How to Use the SNAP Sales Method

Are your buyers feeling overwhelmed and distracted by too many choices? In today’s fast-paced sales environment, prospects often face information overload, making it harder for them to make decisions. This is where the SNAP Selling framework comes in. Developed by Jill Konrath, the SNAP Sales Method provides a clear, simple approach to cutting through the noise and addressing the challenges of frazzled buyers. By focusing on simplicity and alignment with customer needs, this methodology can help sales professionals stay relevant and effective.

What is the SNAP Selling Methodology?

The SNAP Selling Methodology is built to address the challenges of today’s distracted and overwhelmed buyers. It stands for four key principles: Keep it Simple, Be iNvaluable, Always Align, and Raise Priorities. Each principle plays a unique role in guiding salespeople toward better engagement and closing more deals.

Keep it Simple: Simplifies sales processes to reduce complexity.
Be iNvaluable: Establishes trust through value-driven interactions.
Always Align: Ensures that sales strategies match the buyer’s priorities.
Raise Priorities: Helps buyers focus on what truly matters and overcome resistance to change.

These principles form the core of the SNAP Sales Method, helping sellers navigate the complex decision-making process of modern buyers.

Why is SNAP Selling Different from Other Sales Frameworks?

Today’s buyers are often overwhelmed by too much information, leading to what is known as ‘Frazzled Customer Syndrome.’ These frazzled customers struggle with distractions, indecision, and analysis paralysis, which slows down their ability to make purchasing decisions. The SNAP Selling Method is designed to address this specific challenge.

Unlike other frameworks, the SNAP Sales Method is tailored to cut through the clutter and provide clear, concise communication. It acknowledges that customers are not just comparing products but are often fatigued by the process itself. By offering a simplified and value-centric approach, this methodology helps frazzled customers regain focus, paving the way for quicker and more confident decision-making.

Core Components of SNAP Selling

Keep it Simple

The heart of SNAP Selling is simplicity. In a sales landscape filled with complex products and over-complicated solutions, buyers are often overwhelmed by too much information. Keeping it simple allows you to cut through the noise and present what matters most.

One of the main challenges in sales is ensuring your message is clear. When buyers are bombarded with jargon and overly detailed presentations, they can become confused and lose sight of the value you’re offering. The SNAP Selling method emphasizes that the simpler your message, the easier it is for buyers to understand.

To keep things simple, focus on these key areas:

Clear Communication: Avoid technical terms or industry jargon unless absolutely necessary. Buyers appreciate direct and easy-to-understand language.
Streamlined Presentations: Limit your presentation to the essentials, showcasing the benefits rather than diving into every detail of the product or service.
Minimalism in Offerings: Only present features that address the buyer’s pain points, rather than showcasing every feature available.

By simplifying the process, you make it easier for buyers to digest the information, which increases their confidence in making a decision. When buyers feel less overwhelmed, they are more likely to take action and engage further with your offer.

Be iNvaluable

To be iNvaluable in the eyes of the buyer means offering more than just a product or service. It’s about becoming an essential partner in their journey. In SNAP Selling, this principle focuses on adding value at every interaction, which not only builds trust but positions you as a problem-solver rather than a seller.

Being iNvaluable requires:

Providing Insights: Go beyond the obvious. Offer your buyers industry insights or data that they haven’t considered. This positions you as a trusted advisor who understands their market and challenges.
Tailored Solutions: Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, customize your approach based on their specific needs. This makes your value unique and tailored to their pain points.
Consistent Engagement: Stay engaged throughout the buyer’s journey, even if they’re not ready to make a decision. Offer continued support, share relevant updates, or suggest new ideas that could help them, even outside the context of your product.

By consistently adding value, you create a relationship where the buyer sees you as indispensable. They’re more likely to choose you over competitors when it comes time to make a purchasing decision because they trust you and see you as an invaluable resource.

Always Align

Alignment is a key driver in SNAP Selling, ensuring that what you offer is consistently in line with the buyer’s objectives and goals. Buyers have their own set of priorities and challenges, and if your sales strategy doesn’t align with them, your offer will seem irrelevant.

To always align with the buyer, consider the following:

Understand Their Goals: Before making your pitch, invest time in understanding what the buyer wants to achieve. Are they looking to reduce costs, improve efficiency, or gain a competitive edge? Tailor your message to reflect their objectives.
Flexible Approach: Every buyer is different. Some might be more price-sensitive, while others prioritize long-term support. Align your offer to their specific priorities and pain points.
Show Immediate Impact: Buyers are more likely to engage when they see how your solution will impact their business quickly. Align your message to emphasize how they can achieve quick wins using your solution.

When your strategy aligns with the buyer’s needs and priorities, it becomes easier for them to see the value in your offering. They will feel that you understand their situation and are offering a relevant solution that addresses their specific challenges.

Raise Priorities

Buyers often have a long list of things competing for their attention. One of the key principles in SNAP Selling is helping buyers focus on the most important priorities, ensuring that your solution makes it to the top of their list.

Raising priorities involves:

Addressing Urgency: Communicate why your solution should be a priority for the buyer. Show them the risks of delaying action, whether it’s missing out on savings, losing competitive ground, or falling behind in innovation.
Highlighting Key Benefits: Focus on the most compelling benefits that align with their top concerns. Whether it’s increased ROI, enhanced customer satisfaction, or improved efficiency, make sure they understand what’s at stake.
Reinforcing the Long-Term Value: While the immediate impact is essential, also help buyers see the long-term benefits of your solution. This helps them justify the investment and prioritize it over other options.

By guiding the buyer toward prioritizing what’s most important, you make it easier for them to move forward. This principle helps overcome hesitation, ensuring that your solution becomes a top priority in their decision-making process.

The Three Key Decisions in SNAP Selling

First Decision: Allow Access

The first major decision in the SNAP Sales Method is getting your foot in the door. Buyers are bombarded with countless offers and sales pitches, so it’s crucial to capture their attention early on and make them curious about what you’re offering. This is where establishing access plays a critical role.

To gain access:

Offer Value Upfront: Provide valuable insights, relevant research, or a unique perspective that the buyer hasn’t considered. This demonstrates your expertise and builds trust from the very beginning.
Identify Key Challenges: Start by addressing a key pain point or challenge that the buyer faces. When you can articulate their problem better than they can, they’re more likely to want to hear your solution.
Ask for Permission: Rather than forcing your way into their decision-making process, ask for permission to engage. This could be as simple as asking, “Can I share something that could solve this challenge for you?”

Once you gain access, the relationship moves to the next phase, where the buyer becomes more open to hearing your ideas and engaging with your solution.

Second Decision: Initiate Change

The second key decision is getting the buyer to agree that change is necessary. Buyers are often resistant to change, even when they know it’s needed. The role of the SNAP Sales Method here is to help the buyer see the value in initiating change and the risks of maintaining the status quo.

Convincing a buyer to initiate change involves:

Creating a Sense of Urgency: Highlight the risks associated with not making changes, whether it’s falling behind competitors, losing market share, or inefficiencies that cost time and money.
Presenting Tangible Benefits: Share specific examples or case studies that show how your solution has helped similar businesses achieve positive outcomes.
Minimizing Perceived Risk: Buyers are often hesitant because of the risks associated with change. Reassure them by offering guarantees, trials, or showing how your solution has a proven track record.

By addressing these concerns and focusing on the benefits of change, you make it easier for buyers to move forward and engage with your solution.

Third Decision: Select Resources

Once the buyer is ready for change, the next decision is choosing the right resources to help them achieve it. At this stage, they are comparing different solutions and evaluating their options, making this a critical point in the SNAP Sales Method.

To help buyers select your solution:

Highlight Key Differentiators: Show how your solution stands out from the competition. Whether it’s superior features, better customer support, or more favorable pricing, make it clear why you’re the best option.
Align with Evaluation Criteria: Understand what criteria the buyer is using to make their decision. Whether it’s cost, implementation speed, or ease of use, ensure your solution meets their top requirements.
Provide Evidence: Offer testimonials, case studies, or metrics that show how your solution delivers results. Buyers need reassurance that they’re making the right choice, and these resources help build confidence.

When Should You Use the SNAP Sales Method?

The SNAP Sales Method is ideal for industries where decision-making is complex, such as B2B markets with high-value products or services. It’s especially effective in competitive environments where buyers are inundated with choices and struggle with indecision. However, it may not be as suitable for low-cost or off-the-shelf products, where buying decisions are quicker and less complicated.

In markets where prospects face many competing solutions, the SNAP Sales Method can help cut through the noise. By simplifying the decision-making process and focusing on the buyer’s priorities, it enables sales teams to stand out in crowded fields and win more deals.

How to Implement SNAP Selling in Your Sales Process

Simplify Your Sales Process

In SNAP Selling, simplifying your sales process is crucial to overcoming the overwhelm that many buyers feel. Today’s buyers have limited time and attention, so presenting long-winded demos and extensive product details can cause them to lose interest. Instead, the focus should be on delivering concise, value-driven messages that cut straight to the heart of the buyer’s needs.

To simplify your sales process:

Present Benefits Over Features: Buyers care more about how your product or service will solve their problems than they do about every feature it offers. Emphasize the tangible benefits they will experience, such as increased efficiency, cost savings, or improved outcomes.
Limit Slides and Points: If you’re using a presentation, keep it minimal. Too many slides or detailed explanations can confuse and overwhelm the buyer. Focus on three to five key points that are most relevant to their needs.
Use Simple Language: Avoid technical jargon or overly complex language. Buyers appreciate clarity, so make your message straightforward and easy to understand. The simpler the communication, the easier it is for them to follow your argument and see the value in your solution.

By simplifying your approach, you not only make it easier for buyers to grasp your value proposition but also help them make quicker and more confident decisions. This is a core aspect of the SNAP Sales Method and can be a game-changer for closing deals in competitive markets.

Identify Key Decision-Makers

A key element in SNAP Selling is ensuring that you engage with the right people early in the process. Selling to someone who cannot make a decision wastes time and delays progress. Identifying and communicating with decision-makers ensures that your efforts are focused on individuals who have the power to move the deal forward.

Steps to identify key decision-makers:

Research Potential Buyers: Before you even reach out, conduct research to identify who holds the influence within a company. Use tools like LinkedIn to find individuals in roles with decision-making authority, such as department heads, C-suite executives, or senior managers.
Tailor Your Message: Once you’ve identified the decision-makers, craft your message to speak directly to their concerns. What challenges are they facing? What goals are they working to achieve? Ensure your sales pitch aligns with their objectives, showing that you understand their position.
Engage Early: Get in front of decision-makers as soon as possible in the sales process. Schedule meetings with them directly, rather than relying on lower-level contacts who may not have the full picture or the authority to approve a deal.

Focusing on decision-makers means fewer hurdles and faster progress. They appreciate when sellers recognize their needs and present solutions that address high-level concerns. This strategy also minimizes the chances of your offer being sidelined by someone without buying power.

Create a Buyer’s Matrix

Understanding your buyer’s unique needs, concerns, and priorities is critical for successful SNAP Selling. A Buyer’s Matrix is a tool that helps sales teams anticipate and address the key questions and objections that prospects might have throughout the sales process. It allows you to stay ahead by tailoring your approach to each buyer’s specific persona.

How to create a Buyer’s Matrix:

List Common Buyer Questions: Start by compiling a list of frequently asked questions from your buyers. These might include queries about pricing, implementation, return on investment, or how your solution compares to competitors. This will help you anticipate the buyer’s concerns and respond proactively.
Align Your Message with Buyer Goals: In your matrix, map out the buyer’s key objectives and how your solution helps them meet those goals. This step ensures that your sales approach always speaks to what’s most important to the buyer, whether that’s reducing costs, improving productivity, or gaining a competitive advantage.
Address Objections in Advance: Buyers will always have objections—whether they’re related to price, timing, or implementation. Your Buyer’s Matrix should outline potential objections for each persona and provide scripted responses that show how your solution overcomes these concerns.

By creating a Buyer’s Matrix, you not only prepare yourself for any roadblocks during the sales process but also demonstrate a deeper understanding of your prospect’s needs. This level of preparation can significantly increase your chances of closing a sale.

Comparison: SNAP Selling vs. SPIN Selling

Key Differences

SNAP Selling and SPIN Selling are two popular methodologies used in sales, but they each take a different approach to guiding buyers toward a decision. Understanding the differences can help you choose the method that aligns best with your sales objectives and the type of buyer you’re targeting.

Focus on Simplicity vs. Pain Points: SNAP Selling is all about simplifying the decision-making process for buyers who feel overwhelmed by information and choices. It aims to keep communication straightforward and relevant. In contrast, SPIN Selling focuses on uncovering pain points by asking detailed questions about the buyer’s situation, problems, and needs.
Frazzled Buyers vs. Analytical Buyers: SNAP Selling is designed for frazzled buyers who may suffer from analysis paralysis and information overload. These buyers need a simplified approach to move forward. SPIN Selling, on the other hand, is more suited for buyers who need a deeper exploration of their problems, and it takes more time to work through their challenges.
Speed vs. Process Depth: The SNAP Sales Method emphasizes speed and efficiency, aiming to cut through distractions and get to the decision quickly. SPIN Selling typically takes longer, as it requires sellers to guide the prospect through a series of stages by asking specific types of questions—Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff—to fully understand their challenges and objectives.

Which is Right for You?

Choosing between SNAP Selling and SPIN Selling depends on your specific buyer type and the complexity of the sales process. Here are some considerations:

Use SNAP Selling if your buyers tend to be overwhelmed by too much information, face decision fatigue, or work in fast-paced industries where decisions need to be made quickly. This method is especially effective in competitive markets with similar offerings, where simplifying the buying process can make your solution stand out.
Use SPIN Selling when your buyers need a more in-depth exploration of their problems and are likely to benefit from a longer, more consultative sales process. SPIN Selling is ideal for situations where identifying pain points and developing tailored solutions are critical to closing the deal.

Each methodology has its strengths, so the key is to match the sales approach to your buyer’s behavior and the complexity of the decision they need to make. For frazzled buyers looking for clarity and quick decision-making, SNAP Selling is the ideal choice. However, for buyers who need to explore their challenges more deeply, SPIN Selling might be a better fit.

Conclusion

Incorporating the SNAP Sales Method into your sales process can help you navigate today’s increasingly complex and competitive markets. By keeping it simple, adding value at every interaction, aligning with buyer priorities, and helping them raise their own, you can become a trusted partner in the decision-making process. Evaluate your current approach and see how adopting the SNAP Sales Method could help you engage frazzled buyers more effectively and win more deals.