The Six Whys
The Six Whys is a sales framework developed by David Hoffeld in his 2016 book “The Science of Selling”. Its goal is to understand why a potential buyer is buying a product or service (or not, as the case may be). Hoffeld asserts that those six whys represent the six stages a potential buyer goes through in their buying decision. Whether or not this is true, those questions are an excellent basis to understand the buyers' point of view.
As such, understanding those motivations is the key component of a client-driven sales approach where sales people focus on the needs of their clients as opposed to the features of their product. This understanding can also serve as a component of a product/market fit analysis, or other internal/external fit analysis' that are relevant not only for sales but also for product design.
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Why changes? What is undesirable about the potential buyer’s current situation?
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Why now? Why is so pressing about making those changes so that the potential buyer is compelled to make them now?
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Why our industry? For many needs exist alternative means of satisfying them (eg online course vs in person course vs book). Why should potential buyers prefer ours?
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Why our company? Why is our company better placed to satisfy this need?
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Why our product? Goes with why (4). Why our company’s product? Also why this specific product if we have multiple ones?
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Why spend the money? Why is the product worth it? Cost-savings elsewhere? Increased revenue opportunities? Or non-monetary benefits, eg increased well-being or enjoyment?