How to Lead with the Problem - without Calling Their Baby Ugly

I once received a message on Facebook from a woman offering her personal styling services to women over 40. She did an excellent job of leading with the problem (i.e. focusing on what I might be struggling with rather than going into a pitch).

But there was one glaring issue with the way she did it: it was kind of offensive.

Her message contained a long list of struggles she assumed were there, such as: “Frustrated that your outdated style and self-image are holding you back in your career and personal life?” “Trapped in a cycle of self-doubt…” etc. Oof. That didn’t feel good.

If I had replied, I would have just let my Bitmoji do the talking:

Her message helped me realize how much we risk pushing away the very prospects we want to help – not just in B2C but in B2B sales too.

In B2B sales, we should lead with possible business problems, because that’s what motivates companies to change. But we still have to walk the path carefully.

Otherwise, we risk saying something like, “Hey, I noticed your employees are leaving in droves. Which makes me think there’s something wrong with the benefits package you’re offering.” (Ok, I know you wouldn’t make it sound that bad, but that’s how the prospect might receive it.)

So how do you walk the fine line?

How to lead with the problem in your outreach – tactfully

This is where your EQ and business acumen come together.

I’ve broken it down in steps:

1.??????? First, figure out the business problems your target prospects might be experiencing because they lack the tool or service you offer. (This isn’t an easy process, but the Problem Identification Chart will help you with this. Get your template at: https://www.robintreasure.com/pic)

2.??????? Next, when reaching out to a specific prospect, lead with a hypothesis of 1 or 2 possible business problems they might be experiencing.

3.??????? Craft your message in the tone of “your company’s recent [relevant change or signal] made me think this might be prompted by [XYZ business problem].

4.??????? Ask yourself: “Am I calling their baby ugly?” If the answer is yes, flip it to the inverse of the problem.

For example: if your hypothesis is that they have high employee churn (ouch), flip it to the inverse: “your company’s recent [relevant change or signal] made me think this might be prompted by a strategic initiative to retain your top talent.” (Do you see how this softens the blow a little?)

5.??????? Remember to maintain a tone of curiosity rather than assumption here. That way you can end it with, “I don’t know if this is the case for you or not. Either way, just let me know.” (Shout out to Jen Allen-Knuth for being a master of this type of language.)

How to lead with the problem in discovery

The steps above are mainly for outbound messaging.

Once you’re in discovery with a prospect, a similar process applies, with a key additional point:

1.??????? In order to find their specific business problem(s) and define them with metrics, first you need to provide them with some context. This may sound like: “Often when companies are considering a solution like ours, it’s because they’re looking to solve for XYZ problem or XYZ problem. So in order to be sure if this solution is going to be relevant, I’m curious to know if either of these issues are happening in your world.”

2.??????? Once they acknowledge having a certain business problem, you need to define it (i.e. get the numbers). But again, this is delicate stuff. Trust must be present so they feel comfortable sharing.

But the good news is, trust can be established quickly when you demonstrate your credibility. And you must preface these questions with something like, “I know this is a sensitive matter, but are you open to sharing [metric you’re seeking]?” ?

The bottom line

Fact is, there will only be a sale if the business problem is big enough. It’s your job as a change agent (i.e. seller) to find the problem. But this requires tact, emotional awareness, and the ability to help them understand why you are asking these things.

Above all, lead with curiosity rather than a presumptive tone. This way they won’t shut down. Or toss their phone to the other side of the room.

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