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How to Make a Deck
How to Make a Deck
Module 02 · The sales deck~150s dwell · weight 12

Problem confirmation

By the How to Make a Deck editors·

Get the buyer to say the problem back to you in their own words, on record, before you show anything about your product. A problem the rep states is forgettable; a problem the buyer states out loud is the thing they'll defend internally later.

Winning by Design's SPICED framework treats 'Pain' as a two-way confirmation step, not a slide the rep reads; Gong call data shows top performers spend 2-3 minutes here letting the buyer talk more than the rep does.

Include
  • Restate the pain you heard in discovery as a question, not a statement
  • Let the buyer correct, sharpen, or add detail, and write down what they say
  • Ask who else feels this pain (finance, ops, the contractors themselves)
  • Ask how they cope with it today, in their own words
  • Pause and let silence do the work instead of filling it
Cut
  • A bullet list of 'common pains in your industry'
  • Moving to the solution before the buyer confirms the pain themselves
  • Assuming the pain from the intro call still ranks first for this buyer
  • Talking over the buyer's answer to add your own framing
Red flags a reader notices
  • Buyer answers with a shrug ('yeah I guess, it's fine')
  • Buyer describes a different, unrelated problem than the one you prepped for
  • Buyer defers to someone else in the room to answer ('ask Dana')
Pitfalls behind them
  • The rep states the problem as a fact instead of asking the buyer to confirm it.
  • The rep moves on after a lukewarm 'sure' instead of probing for a number.
  • The pain confirmed doesn't map to a budget line anyone owns.
60-second self-test
  • · In your last three calls, did the buyer say the problem back in their own words, or did you say it for them?
  • · Do you have a note of who specifically owns this pain, by name and title?
Template
You mentioned [pain] costs your team [time/money]. Is that still the biggest blocker, or has something changed since we last talked?
Weak

"A lot of companies struggle with international payroll compliance."

Strong

"Last time we talked, your ops lead said onboarding a new contractor in Brazil takes 11 days and touches four systems. Is that still the case, or has it gotten worse since you hired in two new countries?"

Cites a specific prior statement, a number, and a named role, then invites the buyer to update or confirm it live.

Quick quiz

Pick an answer. Nothing is graded, and correct answers stay hidden until you choose.

1. Why confirm the problem in the buyer's own words instead of stating it yourself?
2. A lukewarm 'yeah I guess, it's fine' response means the rep should…

Sources

Next step
Next: Cost of inaction →Back: Buyer-tailored opening
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