How many times have you been in a sales situation and walked out without the order? Understanding the needs of the prospect, and psychologists tell us there are 5 (pain, fear, present pleasure, future pleasure and curiosity), means you have to put in the time to understand what's important to them.

With buyers being more and more sophisticated you are not selling something to them, you can only help them get what they emotionally want. You become the problem solver, which means you must uncover what their pain or pleasure is that they have not yet fixed. This is an emotional issue not an intellectual one so features and benefits don't really do the job.

You must go to work, that means creating a buying atmosphere, which establishes the following:

1. The pain or pleasure must be one your product or service can fix.
2. The prospect must be aware there is a problem.
3. The prospect must own up to the problem.
4. The prospect must want to change the present condition.
5. There must be willing to make a commitment to avoid the pain or gain the pleasure.

When you take the time to ask the questions then closing naturally follows. It is an exciting conclusion with a favorable buying decision. The buyer gains trust in you and you gain the confidence and motivation to move on to the next sale.