1. Linking your products or services to a prospect’s business pain. (For greater perceived value.)
   
2. Qualifying the prospect. (For forecasting accuracy.)
   
3. Building competitive preference. (By differentiating your solution.)
   
4. Determining the decision-making process. (For driving sales strategy.)
   
5. Selling to power. (By finding the key to buyer politics.)
   
6. Communicating the strategic plan. (For effective team selling.)

Source: Rick Page, quoted in Customer Relationship Management, April 2002