Utilising the Gap Technique is one of the most effective ways to solidify your sales strategy.

Do you use the Gap Technique every single time you talk to customers or prospects?

Most people just show up and talk to customers or prospects without relying on a technique. They often feel like they are tripping over their words without making an impact.

After reading this article, you will never have to feel lost for words or off track again.

We call it the Gap Technique. In this article, we will focus primarily on how the technique works and how you can use the technique. The real value of the technique is that you can use it for any sales situation. It doesn’t matter whether you are selling a product or service, or sharing a testimonial from a previous client.

Testimonials aren’t strong sales pitches, but they come across in an unbiased voice and establish trust. You’re using real people to show success in your product or service. Testimonials build trust, credibility and loyalty with your customers.

A well-formed client testimonial can completely change a customer’s relationship with your brand. Strong testimonials have the power to build trust and reduce fear and will ultimately land you a new customer. Unless you know how to utilise a testimonial, its impact will often be lost. In the end, your testimonials will be there to convert more prospects into customers as long as you use them correctly. The magic is in the Gap Technique, once mastered it can be a powerful tool in your sales toolbox.

You can start a conversation at step 1 and go through until step 6, or you can start with step 3 and finish with step 6.

The skill is in the delivery of the technique, so we have broken it down into 6 easy steps.

Step 1: Start with a positive result, e.g. I am so happy with my new shoes.

Step 2: Then say “but it wasn’t always this way”.

Step 3: State the problems, bad experiences, what you tried and what didn’t work.

Step 4: Then say “Until I discovered / read / tried / implemented / bought, etc” then mention the product.

Step 5: Share the positive outcome, e.g. my feet are not tired or sore anymore.

Step 6: Finish with a call to action “if you want to buy the best shoes …”

See the 6 steps on the diagram to follow the sequence. It might sound simple, but try the Gap Technique and see the impact it truly has on others.

Let me give you two scenarios of how this works in real life.

Scenario 1 is used to sell a product or service and Scenario 2 is used to share a testimonial of a previous client.

Scenario 1

If you are in sales and you want to sell a product or service, here’s how you can do it. Let’s pretend you sell shoes.

Step 1: “I’m wearing probably the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned in my life.”

Step 2: “It wasn’t always the case.”

Step 3: “All my life, I have tried to find comfortable shoes. I’ve always bought expensive shoes and they were still not comfortable. I stand a lot and my heels were always sore and my feet used to swell up while I’m doing presentations. At one point it felt like I’ve tried everything. I went to orthopaedic surgeons and they recommended some shoes and some were good but I was never totally satisfied”

Step 4: “…until I recently discovered the best shoes on the market.”

Step 5: “Now it feels like I can stand on my feet for over 10 hours a day and present and my feet are not getting tired.

Step 6: “If you want the best quality shoes at the right price, that will keep your feet feeling good all day long without losing the style and comfort, you should buy XYZ.”

Scenario 2

If you wanted to share a testimonial from a previous client with a customer or prospect, here’s a real-life example.

Step 1: John’s company, Company ABC has a great culture and the people are extremely happy.

Step 2: But it wasn’t always the case.

Step 3: Company ABC had high staff turnover and were struggling to retain its staff. They constantly recruited but people lasted less than 2 years and moved on to other companies. They tried to incorporate table tennis and offer cake to staff every Friday. When that didn’t work they tried to start a social club. They even let staff leave on a Friday at 3 pm instead of 5 pm, but nothing seemed to work.

Step 4: Until they investigated and found that people are unhappy with the office space and kitchen break-out areas.

Step 5: Company ABC did a complete fit-out with new chairs, desks and a kitchen upgrade. Since then, nobody has left the company in 5 years. They feel happier being in the environment and the staff are working well together and are more united, which has changed the culture for the better.

Step 6: Mr or Mrs CEO, we can help your company to boost the culture, lower the staff turnover and have happy employees by doing a complete fit-out for your company.

Conclusion

So, if you understand what the problem is, the impact of the problem and where to go next, then you are using this technique to its fullest.

Try the Gap Technique the next time you talk to customers and prospects and leave us a comment as to the results you had when selling a product or service, or sharing a testimonial from a previous client.