Customer Pain Point Identification
Identifying Customer Pain Points Through Discovery Questions
This prompt helps sales teams develop targeted discovery questions to uncover customer pain points during initial conversations. It focuses on building rapport, understanding challenges, and aligning the product’s value to address these issues effectively.
Responsible:
Sales
Accountable, Informed or Consulted:
Sales, Marketing, Customer Success
THE PREP
Creating effective prompts involves tailoring them with detailed, relevant information and uploading documents that provide the best context. Prompts act as a framework to guide the response, but specificity and customization ensure the most accurate and helpful results. Use these prep tips to get the most out of this prompt:
Research the target audience’s common challenges, workflows, and priorities.
Identify industry-specific trends or pain points to incorporate into discussions.
Prepare examples of how the product addresses similar issues for other customers.
THE PROMPT
Help craft discovery questions to identify the pain points of [specific target audience or industry] during sales conversations for [specific software product or service]. Focus on:
Building Rapport: Recommending questions that encourage open dialogue, such as ‘What are the biggest challenges your team faces in [specific area]?’ or ‘What’s working well, and what could be better in your current process?’
Uncovering Inefficiencies: Proposing questions to explore areas of friction, such as ‘How long does it typically take to complete [specific task]?’ or ‘Are there manual processes that you’d like to streamline?’
Prioritizing Goals: Suggesting ways to understand their key objectives, such as ‘What’s your top priority for this quarter/year?’ or ‘Are there specific metrics you’re looking to improve?’
Addressing Industry-Specific Needs: Including targeted questions that align with their sector, such as ‘How do you manage [specific challenge unique to their industry]?’
Call-to-Action: Recommending follow-ups that keep the conversation focused, such as, ‘Would you like me to share how we’ve helped others with similar challenges?’
Provide example scripts for discovery conversations tailored to [specific prospect type], ensuring responses encourage openness and build trust. If additional details about their industry or role are needed, ask clarifying questions to refine the dialogue.
Bonus Add-On Prompts
Propose methods for tailoring discovery questions to specific roles, such as CEOs, IT managers, or HR leaders.
Suggest strategies for transitioning from pain point discovery to demonstrating relevant product features.
Highlight techniques for identifying unspoken or latent challenges through probing follow-ups.
Use AI responsibly by verifying its outputs, as it may occasionally generate inaccurate or incomplete information. Treat AI as a tool to support your decision-making, ensuring human oversight and professional judgment for critical or sensitive use cases.
SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE
Focus on different stages of the sales funnel, tailoring questions for cold outreach or warm leads.
Include tips for navigating sensitive topics, such as budget constraints or team inefficiencies.
Propose ways to integrate customer pain points into CRM notes for future reference.
Highlight tools for automating and recording discovery conversations, like Gong or Salesforce.
Add suggestions for analyzing responses to refine pain point identification strategies.
WHEN TO USE
During initial sales conversations to uncover customer challenges and needs.
When targeting industries with known inefficiencies or evolving workflows.
To build trust and align the product’s value with the prospect’s priorities.
WHEN NOT TO USE
If the prospect shows no interest in discussing their processes or challenges.
When the conversation focuses solely on price or feature comparisons without exploring needs.