Last week I came into a sales meeting ready to say no. He spent 15 minutes on one slide. 24 hours later I wired him $50,000. Every enterprise sales rep has the obligatory "your challenges" slide. Most treat it like a formality. A quick "see, we were listening" check in before racing to the pitch. @NickCeg from 30 Minutes to President's Club did the opposite. He spent 15 full minutes on that single slide. No demo. No pricing. No nothing. He talked about each challenge like he'd lived it himself, with specificity, passion, and genuine empathy. He was animated, his facial expressions matched the pain, he was gesturing. Almost as if he was me talking to my exec coach about my problems. By the time he finished, two things happened: 1. I became more convinced I had a serious problem I needed to solve urgently. 2. I trusted him to solve it, even though I knew nothing about his solution. I was like WOW he gets us. Let’s work with him. It taught me a big lesson. Like many other enterprise reps, I race past the problem because I don’t want to bore the executive repeating something they already know. Boy, have I been doing it wrong. Forget the solution. Sell the problem for at least 10 mins in every meeting and with PASSION. Make your buyer feel so understood that they pick you to solve their problem. There might be $50,000 in it for you.

If you plopped into your local steakhouse and barked at the waiter “Get me a steak” You’d be kinda pissed off if they ran to the back and returned with an overcooked porterhouse. A great waiter would respond to your demand by asking: What cut? Doneness? Spinach or baked potato as a side? Can I interest you in our cabernet that pairs quite well with the filet?| Good discovery helps inform what we present and serve to the customer.

Are your sales stages based on meetings or exit-criteria? According the @NickCeg and the team at 30 Minutes to President's Club, top sellers focus on outcomes to move a deal forward. Watch the full episode 👉 bit.ly/4glr6vG

If you’re in sales and/or marketing, I highly recommend this book. Cold calling is not dead. If anyone tells you it is, it’s because they suck at it. @armandfarrokh @NickCeg

The bible of cold calling: Cold Calling Sucks by @armandfarrokh & @NickCeg Every SaaS outbound rep should have this on their required reading list. Packed with no-BS tips and real insights, this book gives you everything you need to start crushing cold calls.

Yup. I even used your opener and "Are you open to taking when I'm not cold calling you out of the blue" line

Yo @NickCeg and @armandfarrokh thanks to your advice, I just closed my first consulting client.

"You don't need to feel good to get started, but you do need to get started to feel good" This one is from the legend @NickCeg Cold calling sucks.That is why it works. Success in sales is the number of uncomfortable conversations you are willing to have

Turn goals into problems. If your prospect says they are looking to process their invoices more quickly, you might ask: "Does that mean invoices are not getting processed fast enough?".

Don't be afraid of "out of cadence" effort. If you see big news for a prospect you've been contacting, CALL THEM NOW!

When your buyer talks about a business initiative, go one layer deeper. Try asking "I can't imagine you woke up outta the blue and decided to pursue that. What's driving that for you?"

2. [NEW] Cold Calling Sucks (And that's why it works) - @armandfarrokh // @NickCeg If you even do sales, outbound cold prospecting is probably on your to-do list. What these gents have done is provide excellent strategies which help you close more deals. 100% worth the read.

Ask your champion "How are you positioning this internally?" to determine how your champion is "selling" on your behalf.

Your job is to advance the sale. Do not let your fear of breaking rapport prevent you from asking for the business, next step, etc.

Get asked to give a discount? Ask: "What are you willing to put on the table in exchange?". Unilateral concessions are banned.

If you need to ask Chat GPT "What are the main challenges a CIO in legaltech is facing?" I might recommend you speak with a customer of your company instead. Real customers will give you far more insight than robots.

Most deals fall apart because of indigestion (you share too much information in a disorganized way) rather than starvation (you don't share enough information). Commit to clear and organized communication.

You can say pretty much anything to a prospect as long as you have a smile on your face and say it in a pleasant tone.

If you're going to "give in" to a prospect's demands during a negotiation, the worst thing you can do is make it seem like an easy give. A negotiation has gotta feel like work for your prospect.