Book SummaryGap Selling, by Keenan

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Gap Selling

Do you feel like your sales process just isn’t delivering the results you want? In Gap Selling, Keenan argues that you may need to shift your focus—from the product you are trying to sell to your customer’s problems and how you can solve them. His approach calls on you to ask probing questions and get to the root of your customer’s issue. This not only increases the likelihood of a sale, but allows you to provide your customer with a true solution instead of a superficial quick fix.

Keenan is the CEO of the...

Gap Selling Summary Part 1: “The Gap” and How It Drives Sales

Keenan’s selling technique is based on figuring out how you can address a customer’s needs. In this section, we’ll first discuss the factors that motivate a customer’s purchase and how Keenan’s sales techniques respond to them. Finally, we’ll explore Keenan’s method for uncovering what will drive your customer to buy from you.

What Drives a Customer to Buy?

Keenan discusses two main reasons why customers buy: to overcome a problem, and because you offer them a solution.

1) To Overcome a Problem

Keenan emphasizes that all sales originate from a customer’s problem:Without a clear issue to address, there’s no reason for them to look for a solution. That is, if a customer is perfectly content with their situation, they have no need to buy anything, and you’re unlikely to make any headway on a sale. On the other hand, he says, if they have some difficulty, challenge, or problem, you can position your product or service as a solution.

(Shortform note: Research in psychology and behavioral economics bolsters the idea that customers are strongly motivated by problems. Studies have found that people place [more weight on their losses than their gains in making...

Gap Selling Summary Part 2: Making the Sale

Once you understand your customer’s gap, you can leverage that information to make the sale. According to Keenan, you can effectively sell your products and services by first evaluating the value that your solution will provide to your customer by closing the gap and then demonstrating that value. We’ll explore each of these parts below.

Step 1: Evaluate the Value of Your Solution

Once you’ve revealed your customer’s underlying issues and their long-term goals, you’ll be able to quantify how much value your solution offers them. Keenan explains that measuring the effect of the solution will indicate how much your product is worth to your customer. The greater the value you provide, the more enticing your solution will appear to your customer, and the more it will be worth. He recommends three steps to calculate the value of the solution: measuring the benefit you provide, measuring the cost to the customer, and weighing the two against one another.

(Shortform note: While it may be tempting to overstate the value or undersell the costs of your solution, sales experts emphasize [the importance of accuracy when estimating the costs or benefits of your proposed...

Gap Selling Summary Part 3: Managing a Sales Team

Finally, Keenan offers his advice for applying the principles of gap selling to management of a team of sales representatives. He focuses on two strategies in particular: asking your sales representatives questions and keeping them accountable to sales targets.

Strategy #1: Frequently Ask Your Sales Representatives Questions

To ensure that your sales representatives are putting gap selling principles into practice, Keenan recommends frequently asking them questions about their clients and about the state of the sale. He explains that gap selling requires a more thorough approach to tracking and managing your ongoing sales when compared to traditional techniques. He argues that asking questions allows you to verify your sales representatives’ knowledge while identifying gaps in their understanding of the sale. Furthermore, by asking about the sale, managers can support their sales representatives by providing strategies and ideas to guide them through the process.

(Shortform note: Research supports Keenan’s call for a structured and rigorous approach to sales pipeline management. One study found that [companies saw 28% higher revenue growth if they implemented just...

Shortform Exercise: Analyze Your Last Lost Sale

In Gap Selling, understanding why a sale didn’t close is crucial for improving your approach. This exercise will help you apply Keenan’s principles to a recent lost sale, potentially revealing areas for improvement in your sales process. Think about the last significant sale you lost, and consider the following questions:

How well did you understand the customer’s present condition? What specific problems or challenges were they facing that you might have overlooked?

Shortform Exercise: Apply Gap Selling to Your Next Sale

This exercise will give you a chance to put Keenan’s Gap selling principles into practice. For this exercise, think about a potential customer or client you’re currently trying to sell to or will approach soon. Then use the principles of Gap Selling to prepare for your next interaction with them.

What problem do you think this customer is facing? Describe their present condition and their desired ideal future condition.