By Keenan & Will Aitken // New Release
The Problem
Opens the Door.
Most prospecting fails in the first sentence. Sellers lead with their product, their pitch, their company — and buyers tune out immediately. Gap Prospecting teaches you to lead with what buyers actually care about: their problem. Get that right, and they respond.
The State of Prospecting
in buyers' inboxes since 2015
between 2015 and 2021
using Gap Prospecting — 3× the average
Buyers are receiving more outreach than at any point in the last decade and responding to less of it. The cause is consistent: the messages describe the seller's product, and buyers filter those out before reading the second line.
The Core Idea
Buyers engage when the first message they receive names a problem they already live with.
Gap Prospecting is built around that moment — identify the buyer's business problem before writing a word of outreach, and earn the conversation through the accuracy of what you describe.
From Chapter Two
The Nine Truthbombs of Prospecting
Like physics, they exist whether or not you accept them. Embrace them and you'll finally understand why buyers go cold — and what to do about it.
No one gives a shit about you.
"Your buyer will only care about you when they believe you can move their current state into a better future state. Until then, don't waste one nanosecond giving them information they didn't ask for."
People are insanely busy.
"The people you're trying to talk to are already overwhelmed with hundreds of calls, emails, Slacks, in-person meetings, and online meetings per day. If they wanted to make you part of that day, they'd have already reached out."
People hate being interrupted.
"Most people only work about 12 minutes before experiencing an interruption. After each one, it takes 23 minutes to get back on track. You're not just an interruption — you're a 23-minute setback."
Your prospect doesn't owe you anything.
"If you're reaching out uninvited, your buyers don't owe you courtesy, information, or time. Not even the seconds it would take you to get four words out. You're the one who's interrupting."
You trigger fight-or-flight.
"Your buyer is busy and you're a stranger, so automatically they don't trust you. If you lead with product and get pushy, you intensify the response. You have to disarm them almost immediately — or you've lost."
No one ever wants to be sold to.
"No one has ever sat down and thought, I hope someone interrupts me to sell to me today. But no one minds being sold to well — by someone they trust who they believe has their best interest at heart."
Buyers are liars.
"Your goal in prospecting is to find out whether the buyer has a problem your solution addresses. Buyers who say 'we're covered' in the first thirty seconds haven't told you the truth — they've ended an uncomfortable conversation. The job is to get past that to the actual situation."
People have problems.
"Buyers may not realize it yet, but they have problems they need solved. Can you show them evidence they're about to feel pain? Can you show them the crack in the pipe waiting for just a little more pressure?"
Prospecting works.
"If you talk to the right people and bring them solutions that make their problems go away, people buy. They love to buy. Show buyers you're the key to an easier, better life, and they'll open their door and welcome you in."
What Readers Say
"If Gap Selling is the strategy for the finish line, Gap Prospecting is the manual for the starting line. It takes Keenan's problem-centric philosophy and moves it upstream — earning the right to start the conversation in the first place."
"Gap Prospecting is legitimately one of my top 5 sales books of all time. It breaks down why your prospecting isn't working, the psychology of why buyers avoid us, and how to sell intrigue before you sell interest."
"Implemented correctly with the team, Gap Prospecting is a weapon."
Common Questions
About Gap Prospecting
What is Gap Prospecting?
Gap Prospecting is a problem-centric approach to outreach created by Keenan and Will Aitken. Instead of leading with your product or company, Gap Prospecting teaches you to lead with the buyer's problem — specifically the gap between where they are now and where they need to be. When buyers see that you understand their problem better than they do, they respond.
How is Gap Prospecting different from regular cold outreach?
Standard outreach opens with a pitch and asks for time the buyer hasn't agreed to give. Gap Prospecting opens with a business problem the buyer already recognizes — which gives them a reason to respond before the seller has asked for anything. Will Aitken ran a 15.6% cold-call conversion rate using this approach — more than three times the B2B average.
Who is Gap Prospecting for?
Gap Prospecting is written for any sales professional who does outbound — SDRs, AEs, founders, and sales leaders who need to build or maintain pipeline. It's especially relevant for anyone whose outreach is generating noise but not conversations.
Do I need to read Gap Selling first?
No — Gap Prospecting stands on its own. That said, the two books are designed as a complete system: Gap Prospecting gets you the conversation, Gap Selling closes it. Reading both gives you the full picture of problem-centric selling from first touch to signed deal.
What are the Nine Truthbombs of Prospecting?
The Nine Truthbombs are the foundational realities of how prospecting actually works: no one gives a shit about you; people are insanely busy; people hate being interrupted; your prospect doesn't owe you anything; you trigger fight-or-flight; no one wants to be sold to; buyers are liars; people have problems; and prospecting works — when you do it right.
Is there Gap Prospecting training for sales teams?
Yes. A Sales Growth Company offers Gap Prospecting training programs for B2B sales teams. The book is the foundation — the training builds the skills to execute the methodology at scale across your entire team, from cold call scripting to email sequencing to LinkedIn outreach.
The Gap Series
More from Keenan
Gap Selling
#1 Amazon Bestseller // 150,000+ Copies Sold
Close the Deals You Start.
Gap Prospecting gets you the conversation. Gap Selling closes it. Learn how to diagnose the gap between where your buyer is and where they need to be — and close from that position instead of pitching product.
Learn More →Gap Revenue Performance
Forthcoming — Summer 2026
The Reckoning Sales Enablement Has Been Waiting For.
Keenan's full deconstruction of sales enablement — and the operating model built to replace it. Revenue underperformance is a system problem, not a people problem. Coming summer 2026.
Get Notified →Ready to Prospect Differently?
Lead With
Their Problem.
Thousands of sales professionals have already changed how they prospect. The methodology is in the book. The training is available for your whole team.