Insight Selling: Surprising Research on What Sales Winners Do Differently

Appendix

RAIN Selling

RAIN stands for:

1. Rapport
2. Aspirations and Afflictions
3. Impact
4. New Reality

Also, the A and the I perform double duty as a reminder to balance Advocacy and Inquiry, and the IN will help you remember to maximize your influence.

Following is an overview of the major components of RAIN (Figure A.1).

Figure A.1 RAIN Selling^SM

Rapport

As noted in Chapter 4, although rapport and personal connections don’t represent the totality of strong business relationships, these elements remain vitally important.

Building rapport is sometimes dismissed as a ploy to make a superficial connection with a potential buyer. We agree—you shouldn’t make superficial connections; you should make genuine connections. Genuine rapport sets the table for the rest of the conversation and creates the foundation for trust. A genuine connection with a buyer is so important in selling because, all things being equal, buyers buy from—and trust—people they like. Rapport is not enough to win, but without it, sellers don’t get very far.

Aspirations and Afflictions

Many sales methodologies suggest that to sell products and services as solutions to needs, you must first uncover the buyer’s problem or pain. However, all too often, these words drive sellers to employ find-out-what’s-wrong-and-fix-it thinking. Let’s say the buyer doesn’t perceive anything to be wrong. Soothe-the-pain sellers find ...