{"id":701,"date":"2019-05-05T18:39:15","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T18:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/?p=701"},"modified":"2019-05-05T18:39:25","modified_gmt":"2019-05-05T18:39:25","slug":"gap-selling-book-summary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/05\/gap-selling-book-summary\/","title":{"rendered":"Gap Selling (book summary)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"nolwrap\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B07L2J3JBQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price by Keenan (opens in a new tab)\">Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price by Keenan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Takeaways &amp;\nReview<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Every time you talk about yourself, you risk\ntriggering change-resistant, emotionally fraught thoughts and feelings in your\ncustomers.<\/li><li>Selling is a giving profession. Every time you\nengage with a customer, or send an email, or create something, you have to ask\nyourself, \u201cWhat am I giving?\u201d The answer should be \u201cindustry information,\u201d or \u201cinsight\ninto the market,\u201d or \u201ctips that will make their jobs easier,\u201d or \u201cthe solution\nto a problem they haven\u2019t been able to solve.\u201d It should never be, \u201cMore\ninformation about myself.\u201d<\/li><li>The sale is won at the beginning, not the end.\nThe number of questions you ask early in the sale cycle increases your chance\nof making the deal.<\/li><li>Banish Open-Ended Answers (i.e. seek\nclarification until you get concrete specifics) <\/li><li>Remember, you\u2019re never truly done with\ndiscovery. As time goes on, your customer may bring other buyers into the game\nand when that happens, you\u2019ll have to engage in this process all over again.<\/li><li>Your goal is not to ask specific questions. It\u2019s\nto get specific information.<\/li><li>Know your customers\u2019 technical future state and\nbusiness future state<\/li><li>No discovery, no demo.<\/li><li>Stick to Six Features: The point of your demo is\nnot to reveal all of your product\u2019s features and functions. It\u2019s to reveal how\nwell your product provides the solution to your buyer\u2019s specific problems.<\/li><li>Nail down their decision criteria and know their\nbuying process.<\/li><li>Every time you hear an objection, you\u2019ll want to\nhold it up against your customer\u2019s future state. After you put the value of the\ndesired outcome back in their lap, just shut up and listen.<\/li><li>Don\u2019t ask for a chance to talk. Ask for a chance\nto give value. And to do that, you need the right ask with the right offer.<\/li><li>I never, ever, ever say no for a buyer. I make\nthe buyer say no. Don\u2019t ever walk away until they tell you to go away.<\/li><li>You have to let your salespeople commit to\nwhatever number they believe is accurate. You cannot, I repeat, cannot tell\nthem to change it or go find more opportunities. Commit is an accuracy game,\nnot a goal game. So if someone tells you that they are committing to a number\nthat is lower than their quota, you have to accept it.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Review: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The Good: Overall, I found this a compelling and entertaining read despite having read scores of sales books. Keenan\u2019s brash and opinionated voice comes through loud and clear. The editing is solid (limited repetition and a good narrative flow).<\/li><li>The Bad: The beginning of the book was a little slow and I worried it was going to be a derivative mash-up of SPIN Selling and The Challenger Sale (however, it does shift and cover interesting, additional ground with a fresh perspective.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>PART I KNOW THE GAME\nAre you ready to learn the secret to the game?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER ONE WELCOME\nTO THE GAME<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You aren\u2019t losing sales because you can\u2019t sell.\nYou\u2019re losing them because you don\u2019t understand how to diagnose your customer\nproblem(s) and how the problem(s) drive the sale.<\/li><li>When you reach out to get just \u201c15 minutes \u201cof\nyour buyer\u2019s time, it\u2019s not going to happen if your buyer doesn\u2019t have a\nproblem you can solve.<\/li><li>At the heart of every sale, there\u2019s a gap. It\u2019s\na gap between what buyers have now and what they believe they want in the\nfuture, between who they are now and who they want to be tomorrow, or even\nwhere they are now and where they want to go.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER TWO the NINE\ntruth-bombs of selling<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>No problem, no sale<ul><li>Problems get you to the impact and the impact is where urgency, value, and need live and where the sale takes root.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>In every sale there\u2019s a gap<ul><li>The worst thing in the world you can do at the beginning of a sale is to take your buyer\u2019s word for granted or sell to a need.<\/li><li>Never sell to need. If you only solve the problem your buyer thinks they have instead of the one they really have, you haven\u2019t helped them at all.<\/li><li>Gap selling is a process of tactfully challenging buyers\u2019 assumptions, exposing (and sometimes confirming) the true size of their problem, then correctly assessing the impact it will have on their lives.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>All sales are about change<ul><li>Customers buy because they\u2019ve gotten uncomfortable and have identified something that will ease their discomfort.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Customers don\u2019t like change<\/li><li>Sales are emotional<ul><li>understanding your customers\u2019 emotional state \u2014 and especially what got them there \u2014 is key to closing a sale.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Customers do like change when they feel it\u2019s worth the cost<\/li><li>Asking \u201cWhy?\u201d gets customers to \u201cYes\u201c<ul><li>If you don\u2019t know what will motivate your buyers to change, you\u2019ll rarely get them to accept that the change you offer has enough value.<\/li><li><em>Every time you talk about yourself, you risk triggering change-resistant, emotionally fraught thoughts and feelings in your customers.<\/em><\/li><li>The only thing that inches you toward a sale is proving that you understand your customers\u2019 problems and the impact of those problems, that you know why they\u2019re struggling, that you understand why they\u2019re not happy with their current state, that you hold the key to moving them to the future state they desire, and that the change they are facing will be worth the money and effort it takes to get there.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Sales happen when the future state is a better state <ul><li>You can\u2019t sell a future state (where your customer wants to be) unless you have a firm grasp on your customer\u2019s current state (where your customer is now).<\/li><li>Create a Problem Identification Chart even before you start reaching out to prospects. Write down every problem your product or service can solve. Create a column called \u201cImpact.\u201d Finally, [add a] third column called \u201cRoot Cause.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>No one gives a sh$t about you<ul><li>We\u2019re In the Show-Me Economy<\/li><li>If you\u2019re still trying to \u201ctell \u201cyour prospect what you do, what your product does, and why you matter, you\u2019re wasting their time.<\/li><li>No one gives a sh$t about you, your company, or your product.<\/li><li><em>Selling is a giving profession. Every time you engage with a customer, or send an email, or create something, you have to ask yourself, \u201cWhat am I giving?\u201d The answer should be \u201cindustry information,\u201d or \u201cinsight into the market,\u201d or \u201ctips that will make their jobs easier,\u201d or \u201cthe solution to a problem they haven\u2019t been able to solve.\u201d It should never be, \u201cMore information about myself.\u201d<\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER THREE THE\nCURRENT STATE \u2014 WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The current state is made up of five critical\nelements<ul><li>the literal and physical facts about your\ncustomer<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>their problems<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>the impact of those problems<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>the root causes of the problems<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>what effect those problems are having on your\ncustomers\u2019 emotional state<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Any problem can have any number of potential\nroot causes, each requiring a different solution. Once you know which root\ncause is the culprit, you\u2019ll know the appropriate solution.<\/li><li>You want to be the astute, reassuring expert who\nknows how to solve the problem because you know why the problem exists.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER FOUR THE\nFUTURE STATE \u2014 WHERE CUSTOMERS WANT TO GO<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>While you\u2019re at it, you also want to understand\nhow your customers will feel once their problems have been addressed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER FIVE\nRELATIONSHIPS DON\u2019T MATTER (KINDA)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Ok, people, you\u2019ve heard it your whole career:\nPeople buy from people they like. I call bullsh$t. Likeability gets you a\nhandshake, a smile, and maybe a warm and fuzzy feeling. Expertise makes you\nmoney.<\/li><li>Every step you make in the gap-selling process\nis about building credibility and establishing yourself as a trustworthy expert.<\/li><li>I\u2019ve always said that the best salespeople could\ndrop out of sales at a moment\u2019s notice and start a consulting company that\ncaters to the field in which they sell.<\/li><li>Challengers\u2019 frank and assertive style actually\nseems to strengthen their relationships.<\/li><li>Be an expert, not a friend.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER SIX The Gap\nDefined<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>[no key takeaways from this chapter]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>PART II \u2022 HOW TO PLAY<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER SEVEN Get\nThem to Let You Help<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Your number one job when selling is to get the\ncustomer, buyer, or prospect to let you help them. All that time you\u2019re\nspending trying to get your prospects to take a call, take a demo, or take a\nmeeting will be a complete waste if you don\u2019t do it in such a way as to make\nprospects believe that you have the expertise and credibility to solve their\nproblem.<\/li><li>You\u2019re not going to be invited to help someone\nuntil you pull out all the stops with regards to your empathy, authenticity,\nexpertise, and credibility. You have to convince your customers that you\nunderstand their world and their pain. They have to believe that you are there\nfor them, not for yourself. Remember, no one gives a sh$t about you.\nConcentrate on bringing them value, and even if they don\u2019t like you, they\u2019ll\nbuy from you.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT\nDiscovery: Know Your Clients Better Than They Know Themselves<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>B.A.N.T. is bunk. B.A.N.T. is outdated. It\u2019s\nself-centered.<ul><li>Budget: Traditional qualifying process says make\nsure buyers have the money before bothering to tempt them with something they\ncan\u2019t afford.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Authority: Today, authority is a committee of\ninfluencers, champions, mobilizers, and more.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Need: Gap sellers don\u2019t sell to need, they sell\nto problems. Gap sellers never take their prospects\u2019 word for granted when it\ncomes to their needs. Ever.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Timing: Timing will take care of itself.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><em>The sale\nis won at the beginning, not the end. The number of questions you ask early in\nthe sale cycle increases your chance of making the deal.<\/em><\/li><li>Now you\u2019re ready to start your discovery.\nThroughout it, you\u2019re going to be asking several types of questions: <ul><li>Probing: These are open-ended questions that\npress for specific details (\u201cTell me a little bit about\u2026\u201d \u201cHelp me understand\u2026\u201d\n\u201cPlease describe\u2026\u201d \u201cWalk me through\u2026\u201d<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Process: These are open-ended questions that ask\n\u201cHow [they do what they do with specific steps]?\u201d <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Provoking: These are open-ended questions that\ngently push customers to consider their current state from a new perspective. Provoking\nquestions aren\u2019t just meant to challenge the buyer, but rather get them to\nthink about their problems in new ways. Some provoking questions you could try:\nWhat happens when you \u2026? Has there ever been a time when \u2026?<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Validating: Not open-ended questions! Instead,\nthese simply allow you to repeat information you gather back to your customer\nto make sure you\u2019ve correctly understood everything they\u2019ve told you. Validation\nis a common communication strategy promoted by psychologists to strengthen\npersonal relationships. A validating question might be something like, \u201cWhat I\nhear you saying is \u2026\u201d (Other validating questions could be, \u201dAm I understanding\nyou correctly?\u201d or \u201cDid I get this right?\u201d)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>The four-step discovery process<ul><li>Discover the Facts<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Discover the Problems: <ul><li>Understanding their business backward and\nforward is what will eventually allow you to show how your expertise in their\nfield, and your experience with other customers, differentiates you from any\nother salesperson they could turn to for help.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>99% of the time, it\u2019s your product\u2019s ability to\nimprove upon that process that will reveal the product\u2019s competitive value.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li><em>Banish\nOpen-Ended Answers<\/em><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>When it comes to problems, there are two types:\ntechnical problems and business problems. Technical problems prevent the\nbusiness from operating efficiently. The thing is, most salespeople focus on\nsolving the technical problems when it\u2019s the business problems that create a\ncustomer\u2019s unique buying motivations and lead to the biggest gaps. The\ntechnical problem isn\u2019t going to drive the sale; it\u2019s the conversation starter.\nThe business problem is what is going to drive the sale.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Discover the Impact<ul><li>\u201cTell me how this issue is affecting you.\u201d \u201cDescribe\nthe impact it\u2019s having on your department?\u201d \u201cWhat are the consequences every\ntime this problem occurs?\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Discover the root cause<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Two other ingredients necessary to a killer\ndiscovery: <ul><li>Tone <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Timing &#8211; \u201cHow would you like this system to work?\u201d\n\u201cHow much time do you wish it would take?\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><em>Remember,\nyou\u2019re never truly done with discovery. As time goes on, your customer may\nbring other buyers into the game and when that happens, you\u2019ll have to engage\nin this process all over again.<\/em><\/li><li>Never assume you know what your buyers are\nexperiencing and what they want to achieve.<\/li><li><em>Your goal\nis not to ask specific questions. It\u2019s to get specific information.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER NINE Is The\nGap Worth It?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Drill deep enough so that you know enough about\nyour customer\u2019s organization that you can confidently and credibly offer near-irrefutable\nadvice, insight, and direction. That is the most reliable formula for sales\nsuccess.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER TEN Know Your\nCustomers\u2019 Why<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Think about\nyour customers\u2019 future state as a three-part entity.<\/em><ul><li><em>technical\nfuture state<\/em><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><em>business\nfuture state<\/em><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>the \u201ccore: of the future state (ex: beat the\ncompetition; increase the stock price; etc.)<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER ELEVEN How To\nDo A Kickass Demo<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>There are four elements to a kick ass demo.<ul><li><em>No\ndiscovery, no demo<\/em><ul><li>A robust demo is wholly contingent on a thorough\ndiscovery.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Remember, a discovery should answer the\nfollowing questions: 1. Does the prospect have a problem you can fix? 2. Does\nthe prospect agree they have a problem? 3. Does the prospect want to fix the\nproblem? 4. Will the prospect go on a journey with you to fix the problem?<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>No ifs: There will never be a reason to say the\nword \u201cif,\u201d as in, \u201cIf you have this problem, then&#8230;\u201d<\/li><\/ul><ul><li><em>Stick to\nSix Features: The point of your demo is not to reveal all of your product\u2019s\nfeatures and functions. It\u2019s to reveal how well your product provides the\nsolution to your buyer\u2019s specific problems.<\/em><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Anchor Your Customer: Throughout your\npresentation, after every feature demo ask your prospect affirming questions,\nlike this: \u201cCan you see how this feature will improve your churn rate?\u201d Getting\nyour customer to affirm the value of every feature you present anchors your\nprospects in your solution and its effect on shaping their future state.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER TWELVE Move\nYour Deals Through The Pipeline<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Three steps are designed to help you extract all\nthe information needed to establish predictability<ul><li><em>Nail Down\ntheir Decision Criteria<\/em><ul><li>Simply ask, \u201cHow are you going to decide what\u2019s\nthe best solution for you? What will be the most important factors in helping\nyou make your decision?\u201d<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Confirm that the criteria they value the most\nand are using to make their decision will actually get them the desired outcome\nthey say they want.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Customers can completely undermine their future\nstate if they base their decisions on the wrong criteria.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Your goal here should not be to steer them to\nwhere you think you have the best chance of closing the deal, but to make sure\nthey have thought through why they want what they say they want.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Challenge your buyer starting with the words, \u201cI\u2019m\nconfused. You said&#8230;\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li><em>Know the\nBuying Process&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/em><ul><li>\u201cCan you tell me a little about your company\u2019s\nbuying process?\u201d<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>This question is literally about knowing all the\nsteps your customers will have to follow before they can decide to buy.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Focus on the Next Yes<ul><li>Every single yes you hear from the customer is a\nrenewed agreement to work with you.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Your focus wouldn\u2019t be on selling the car but on\nselling the test drive, because you can\u2019t close without it.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Close all the small sales that need to happen to\nmake the big sale<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Salespeople need to consider their ROSE (return\non sales effort) when judging where to target their energy and time. That often\nmeans learning to say no.<\/li><li>The balance of power shifts throughout a sale.\nIn the beginning, when you\u2019re first trying to get a prospect\u2019s attention, it\u2019s\ntotally asymmetrical. You have no power and you deserve no respect. It is up to\nyou to earn it. Explain that you can\u2019t send over pricing until you understand\nthe customer\u2019s organization, what problems he is trying to solve, and what he\nhopes to accomplish.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER THIRTEEN\nTroubleshooting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Jumpstarting a Stalled Deal: Remind the customer\nof their current state, their desired future state, and the impact they\u2019re\nsuffering by putting off their desired outcomes.<\/li><li>Overcoming Objections<ul><li>Traditionally, salespeople have been taught to\novercome objections by asking clarifying questions. You don\u2019t have to get him\nto clarify the objection. Instead, you ask him to clarify his desired outcome.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li><em>Every time\nyou hear an objection, you\u2019ll want to hold it up against your customer\u2019s future\nstate.<\/em> Make the buyer defend their objection.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Don\u2019t let anyone determine the price of what\nyour selling based on the product, service, or widget. That\u2019s not what they are\nbuying! They\u2019re buying the outcome of your product, service, or widget.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>PART III Gap\nProspecting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER FOURTEEN\nProspecting: Getting the First \u201cYes! \u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>[no key takeaways from this chapter]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER FIFTEEN Smart\nProspecting Prep<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>[no key takeaways from this chapter]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER SIXTEEN How\nto Capture Attention<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Prove that you know something the buyer doesn\u2019t\nabout their industry, their business, their competitor, or the products they\nuse.<\/li><li><em>Don\u2019t ask\nfor a chance to talk. Ask for a chance to give value. And to do that, you need\nthe right ask with the right offer.<\/em> For instance, if you\u2019re asking for 15\nminutes to discuss how your prospects\u2019 current recycling program could be\ncosting them 50% more in energy costs, that\u2019s a net positive for the buyer. But\nif you\u2019re asking for 30 minutes to discuss their business and see if there are\nsome areas where you can help them, that\u2019s a net negative.<\/li><li>[Send] giving email[s], not a taking email[s].<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Set\nthe Right Cadence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Cadence isn\u2019t just about the timing of your\ncorrespondence, but strategically planning your message and the delivery\nmethod.<\/li><li>Use Every Channel Email, phone, video, LinkedIn,\nFacebook, Twitter, even FedEx<\/li><li>My research has revealed that 72% of salespeople\nwho used social media to sell outperformed their peers and exceeded quota 23%\nmore often than those who didn\u2019t.<\/li><li>Make sure that every communication stays focused\naround solving the business problems you\u2019ve identified as likely to be having a\nsignificant impact on the people you\u2019re trying to reach.<\/li><li>Each time you connect, however, you\u2019ll want to\nemphasize a different impact, or provide a new piece of information, or share a\nrelevant bit of research.<\/li><li><em>I never,\never, ever say no for a buyer. I make the buyer say no. Don\u2019t ever walk away\nuntil they tell you to go away.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>PART IV Building a\nGap \u2013 Selling Team<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER EIGHTEEN\nManage the Pipeline<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You gain credibility when you gather all the\ninformation about a customer\u2019s current state, future state, gap, intrinsic\nmotivation, and decision-making criteria.<\/li><li>[The] salespeople [on your team] will tell you\nwhat they think, what they intuit, and what they can extrapolate based on past\nexperiences or behavior. Don\u2019t get suckered by that typical sales B.S. \u2014\nsalespeople are really good at telling stories! But when you\u2019re gap selling,\nall you want are the facts. No stories.<\/li><li>Once your team knows what you\u2019re expecting from\nthem, they\u2019ll rise to the occasion.<\/li><li>Keep in mind you aren\u2019t going to run through\nevery opportunity in the pipeline. You want to target the key deals that will\nmost impact your salesperson\u2019s commit, generally the biggest deals nearest to\nthe close.<\/li><li>The numbers you want to pay attention to are\nyour salespeople\u2019s: <ul><li>Average close rates<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Average deal size<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Average length of sales cycle<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Average number of new deals to the pipeline<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Make sure your salespeople are always listing an\nupdated \u201cnext yes.\u201d<\/li><li>It\u2019s a commitment from the prospect or buyer to\ndo something that will move your salesperson closer to the sale.<\/li><li>Your salespeople should not only be able to tell\nyou their customer\u2019s next yes, but [also] be able to explain why the customer\nvalues the next yes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER NINETEEN\nBuild A Commit Culture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>You have\nto let your salespeople commit to whatever number they believe is accurate. You\ncannot, I repeat, cannot tell them to change it or go find more opportunities.\nCommit is an accuracy game, not a goal game. So if someone tells you that they\nare committing to a number that is lower than their quota, you have to accept\nit.<\/em><\/li><li>We\u2019re trusting and verifying, not doubting and\ninterrogating.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY Hire\nthe Right People<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Normally, your top criteria would probably be\nspecific industry experience, the number of years they\u2019ve been selling, a\ncandidate\u2019s network, and a positive sales track record. [Instead, I first look\nfor the] nine gap-selling traits they embody: <ul><li>Curiosity<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>critical thinking<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>empathy<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>problem-solving<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>leadership<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>creativity<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>deliberate learning<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>coachability <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>business acumen<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE\nIt\u2019s Not About You<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>They need your guidance, your feedback, your\ndirection and your inspiration.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sales isn\u2019t about selling stuff, but about\nfacilitating change.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price by Keenan Key Takeaways &amp; Review Every time you talk about yourself, you risk triggering change-resistant, emotionally fraught thoughts and feelings in your customers. Selling is a giving profession. Every time [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_import_markdown_pro_load_document_selector":0,"_import_markdown_pro_submit_text_textarea":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-701","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sellingsherpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/gap-selling-book-keenan-1.png?fit=2380%2C700&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9j2qV-bj","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":703,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701\/revisions\/703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sellingsherpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}