Whenever we go to a doctor once we are faced with a health issue, he/she asks about the symptoms that we have, about our medical history, or even about our habits, prior to proceeding with the examination itself.

In addition to that, the doctor may also ask from us to have blood tests or X-rays, so as to gather even more evidence.  The purpose of all these is for the doctor to understand what the exact issue with our health is, in order to give us the treatment that will have the best possible impact. 

As a doctor digs down as much as he/she can to find the root causes, in order to make an accurate diagnosis, the same should apply for the modern-day salespeople.  The deeper we dig, the more likely is that we discover what are the real pains of the customers and what they really need to achieve better results for their business.  If we don’t get to the heart of the problems that the clients are faced with, then there is no way that we can create and deliver the value that we could provide to them.  

Moreover, as salespeople we need to control our desire to immediately share our solutions with the customer, which would be the equivalent of a doctor instantly prescribing medicine, without even do any examination.  Also, since we need to understand the whole situation, we must ask many questions, even unpleasant ones, to the customer in order gather as much information as possible.  So, as sales professionals we must show both curiosity and patience.

If the client feels that we care, that our intention is to add value in every interaction and that we want to learn, then it is highly probable that he/she will be willing to teach us, provided of course that we ask good questions, which create better understanding.

Therefore, as salespeople we need to sharpen our diagnostic skills, as these are one of the main foundations for us to be successful and eventually get the business, despite the fact that we are still very early in the buying process.  Because, as sales guru Anthony Iannarino claims: “You don’t sell the solution without selling the diagnosis”.