Problems tell you what to fix. Pain points tell you why it matters.

30 Jan, 2025

Every marketer, founder, or sales professional starts with the same question: “What’s the pain point of my prospect?” But too often, we conflate “pain” with “problems” — and that mistake costs us deals, loyalty, and growth.

Let’s break down the difference, why it matters, and how to leverage both to close more sales.

The critical difference between problems and pain

At first glance, problems and pains seem identical. They’re not.

• A Problem is a situational challenge.
  • Example: “We need a CRM to track prospects.”
• A Pain is the emotional, psychological, or social consequence of that problem.
  • Example: “If I don’t track prospects accurately, I’ll lose my job.”

Problems are macro; pains are micro. Problems are logical; pains are human.

The science of pain: It’s not just physical

Pain is multidimensional. The bio-psycho-social model explains it as a mix of:

1. Biological factors (e.g., physical strain from repetitive tasks).
2. Psychological factors (e.g., stress, fear of failure).
3. Social factors (e.g., losing status, missing promotions)

In business, pain is the intersection of a problem and a person. The same problem can cause wildly different pains for different stakeholders (credits to Jon's article)

Why sales teams fail when they ignore pains

Focusing only on solving “problems” leads to generic pitches. But when you address pains, you resonate emotionally. Let’s dissect an example:

Problem: “We need a CRM.”

Pains vary by role:

1. Sales Rep

• Fear: “If I don’t hit quota, I’ll get fired.”
• Frustration: “I waste hours on manual data entry.”
• Emotional Need: Autonomy, security, recognition.

2. Sales Manager

• Fear: “If my team underperforms, I’ll lose credibility.”
• Frustration: “I can’t identify coaching gaps without data.”
• Emotional Need: Control, respect, career growth.

3. Sales Leader

• Fear: “Revenue leaks will make us miss targets.”
• Frustration: “I can’t prioritize high-value accounts.”
• Emotional Need: Strategic impact, reputation, scalability.

If your CRM pitch only highlights “tracking prospects,” you’ll miss the mark. But if you speak to the fear of failure for reps, the need for control for managers, and the desire for strategic wins for leaders, you’ll win buy-in at every level.

How to uncover pains (Not just problems)

1. Ask “Why” Repeatedly
   • Problem: “We need better pipeline visibility.
   • Pain: “Why?” → “Because stalled deals hurt revenue.”
   • Deeper Pain: “Why?” → “If revenue drops, I’ll lose investor trust.”
2. Map Pains to Roles
   • Create personas. A CFO’s pain (budget overruns) ≠ a CMO’s pain (low lead quality).
3. Use Emotional Language
   • Swap “increase efficiency” with “eliminate the anxiety of missed deadlines.”

Next time you craft a pitch, ask: “Am I addressing the problem, or am I healing the pain?”