Revenue is not your friend
Or “sales”, if you’d like to put it that way. Not even cashflow is your friend. You can have millions in revenue. Millions in cashflow. And still on the verge of killing the business. You need to focus on your profit and your margins. And this comes from the value you help create to your customers. Because those (profit + margins) are the ones that make your business sustainable. They are the things that fund your mission. Without that fund, you’ll run dry or burn out. It’s that time when you…
Say what you think
Whenever you’re in a (sales) conversation and there’s something you find not making sense, or doubtful, seems to you like a red flag, or your gut tells you “hold on, check that”, you need to say what you think. Frame. Make the question. And embrace silence. … This will give you a chance to check your gut feeling, probe your counterparty, and see how far or close you are on your reading of the context. This will give you an advantage: to make a more conscious decision to move forward, or to…
The representation of your promise
Price. It represents your promise. When your price is higher, it’s implicit that your delivery will be higher. If it’s low, that the other is better at something —but not knowing necessarily where. If your price is low and your promise is THE ultimate, your customer bears the question: “Is there a catch?” “Is this a scam?” Our brains go into Error 406 (Not Acceptable). And we either discard it by default, or we consider it as the riskier option. And when big bucks are at stake, they won’t go…
Don’t speak
“Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’So please stop explainin'”Don’t Speak – No Doubt When you’re in a sales conversation, stop talking. Start listening. Probe with questions. It’s not about your reasons. About your product. About you. It’s about vetting if there’s a fit (a set of, actually) between your prospect and your business. If you can help them. And if they want the kind of help you give. More explaining won’t do it. More listening will.
Which one is better?
A bunch of responses about yesterday’s message —where offer A is priced at 3,3X and offer B is priced at 0,9X— said that A was better than B. For a few reasons… (and all of these assumptions are with the only context of price.) Offer A… Would help for longer Would be custom. Is premium Feels premium Has more bells and whistles Has better performance Gives more guarantees Is more reliable Has a clear position in the market Is not desperate for a sale Has to be the expert Has more…
Yield and Concede
A school of thought on sales has this principle: “For you to win in a negotiation, you need to be ready to yield and concede”. Bullshit. You don’t. You can always walk away. The only thing customers have: money. The thing that only you and your business have: your expertise. Money is fungible / exchangeable. Your expertise and what you bring to the table, isn’t.
Would you like fries with it?
Doing what your customers say they need you to do without a proper diagnosis from your side is asking that question. It’s leaning into taking orders and leave all the responsibility (and risk) on them. So when things go south “they got what they asked for”. And to get those things done (what they say they need), you’ll compete with LLMs and AI, amongst other who “do” the same. Start with a diagnosis. That’s one of the first indicators you’re the expert.
Getting new business isn’t “Wins”
Why not Wins? Because it’s pointless. Even if you keep track of them all, of all of your “wins”, it won’t serve you more than as just an ego exercise. Or to build confidence, if you want. Nothing else. The more you score, the better the win is. Right? Then, what if you have 1M in rev? And 999999 in costs… What if you have 10M in profit? And bad sleep bc of the stress. It’s not like sports (or a war), where you win by defeating the other(s) —and by scoring the most. Keep track, yes. Keep…
Customer is king
If customer is king, you can’t say no. Your head will roll. If customer is king, you can’t contradict them —even when their ideas are BAD. If customer is king, you’re not allowed to walk away until dismissed. If customer is king, you do what you’re told. If customer is king, you’re not at their level. If customer is king, they’re the prize to be won. If … And that’s not reality. There are no kings.
Just a fling
“It’s just a fling” A fling is something sporadic, occasional and with no prospect of something in the future. A fling, though, wouldn’t be called a transaction. Just a thing of the moment. Easily exchanged. Easily forgettable. Your business? Is it a fling for your customers? Or are they actually invested in making it a thing? Because depending on what it is that they see, you could start talking on loyalty.