What are the most effective ways to identify customer pain points in technical sales?

3 ways to reserarch the target market using AI: 1. Scrape customer reviews on sites like g2, Trustpilot, Capterra and feed it into ChatGPT. Ask it to summarize the pain points that customers have 2. Scrape jop postings on job boards such as indeed and feed it again into ChatGPT and ask it to summarize the biggest pain points that companies are trying to solve using these jobs 3. Take 10-20 discovery calls and have them transcribed using AI and feed that transcript again into ChatGPT. Again, ask it to create a customer persona and highlight the biggest pain points. This is very efficient way to create a data based understanding of your target market using the voice of the customer.

???????????????????? ????????????????: Learn about the industry and its challenges. ???????????????? ?????? ??????????????: Know the market’s key players and their offerings. ???????????????? ??????????????: Use surveys for direct customer feedback. ???????????????? ????????????????????????: Analyse customer interactions for recurring issues. ???????????? ?????????? & ????????????: Monitor online platforms for common complaints. ???????????????????? ????????????????: Identify gaps in competitors’ offerings. ?????????? ???????? ????????????????: Collaborate with sales for insights. ???????????????????? ????????????????: Regularly update your understanding of customer pain points.

Before you hit up a potential client, do some homework! Check out their industry, company, and role. Get what makes them tick, their goals, and what bugs them. Look into blogs, social media, and news to stay in the loop on trends. Tools like LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and Google Alerts? They're like your secret weapons for tracking and tailoring your approach. It's all about understanding and making real connections. Knowledge is your ticket to a meaningful chat!

As per my experience you always have to do your homework before meeting: - analyze customer's industry - analyze customer's counterparts - analyze their annual report It will help you to understand the current customer situation, their goals and market trends. After that you can: - analyze best practices in the world. It will surely give you some insights on where industry goes and what experience have other companies in the world. With that homework you can meet client and ask him open-ended questions. And one of the most important things is to listen customer. Don't try to show him, that you know everything. Just listen and ask questions. It will surely help you to identify customers pain points

To identify customer pain points in technical sales, you can: ? Engage with customers through surveys, interviews, or focus groups ? Ask your sales team for feedback and insights ? Analyze customer feedback from various sources ? Use a customer service platform or a CRM to collect and update customer information ? Use a framework to qualify customers based on explicit criteria

When chatting with a potential client, go for questions that open up the conversation. Skip the yes-or-no stuff. Ask about their challenges, what they're dealing with right now, and how they measure success. Dive into their goals, frustrations, and what happens if things don't get sorted. It's all about understanding their story and tailoring our solutions to fit their needs. So, what's on your mind? Let's talk!

Asking open ended is imperative. It helps learning more about the customer, their problems and paves way for understanding the requirement better. Every one loves to talk about themselves and open ended questions are those magic spells that help you unlock a lot more info than you need or expect. But of course asking the right questions is mission critical or you will dig the wrong pit and it won’t lead you anywhere.

I've often seen salespeople ask questions with an expected answer in mind. The discovery process is not just a protocol! It is a valuable part of the sales process (probably the most valuable, in my opinion!). My experience as a salesperson and sales director has taught me that the most (genuinely) curious salespeople always end up being the top performers. And there's a clear explanation for it: they understand their customers! So when you ask, ask to understand. Don't try to make a point :) And to do this, open-ended questions will definitely be a great ally for you.

??Open questions unveil needs, preferences, and pain points, creating a roadmap to personalized solutions. ?? Embrace curiosity, ask open-ended queries, and listen actively. The more you understand, the better you serve. ?? In sales, open questions aren't just conversation starters; they're the key to unlocking valuable client understanding.

Sometimes we want to ask if the customer is unhappy with their current supplier, and we ask: "So how's your current supplier" The customer then replies, "they're quire good." And we get stuck! We were expecting the customer to say something negative about their current suppliers, but they never do that! So you anticipate how the customer reply, and strategize your questioning: You: "So how's your current supplier?" Customer: "They are quite OK" You: "If there's one thing that you'd like your suppler to improve, what would that be?" Customer: "Their prices" You: "And how's that important to you right now?" Customer: "Oh, we are cutting costs" You: "If we have something that achieve lower costs, would you like to find out more?"

When you're talking to someone new, it's not just about firing off questions. Really tune in. Listen to what they're saying, how they're saying it, and even what their body language is telling you. Nod, smile, let 'em know you're on the same wavelength. And don't forget the empathy—put yourself in their shoes, acknowledge the struggles, and show you care. Share stories of how you've helped others dealing with similar stuff. It's not just business; it's making a real connection.

I completely agree and stand by the model: Acknowledge Empathize Resolve Paraphrasing back to the client what the issue is, showing concern and "empathy" for the challenge, and assuring you are going to find them a resolution. Constant Communication during the process is important too.

???????????? ??????????????????: Pay full attention to the customer, showing interest in their concerns. ??????????????: Show understanding and share the feelings of the customer. ???????????????????? ??????????????????: Reflect back what you’ve heard to confirm understanding. ??????-???????????? ????????: Pay attention to non-verbal cues in face-to-face meetings. ????????????????: Allow the customer to express their thoughts without interruption. ???????????????????? ??????????????????: Ask questions to gain a deeper understanding of the issue. ?????????????????????? ????????????????: Acknowledge the customer’s concerns and validate their feelings.

I′m totally agree, listening is very important, although it would be a little more specific and it means paying attention, dedicating time and effort to understand, listening is done by AI but understanding body language and attitude is something that is still very human and from that we can get a lot of benefit

Here's the key, the secret sauce if you will, to active listening: actually listen. A common mistake (I'm also guilty) is listening only to talk. You use up all your brain power thinking about what you're going to say next. Don't listen as if you had to respond, but as if you had to repeat it verbatim. I was recently in a networking event where business owners paired up and discussed their pain points. we then had to share with the room what our partner said. My business partner and I (who teach active listening to our staff) were the ONLY ONES in the room to do the task successfully. EVERY other business owner said something along the lines of "I talked the whole time so I guess I'll say what my business is about and then you can go."

Assume that whatever problems your prospect is bringing up are essentially a figment of their imagination. With this approach you can more accurately play detective and find out the real root cause of the issue. Your work becomes about proving or disproving their theory rather than blindly following it.

Having an interactive communication, asking relevant questions, stating your observations and confirming them helps you to look deeper into their pain points.

Pain can be defined as the negative consequences when a need is not fulfilled. So in order to get to the root cause of the pain, perhaps you can probe and gain more insight about the need. Ask: "Why is this need important to you? What happens when you achieve it?" "What happens if you don't?" "What are is stopping you from getting what you need?" "What could be some alternatives?" Many times, the customer think that they need A, but after some probing to clarify their thinking, it's B that they want. Customers don't always know what they want. Great salespeople help customers to gain clarity and get the right soliutions.

Summarizing, and reiterating your conversations, sending minutes after a meeting, creating a timeline and a schedule, etc keep them assured and makes them feel understood. Prospects want to hear that their problems are your priority and that helps them be communicative.

For me this is very important and very difficult, you must have the ability to synthesize and capture the information at the moment, and in this way confirm it with your interlocutor. At the moment that you have empathized and understood what they are telling you, confirming it and repeating it is synonymous of giving the importance that your interlocutor deserves and I assure you that they will appreciate it.

?????????????? ??????????????????????????: Repeat the customer’s pain points to ensure you’ve understood correctly. ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????: Ask the customer to rank their pain points in order of impact. ???????????????? ???????? ????????????: Keep a record of the customer’s pain points for future reference. ???????????? ????????: Develop an action plan to address the most critical pain points first. ?????????????? ??????????-??????: Regularly check in with the customer to reassess their pain points. ???????????????? ????????: Create a feedback loop where the customer can easily communicate any new pain points.

Whena customer sees a sales professional. They tend to put up a barrier, which we need to break One of best way is to tell the customer - - Not sure if my offering will solve your problem Build Rapport Once the barier is down, talk of similar customer who you have serviced, talk of different solutions you have offered From now on customer speaks more than 75% of the time Ask several open-ended questions with a tone of concern or cusrousity Listen empathically Lean a little forward, node your head once a while, use words like ahaa, hmm etc so that customer knows you are listening Repeat the same words used by the customer Need clarifications ask more open ended questions Ensure customer is aware of the implications of the problems

Some of the areas not included in the article are: ???????????????? ?????????????? ??????????????: Map the customer’s journey to identify pain points. ??????????????????????????: Collaborate with other departments for insights. ????????????????: Train your sales team to identify and address pain points. ?????????????????? ????????????????: Be proactive in identifying potential issues. ???????????????? ??????????????????: Focus on customer satisfaction and retention. ????????????????????: Use pain points as opportunities for innovation. ???????????????? ????????????????????????: Tailor your approach for different customer segments. ???????????????????? ??????????????????????: Strive for ongoing improvement in addressing pain points.

If you can, try the entire purchasing experience yourself, you will learn a lot with little effort! And try also the returns process, to have full visibility and close the loop... and you will also save your money!