Intro

Most sellers think their outreach struggles come from poor timing or weak messaging. In reality, the bigger issue is that many outreach attempts focus on surface level problems instead of the real challenge prospects are facing. A few small changes can make your outreach far more relevant and much more likely to get a response.

Stop Selling the Surface Problem

1. A common example is when sellers lead with a generic benefit like saving time or increasing revenue. Those things sound good, but almost every competitor is saying the exact same thing.
2. The real opportunity is identifying the deeper issue that is actually causing frustration for your prospect. For example, an HR leader may not simply want a better hiring tool. Their real challenge could be finding quality candidates who truly fit their organization.
3. When your outreach taps into that deeper problem, your message immediately becomes more relevant and harder to ignore.

How to Find the Real Problem

1. The key is doing the research before you send the message. One simple way to start is by using tools like ChatGPT to understand the common challenges your ideal customers face.
2. You can also learn a lot by speaking with existing clients and asking what their biggest frustrations are. Often the first answer reveals the true problem that needs solving.

Why This Changes Your Results

1. When your outreach focuses on the real problem instead of a generic pitch, everything becomes more effective.
2. Your subject lines become more intriguing. Your emails feel more relevant. And prospects are much more likely to respond because the message speaks directly to what they are dealing with right now.
3. In the end, better outreach starts with one simple shift. Focus less on your solution and more on the real problem your prospect is trying to solve.

“If the problem you’re presenting isn’t strong enough, your message will get ignored.” — Donald C. Kelly

Resources

Keep track of your sales activity and boost your results with the Prospect Pro sales tool.

Step up your sales game with Sales Mastermind. Get accountability, stay motivated, and tackle the blockers keeping you from hitting your goals.

Visit Blue Mango Studios for help in creating podcast production content.

Sponsorship Offers

1. This episode is brought to you in part by Hubspot.

With HubSpot sales hubs, your data tools and teams join a single platform to close deals and turn prospects into pipelines. Try it for yourself at hubspot.com/sales.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by LinkedIn.

Are you tired of prospective clients not responding to your emails? Sign up for a free 60-day trial of LinkedIn Sales Navigator at linkedin.com/tse.

1. This episode is brought to you in part by the TSE Sales Foundation.

Improve your connection on LinkedIn and land three or five appointments with our LinkedIn prospecting course. Go to the salesevangelist.com/linkedin.

Credits

As one of our podcast listeners, we value your opinion and always want to improve the quality of our show. Complete our two-minute survey here: thesalesevangelist.com/survey. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes by tuning in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or Spotify. Audio provided by Free SFX, Soundstripe, and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and produced by Brightseed and Hill.