SPIN/GAP - Prospects Turn Off

During discoveries I often find prospects get touchy when I try and identify the Implications & Need-Payoffs or the 'GAP'.

My colleagues don't make these points explicit either, and rely on the prospect to piece the reasons our software will be useful together in their own mind. 

I sell a search engine to recruiters in the UK to help them find candidates, however my prospects seem to not be sure of what improved candidate search (more, better, quicker) would have on their business, even though that's the core of recruiters do. 

A typical example is "so we've agreed you aren't finding the best candidates in your database right now with your current search, and you'd like to improve that - what effect would finding better candidates have on your business?"

to which I'm met with blank stares, or worse, irritation.

anybody experienced a similar thing or have ideas to get around this?
🧠 Advice
☑️ Qualification Calls
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17
paddy
WR Officer
15
Director of Business Development
I can see why that would get irritating. They're obviously talking to you because they have an issue and think you can solve it. Trying to quantify the "effect" is pointless and would personally just piss me off as well. They probably already know this and if they don't, you're kind of forcing them to calculate this. And who cares if they can calculate it. What if for example they discover that the time they spend implementing your solution is going to outweigh the cost of whatever they're currently doing? Just throw a solution at them if they've already identified a problem. This is what I hate about these sales strategies and tactics. Just get to the damn point and quit the mental gymnastics.
funcoupons
WR Officer
5
👑
I literally was just reading this and about to tag you to come lay it down correct for OP bc I’m too sick to do it today so thank u. Perfect as always. 
fdgdrghth
Contributor
1
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
Appreciate the reply. Without the quantification of WHY they need better search there’s very little motivation to spend the money on improving. The solution gets lumped as a ‘nice to have’ not a ‘must have’.
I’m trying to get them to identify why better search is a must have because too many deals stall without that.
Even if they agree they would LIKE to improve search, that doesn’t mean they’re willing to spend £50k per year doing so. Hence the reason I want to work out exactly HOW it will help them. 👍
funcoupons
WR Officer
4
👑
They need better search so they can find better quality candidates to present to their clients…this will result in more of their candidates getting hired and the recruiter making more money. It’s obvious. Why do you even need to ask? 

It’s your job to figure out if your solution makes sense for them budget wise in comparing how much they stand to earn vs cost of your product and sell it to them if it does. You’re a salesperson, not a psychologist. 
fdgdrghth
Contributor
3
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
Obviously it’s obvious. That’s literally my point. My point is to make it make sense budget wise you need to balance the amount they stand to earn vs cost of the solution, as you pointed out. That’s literally all SPIN or GAP is about. So based on all this info how would get that info from them to make that budget?
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
1
Officer of ♥️
maybe instead of asking them make a story up, 

Lets say you need to place 30 candidates in 30 days, and that the way you are doing it isn't fast enough so you only make 10 placements, receiving 10 payouts of say 5k, with our solution we can at least double that number, resulting in at least a 50k difference each month. as well you are better delivering to your clients and building a better reputation. *show some features* ask, can you see how this would make placements easier for your org?

IDK
Sunbunny31
Politicker
1
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
I think you're on the right path.   In the other scenario, OP is trying to get the customer to help build a business case, and they're not even convinced they want the solution yet.   Your response takes the work away from the customer.
bandabanda
Tycoon
5
Senior AE Mid Market
I honestly enjoyed reading this thread. Based on the comments and your responses, I would change the wording and flow overtly into budget & timeline/urgency (based on your comments back to funcoupons). 

*they explain what's not working.
*paraphrase that back to them to level-set (builds rapport and shows you're listening too)
I'd say "I hear this a lot and this is the problem we're trying to solve for companies we partner with. (storytell with a case study or previous customer success story).  What do you think this is costing you in time, money, other resources? (quantify pain)
--then--
"So we're on the same page this is the main thing we're trying to tackle. I think it would make sense to talk about pricing to make sure we can solve this problem in the budget range you're trying to solve it. Any thoughts?"
DungeonsNDemos
Big Shot
1
Rolling 20's all day
I really like this! Features tell, but stories sell! Makes it much more relatable.
fdgdrghth
Contributor
1
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
I think this is the best reply yet imo. I’ll try leading them with a success story to solidify the benefit/impact it will have based on what they’ve told me so far in the discovery. That’s not something I’ve tried yet. 
Thanks very much!
braintank
Politicker
4
Enterprise Account Executive
I'd change your phrasing. Don't be so explicit.
E_Money
Big Shot
2
💰
Yes, be prescriptive but not condescending. A fine line. 
fdgdrghth
Contributor
1
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
Any examples?
Encouraging them to tel me the implication, or telling them my guess at the implication, both hasn’t worked to date.
braintank
Politicker
4
Enterprise Account Executive
Talk like a normal person not a cheesey sales book.

"How do you think this will help you? How does it compare to your current tool?"

Also, are you pitching this to individual recruiters or heads of recruiting firms?
TennisandSales
Politicker
4
Head Of Sales
oh dude if someone said something like that to me id want to hit them. 

dont make them spell it out for you. 

Also dont EVER say "so we've agreed up" its SOO salesy and doesnt really mean anything. 

What I would do is say something like: 

"Sean you mentioned you struggle to find the best candidates in your data base, like many recruiters do. Im assuming if we were able to improve that, it would mean more potential placements right? Or am I off base here?" 

When they say yes, then you have a chance to dig in more, quantify it a little bit, ask a few more questions ect. 

but thats just me. 
fdgdrghth
Contributor
0
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
Like the idea, but I’ve tried this and when I say something like it helping them get more placements, I get the same pushback as in my post, where they don’t seem to know how it will help.
TennisandSales
Politicker
1
Head Of Sales
hmm thats interesting. Without really knowing the details it sounds like you may need to better understand their process so you can better explain your product. 

that is frustrating 
fdgdrghth
Contributor
0
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
🤷‍♂️ cheers anyway 👍
braintank
Politicker
2
Enterprise Account Executive
It sounds like you're pitching to some knuckleheads.
SADNESSLieutenant
Politicker
0
Officer of ♥️
its up to you to know how it will help and to relay that information to them
Pachacuti
Politicker
1
They call me Daddy, Sales Daddy
It’s easy to turn Discovery into an interrogation when you are either new or just inexperienced. And some people will always view a discussion with a sales person as an interrogation.

Work on your questions and try your best to make the conversation seem natural.
TheLouisvilleSlugger
Opinionated
1
Account Executive
That’s the worst way to position it. Why note something like:

“What kind of candidates are you sourcing?”

“Who are your best clients?”

“Why do they work with you?”

“What are your clients top concerns when it comes to staffing?”

Once you have that info, you can present your solution with the business impact without sounding like a robot fresh out of sales training. Same outcome, but you reach it conversationally. Here’s how it might look:

“You shared with me on our last call that Acme Brick was your top client, and that they liked working with you because you listen to their feedback and adapt your recruiting process to suit their needs.

You also mentioned they cared most about quickly getting the best candidates. On this call, I want to show you how our solution can help you do just that.

To be candid, I love your client’s goals. It makes me wonder; how many other companies like Acme Brick are out their looking for a great recruiting firm? I hope to show you today how the time I’ll give you back in your day will help you locate those clients and earn their business”


Still selling to the business case, just more organic and consultative. Just my opinion.
JohnnyDamone
Opinionated
1
AE Inside Sales
What problems does your product solve? Helping find better candidates faster?


(TL;DR): Don't ask dumb questions "if i could give your business a million more dollars, how would that help?" 


Follow the GAP Selling method:

Okay, so what problems do your prospects have without your software?

--How long does it take to find a candidate
--Walk me through that process
--What happens if you find the wrong candidate?
--Does finding the wrong candidate influence your relationships with companies you recruit for?
--Have you ever placed a bad candidate for a client?
--How can you tell if a candidate is good or bad?

^Current state stuff.

Then dig into whatever problems happen from there.

--Takes too long to find a candidate? Has that impacted company growth goals (your prospects company)
--What are company growth goals?
--Has your team done layoffs?
--Have a lot of people quit because the job is so frikin hard?


This stuff is straight from Keenan on Gap selling himself. You gotta ask more targeted questions around possible problems your client has, then find the "GAP" on how those problems affect their goals. Once you find a problem, find the impact, and then determine root cause.

Problem: Can't find enough quality candidates for my clients
Impact: My firm might fire me or the firm goes under
Root cause: Normal methods suck, its hard, time consuming, and its super competitive market.

That's where you fit in!
fdgdrghth
Contributor
0
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
awesome response 👍 
SalesBeast
Politicker
0
Ty
Share common results or success stories. Drop similar names of competitors that are looking to start using it (even if they aren’t). They are on the phone with you for a reason. You and they know there is a problem.
Your job is to solve the problem make it painfully obvious that what you have solves their issues.
JohnnyDamone
Opinionated
0
AE Inside Sales
I feel like dropping competitors could piss people off though. The OP needs to ask better more pointed questions around the problems he solves.

"Tell me about your last hire that didn't go well?
How long does it take to find a quality candidate?
How can you tell if they're a quality candidate?

I'm assuming improved search gets more biz in the door. 
--Have you struggled competing against other firms all hiring the same person?"
Justatitle
Big Shot
0
Account Executive
So, when confronted with controversy, humans natural reaction is to shut down and play defense. My recommendation to you is something along the lines of “understood that the candidate pool needs to improve, when clients have come with us they see a better talent pool meaning faster hires meaning more roles get filled and more revenue for you.” Is that the reason we are talking or is there something else we’re also trying to achieve?
ounceoz
WR Officer
0
US Sales Director
See my post where I get roasted on Discovery LOL. But this is a good example that illustrates my point. You know they are not getting the right candidates, you know the superior service/solution you provide will help with this problem. You might start with " We can agree you are not getting quality candidates with your current process, can you estimate what specific impact on time, revenue, and results if we can improve that process?" Maybe dive in a bit more on their specific process. You know explicitly it si not working that is why they are meeting with you, use Discovery to get details on why for them it does not work. Make them validate assumptions when necessary to avoid wasting time.
TheLouisvilleSlugger
Opinionated
0
Account Executive
Had some misspelling here (did this from my phone and can’t figure out how to edit) but hopefully you get the idea.
fdgdrghth
Contributor
0
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
Appreciate the insights 👍
NotCreativeEnough
Big Shot
0
Professional Day Ruiner
instead of trying to quantify it by asking them and forcing them to say it, show them how your process is better then ask them if that will be beneficial to them. trying to quantify everything just gets annoying when you're the prospect. Think of it like a conversation with your significant other and they want to go to restaurant A but you want to go to restaurant B. You aren't going to try and get them to explain the benefits of restaurant B to you. You're going to say why you think restaurant B is better and see how they feel about it. You know what they like, you know what they're looking for, frame restaurant B to meet the needs you know they have. 
Not_2_Salezy
Member
0
Program Manager
This is the moment your prospect realizes they are being cornered into a sale by a person reading a script. My advice is to be more human.
SunTzu
Opinionated
-1
Legendary Historical Figure
fdgdrghth
Contributor
1
SAE (Senior Account Executive)
🤔
CuriousFox
WR Officer
2
🦊
Speaking in 🥠