🔍 Understanding the "Negative Situation" Stage in a Sales Conversation
The Negative Situation is the first and arguably most critical part of a sales conversation. This stage is focused on uncovering what’s going wrong in the prospect’s life that led them to reach out, book an appointment, or walk through your gym doors. You do not proceed with any other part of the conversation until this is fully identified and emotionally meaningful.
🎯 Objective
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Identify and explore the core problem the prospect is trying to solve.
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Achieve a Level 2 or Level 3 conversation (deeper emotional insight).
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Establish rapport and open the prospect up to share truthfully and vulnerably.
âś… Checklist to Complete This Stage
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Initial Prompt
Ask a soft opener like:“So, what brought you in today?”
or
“What made you decide to check us out?” -
Move Past Surface-Level Responses
If the answer is generic (“Just checking it out”), use indirect "why" questions:-
“What are you currently doing to improve [their goal]?”
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“What led you to want to lose weight in the first place?”
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“What’s important about that to you?”
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Pain Expansion Sequence (Use these 4 prompts):
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Impact: “Where is that showing up in your daily life?”
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Duration: “How long has this been going on?”
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Cause: “What do you feel started this issue?”
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Trigger: “Why now? Was there a recent event that made this the right time?”
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Information Gathering (after emotional buy-in is present):
Ask rapid-fire situational questions like:-
“What’s your current weight?”
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“Have you tried anything before?”
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“What did you like or dislike about that?”
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“Is there anything else I should know?”
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🧠Key Principles
đź’¬ Level 3 Conversations Matter
The goal is emotional depth. A Level 3 conversation uncovers real motivations like health fears, relationship issues, self-esteem struggles—not just surface-level goals like “get fit.”
⏳ Stay Here Until It Means Something
Don't move forward until the prospect has clearly stated a meaningful problem they want to solve. This primes them for higher trust, stronger emotional buy-in, and more effective conversion in later stages.
đź“Š Data Comes After Emotion
Only gather data (weight, history, etc.) after you've unlocked emotional commitment. That order matters for impact.
đź’ˇ Pro Tip
Avoid just asking “why?” over and over. It becomes robotic and socially awkward. Instead, rephrase “why” as a thoughtful question tied to their goals or situation.
🔜 What’s Next?
Once the Negative Situation is fully explored and understood, you’re ready to move into the Desired Destination stage—where you discover the vision your prospect is moving toward.