Vocabulary
8 key words for this lesson
FRICTION
A point of resistance or difficulty in a process — something that slows things down or creates unnecessary effort without adding value.
There is a lot of friction in their approval process — every deal has to go through three sign-offs before anyone can move forward.
SYMPTOM
A visible sign that a deeper problem exists — what the customer notices on the surface rather than the real cause underneath.
Slow follow-up times are often a symptom of a deeper issue — usually unclear ownership or no agreed process for who picks up what.
ROOT CAUSE
The underlying reason a problem exists — as opposed to the symptoms the customer can see. Solving the root cause fixes the problem; solving the symptom only masks it.
The root cause was not the CRM — it was that no one had defined what stage a deal needed to reach before handing it over.
IMPACT
The measurable or felt effect a problem has on the business, the team, or an outcome — what the problem is actually costing.
Understanding the impact of a problem is what turns a vague complaint into a business case — it answers the question: why does this matter?
RECURRING
Happening repeatedly — a problem that keeps coming back rather than being solved once, often because only the symptom has been addressed.
If the same issue is recurring every quarter, that is a sign the root cause has never been properly dealt with.
THRESHOLD
The point at which a problem becomes serious enough to act on — when the pain is bad enough that doing nothing is no longer acceptable.
Most customers have a threshold — until a problem crosses it, they will live with it. Your job is to find out how close they are to that line.
UNDERLYING
Existing beneath the surface — the real reason something is happening, which may not be immediately obvious from the visible symptoms.
The underlying issue was not the software — it was that the team had never agreed on a shared definition of what a qualified lead actually was.
QUANTIFY
To express a problem in numbers or measurable terms — to move from 'this is a problem' to 'this is costing us X per month in lost deals'.
When you can help a prospect quantify a problem, it becomes much harder to ignore — and much easier to justify solving.
Phrases
6 phrases and their meanings
IT SOUNDS LIKE
Reflect back what you have heard before naming the problem — shows you were listening and gives the prospect a chance to confirm or correct.
It sounds like the main challenge is not generating leads — it is knowing what to do with them once they are in the system.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT IS A
Gently categorise a problem as a challenge, issue, or need — and check whether the prospect agrees with how you have framed it.
Would you say that is a process issue, or more of a people issue? I want to make sure I am framing this correctly.
HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON
Establish how long the problem has existed — a long-standing problem signals urgency and often reveals that previous attempts to fix it have failed.
How long has this been going on? If it has been there for two years, that tells me something different than if it started last quarter.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THAT ON
Move from identifying the problem to understanding its consequences — helps you and the prospect see what the problem is actually costing.
What is the impact of that on your conversion rate? I want to understand not just the problem but what it is doing to the numbers.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT COMES UP REGULARLY
Find out whether a problem is recurring or a one-off — recurring problems are more urgent and more likely to justify investment in a solution.
Is this something that comes up regularly, or was this more of a one-off? I want to know if we are dealing with a pattern or an exception.
SO THE REAL ISSUE IS
Summarise your understanding of the root cause once you have uncovered it — a clear, direct reframing that shows you have gone beneath the surface.
So the real issue is not the volume of leads — it is that no one owns the process once a lead comes in. Is that a fair way to put it?
Register
How these words change across different contexts
Register Awareness
Register = choosing the right language for the right situation.
Register Tips
Dialogue
Read the dialogue and hover the blue words for definitions
Riley
MarcusMarcus, I want to make sure I have understood what you have told me correctly before we go any further. Can I reflect back what I heard?
Please — go ahead.
It sounds like the main symptom you are seeing is inconsistent follow-up — some reps responding in an hour, others taking two days. But when I listen to the whole picture, the underlying issue seems to be visibility. You cannot see what is happening until a deal has already gone cold.
That's exactly it. The follow-up thing is almost a symptom — it is what I see, but it is not really the problem.
Right. So the real issue is not what your reps are doing — it is that you have no way of knowing what they are doing until it is too late to intervene. Would you say that is a process issue, or more of a tools issue?
Honestly — both. But if I had to choose, it is a process issue first. The tools just make the problem more visible.
That is a really important distinction. How long has this been going on? I want to understand whether this is a recurring challenge or something that has got worse recently.
It has always been there to some degree, but it got significantly worse when the team grew from five reps to twelve. That was eight months ago.
So the root cause was always there — but scaling the team is what pushed it past the threshold. What is the impact of that on your numbers? Can you quantify it at all?
Roughly — I think we are losing maybe two or three deals a month because of slow or missed follow-up. At our average deal size, that is significant.
That is a real number. Is this something that comes up regularly in team reviews, or has it been more of a background friction that everyone accepts?
It comes up every quarter. We talk about it, we agree to do better, and then nothing really changes. So yes — it is very much a recurring issue.
Then what you have is not a performance problem — it is a structural one. And structural problems do not fix themselves through motivation. That is something I think we can actually help with. Shall I tell you how?
Exercises
Complete all three exercises to see your final score
Matching
Click a word, then click its correct definition.
Click a word on the left, then its definition on the right.
Words
Definitions
Fill in the Blank
Drag the correct words from the word bank to complete each sentence.
Sentence 1
Slow follow-up times are often a— — —of a deeper issue — usually unclear ownership or no agreed process.
Sentence 2
There is a lot of— — —in their approval process — every deal needs three sign-offs before anyone can move.
Sentence 3
The— — —was not the CRM — it was that no one had defined what a qualified lead actually was.
Sentence 4
Understanding the— — —of a problem is what turns a vague complaint into a business case.
Sentence 5
If the same issue is— — —every quarter, that is a sign the root cause has never been properly dealt with.
Sentence 6
Most customers have a— — —— until a problem crosses it, they will live with it.
Sentence 7
The— — —issue was not the software — it was that the team had never agreed on a shared process.
Sentence 8
When you can help a prospect— — —a problem, it becomes much harder to ignore — and much easier to justify solving.
Tip: Think about the meaning of each word and what makes sense in the sentence.
Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer for each question about the dialogue.
1.What does Riley do at the start of the dialogue?
2.Marcus says follow-up inconsistency is 'almost a symptom'. What does he mean?
3.What event pushed the problem past the threshold for Marcus?
4.How does Riley move from identifying the problem to understanding its cost?
5.What does 'is this something that comes up regularly' help Riley establish?
6.How does Riley reframe Marcus's problem at the end of the dialogue?
7.According to the Register Traps, when is 'need' the best word to use?
8.What is the difference between 'symptom' and 'root cause' as used in this lesson?
Group Activities
Role-play scenarios and discussion questions for group classes
🎯 Choose the Best Response
Work in groups. Each situation involves naming or framing a customer's pain point. Choose the response that best identifies and reflects the real problem. Discuss your reasoning before clicking.
Customer says
“A prospect says: 'Our team just doesn't seem motivated lately.'”
Salesperson responds…
Customer says
“A prospect says: 'We keep losing deals in the final stage — it happens every quarter.'”
Salesperson responds…
Customer says
“A prospect has described three separate problems. You want to find the root cause. What do you say?”
Salesperson responds…
Customer says
“A prospect says: 'Honestly, we know what the problem is — we just haven't had time to deal with it.'”
Salesperson responds…
🔗 Customer Profile Match
Read the three prospect situations. As a group, decide how each person is describing their problem — are they describing a symptom, the root cause, or a need? Match each to the right frame, then click 'Check Matches'.
Plans / Options
Describing a symptom
The prospect has named a visible sign that something is wrong — but the root cause has not yet been identified. Your job is to probe deeper: 'What do you think is driving that?' before you can properly help.
Describing a need
The prospect has moved past the problem and is describing the solution they want. This is useful — but make sure the need they have defined is the right one. It is worth asking: 'What led you to that conclusion?' to confirm the root cause.
Describing the root cause
The prospect has identified the underlying reason things are not working. This is the most valuable insight in a discovery conversation — reflect it back, confirm it, and use it as the foundation for everything you propose.
Customers — which plan fits each one?
Lena
Lena tells you: 'Our customer satisfaction scores have been dropping for the last six months.' She is clearly concerned and has brought up the numbers. She has not yet mentioned why the scores are dropping or what is causing it.
Ben
Ben tells you: 'We need a single place where the whole team can see the status of every deal in real time — without having to ask anyone.' He is direct and has already done his own analysis. He knows what he wants.
Priya
Priya tells you: 'The problem is that we have never agreed on what a qualified lead actually looks like. Every rep has a different definition, so the pipeline data is basically meaningless.' She has clearly thought about this deeply.
✏️ Finish the Salesperson's Line
The salesperson has started naming or framing a pain point — but the line has been cut off. Finish it using language from this lesson. Compare your versions, then click to see a suggested answer.
Customer
“Prospect says: 'We have a lot of meetings about this but nothing ever changes.'”
Salesperson
“It sounds like the real issue is not awareness — …”
Customer
“Prospect says: 'Our churn rate has been creeping up for about a year.'”
Salesperson
“How long has this been going on, and …”
Customer
“Prospect has described several problems. You want to help them name the most important one.”
Salesperson
“So the real issue, if I have understood correctly, is …”
Customer
“Prospect says: 'I think we lose about three clients a quarter because of slow response times — but it is hard to prove.'”
Salesperson
“That is worth trying to quantify more precisely — because …”