It’s one of the oldest challenges in the world of sales: “sell me this pen.” And while many salespeople might highlight the benefits of using the pen, the more effective approach is to create a need for the customer to write something down. That approach underpins the philosophy of Gene Slade, the CEO and Founder of Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI. To Slade, every idea behind a sale doesn’t really resonate with a customer until the sales rep has fully established the need behind it.
Slade’s experience in sales covers a wide range of need-driven fields, like HVAC, plumbing, and the electrical industry. For example, it might be easier to sell a customer on a new faucet if their old faucet shows signs of aging—and maybe even leaking. This establishes the cornerstone “need” that drives the interaction.
Through Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI, Slade uses techniques like these to multiply business revenues—sometimes as much as 4x—and elevate sales reps’ skills until they’re earning over $400,000 a year. For Slade, it all comes back to this simple approach: knowing what the customer needs.
How to Establish the “Need” To Drive Sales Growth
Slade tells his clients that his sales strategy starts with a checklist: What features might interest a customer about a particular product or service? But for many sales reps, this might end the research process. For Slade, it’s just a start: he’s looking for a way to attach a specific need to those features. “I’m looking at everything I put on that list to make sure that I establish a need for everything on that list,” says Slade.
Slade’s process is to build a prioritized list of three categories for each sale: mandatory needs, near-future needs, and “nice to haves.” As Slade reminds us, “This is the place where we’re going to establish a need.”
Slade’s strategy for accomplishing this is to ask clients thought-provoking questions at the right time. How does he define the “right time”? “When we’re going over our findings,” says Slade. This refers to the phase in a sale when the representative might look at a customer’s existing system and point out some looming problems in need of repairs or an upgrade. Is the fan motor overheated? That’s a problem. Is the starter blackened and burnt? That, too, drives a customer’s need. Simply asking the right questions puts the customer in a mindset to buy.
Slade is also quick to note that driving needs isn’t only about presenting the needs to the customers. He recommends finding the customer’s most pressing demands by engaging them with questions. If a customer reveals that price is the main objection, for example, that might mean pivoting to a word track based on how reliable a product is—or what makes you special compared to your competition. To Slade, this kind of back-and-forth does more than create value for the customer. By having a genuine conversation, the sales rep also builds trust and fosters long-term relationships with their clients.
How Gene Slade Learned to Establish the “Need” in Sales
For Gene Slade, the idea of “need” is personal. “Early in my career, I worked long hours, missed family dinners, and wasn’t home for the kids, all while struggling to make ends meet,” says Slade. He’s since grown his sales skills to the point where he can guide and mentor other companies. In one case, Slade even mentored a sales rep who was living in his car to a successful 6-figure salary.
“I know what it’s like to feel stuck, overwhelmed, and uncertain about the future,” Slade says. “My mission now is to help others who are in similar situations.”
This ties back into his sales approach. While Slade’s career has spanned just about every type of sales there is—roofing, pest control, garage doors, carpet cleaning, solar services, water treatment, and more—he recognizes that there is always a human need driving every sale. Gene’s current work is to teach sales people to discover those needs and frame their offerings to address those needs—all while maintaining a professional, trustworthy relationship that builds long-term success. Ultimately, sales are about human connections. And finding a relatable need is what fosters those connections.
About Gene Slade
Gene Slade, CEO of Lead Ninja System and Lead Ninja AI, is a pioneering force in the realm of sales training, conversational AI, and business development in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical industry. With a steadfast commitment to empowering professionals in the trades, Gene offers transformative coaching experiences that revolutionize the way business owners approach sales and growth through personalized guidance, community support, and access to exclusive resources. For more information, call or text Gene himself at (239) 848-6533 or visit https://leadninjasystem.com/ and http://leadninjaai.com
