Get a better understanding of your prospects' pain points with Five Whys

Get a better understanding of your prospects' pain points with Five Whys

No, not Five Guys. That's just a fantastic burger chain.

Five Whys is a problem-solving method developed by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota. I believe you can use it in your MSP's sales.

You keep asking versions of WHY until you get to the real core of someone's problem or desire. Here's an example.


  • Prospect: We need better internet.
  • You: Why is that?
  • Prospect: Because our connection is crap.
  • You: Why is it crap?
  • Prospect: I dunno... you tell me. My staff complain all the time that their computers are slow.
  • You: Why do you think they do that?
  • Prospect: Because they tell me they can't get their work done fast enough. I'm fed up with their complaints.
  • You: It sounds like an obvious question, but why are you fed up with their complaints?
  • Prospect: I just want them to get on with their work and stop hassling me with questions and complaints all the time.
  • You: It sounds like you have a lot of frustration there. Why is solving that important to you?
  • Prospect: Because I'm trying to build a business here, and my staff are holding me back.
  • You: So your staff are holding you back, because their technology is holding them back. Wouuld you agree with that?


Written down, that looks like bad dialogue from a cheap novel ??

Yet in your own words as part of a natural conversation, it's a very powerful tool to understand what they really want, and why it's so important to them.

And in one short conversation, you've moved the prospect.

From "I just need this solution" to uncovering their real desire... "I want you to remove any technology blocks so I can grow my business".

Understanding that helps you close the sale and better serve the client, right?

Do you use the Five Whys in your sales?

BRAD ROZMARYNOWSKI

Business Development Executive | IT Operations | Cybersecurity & Compliance | Trusted Executive Advisor | Expertise: Financial, Healthcare, Insurance, Legal, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Associations, AEC

2 天前

Good article. When am having a dialogue with anyone about their organization I need to wholly believe in their need for real change in order to consider them "qualified". I put myself in their shoes, try to understand their perspective, and then I ask myself - if it were my organization is it really necessary that anything be changed? It is worth the time and money? Provided that they also truly understand and accept their full risk profile, this is the difference to me between a "suspect" and a "prospect". They are not one in the same and I don't spend time fooling myself that I've found a real opportunity without them telling me in no uncertain terms that change is afoot and exactly why that change needs to happen (layers deep into the onion as your article points out). This is the root of how I learned to forecast and it fits any and all scenarios to this day.

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