?” ask “What must change in your business for this to be considered successful?”

Problem
A sales team kept presenting solutions after one discovery call. Deals frequently stalled.

Solution
They implemented a rule requiring three discovery questions about business impact before presenting a solution.

Results
Proposal acceptance rates increased by 32 percent because solutions matched the buyer’s priorities.

Objective

Buyers do not choose solutions randomly. They follow specific criteria. Your job is to uncover and confirm what those criteria are before presenting a solution.

Ask directly how the buyer will compare options. This prevents surprises late in the process.

You can ask:
“How will you compare different options?”
“What would make one solution clearly better than another?”

Problem
A seller focused heavily on product capabilities but ignored integration concerns.

Solution
They started asking buyers to rank their top decision criteria.

Results
Deal cycles shortened because proposals addressed what buyers actually cared about.

Objective

Before presenting your solution, confirm that your understanding of the buyer’s needs is correct. Validation prevents wasted effort and builds trust.

Repeat back what you heard. Buyers will correct inaccuracies. This strengthens trust and ensures alignment.

Say: “Let me confirm I understand the situation.”
Then summarize the buyer’s priorities before presenting your solution.

Problem
A seller created a detailed proposal without confirming buyer priorities.

Solution
They implemented a validation step before proposals.

Results
Proposal acceptance increased because buyers felt heard and understood.

==

The Revenue Workshop isn’t theory. It’s a field-tested system used by real leaders, in real markets, under real pressure.  

Each newsletter is based on one of over 300 workshops and worksheets found in the eight books of the RevenueVsSales.com and TheFocusedSeller.com book series.

We’d love your help growing the list. Please share the newsletter with one person you think would benefit from it and ask them to sign up. Thank you!

To suggest workshops you’d like to read next, email [email protected]

Thank you!