Maximize your go-to-market team’s potential

What sets top performers apart? Which deals have the most risk? Which messages resonate with your buyers? Get a demo to see how Gong can help.

Thank you for your submission.

Guides

28 Laser-focused Sandler Pain Funnel questions

Use these Sandler Pain Funnel questions to uncover your prospects’ pain points through emotional understanding and close more deals.

What you’ll learn
  • Sandler Pain Funnel questons
    Questions are the backbone of all sales conversations. Use the Sandler Pain Funnel questions in the discovery process to qualify prospects and position yourself as a trusted advisor.
  • Uncover true pain
    Want to boost your close rates? This series of questions will reveal critical customer pain points that you can leverage to build deal momentum. 
  • Drive emotional impact
    Use these open-ended questions to connect with a potential customer on an emotional level and guide them through the sales pain funnel.

How to use the Sandler pain funnel questions
  • Connect with your prospects
    Every prospect has different goals and reasons for buying. Use these information-gathering openers to learn what those are (without sounding pushy).
  • Uncover customer needs
    Prospects don’t always know what they need. Learn how to get buyers to self-identify with the problem your solution addresses and come to conclusions on their own.
  • Fill your sales pipeline
    Add these Sandler Pain Funnel questions to your sales playbook and use them to fill your pipeline with more opportunities.

Get the Sandler pain funnel questions & within seconds you’ll learn
  • Effective openers
    Nothing kills a deal faster than a botched beginning. Successful reps use these openers to build rapport and establish trust with their prospects.
  • Probing questions
    Don’t expect prospects to just spill their biggest challenges. Use these probing questions to get to the root of a problem.
  • Uncover buying motivations
    Top sales reps ask these pain questions to dig deep into their prospects’ pain and find out what their buying motivations are.
  • Power words
    How you can use emotional words to tap into pain and get a reaction from potential buyers.
  • Assess the current situation
    Why are your prospects looking for a solution and why now? These questions will help you assess their current situation to better understand their needs. 
  • Discover prompter
    Find out what a Discovery Prompter is and why you should include it in your sales deck.
  • Open-ended questions
    Answers like “yes” and “no” aren’t doing you any favors. Get prospects to give you rich and in-depth replies with these open-ended questions so you can craft a great follow-up.
Review

Finished going through the pain funnel with your prospects? Ask these questions to make sure you’re not missing anything important.


And there’s so much more…

Get to the heart of the problems and challenges that your prospects are facing

These Sandler Pain Funnel questions enable you to dig deep and bring true pain points to the surface.


Faqs

What’s included with the Sandler pain funnel questions?

A: By downloading the Sandler Pain Funnel questions, you’ll get a list of 28 questions to help you open the pain-point conversation and uncover customer needs.

Who are these Sandler pain funnel questions for?

A: These Sandler Pain Funnel questions are perfect for:

  • Sales managers: Add these questions to your playbook to better support your sales team.
  • Sales reps: Level up your prospecting and win bigger opportunities.
What format are the Sandler pain funnel questions sent in?

A: You’ll get all of the Sandler Pain Funnel questions in a single PDF, which you can open in Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

What is the Sandler pain funnel?

A: The Sandler Pain Funnel is a series of open-ended questions. They’re part of the Sandler Selling System — a sales methodology that focuses on asking the right questions to qualify prospects and uncover their pain points. It advises sales reps to act as consultants rather than a pushy sales professional jumping straight into a pitch.

What are the three levels of pain in the Sandler methodology?

A: The sales pain funnel is broken down into three levels:

  • Level 1: Surface Problems. The first level of the Sandler Pain Funnel is to understand your prospects’ pain points and bring them to the surface.
  • Level 2: Business Reasons. The second level looks at uncovering the reasons prospects are looking for a solution.
  • Level 3: Emotional Impact. Finally, the third level is all about getting prospects to see the consequences of their problems if they’re not overcome.
What are the steps of the Sandler selling system?

A: The Sandler Selling System consists of the following steps:

  1. Bonding and rapport: The first step is all about establishing a bond and building rapport with potential buyers. This encourages open communication and builds trust. 
  2. Up-front contracts: The second step involves establishing rules for the conversation and setting expectations. The goal is to create a more transparent environment with your prospect. 
  3. Pain: This is part of the qualification process. After establishing rapport, you’ll identify pain points and determine whether your products or services are a good fit.
  4. Budget: What distinguishes the Sandler Selling System from other methodologies is that you’ll discuss budgets early on to determine if prospects can afford your solution.
  5. Decision: If a prospect is a good fit for your products or services, you’ll move on to the decision-making process. This is where the prospect will decide whether to make a purchase or not. 
  6. Fulfillment: The fulfillment stage is all about closing the sale. You’ll present a proposal that meets all requirements and get prospects to act.
  7. Post-sell: The final stage involves providing support and ensuring that your customers are satisfied with their purchase.
Looking for more sales tips?

A: Check out these resources below to take your sales to the next level:

  • Top 12 Sales Methodologies: How to Choose the Right One: The Sandler Selling System isn’t the only sales methodology. In this blog post, we provide an in-depth look at the top 12 sales methodologies — what they are, how they work, and how to determine which one is right for you.
  • 12 Sales Discovery Questions To Pinpoint Real Pain: When you understand your prospects’ pain points, you can tailor your sales pitch and position your products as the solution. These sales discovery questions will help you uncover true pain. We also cover when you should ask them and why.
  • The Ultimate Guide to Asking Sales Questions (And 29 Questions You Can Use Today): Asking the right questions helps you learn about customer concerns, uncover pain points, and demonstrate your expertise. Here’s a complete list of questions that cover the entire sales process, from prospecting to closing. Plus, get data-backed tips that’ll have you closing deals like a pro.

ASK SALES QUESTIONS LIKE A PRO

Get the Sandler Pain Funnel questions now to uncover customer challenges and pain points.

Thank you for your submission.