where do diagnostic questions fit into an insight selling model?
Popular selling methods based on the traditional “diagnose then prescribe” model have come under scrutiny since the introduction of so-called insights-based selling approaches. B2B DecisionLabs contracted with Dr. Zakary Tormala, an expert in messaging and persuasion and a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, to construct a study that would examine the use of diagnostic questions in an insight selling model, with a specific focus on how to use these questions to maximize the impact of a message.
Specifically, the study was designed to determine if there is a difference in message effectiveness and persuasion based on whether a seller asks diagnostic questions before an insight is delivered or after. For the study, “message effectiveness” was defined as how influential, compelling, and sharable the message was and—most crucially—how likely the receiver of the message was to buy a new product to address a problem.
