How to Find a Problem Big Enough to Act On Now.
Here's a deal that fools a lot of good salespeople. The buyer is friendly. The calls go fine. They say the problem is "definitely something we want to fix." Months later, nothing has happened. The truth is, the problem was never urgent. It was a nice-to-have, not a must-fix. To find a problem big enough to act on now, you have to ask one hard question early. Let me show you.
The mistake most people make
Most people fall for a nice-to-have problem and treat it like a real one. The buyer sounds keen, so you get excited. You hear "we'd love to improve this" and you start building a deal around it. But "we'd love to" is not "we have to." A nice-to-have has no deadline and no cost of waiting. So it always loses to whatever is on fire that week. You pour in weeks of work, and the deal just quietly fades.
What good looks like
Good salespeople find a problem the buyer must fix, and soon. They ask what the pain actually costs, and what happens if nothing changes. They listen for a real reason it can't wait. When the pain is strong, they lean in. When it's weak, they say so, and they spend their time on a better deal instead. That honesty is what keeps their pipeline full of deals that actually close.
How to do it
Name the pain and why it can't wait
For every deal, write down the real problem in one line. Then add why it must be fixed now. If you can't answer the "now" part, you've found a gap.
"They're losing two reps a quarter, and a big hiring push starts in eight weeks. That's why now."
Put a cost on doing nothing
Ask what waiting actually costs. Money, time, missed targets, a frustrated boss. A real problem has a price tag. A nice-to-have does not.
"If this slips another quarter, what does that cost you? What does your boss say in that review?"
Decide where your time goes
If the pain is weak, be honest with yourself. Either find a stronger reason to act, or move your hours to a deal that's more likely to close.
"There's no real urgency here yet. I'll check back next quarter and focus today on the deals that can't wait."
See the difference
"So it sounds like better hiring is something you'd like to sort out. Great, let me put a plan together." You walked away with a wish. There's no deadline and no cost of waiting, so the deal will sit there for months.
"You said hiring is slow. Help me understand the cost. What does a slow hire cost you, and what happens if it's still slow in six months?" The buyer says, "We'll miss our growth number, and that's on me in the board review." Now you know it's a must-fix, and why it can't wait.
Same buyer. Same problem. One version leaves with a nice feeling. The other leaves with a reason the buyer has to act now.
How you'll know it's working
You've got this when you can point to a problem big enough to make the buyer decide now. Look at your live deals. For each one, can you say out loud why the buyer has to act, and what waiting costs them? If yes, you're there. A deal built on a must-fix problem moves. A deal built on a nice-to-have just sits, no matter how friendly the buyer is.
Questions people ask
What does it mean to find a problem big enough to act on now?
It means the buyer has a pain they must fix soon, not one they'd just like to fix someday. A problem worth acting on has a real cost of waiting, like lost money, missed targets, or a deadline. This is the "I" for Implicate the Pain in MEDDPICC. meritt treats it as the test that tells you if a deal is real or just a nice chat.
How do I tell a must-fix problem from a nice-to-have?
Ask what waiting actually costs. A must-fix problem has a price tag and a deadline. The buyer can tell you what they lose each week it goes unsolved, and why it can't slip. A nice-to-have has neither. It sounds positive, like "we'd love to improve this," but there's no pain in waiting, so it always loses to more urgent work.
What questions show me how urgent a problem really is?
Ask about the cost of doing nothing. Try: "What does this cost you today?" and "What happens if it's still like this in six months?" Then listen for a real cost, like a missed target or a stressed boss. If the buyer can't name any cost, the problem probably isn't urgent yet, and the deal may not be ready.
What should I do if the problem isn't urgent enough?
Be honest with yourself and act on it. First, dig once more for a stronger reason to act, like an upcoming deadline or a new goal. If there still isn't one, move your time to a deal that's more likely to close. Parking a weak deal isn't quitting. It's choosing where your hours do the most good.
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