How to Build Problem Awareness with Prospects

The best discovery move you’re (probably) not using: The Red Pen Exercise. I’ve watched this technique transform skeptical prospects into vocal champions. And the best part? It’s not about pitching harder. It’s about getting corrected. THE WHAT: Before a discovery call, you put together a 1-slide POV with 3 simple sections: 1) Current State: What you think they’re dealing with 2) Business Impact: The consequences of that problem 3) Future State: Where you believe they want to go Then you say something like: “This is what I gathered based on my research. Can you take a red pen to this and tell me where I’m off?” Frame it softly: “This may be off—but I’d love your feedback on what I got right vs. where I missed.” And then... magic happens. Why it works (7 reasons) 1) People love correcting others Behavioral psychology 101: we’re wired to spot errors. By inviting correction, you lower defenses and trigger engagement. 2) Prep = Respect 82% of B2B buyers say sellers are unprepared for meetings (Forrester). Showing a POV proves you’ve done your homework. That earns trust and elevates you above 82% of sellers who ask lazy, generic questions. 3) Co-Creation Now the prospect is helping build the case for change with you. This makes your solution feel more like a joint decision, not a pitch. 4) Gets Them Talking Average sellers ask weak questions like “What’s keeping you up at night?” and get 1 word answers. Red pen sellers do not. 5) You Learn More You get validation or correction instantly. You take the guesswork out. 6. It accelerates urgency Once you build a shared understanding of the current problem and ideal outcome, it’s easier to bridge the gap and create urgency. Read Gap Selling if you don't know what I'm talking about. 7.Sales Process Discovery is not a stage, it's a process. This info is CRITICAL in running a proper sales cycle with qualified buyers and will help you disqualify non-ICP fits. TAKEAWAY: The Red Pen Exercise isn’t about being “right.” It’s about being useful. Show up with a hypothesis. Let them sharpen it. Now you’re solving problems together. Give it a try this week.

I hired a sales coach last month. First session, he asked to observe my discovery call. I was confident: - I had my 27 discovery questions ready - My demo was perfectly polished - My objection-handling guide was open The call started well. But 10 minutes in, the coach passed me a note: "STOP TALKING." I was confused, but I paused. The prospect filled the silence: "Actually, what I'm really struggling with is getting various stakeholders aligned. We keep having the same conversations over and over." This wasn't on my script. After the call, the coach explained: "Your discovery process is all about YOU getting information. Not about helping THEM discover their own problems." This hit me hard. I had been: - Asking questions to fill MY knowledge gaps - Taking notes to build MY sales strategy - Following MY playbook regardless of their responses The next discovery call, I tried something different: Instead of firing questions, I created a collaborative digital space where the prospect could: - Map out their own buying committee - Prioritize their challenges visually - Document their questions in real-time - Outline what success would look like to each stakeholder The call took half the time. The prospect did most of the talking. And they left with clarity they didn't have before. They signed 3 weeks later. What changed? Old discovery: Interrogation disguised as conversation New discovery: Collaborative problem-solving Your prospects don't need your questions. They need clarity. And often, they'll sell themselves if you just create the right space. Agree?

When my better half wants something, she doesn’t ask directly. Instead, she drops hints that are about as subtle as a neon sign: “We haven’t had Thai food in a while.” “I heard France is gorgeous in June.” “The living room looks like a mess.” While I'm not that great of a salesperson, my decades trying to be has given me an uncanny ability to pick up on these unspoken needs. “I’ll grab the vacuum.” The same principle applies in sales. A good sales rep listens to what a prospect says. A great one listens for what they mean. Explicit needs are what the prospect already knows and is ready to solve. Implicit needs? That’s where you come in. On discovery calls, listen carefully. There’s often a bigger challenge beneath the surface: “We need a better way to manage our emails.” “What’s been your biggest challenge?” “Customers keep complaining about slow responses.” Those aren’t just problems—they’re clues. “You’re probably hearing frustration from your team too, and I bet it’s impacting KPIs or even revenue, right?” “Exactly. That’s the real issue—our customer support process isn’t cutting it.” Now we’re talking. By uncovering implied needs and connecting the dots, you can broaden the conversation—and the solution. Because when you turn an unspoken challenge into an explicit need, you’re not just solving the problem at hand—you’re creating real value for your customer.

I wasn't closing any outbound deals Because I ignored this 1 simple thing. It caused ton of frustration • My close rate was non-existing for outbounds. • Showing solution too soon. • SDR was confused. It was all because of this 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 mistake... I was treating outbound like inbound leads. The truth? I was speaking to deaf ears. Inbound leads are seeking solutions to a known problem. Outbound leads aren't aware of their problem. Here is what I did to fix... I added 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 to my outbound conversations. Before showing my solution. I took a step back. Helped my prospect become problem aware. Educating the buyer on perspectives. ↳ People want to be inspired and know the unknowns. For outbound, I became a teacher. • Trends • Statistics • Market insights • Other companies challenges. • Industry knowledge and insights. And, during the sales process I used perspectives to: 1. Introduce perspectives as part of your discovery. 2. Using perspectives related to why you are best fit. 3. Relating back to the perspectives during later talks.    4. Using the perspectives as reasons to work together. Make your outbound prospect aware of the problem before presenting your solution. Problem before solution. P.S. Teach your SDRs about business problems rather than product features.

5 steps framework I use to personalise my cold emails (when I’ve 0 info on my prospects)👇 By segmenting your audience, You have data to personalise. We call these soft variables: - Company size - Company’s growth stage - Recipient’s career stage - What the company does - Who the company sells to - How the company goes to market - What technology they use - The types of customers they have - Where they live Even without deep personalization, Your segmentation can help you to run effective outreach. - - -> Step 1: Work with what you have Work with soft variables. e.g. 1 “When I’m talking to sales leaders working toward their Series A ….” e.g. 2 “When I talk to sales leaders at growing software companies,” It shows your readers you: - understand their position - can relate to their challenges - are used to their environment This builds familiarity and rapport. It can be applied to any industry, company, or prospect role etc… - - -> Step 2: Show them you know them Bring up problems/challenges you tend to see within your prospect’s industry (based on a similar stage of growth). e.g.1 “They tend to be dealing with…” e.g.2 “They tend to be struggling with” - Use tentative tones - Put yourself in your readers’ shoes about their problem - Leaving room to be wrong Use unsure tones and words like: - “I could be wrong,” - “looks like,” - “I suspect,” - “are starting to.” - - -> Step 3: Focus on two problem statements Present 1 or 2 problem statements using broader issues to resonate better with your prospects e.g. 1 "They're struggling to see what's driving email performance," e.g. 2 "Reply rates have gone down, and results seem stagnant." - - -> Step 4: Build credibility Connect the problems you’ve just presented with how you’ve helped other customers in similar situations. e.g.1: “We helped [similar company] go from A to B in [time]” Share how you helped solve those problems for your existing customers. Keep it concise and simplify the details. The next and final step brings it all together: - - -> Step 5: Ask if those problems are a challenge Ask your prospects if the problems you shared are ones they struggle with. (Remember to be unsure!) e.g.1: “Is this a challenge for you right now?” e.g.2: “Realize I may be off, but is this a priority?” - - It’s an excellent way to end your email. It invites the reader to respond and engage with you. It’s an effective CTC (Call-to-Conversation) Even with 0 information to deeply personalised your cold emails You can still show your prospects you have done your homework about them And build rapport.

I used to roll my eyes when someone would say a content campaign was for "problem unaware" buyers. But since last week, I’ve changed my mind. After Jen Allen-Knuth’s session at Highline, conversations with people like Brendan Hufford Devin Reed and Jillian Hoefer — and my brain’s subsequent ruminating — I’m thinking differently about problem awareness. Here’s where I’m at: Buyers are acutely aware of their PAINS, but not necessarily aware of the ROOT PROBLEM that’s causing them. And as marketers and GTM teams, we often conflate the two. Think: you have a fever of 101.4. It's uncomfortable, you know something's wrong. But the fever is just your body’s response to the real problem. And if you don't know what's CAUSING the fever, you might not treat it properly. I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure you’d take a different course of action if the fever was caused by a bacterial infection vs. COVID. But if all you know is that you're clammy and feel crappy, you might seek or accept the wrong solution. And it’s easier to choose the cold compress or a nap if you’re only focused on alleviating the pain of the fever vs. the root cause. It’s the same distinction we need to make as marketers. We should relate with our audiences to validate their pains, but to really get them to consider our point of view or take action to make a change, we need to tie those pains to a named root problem. The way you name and storytell around the root problem you solve piques curiosity, creates brand memorability, and gives a reason for the pains that can spur action. And they may be so focused on the pains they’re experiencing, it’s possible they’ve never thought of the problem — and probably not in the unique way you can frame it. GTM bloat. Revenue leak. School data chaos. The evidence gap. These are, as Julien Sauvage 🥖 put it, examples of “naming, framing, and claiming the problem” in ways that provide a foundation for your narrative and offer a clear POV that goes beyond the pains all your competitors are speaking to. So, buyers might actually be problem unaware after all. Build your content strategies accordingly.