I get more sleep during capabilities presentations than I do some nights at home. The first five slides usually do it for me. That’s where all the corporate overview stuff normally goes (“and here’s a map showing the locations of our offices in North America”). There must be an unwritten rule that you start every presentation with your least compelling slides. I think there’s a better way. How many slides does it take to put … [Continue reading]
Three things to give a prospect who isn’t interested in your message
It happened. I agreed to meet with a sales professional because he dropped the right name when reaching out to me. Nice guy. Very smart. But it was an uphill climb for both of us. Even though I fit his buyer profile, I really had no interest in his product. I was an unqualified lead. We’ve all been there, and I felt bad for the guy. Here are three things I wish he had given … [Continue reading]
Avoid the parrot (7 do’s and don’ts for B2B selling)
When it comes to delivering your sales message, there’s tremendous pressure to parrot the competition. Recent McKinsey research on B2B messaging calls out, “a surprising similarity among the brand themes that leading B2B companies emphasized.”* In a marketplace where vendors are all saying the same things, overwhelmed B2B buyers are searching for some sliver of difference between you and your competitors. Here are seven do’s and don’ts that can help you differentiate your next sales … [Continue reading]