If only it were that simple

[rifat28dddd]

In other words, you may be unintentionally confusing the importance and priority of the problem the customer is looking to solve.

Importance is the size and magnitude of the problem the customer is looking to solve.

Priority is the customer’s sense of urgency to solve it.

Does this narrative sound familiar?

“We spoke to the customer a number of times and identified their key issues. They liked the demo and gave us the green light to help build a business case. The case was compelling and included conservative assumptions that they agreed made sense. We forecasted the deal to close but after ALL that work, they STILL didn’t move forward with us!”

Perplexed, we ponder what went wrong, confident the deal was a sure thing. After all, the prospect agreed that solving the problem was important and we even helped them quantify the value of making the purchase.


The customer may have considered solving the georgia telegram data problem to be important. But that doesn’t mean it was a priority. The difference is subtle but critical.

For example, you might say your health is very important to you. Yet, if I were to follow you around for a week and record what you ate, how you spent your time, and your exercise regimen, my observations might tell a different story about the priority you place on your health.

In the same way, salespeople are trained to find out how important solving a problem might be to a customer. But in the face of multiple problems, competing projects, and endless distractions, that doesn’t mean they’re ready to solve it right now.

The key to improving both your revenue attainment and forecast accuracy lies in identifying, and in many cases catalyzing, your customer’s sense of urgency to solve their important problems.