Have you ever spotted a problem your prospect did not seem worried about, rushed in with a smart solution, and still lost the sale?
If so, you are not alone. This happens to experienced sales professionals every day, often without them realizing why the conversation stalled.
To understand what is really happening, consider this simple story.
The Lesson Hidden in a Child’s Painting
A young girl named Sally loved art. When her teacher assigned the class to paint a picture of the beach, Sally went home excited and inspired. She painted the beach as she remembered it from a family trip, focusing on the details that mattered most to her.
When the paintings were returned, Sally was disappointed. Her teacher had added seagulls to her picture to create what she believed was better balance. While the intention was positive, the result was not. Sally felt discouraged and disconnected from the project.
The problem was not the seagulls themselves.
The problem was that Sally never asked for them.
How This Shows Up in Sales Conversations
Salespeople do this all the time.
We see gaps, risks, inefficiencies, or missed opportunities that the prospect has not yet acknowledged. With good intentions, we jump in and add our version of improvement.
To the salesperson, this feels helpful and proactive.
To the prospect, it often feels intrusive, confusing, or misaligned.
When you add insights or solutions before the buyer recognizes the issue, you are painting seagulls into their picture.
Why Prospects Push Back
Prospects resist not because the solution is wrong, but because the problem does not yet belong to them.
People rarely buy solutions to problems they have not personally discovered or emotionally connected to.
That is why strong discovery is the foundation of successful selling.
How to Help Prospects Discover the Seagulls Themselves
The goal of discovery is not to impress, diagnose, or educate too early.
The goal is to help the prospect uncover what matters, in their own words.
Here are a few principles to guide that process:
Use discovery to surface insight, not impose it
Your role is to guide awareness, not force conclusions.
Ask questions that gently draw attention to hidden issues
Questions like:
“I don’t suppose this has created any downstream challenges, has it?”
“You did not mention this earlier, how important is it in the bigger picture?”
Create psychological safety
Prospects open up when they feel respected and not judged. When they feel safe, they are more willing to be honest, reflective, and curious.
Bringing It Back to Sally
If Sally’s teacher had asked about balance, composition, or what Sally wanted the viewer to notice, the outcome would have been very different. Sally may have chosen to add seagulls herself, and she would have felt ownership and pride in the final result.
That is exactly what great sales professionals aim to do.
Do not paint seagulls into your prospect’s picture.
Help them discover whether they belong there.
Ready to Strengthen Your Discovery Conversations?
At Sandler by Streamline Business Solutions, we help sales teams master discovery, ask better questions, and create conversations that lead to trust, clarity, and predictable results.
If your team is losing deals late in the process or facing resistance despite strong solutions, it may be time to refine how problems are uncovered.
Schedule a conversation with Sandler by Streamline Business Solutions and learn how to help prospects see the full picture, before offering the solution.
