Gap Selling with Gen AI to drive problem-centric conversations

Gap selling is a sales methodology that uses a problem-centric approach to shift focus from features to the customer's world.

Coined by Keenan, CEO of A Sales Growth Company and author of Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes, it's all about finding and closing the "gap" between a prospect's current situation and their desired future state. Close the gap to close the deal.

For individual sales reps, mastering this shift moves them from pitching to problem-solving.

For sales leaders, it's a way to coach more effectively, drive consistency across the sales team, and build a sales process rooted in buyer outcomes, not guesswork.

In this article, we'll:

• Break down Gap Selling's core ideas
• Show you the problem identification chart
• Share tips to use it in your sales strategy
• Highlight real benefits
• Compare it with other sales methodologies
• Show you how to apply it using sales call analytics and coaching

What is Gap Selling?

At its core, Gap Selling is based on a simple idea: if there's no customer problem, there's no sale. That's the mindset shift most sales organizations need, especially when sales reps are stuck selling features or relying too heavily on charm.

The whole approach is about pinpointing and addressing the gap between where a prospect is today and where they want to be. That gap creates urgency in the buying process and a reason to act. It also shifts the conversation from pitching features to delivering real, measurable value.

Gap selling isn't just about knowing your product. It's about truly understanding the problem your product solves. When your team does that, they stop acting like just another rep and start becoming a trusted advisor who's there to solve real business challenges.

The three parts of a prospect's situation

Gap selling is built on understanding three key components of a buyer's world:

1. The current situation

This is your prospect's current situation. To understand it, you'll need to get into the specifics: what their day-to-day looks like, what's not working, and where the inefficiencies are.

Ask open-ended questions to uncover:

• The type of problem they're facing (technical or business-related)
• The impact of that problem, ideally in terms of real dollars, time, or effort
• The root cause behind it
• The emotion tied to their current situation

Your job is to help them see this clearly and get them to agree that change is needed.

2. The desired future state

This is where the prospect wants to go. Think: goals, results, improvements.

What does success look like for them? What needs to change in their team or business to get there? Your role here is to guide that vision, using smart, strategic questions to open up the conversation.

Your job is to move the prospect towards their desired future state in a collaborative effort.

3. The gap

This is the space between their current situation and desired future state. It's where your value comes in.

The bigger the gap, the more urgent the need for change. And the clearer you are about that gap, the more persuasive your pitch becomes. When you can define and quantify the difference, you help the buyer see why your solution matters now.

The Gap Selling problem identification chart

One of the most practical tools to come out of Keenan's Gap Selling methodology is the Problem Identification Chart.

It's a simple but powerful way to help salespeople map out the gap between where the prospect is today and where they want to be.

Keenan says it's the first thing he has Gap sellers should fill out.

Why?

Because if you don't understand the problems your product solves, you're missing the most important part of Gap Selling.

Let's walk through how the chart works and what each part does.

1. Clarify the current situation

This section helps you outline what's going on with the prospect right now: their challenges, pain points, and inefficiencies.

Basically, what's not working?

Getting this part right sets the foundation. It shows you what problems are real and pressing, instead of just surface-level complaints.

2. Envision the future state

Now flip the lens. What does the prospect actually want? This part of the chart helps you get clear on their goals, aspirations, and what success looks like to them.

Understanding this gives direction to your pitch. Without it, you're just guessing.

3. Close the gap

Here's where the chart starts to come to life.

When you compare the current state with the future state, the space in between is the gap.

That's what your solution needs to bridge.

Seeing the gap laid out like this makes it easier for both you and your prospect to understand what's standing in the way.

4. Pinpoint the root cause

This is where you dig deeper. What's really causing the issues you outlined earlier? The chart prompts you to get to the root because surface symptoms don't sell products. Solving the real problem does.

And when you uncover that, it becomes much easier to show why your solution matters.

5. Quantify the impact

Last but not least: what's the cost of not solving the problem?

This part of the chart helps you put real numbers or emotional consequences behind the gap. Whether it's lost revenue, wasted time, or team burnout, this step gives urgency to the conversation.

How to use the Gap Selling methodology in your sales strategy

Gap Selling works when you take your time with it. You won't find success by memorizing scripts or following strict sales playbooks.

So what actually works?

Be curious about everything

Ask real discovery questions that don't have yes/no answers. You'll need to earn your prospect's trust before they give you the honest answers that matter.

How do you earn it?

By showing them you actually understand their business and have done your research.

Try the probe and provoke approach

This method uses two types of questions that work together:

Probing questions help you understand what's happening now. They get you details about the prospect's situation and help uncover value. Keep them simple without any marketing jargon.

Provoking questions make prospects think differently about their problems. They'll see bigger business impacts and root causes they hadn't considered before.

You might ask "What happens if this problem continues for another year?" or "How is this affecting your team's morale?" Questions like these make you look like the expert in the room.

Watch how you say things

Your delivery can change everything. The same information lands differently based on your tone, timing, and word choice. Learning to tailor your communication style to each prospect can transform your results.

Find what's really wrong

Most problems have deeper causes. Ask "Why?" until you get to what's actually creating the issue. Prospects usually only see symptoms. Your job is to find the disease.

Put a price tag on the problem

What's this issue costing them? Get specific numbers for time, money, or effort wasted. This creates urgency and shows why fixing it matters now.

Then flip it: What’s the upside of solving it? Show potential gains like time saved, deals closed, and churn reduced.

Validating the ROI strengthens the business case and proves that solving the pain point delivers tangible results.

Learn their decision criteria

Use validating questions to confirm what you're hearing. "So what you're saying is..." helps you understand who makes decisions, what matters to them, and what happens next.

Connect current pain to future solutions

Once you know the gap between where they are and where they want to be, position your product as the bridge.

Focus only on features that directly solve their specific problems. Limit yourself to six or fewer key points. Don't talk about your company rankings or irrelevant capabilities. Your expertise in solving their problem builds more credibility than any corporate credential.

Talk less, listen more

The best salespeople let prospects do most of the talking. Ask open-ended questions and pay attention to the answers.

<<image: Label good rep versus bad rep showing better rep listens more and asks more questions throughout the call. >>

Push through awkward moments

Getting deep information feels uncomfortable sometimes. Keep going anyway. If you think you have enough details, you probably don't dig deeper.

If you think you are missing something, circle back and ask again.

You can't script Gap Selling conversations. Each prospect needs questions tailored to their situation. When they describe problems in their own words, you can position your solution to perfectly fill their gap.

Benefits of adopting Gap Selling

Gap Selling transforms you from someone who sells products to someone who solves real business problems. It creates meaningful connections with prospects that go beyond transactions.

Gap Selling can boost your sales results and customer relationships in several ways:

Deeper customer connections

When you focus on your prospect's actual problems and goals, you build real connections. You become someone they trust for advice, unlike other salespeople just trying to make a sale. This trust comes from showing you really understand their challenges.

Selling what matters

Gap selling makes customers feel heard by understanding their challenges first. It matches how people make buying decisions. They want solutions to pain points and ways to reach their goals. You're selling the value of fixing problems, not just product features.

Better close rates

When you clearly show the cost of doing nothing and the value of your solution, you create urgency. This helps convince undecided prospects because they can see exactly what they'll gain by working with you.

Faster decisions

Prospects buy faster when they truly understand their problem, how it affects them, and how your solution fixes it. They're more motivated to act when the path forward is clear.

Bigger deals

By focusing on the real business impact of problems, you can propose solutions tied to valuable outcomes. This often leads to larger contracts because customers see the full value of what you offer.

More effective selling

This approach improves overall sales performance by focusing your energy on actual customer needs. You'll waste less time on deals that won't close because you've carefully qualified prospects based on their real problems.

Happier customers

When you create solutions for specific problems and help customers reach their goals, they're more satisfied with what they buy.

Gap selling vs. other sales methodologies

Gap Selling overlaps with a few popular sales methods, but its core is different. It's problem-centric, and everything revolves around understanding the gap between where the buyer is now and where they want to be.

Let's walk through how it compares with some well-known approaches.

Gap Selling vs. SPIN Selling

Both Gap and SPIN Selling rely on asking smarter questions to uncover what's really going on with the customer.

SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff. It's about building rapport and guiding buyers to understand their needs.

Gap Selling goes a step further. It focuses on identifying the exact gap between the current and future state, and that's where the magic happens. Some even see it as an evolution of SPIN. Like SPIN, it uncovers the situation, problem, and impact. But Gap Selling pushes for questions that are inherently valuable to the customer, not just helpful to the seller.

Gap Selling vs. Solution Selling

Solution selling has been around since the '80s. It's built around the idea of finding a need and matching a solution to it, usually one that the buyer already knows about.

But Gap Selling flips that. It's not about selling to needs. It's about selling to problems. You dig deep to diagnose what's going wrong and what it's costing them before talking about solutions.

This makes it a better fit for buyers who haven't fully defined their problems yet. It also shifts your role from "seller of stuff" to expert problem solver.

Gap Selling vs. Challenger Sale

Challenger sales reps lead with insights. They take control of the conversation and tell the buyer what they should be worried about. It's more directive, which can work well in complex sales environments.

Gap Selling takes a more collaborative approach. Instead of telling the buyer what's wrong, you ask deeper questions and let them describe the challenge in their own words.

Challenger often focuses on the pain of staying where they are. Gap Selling focuses on the positive impact: what it looks like if the problem is solved.

The two methods share a goal (help the buyer see what's broken), but the path is different. Challenger leads the customer. Gap Selling gives them the space to lead the conversation with your guidance.

Gap Selling vs. Conceptual Selling

Conceptual selling and Gap Selling both involve deep conversations and open-ended questions. But where conceptual selling focuses on identifying pain, Gap Selling zeroes in on the gap between the current and desired state.

The conceptual approach is collaborative but sometimes seen as too passive. Gap Selling is more precise. It's about mapping a clear path from the problem to the solution.

Gap Selling vs. PAS formula

The PAS formula (Problem, Agitate, Solution) focuses on pain and pressure. You highlight the problem, make it feel urgent, and then pitch the fix.

Gap Selling also uncovers problems, but it's not just about creating discomfort. It's about helping buyers see the value of the future state and how to get there. The emotional pull comes not just from pain, but from possibility.

Is Gap Selling right for your sales team?

Gap Selling isn't for every sales environment. It works incredibly well in the right context, but can fall flat in the wrong one. So, how do you know if it's a fit for your team?

When it works best

Gap Selling shines in B2B environments where you're solving complex problems, not just pushing products.

It's a strong match if:

• You're selling a consultative or high-ticket solution.
• The sales cycle is longer and involves multiple decision-makers.
• Your product or service usually needs customization.
• You're talking to VPs, directors, or other business leaders who care about solving real business challenges, not just getting a quick quote.

In these scenarios, buyers are willing (and able) to discuss goals, roadblocks, and future-state outcomes. That's where Gap Selling does its best work.

When it's not a good fit

On the flip side, Gap Selling isn't made for fast, transactional sales.

If you're in a B2C space, retail, or offering low-cost products with Shorter Sales Cycles, this approach can feel like overkill.

It also struggles in sales, where the only goal is to deliver a quick quote, not uncover deep challenges. Gap Selling relies on a meaningful discovery process, and that takes time and trust.

What it takes to do it well

To pull this off, sales reps need more than product knowledge. They need:

• Strong business acumen
• The ability to ask smart, adaptive questions
• Excellent listening skills
• A willingness to sit in discomfort and keep digging when conversations get tough

It's not something you master overnight. It takes training, coaching, and consistent practice. And yes, it can feel awkward at first, especially when you're pushing past surface-level answers.

Common challenges to expect

Sometimes, prospects just want a price, and they don't want to talk.

You'll run into resistance. Some buyers won't be ready to open up, especially if they've never been challenged like this before. Others might get defensive or shut down when asked about problems they haven't admitted internally.

And let's be real: if you're not speaking with someone who owns a business outcome (someone high enough up to care), it's going to be tough to get the kind of dialogue Gap Selling needs.

So, you'll need to qualify early. Ask yourself:
Is this person open to having a real conversation about their business? Are they in a position to do something about it?

Common mistakes to avoid when Gap Selling

When you start using Gap Selling, watch out for these easy-to-make errors:

Jumping to conclusions

Don't think you already know what your prospect needs before asking them. Gap Selling works when you're genuinely curious and get the facts straight from them.

Talking features instead of solutions

Listing every cool thing your product does won't connect with buyers. Focus on how specific features solve their particular problems and help them reach their goals. Stick to what matters for their situation.

Not really listening

Gap Selling only works when you truly understand your customer's world. If you don't listen carefully or ask thoughtful questions, you'll miss the gap and lose credibility.

Staying on the surface

You can't stop at the first problem a prospect mentions. Dig deeper to find what's really causing issues and what it's costing them. Without this depth, you won't create enough urgency for them to act.

Rushing to quote

In complex B2B sales, giving a price before understanding the underlying problems rarely works, especially if you're not the cheapest option. Even if prospects push for pricing early, take time to discover what they really need.

Using AI to implement Gap Selling

Conversation intelligence tools like Avoma make it easier to keep your team aligned with the Gap Selling framework. It helps you and your reps stay on track by showing whether the key parts of the problem-identification chart are being covered and how well.

Each section gets a score from 1 to 5 based on a clear rubric, making it easy to spot coaching opportunities and areas to improve. Avoma doesn't just give you a number, it also pinpoints where a misstep occurred, explains the reasoning behind the score, and suggests how the rep can improve next time.

For leaders, Avoma is your AI coaching agent, auto-scoring every interaction so you have 100% call coverage. It shows which reps identify the gap and which ones skip discovery. You get a clear, trackable way to improve performance across the board.

Here's how the Gap Selling scorecard is structured inside Avoma:

1. Clarifies the current state

Question: Did the rep uncover and clearly articulate the prospect's current situation, including specific pain points or inefficiencies?

Scoring rubric:

1 -- Not covered at all.

2 -- Vague or general understanding; not specific to the prospect's context.

3 -- Some pain points surfaced, but with limited depth or detail.

4 -- Clear articulation of key issues and current inefficiencies.

5 -- Comprehensive understanding of the current state, with strong specificity and empathy.

2. Defines the Future State

Did the rep uncover what the prospect wants to achieve, their ideal solution, and what success looks like?

Scoring rubric:

1 -- Not discussed.

2 -- Future goals implied, but not explored.

3 -- Future state touched on, but not clearly defined.

4 -- Clear vision of what success looks like.

5 -- Detailed, aspirational vision tied to business goals or personal wins.

3. Highlights the Gap

Was the difference between the current state and the desired future state made clear? Did the rep position the solution as the bridge?

Scoring rubric:

1 -- No gap discussed.

2 -- Mentioned in passing, no clear contrast.

3 -- Some gap identified, but not emphasized.

4 -- Gap clearly defined with logical connection to the ideal solution.

5 -- Gap is sharply articulated, creating a strong case for change.

4. Pinpoints the Root Cause

Did the rep dig deeper to understand the real cause behind the problems, beyond surface symptoms?

Scoring rubric:

1 -- No probing at all.

2 -- Basic or generic root cause assumed.

3 -- Some follow-up questions were asked, but lacked depth.

4 -- Strong probing with plausible root causes uncovered.

5 -- Deep insight into the underlying causes, demonstrating true understanding.

5. Quantifies the Impact

Did the rep explore the cost or consequence of not solving the problem financially, emotionally, or operationally?

Scoring rubric:

1 -- Not discussed.

2 -- Consequences implied, not explored.

3 -- Some impact surfaced, no quantification.

4 -- Clear consequence described, even if qualitative.

5 -- Strong quantification or emotional urgency established.

Wrapping it up

Gap Selling isn't a script. It's a mindset shift. It asks you to slow down, ask better questions, and genuinely care about solving problems, not just selling products. When done right, it builds trust, drives urgency, and leads to bigger, better deals.

But mastering it takes more than good intentions. It takes structure, coaching, and consistency. That's where tools like Avoma come in.

Avoma's conversation intelligence doesn't just record calls, it helps you coach in real time, spot what's missing in discovery, and keep reps aligned with the Gap Selling approach. You'll know exactly where deals are going off-track and how to fix them before it's too late.

See how Avoma can help your team close more by selling to the gap. Book a personalized demo and see it in action.

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