Problem Finding Over Problem Solving
You can only be a problem solver after they buy — first be a problem finder.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 85%
Miner distinguishes problem finding from problem solving. Most reps hear one problem and immediately sell to it, but that keeps the gap small — the prospect looks at that one problem and concludes it isn't that bad or they can fix it alone. Instead you must find two, three, four, or five problems the prospect didn't realize they had, which makes the gap large enough that they can't self-solve. Actual problem solving only happens after they buy; before the sale your job is purely to find and widen problems.
Origin
Miner derived the principle from field experience watching reps lose deals by solving the first stated problem, and from gap-selling behavioral science on how the size of the current-versus-desired gap drives decisions.
Core principles
- 01Selling to the one problem a prospect volunteers keeps the gap small and easy for them to self-solve.
- 02Surfacing three to five unrealized problems makes the gap too big to ignore.
- 03Problem solving happens after the purchase, not before.
- 04A bigger gap between current and desired state is what drives the buy.
How to run it
- 1
Don't sell to the first problem
When a prospect volunteers one problem, resist the reflex to pitch your solution to it — that keeps the gap small.
Watch out They'll decide the single problem isn't that bad or that they can solve it themselves, and ghost.
- 2
Find the unrealized problems
Ask problem-awareness questions that help the prospect discover two to five additional problems they didn't know they had.
Pro tip More problems means a bigger gap and a stronger reason to change.
- 3
Attach consequences
Tie each problem to what happens if it's not solved — for a lead-gen client, going out of business and the personal fallout that follows.
Pro tip Consequences convert logical problems into emotional stakes.
- 4
Reserve solving for after the sale
Remember you can only be a problem solver once they've bought; before that, stay a problem finder.
In the wild
A marketing prospect says their problem is 'not enough leads.' Rather than pitching lead-gen, Miner surfaces related problems — unqualified leads, wrong avatar targeting, sales follow-up gaps — and their consequences.
→ Even if the prospect thinks they could fix the first problem alone, the four other surfaced problems make the gap too big and they buy.
Common mistakes
Solving the one stated problem
Selling to the single problem the prospect names creates a small gap they can rationalize away, leading to ghosting.
Is it for you?
Best for
Consultative sellers who want larger deals and fewer 'I can do this myself' walkaways.
Not ideal for
Simple single-need transactions where there genuinely is only one problem.
From the transcript
“you can't be a problem solver if they don't buy right you you only be a problem solver after they buy uh but if I…”
“if I can help them find two or three or four or five other problems they didn't realize they had how big is that Gap…”
From the episode
Jeremy Miner: The Neuroscience of Selling, Master the Secrets to Effortless Sales
Jeremy Miner