Is it pain or is it friendship

When selling a job do you try to find out what the jobseekers pain points are or try the relationship strategy to win them over. This is an interesting concept because in the past I usually tried to develop a friendship. Now, because of having a sales role in addition to my recruitment consulting I understood that uncovering the jobseekers pain points might be a better way to sell. According to sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, it's the relationship that is important.

Pain does NOT drive a sale. If you’re in a prospective customer’s office or on any sales call, here’s what to look for and here’s what to uncover:

• Find the friendly. All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends. No pain there.
• Find the common ground. What is there in the rapport building that “clicks.” Something that sparks the conversation and takes it deeper. Smiles, things of common interest. Things that build initial comfort – maybe even trust. No pain there.
• Find the engagement. How meaningful can you make your questions so that you get to the heart of the prospect’s important issues? No pain there.
• Find the need. In conversation and two-way dialogue precipitated by your questions, uncover the real needs.
• Find the symptoms and address the needs. Needs are not painful; they’re challenges that you can convert to sales. No pain there.
• Find the desire. By exposing desire you at once understand (beyond need) how important your product or service is to the prospect. No pain there.
• Find the opportunity. Common ground, engagement, need, and desire will expose the one element necessary for you to make sales: OPPORTUNITY. Your job is to discover how to take advantage of it. No pain there.
• Find the difference. The difference between you and your competition that the customer perceives. There may be some pain here – if the prospect thinks the competition is better than you. OUCH!