This 4,262 word email leaked from Mark Zuckerberg.
And it shares almost everything you need to know about selling to executives, and what kind of messaging resonates.
I broke down 18 tips inside this 20-minute video you can check out.
Check out the detailed version here:
Or, if you’d rather read the TL;DR instead:
- Internal buying conversations are where deals actually get done.
- Message the “Kairos” moment: vanishing windows of opportunity.
- How you frame an issue early is how you win a deal later.
- These are the 4 universal decision criteria:
- Impact (gain captured, loss avoided)
- Effort (what’s invested to create impact)
- Risk (how likely the effort is to create impact)
- Complexity (multiplies risk and effort)
- Execs consider outcomes in terms of “time horizons.” You should too.
- Multithreading 2+ business units won’t happen without exec support.
- Always find and frame your deal around all-consuming priorities.
- Discover and repeat an exec’s internal “catchphrase” over, and over.
- Small anecdotes get big deals done. They’re sticky & shareable.
- People remember narratives and often forget/ignore ROI.
- Related: execs make big bets on instinct, then backfill with data.
- Lead with the TL;DR, then share detailed support afterward.
- Address common objections upfront. Add a supporting FAQ doc.
- Competitive positioning is a BIG deal to execs.
- There are lots of paths to 1 outcome. Align on the approach.
- Budget is rarely an actual issue when tapped into a priority.
- What you’re looking for is sponsorship + internal referrals.
- Repetition is persuasive.
Grab the full email + extra resources, here.