Stop selling what you think your customers need and start doing this instead

"I used to think I was a great salesperson because I had all the right answers. I knew my product inside and out. I could explain every feature, every benefit, every reason someone should say yes. And I did what most people do-I led with that. Confident. Certain. Ready to convince. And I lost deals I should have won."

"When I finished, the client looked at me and said, "That's nice... but that's not what I'm looking for." It was a gut punch. Not because they rejected me-but because I realized something in that moment: I never once asked what they wanted. I was so focused on what I thought they needed that I skipped the only step that mattered-understanding them."

"People don't buy what you think they need. They buy what they want-and then justify it later. If you're not tapping into that want immediately, you're already behind."

"Here's the rub: a pitch isn't a performance. It's a conversation with a rhythm. The best communicators don't push-they pull. They don't overwhelm-they align. They guide a conversation so the other person feels seen, heard, understood. And then, only then, do they present a solution that feels like the obvious next step."

A sales approach focused on having the right answers can lose deals because it skips understanding what the buyer actually wants. A pitch that delivers features and benefits without asking questions can fail when the client says the offer is not what they are looking for. Effective communication treats a pitch as a conversation with a rhythm rather than a performance. The best communicators pull through questions, align with the buyer’s perspective, and make the other person feel seen and understood. Discovery comes before declaration, using questions to uncover frustrations, desires, and what success looks like. Trust forms when the buyer’s goals are clarified, and the solution then feels like the next logical step.

Read at Fast Company