Diagnosis: The Surgeon’s Discovery

THE BRUTAL REALITY: PITCHING IS FOR AMATEURS

An amateur spends 80% of the time talking. An elite strategist spends 80% of the time asking deep, painful questions.

The Conflict: You want to show off your "cool features."

The Truth: The client doesn't care about your features; they care about their wound. You cannot prescribe a cure until you have found the blood.

The Fix: Act like a surgeon. Poke the wound until they admit how much it hurts.

1. THE PAIN HIERARCHY

Ask "What happens if you DON'T fix this?" If the answer is "nothing," you have no sale. You must find the financial, emotional, or operational cost of their current failure.

2. TACTICAL SILENCE

After you ask a difficult question about their budget or their failures, shut up. The first person to speak loses. Silence is a vacuum that the client will fill with the truth.

SMART WORDS

DISCOVERY

The "Diagnostic Phase." The most important part of sales where you find the actual problem.

THE GAP

The space between where the client is (Pain) and where they want to be (Pleasure). Your product is the bridge.

BANT

The "Filter." Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline. If one is missing, it's not a deal.

TACTICAL DIRECTIVES

1. The 3-Whys: Ask "Why" three times in a row to get to the root cause of a client's problem.

2. The Budget Reveal: Don't ask "What's your budget?". Ask "How much have you set aside to solve this $100k problem?"

3. The Recorded Review: Listen to a recording of your last sales call. Did you talk more than 30% of the time? Fix it.