Most reps find the problem, then jump straight to the product. They skip the one question that makes the doctor care.
Research on thousands of real sales calls found that the strongest sellers asked fewer fact-finding questions and far more questions about consequences.
Four kinds of question, in order:
- Situation. "How many diabetic patients do you see a week?" Ask few. You should already know this.
- Problem. "Do some of them stop treatment early?" This finds the problem.
- Implication. "What happens to those patients when they stop? How much clinic time goes to restarting them?" This makes the problem matter.
- Need-payoff. "If more of them stayed on treatment, what would that change for you?" The doctor states the value, not you.
Why reps skip the implication question: it feels slow, it needs knowledge of the disease and not only the product, and it lets the doctor talk.
“Do not solve the problem before the doctor feels its cost.”
Lesson 4 of 15 in Step 5: The visit, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.