🔍 From Product Push to Problem Diagnosis
Today’s best sellers don’t talk first — they ask first. They lead like advisors, dig deep into root challenges, and tailor every conversation to what actually matters to the buyer.
Here’s the difference:
❌ “Let me show you how our platform works.”
✅ “Tell me what’s slowing your team down right now.”
Buyers respond to curiosity and clarity, not canned pitches.
đź“Ś Real-World Move:
Chili Piper trains reps to lead with questions, not features. Their reps use frameworks that feel more like workshops than pitches — making buyers feel heard, not herded.
👑 Consultative selling expert: Becc Holland, CEO of Flip the Script, teaches how to go beyond discovery — into diagnosis, empathy, and real impact.
🗣️ Example Script: From Seller to Strategic Advisor
❌ Traditional Pitch Approach:
“We help companies streamline workflows with our automation suite. Let me show you how our dashboard works.”
âś… Consultative Approach:
“Can I ask — what happens today when a deal goes dark in your pipeline?
…Okay. And how much follow-up is manual vs. automated?
Got it. I ask because teams we work with — like [competitor or vertical example] — were losing 20% of deals in that black hole. Let me show you what we did to fix that.”
See the shift? You’re not selling a tool. You’re uncovering pain, showing empathy, and offering a targeted solution. That’s what earns trust — and wins deals.
🎯 Frameworks That Support Consultative Excellence
Being consultative doesn’t mean winging it. It means using a framework that empowers reps to dig deeper and personalize better.
Popular in 2025:
• SPICED: Situation, Pain, Impact, Critical event, Decision
• NEAT: Needs, Economic impact, Access to authority, Timeline
• GROW: Goals, Reality, Options, Way forward
🧠Pro Tip: Build a “Call Intelligence Sheet” with key discovery questions tied to each stage of your framework — and let reps fill it out live during calls.
🧰 Tools to support this:
• Gong or Chorus — for post-call insights
• Notion or Guru — to serve questions + value props
• Fireflies.ai — for AI call summaries and coaching
