Kevin Dorsey (KD) presents a solo podcast episode teaching tactical sales discovery and pitching. He recommends moving from problem identification to the prospect's desired future (the "why"), planting ideas via "illusion of choice" leads, using strategic downtones to create productive doubt during discovery, and framing a customer-focused pitch that asks permission to present a solution (example: "I think this might make sense..."). The excerpt contains example scripts and tonal guidance for sales conversations.
Chapters
Foreign. Welcome to the live Better Sell Better podcast with your host, Kevin Dorsey of Inside Sales Excellence, the number one Patreon group and YouTube channel for tech sellers and tech sales leaders, where we dive in deep for tactical advice on how to book more meetings, close more deals faster, and lead sales teams to success. But we don't stop there. We also focus on the person in salesperson. We talk about mindset goals, time management, and so much more. So thank you for listening and if you're interested, head on over to patreon.com InsideSalesExcellence now with that, grab a notepad, get ready, and let's dive into the good stuff. Okay, so now what we've been doing, this is key. So we've been talking about, call it the problems, problem, problem, problem, problem, problem. We're not done yet. Now we want to talk about, well, why fix it? Right now we get the positive impact. So earlier we talked about the negative impact. What's it causing? Now we shift to the future they're trying to create. So, like, one of the great examples, you know, we use at patient pop, like, oh, we want more patients. We get more money. Why? Right? Why do you want happy your employees? Why do you want that? Why do you want the time back? What would you do, right? Like, review that? Why the people buy list. But this is what's so key. Cause you can also plant ideas. So let's use the. We'll keep coming back to the pipeline, right? All right, so it's causing all these issues around pipeline. So, okay, so let's flip it around. Let's say you were able to solve this. Like, what would more pipeline do for your business? Like, yeah, dude, we'd be booking way more revenue. Well, yeah, sure. Why does that matter right now? Are you guys raising money? You going for a bigger valuation? Just like money in your checkbook? Like, what? Well, yeah, I'd be making more money. Why does that matter for you? Right? Is it like for your kids trying to get that new car? Like, let's talk about this person to person for a second. Why does more money matter? Is that even really why you're doing this? Or is there another reason why now you're getting to the better future? Why? So now when you're going through your demo, you can compare the problem solving to the future problem to the future. It's no longer about just generating more pipeline. It's like, hey, you told me earlier that only half your reps are getting to quota. Like, this is going to help them get closer. Like, how are you going to feel when 80% of your team is getting a quota? How are they going to look at you? How's that going to look on your resume? How is that going to set you up for your board? What's the board going to say when? Now we're getting into that better future, right? So you have the why the problem, but then why they'd want to change and you want to go as individual as you possibly can. Why do I, as Kevin Dorsey, want to see this happen not just as a vp, but as a person? So illusion of choice leads. I just wanted to bring this back up. You can hear me doing this often, right? Giving the suggestions, giving the leads. It makes the conversation so much easier on your prospect. Like we forget, like, especially if you're asking good problem based questions, like they weren't just sitting there waiting for these questions. They may not even be ready yet. Oftentimes they may not even really know the answer. So by giving leads because you've been talking to so many other of their Persona, it makes it so much easy to keep the conversation going. It lets you steer the conversation and keep it on the negative, right? That's the key to this too is like it's causing X, Y, Z bad things and it makes me stay there with you. So review the bull script training one more time. Like it's really, really important because they overlap here a big way. But having those leads as you're asking these questions helps discovery feel natural and not like an interrogation. I just say, what's that? Cause how have you tried to fix it? Why do you want more money? It feels like an interrogation. Whereas even that one question like, why do you want more money? When you do it, the right tone and some leads, it comes across way more natural. Like why more money, Katie? Like, what does money even do for you, right? Like, are you saving for your kids? Gonna get a new car, new jeep? Maybe buy some more books? Cause we can tell you got a lot of books. Like, what does money do for you? Totally different conversation. So that's why those leads are so valuable. So now that you've gone through this, right now you get to set up the pitch, right? This is where you pull it all together and show you where you're listening. And it also primes for the pitch. So you've been asking all these questions and you go, you know, I think this might make sense. You're struggling with X which is causing Y, preventing you from Z. Supervis was created to fix this and more so you could finally Y, Y Y. Could I walk you through how we could potentially do that for you as well? Now you're getting permission to pitch, right? Like, I hope you can see, like, as they are telling you, yes, this is okay, or they're telling you, yes, you can pitch, yes, you can ask Discovery, you're getting the permission, right? So now you're able to go through things more smoothly. So this is where you piece it together. And we used to call this, like, the Scooby Doo. I think this might make sense. You know, like, you're not generating enough pipeline, which is causing you. Besides just the stress, low revenue and high turnover and not allowing you to hit the income goals you have. Like, Super Biz was created to fix this, right. So you could finally get your team hitting higher pipeline, giving more opportunities to the AES and put a little bit more money in your pocket. I mean, could I walk you through how we could potentially do this for you as well? Would that be okay? How can someone say no to that? But now, again, we're talking about solving the problem and giving them something they want versus. Could I show you what we do? Yuck. Right now, the pitch is about them and their problems. You're setting up the pitch. This is a little bonus thing that I wanted to throw in here. The strategic downtimes. As salespeople, we tend to have very positive filler words. Someone says something, we say, good, great, awesome, sweet, amazing. They're very positive. Stop confirming, especially in discovery, that they're doing the right things. Right. Remove the good, great, awesome, and replace it with, oh, ah, wow. Oh, no. Shoot. Really? Ooh. Oh, no. You're at what you're doing again. You're planting seeds of doubt. And what they're doing right now, that is the key of discovery. A good downtone and a pause can pull all sorts of information out of people. Right. So someone said, you know. Well, you keep using the pipeline example. Yeah. Like, my reps just. They're not making enough call. Oh, no. Really? That pause there brings so much more weight to it versus, like. Okay, okay, good. All right. Sweet. Awesome. Got it. No, no, no, no, no. Again, we're trying to plant doubt in the now, so the strategic downtones plants even more doubt. Right. If I. If I walk, you know, me and my wife are about to go out on a date, and I walk out, you know, from the room dressed up, and she goes, oh, you're wearing that? Yeah. Is something wrong? No, it's fine. No. What's wrong? No, it's okay. No, like, I'm doubting my entire existence at this point, right? From two words in the tone, right? You can do the same thing in Discovery, right? So be very cognizant of this, because if you are telling people, good, great, awesome, sweet, okay, in Discovery, all you're doing is telling them what they're doing is good, awesome, sweet, and great. That's the opposite of what we're trying to do in Discovery.
