A while ago we posted a sales job with us. Good pay, unlimited commission, great benefits, incredible freedom.
I set just one challenge, imagine we were a prospective client.
Everyone that applied made the same mistake, they pitched themselves (really hard).
This is the opposite approach we take with any prospect. It’s never about our services, it’s always about their problem.
None of the candidates asked any questions. No-one tried to clarify the challenges we faced, identify our current skills and knowledge gaps, highlight other ways they could solve our challenges, or look for additional value-adding opportunities.
We wildly over-estimate our ability to empathize with our audience.
This is usually because we skip a very simple step.
We don’t spend enough time talking to our audience and asking questions. How does this message make you feel? What do you feel is the best option here? What does this remind you of? What can we do to help? What do you really need? What aren’t you telling us?
It’s easy to identify the right questions to ask, it’s sadly much harder to summon up the willpower and courage to ask them.