New Framework: The "Future-State" Press Release

This move has landed me & my teams multiple 6 & 7-figure deals.

And it’s as close as I can come to guaranteeing you exec attention.

But 98% of sellers will still ignore it:

→ Building a “future-state” press release, with a headline that’s the outcome of something you enable for your customers.

Why does this get ignored so often?

Because it takes some time and creativity.

Why does it work so well?

Because it’s the opposite of what most sellers do:

Writing a good press release means “working backward.”

You start with the customer’s outcome, and find a way to help them get it.

Yet most sales reps are always “working forward.”

They start with their product, then figure out how to get customers to buy it.

If you’re up to give it a shot, this week’s write-up has a step-by-step guide.

-nate

4 Questions to Get Your Buyers Doing the Heavy Lifting

Most people believe a seller’s job is to pitch and close deals.

But that view is dated. Because sales reps don’t close deals. Buyers do.

If you look at where buying decisions are actually made, it’s never during a sales meeting.

It’s always during an internal meeting, without sales reps in the room.

So the make-or-break moments in your deals generally happen outside of your direct control.

But not outside of your influence—if you’re selling with champions.
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Which means you need to share the workload.

Yet, early-career sellers tend to tiptoe around their buyers.

They ask mild questions. They take on all the heavy lifting themselves.

Afraid to create too much friction that might “scare away” the buying team.

Which is the exact opposite of what top reps do.

‍Top reps end up getting their buyers to do a lot of the work—which increases their close rate.

Because again, ultimately, your buyers are the ones closing your deals. Not you, as the seller.

My friend, Charles Muhlbauer, stopped by the blog this week to share 4 discovery questions with us.

Questions to help you do this exactly this—get your buyers doing the heavy lifting—in moments like:

 - Kicking off a large group demo.
 - Negotiating pricing in late-stage deals.
 - Shifting deals from nice-to-have’s to must-have’s.
 - “Looking for trouble” that will surprise you, and kill your deal.

Check out the exact way he phrases these questions in this week’s write-up:

How to Sell With Champions: Ask Them to Do the Heavy Lifting + 4 Example Questions

And if you’re craving even more questions to try out after reading, check this out:

A list of 27 thoughtful discovery questions.

-nate

The Formula for Deal Momentum + Forwardable Emails

We're digging into two topics in this week's newsletter —
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1/ Deal Momentum.
2/ Forwardable Emails.

The first topic covers a mental model plus tactics, the second is 100% tactical.

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1/ The Formula for Enterprise Sales: Deal Momentum

It’s been said “time kills all deals.” But in a complex sale, time isn’t the enemy.

In fact, the larger the contract, the longer the sales cycle tends to be.

Instead, other headwinds like irrelevance cause large deals to stand still.

To keep deals moving forward, you need to create and measure Deal Momentum:

There are four main drivers behind Deal Momentum.

Each requires a specific strategy.

>> Read this week's post to start using them to land your next deal.

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‍2/ How to Write Forwardable Sales Emails

‍You just wrapped an incredible demo. Your flow, flawless. The conversation, engaging. You’re certain this deal will close.

But then, it fizzles out. You can’t get them on the phone for a follow-up. One week, then two melt by with no reply. What gives?

Thing is, your prospect’s biggest problem isn’t their boss’s biggest problem.

This is where the art of “forwardable emails” comes in. It combines everyone’s interests into a single narrative that keeps your dream deal moving forward.

>> Read this piece I wrote for BuiltIn to get the Framework for Forwardable Emails.

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Enjoy this week's reads? Forward it to a friend.

-nate