--- title: Even More on Dissatisfaction in Sales Opportunities | The Sales Blog description: In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.     – Yogi Berra Pull up your pipeline report. Pick a live opportunity. It doesn’t matter which opportunity it is, just pick one. Now, tell me why your prospective client is absolutely going to buy whatever it is you sell. Why […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2013-01-21-at-7_10_05-PM.png --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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In practice there is.     – Yogi Berra Pull up your [pipeline](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2012/10/10/a-false-sense-of-security-in-your-pipeline/) report. Pick a live opportunity. It doesn’t matter which opportunity it is, just pick one. Now, tell me why your prospective client is absolutely going to buy whatever it is you sell. [Why](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/11/13/building-dissatisfaction-and-a-compelling-case-for-change/) are they going to spend their money to make this purchase? More still, why are they going to all the trouble to overthrow the [status quo](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2012/11/15/you-versus-the-status-quo/) and change? I’ve sat through countless pipeline and opportunity reviews where the following facts were true: - The client spent money on what the salesperson was selling. - The client had the money to buy what the salesperson was selling. - The client would have benefited by purchasing what the salesperson was selling. - The client wanted what the salesperson was selling, and was complimentary about the product or service, describing it as superior to the status quo. Some of these “opportunities” had more seniority within the sales organization than some of the senior sales leaders. They’d been around longer, anyway. People don’t change without a reason. They change because there is a gap between the status quo and some future desired state. If they aren’t [dissatisfied](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2013/01/18/on-dissatisfaction/) about that gap, they aren’t going to buy. This is why so many pipelines are full of what are truly [leads](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2012/05/02/its-a-lead-not-an-opportunity/), why salespeople and sales managers believe many deals are stalled, and why so many buyers stick with the status quo. Some people have complained about my shorthand use of the word “dissatisfaction.” They don’t like it, and they don’t like the word “pain,” either. They believe that people are motivated to both avoid pain and to seek pleasure. And they’re right; there’s no doubt that we are pain avoiding, pleasure-seeking creatures. Tony Robbins says that people change because of inspiration or desperation, and mostly desperation. But even inspiration is recognition that you are capable of producing better results. You’re pleased, but not satisfied. Should you focus on pain avoidance alone? Of course, you shouldn’t. In fact, the solution you build with your client is the story of a better future state, whether they are desperate to produce it or whether they are inspired to. That story provides the “towards pleasure” part of the equation. But if there is no dissatisfaction, what are you moving away from as you work your way toward pleasure? #### Questions Did you choose an opportunity? Did you quickly identify your prospect’s buying motivation? Does your value proposition speak to that dissatisfaction? Is your value proposition compelling? Why do some opportunities stall? Are they really opportunities? [**Tweet](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Even+More+on+Dissatisfaction+in+Sales+Opportunities&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2013%2F01%2F21%2Feven-more-on-dissatisfaction-in-sales-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&via=iannarino) **Pin [**Share28](https://www.linkedin.com/cws/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2013%2F01%2F21%2Feven-more-on-dissatisfaction-in-sales-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Share22](https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2013%2F01%2F21%2Feven-more-on-dissatisfaction-in-sales-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Email](mailto:?subject=Even%20More%20on%20Dissatisfaction%20in%20Sales%20Opportunities&body=In%20theory%20there%20is%20no%20difference%20between%20theory%20and%20practice.%20In%20practice%20there%20is.%20%C2%A0%20%C2%A0%C2%A0-%20Yogi%20Berra%20Pull%20up%20your%20pipeline%20report.%20Pick%20a%20live%20opportunity.%20It%20doesn%27t%20matter%20which%20opportunity%20it%20is%2C%20just%20pick%20one.%20Now%2C%20tell%20me%20why%20your%20prospective%20client%20is%20absolutely%20going%20to%20buy%20whatever%20it%20is%20you%20sell.%20Why%20are%20they%20going%20to%20spend%20their%20money%20to%20make%20this%20purchase%3F%20More%20still%2C%20why%20are%20they%20going%20to%20all%20the%20trouble%20to%20overthrow%20the%20status%20quo%20and%20change%3F%20I%27ve%20sat%20through%20countless%20pipeline%20and%20opportunity%20reviews%20where%20the%20following%20facts%20were%20true%3A%20The%20client%20spent%0D%0A%0D%0ARead%20More%20Here:%20%20https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2013%2F01%2F21%2Feven-more-on-dissatisfaction-in-sales-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Demail%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Pocket](https://getpocket.com/save?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2013%2F01%2F21%2Feven-more-on-dissatisfaction-in-sales-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpocket%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare) [**Buffer](https://bufferapp.com/add?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthesalesblog.com%2F2013%2F01%2F21%2Feven-more-on-dissatisfaction-in-sales-opportunities%2F%3Futm_source%3Dbuffer%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3DSocialWarfare&text=Even+More+on+Dissatisfaction+in+Sales+Opportunities) 50 Shares ###### Tags: [Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/sales) [2013](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2013) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on January 21, 2013 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover (1)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=salescall-planner-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(1).jpg) ### Free Sales eBook: Sales Call Planner Planning your sales call improves the likelihood of making a successful call, and it demonstrates to your dream client your professionalism. 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What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-06-16T3:22:26 PM", "datePublished" : "2013-01-21 19:55:44", "description" : "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.     – Yogi Berra Pull up your pipeline report. Pick a live opportunity. It doesn’t matter which opportunity it is, just pick one. 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