Gap Selling
Jim Keenan
21 min
9 Key Points
4.6 RateWhat's inside?
Discover the art of selling by understanding your customer's needs and filling the gap with your product or service to secure a successful sale.
You'll learn
1. What's "Gap Selling" and why it's a game-changer2. Spotting and using your customer's "gaps"3. How to talk up your product or service4. Beating common sales pushbacks5. Keeping your customers close and happy6. Smashing your sales goals every time.Key points
01You gotta know the game to win it
Let's break it down, folks. You can't win a game if you don't know the rules, right? That's just common sense. And it's the same with business. You've got to understand the game before you can play to win. Think about it like a game of chess. You've got your board, your pieces, and your opponent. If you don't know how the pieces move, what the goal of the game is, or how to protect your king, you're not going to win. It's as simple as that. Now, let's apply that to business. The 'game' is the business or sales environment, and the 'rules' are the strategies, techniques, and principles that lead to success. You've got to know your customer's needs, how to communicate the value of your product, and what your competitors are up to. One of the key things you need to understand is your customer's 'gap'. That's the difference between where they are now and where they want to be. Your product or service is designed to fill that gap. If you don't get that, you're like a chess player who doesn't know how the pieces move. You might make moves, but they won't get you anywhere. Let's say you're selling a weight loss product. Your customer's 'gap' is that they're overweight and they want to be fit and healthy. Your product fills that gap by helping them lose weight. If you don't understand this, you might end up focusing on the wrong things, like the ingredients of your product or the science behind it, instead of how it can help the customer reach their goal. In the cutthroat world of business, knowing these 'rules' is crucial. It's not enough to have a great product or to work your tail off. You've got to understand your customer's needs, how your product meets those needs, and how to communicate that effectively. Only then can you hope to 'win' in business. So, to wrap it up, you can't hope to succeed in business if you don't understand the rules of the game. No matter how great your product is or how hard you work, without this understanding, you're not going to get very far.
02Knowing your stuff makes the sale, ignorance loses it
In "Gap Selling," Jim Keenan uses a personal story to drive home the importance of knowledge and the pitfalls of ignorance in sales. He tells us about a time he played in a school football game, despite not knowing the first thing about the sport. His lack of understanding led to a crucial mistake that cost his team the match. His teammates weren't mad because he wasn't a good player, but because his lack of knowledge about the game's rules and strategies led to their loss. This tale is a perfect metaphor for the sales process. Just like Keenan's lack of football knowledge led to his team's loss, not understanding the market, the customer's needs, or the product can lead to missed sales opportunities. Keenan argues that many businesses don't fail because they don't have a product to sell, but because they don't fully grasp the market or their customers' needs. The key takeaway here is that knowledge is power in sales. The more you know about your customer's problems, the better equipped you are to offer a solution. This is where 'gap selling' comes into play. The 'gap' is the difference between where the customer is now and where they want to be. It's the salesperson's job to identify this gap and present their product or service as the bridge that can get the customer there. On the flip side, ignorance can be a major roadblock in sales. If a salesperson doesn't understand the customer's problem, they can't effectively sell a solution. This is like Keenan trying to play football without knowing the rules. No matter how athletic he was, his lack of knowledge about the game's rules and strategies led to his team's loss. For instance, if a salesperson is trying to sell a software solution to a company, but they don't understand the company's specific needs or the challenges they're facing, they won't be able to effectively sell their product. The company is unlikely to invest in a solution that doesn't address their specific problems. In a nutshell, Keenan's book underscores the importance of knowledge and the dangers of ignorance in the sales process. By understanding the customer's problems and offering a solution that tackles these issues, salespeople can boost their chances of success. On the other hand, ignorance of the customer's needs and the market can lead to missed sales opportunities.
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Full summary is waiting for you in the app
03Don't just rely on your sales tools, use your brain too
04If your product improves lives, you're golden
05Know your stuff, it's the bedrock of your brand
06First meeting with a client? Make it about them, not you
07If your product doesn't solve a unique problem, it's not the right deal
08A good salesperson always has a plan B
09Conclusion
About Jim Keenan
Jim Keenan is a renowned sales leader, keynote speaker, and CEO/President of A Sales Guy Inc. With over 20 years of experience, he specializes in sales execution, recruiting, and individual and team sales coaching. He is recognized for his innovative approach to sales and his expertise in social selling.
