Why “Why” is the Most Powerful Question in Consultative Selling (and How It Can 10x Your Close Rate)
- David Bitton
- Mar 16
- 4 min read
A few weeks ago, an Israeli founder called me, frustrated.
“I don’t get it,” he said. “We built an insane product, I know it’s better than the competition, and I walked the prospect through all the features—but they ghosted me.”
So I asked him a simple question:
"Did you ask them why they even needed this in the first place?"
Silence.
This is where so many startup founders—especially in Israel’s tech scene—run into trouble. They focus on what their product does but not why the customer needs it. They throw an incredible pitch, but they never get the prospect to talk. And in sales, the person who talks less usually wins.
The Power of “Why” in Sales
Sales isn’t about convincing. It’s about uncovering. And the best way to do that? Ask "Why."
"Why" is the question that makes prospects open up. It digs beneath surface-level responses and forces them to articulate their real challenges.
Instead of:
“Do you have a budget for this?” (Yes/No answer, conversation over.)
Try:
“Why would solving this problem be worth the investment for you?” (Now they’re justifying the spend themselves.)
Instead of:
“Would this feature help your team?”
Try:
“Why hasn’t your team solved this problem before?”
Suddenly, you’re not pitching—you’re diagnosing. And when you diagnose, you become a trusted advisor, not just another vendor.
The Mistake Founders Make in Sales
Israeli startups are some of the most innovative in the world. You build cutting-edge products, move fast, and think global from day one. But when it comes to sales? Many founders sell too much, too fast. I see it all the time. A founder gets on a call with a U.S. enterprise prospect. Ten seconds in, they’re already screen-sharing, demoing, explaining every technical detail. The prospect sits quietly. They nod. They say, “This looks interesting.” And then… nothing. No follow-up. No deal. Just silence.
What went wrong?
The founder never got the prospect to say their pain out loud. They never got them to admit, in their own words, why they needed a solution. Here’s the thing: if a prospect doesn’t say the problem out loud, they don’t feel the urgency to solve it.
How “Why” Creates Urgency
People don’t buy because you have a great product. They buy because they have a problem they can’t afford to ignore. So if you want to close deals, your job isn’t to talk about how amazing your startup is. Your job is to make the problem so clear that they can’t not act.
Imagine two sales calls:
Without “Why”
Founder: “Our platform automates X, integrates with Y, and reduces costs by 30%.”Prospect: “Interesting.”Founder: “Let me show you a demo.”Prospect: “Sure.” (Thinks: I’ll check this out later, maybe.)
With “Why”
Founder: “How are you currently handling X?” Prospect: “Manually, and it’s a mess. ”Founder: “Why hasn’t that changed yet? ”Prospect: “Honestly? No time, and switching tools feels risky. ”Founder: “Why now, though? What changed? ”Prospect: “Well, we’re scaling, and this process is slowing us down. ”Founder: “So if this doesn’t change, what happens? ”Prospect: “We’re going to fall behind. It’s already costing us.”
Now, when you show your solution, they’re not just “interested.” They’re looking for a way out.
The 3 Sales Questions That Make Founders Close More Deals
If you want to sell better, ask these three “Why” questions in every discovery call:
Why is this a problem for you right now?(If they can’t answer, it’s not urgent.)
Why hasn’t this been solved before?(This uncovers hidden objections—budget, politics, past failures.)
Why would our solution work for you?(This gets them to convince themselves.)
Why This Works (And Why Most Founders Get It Wrong)
Many founders mistakenly believe that sales is about having the best pitch, the slickest demo, or the most impressive feature list. It’s not. Sales is about making the problem real in the prospect’s mind. That’s where consultative selling comes in.
What is Consultative Selling (and Why It’s a Game-Changer)?
Consultative selling is a sales approach where, instead of pushing a product, the salesperson acts as an advisor, uncovering the prospect’s true needs and guiding them toward the best solution.
Unlike traditional sales (which focuses on “Look at what we can do”), consultative sales focuses on “Let’s figure out what you really need.”
This approach works because:
It builds trust – People buy from those who understand their problems, not just those who have great products.
It creates urgency – When prospects articulate their challenges, they feel the pressure to act.
It leads to bigger deals – Prospects are more likely to invest in a comprehensive solution when they truly see the value.
The Data Behind Consultative Selling
Bain & Company found that B2B companies using consultative sales techniques have 50% higher close rates than those using traditional pitch-based selling.
CSO Insights reports that 74% of buyers choose the vendor that first helps them define their own needs.
McKinsey found that sales reps who focus on diagnosing problems—rather than just showcasing solutions—drive 35% higher revenue growth over time.
The takeaway? Founders who ask "Why" and sell consultatively close more deals, faster, and at higher values.
At MarketFit, We Don’t Just Consult—We Sell With You
Next time you’re on a sales call, resist the urge to pitch first. Instead, start with Why.
Get the prospect talking. Dig deeper. Make them say the problem out loud. Because once they do, they’re halfway to closing themselves.
At MarketFit, we don’t just tell you what to do—we roll up our sleeves and do it with you.
Through our Market Fit Sales Partners program, we work side by side with Israeli startups to:
Train their sales team to ask better questions and close faster
Implement real-world sales strategies that drive revenue
Join them in the trenches—on calls, in meetings, and in deal execution
No fluff. No endless PowerPoints. Just real, hands-on execution that gets results.
Want to see what this looks like for your startup? Schedule your FREE strategy session now. → Book a call today
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