Do you even know what the problem is, Bro?
One of the main reasons people are so confused about solving their sales problems is that they don’t clearly understand the differences between symptoms, problems, causes, and solutions.
Let’s use a simple medical example.
You’re not feeling well, so you visit the doctor. The doctor asks, “What’s going on? What’s the problem?” And you say, “I have a headache, a sore throat, and a cough for three days. It seems to be getting worse.”
Those aches and pains sound like a problem. They’re not. Those are symptoms of a problem. When the doctor begins the examination, he’s trying to find the problem causing the symptoms. After a bit of poking and prodding and a test, he declares that your problem is strep throat.
Before the doctor can prescribe the solution to your problem, he has to identify the root cause. The root cause of strep throat is a bacterial infection. The typical solution is to take antibiotics. If the root cause of the symptoms was instead a viral infection, the prescribed solution would be different because antibiotics don’t heal viral infections.
So, here’s the thing: Before you can solve your sales problems, you have to distinguish the symptoms of the problems from the root causes. Only then can you determine and implement the solution.
