I Hate Demos

I hate demos. So do most of your prospects.

The slide show and monologue must go.

There is a reason so few convert.

Instead, most end with some level of uncertainty. Ask a founder how the sales call went and they explain, “good”. Inquire further about next steps and things get murky.

😊Here’s a better way:

Drop the slides. Forget the show and tell. Have a conversation instead.

Ask questions to learn why they are on the call. Determine the problem they need solved. But, don’t pitch just yet. Wait for it…

Instead, ask questions to amplify their pain. That’s right. Make it more uncomfortable. Let them explain what they are going through. Like a therapy session.

Then ask, “What happens if you do nothing?”

Don’t compare your product to competitors. Don’t compare it to alternatives. Learn from the dentist. When your tooth 🦷 is hurting, you don’t shop around for the best price. You beg the dentist to fit you in. Happily paying what it takes to remove the pain.

After they answer the question. After they get a little uncomfortable thinking about going back to the pain. Ask, “What if this works? What would that look like 3 months from now?”

😎Here’s the best way:

Now that you know a better way, continue to improve. Yes, there is always a way to do things better. This one is my favorite. It got me two exits and helped hundreds of founders actually generate massive revenue.

No slides, no screen sharing, and no sales pressure.

Begin the call with a statement like, “This may not even work for you.” Lean in, giving your undivided attention. “So why did you want to meet today?”

It has to be genuine curiosity. Like a therapist asks, “So, what is going on?” The point is to begin a therapy session. One where they disclose their pain.

The only way this works is if you remove all sales pressure.

Ask questions to dig deeper. Like a therapy session. “You said that you wanted to meet because you’ve seen an increase in churn. How much has churn increased?”

The reason is the surface problem may not be the real issue. It could be the stock answer they give until more trust is established. You can challenge their answer like, “That seems to be a pretty typical level of churn for your industry. Are you afraid it will continue to rise?”

That is an unexpected response for a sales call. Thus they relax, feeling less sales pressure.

The point is to uncover their pain. The thing they don’t want to talk about. Maybe it is a fear of failure, new pressure from the board, a rapidly growing competitor, but it is never just what they initially claim.

Keep asking questions and listening. Be the therapist, not the detective.

Once they admit to the real problem, the thing they will never say in a sales call, begin the questions to amplify the pain. “If this continues, what will that look like 3 months from now?”

As the true problem is amplified, don’t interrupt it with a pitch. Always have a buffer between calls to manage this time.

Wait on the pitch until they are done living with the pain. Begin the pitch with, “What happens if you do nothing?” Then explain, “You know what, I think this will solve your problem.” As they listen, explain only the parts that solve their problem. Not features and technology.

For example, “Your main issue right now is a new competitor rapidly taking your customers. Do you think that enhancing the customer experience will help?”

That’s the pitch. A series of questions to get their opinions, their words about the issue, and their concerns. Then close with “What if this works? What if we can stop the churn next week?”

Once they begin to replace fear based scenarios with the new ones you provided, they are ready to buy. Not next week or next quarter. Today.

📈When you solve the big problem, most buy today.

When someone does not buy now, it usually points to two scenarios. One, they are not a decision maker or… they do not have the funds to buy.

If they are not the decision maker, the only thing you can do is get their help setting a meeting with the real person in charge. If they do not have funds, offer additional payment options or a reduced cost version.

Usually, most companies can find the funds to buy. So that is rarely the truth. It may be the decision maker has a limited budget that you just went over. It may be that cash is tight and they are still not convinced that your solution will save them.

However, by being a therapist, solving their big problem, and offering multiple options, the probability of closing is much higher. I have seen companies go from closing 3 out of 100 to 30 from the same amount of activity.

Sales for Founders

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