Sell It Framework for Executive Presentations

This is for everyone. Entrepreneurs, professionals, business owners, job seekers. You send emails nobody replies to. You make presentations people forget the moment they leave the room. You pitch ideas that don't land. It's not because your work is bad. It's because your message isn't clear. I just finished Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller and honestly, it changed how I think about communication. His one line that stayed with me: "If you confuse, you lose." Most of us make the same mistake - we make ourselves the hero. We talk about our experience, our process, our features. But the person on the other side of your email, your pitch, your slide deck? They don't care about you. They care about themselves. Their problem. Their outcome. That's exactly what the SB7 Framework fixes. 7 steps. Works in emails, presentations, proposals, pitches - anywhere you need to communicate. 1. Character: Who is your audience? What do they want? 2. Problem : What's frustrating them? Go deeper than the obvious - the internal problem always matters more. 3. Guide : Position yourself as the guide. Lead with empathy, back it with credibility. 4. Plan : Give them a clear path forward. 3 steps. No jargon. No confusion. 5. Call to Action: Be direct. Tell them exactly what to do next. 6. Avoid Failure → What happens if they don't act? Make the stakes real, not dramatic. 7. Success: Show them what life looks like after. Specific. Tangible. Worth wanting. Use this the next time you write an important email. Or build a client proposal. Or present to your leadership team. ----x------- This post itself follows the SB7 framework. You were the hero. Struggling to get people to listen, act, respond. The framework was the plan. I was just the guide. The CTA - Use it in your next communication. The failure - Keep sending unclear messages and keep getting ignored. The success - Emails that get replies. Presentations that get remembered. Pitches that convert. That's what clarity does.

I was halfway into a demo with a couple of Directors. Their eyes shifted and posture slouched. I'd lost them. But kept going—walking them through one feature after another. Realized they weren't engaged because I hadn’t earned their attention. I was dumping features without connecting them to the problem they were trying to solve. That’s one example, but it's how my demos used to go 👆 Deals stalled. Win rates dropped. ................................................................. That's until I switched to a simple 5-step framework for presenting features on demos, which changed everything. The key difference, leading with the problem: 1. Frame the problem “Linda, you said it’s a pretty tedious process for your team to keep track of all your marketing campaigns for the month. The data is spread across a dozen spreadsheets, google docs, and emails.” • call out the problem • no product jargon • no buzzwords 2. Talk through the use case “So, when the business comes to you for a new product launch, you need to quickly start planning the campaigns. Which can be difficult given everything is scattered. You have to call sporadic team meetings to get updates, leading to product delays and potential lost revenue.” • you've uncover the use case via discovery • talk through how they’re getting the job done today 3. Show the feature “Let me show you how you can see all of this in one place and how you can cut your current process from 10 steps down to 3.” • walk through the feature • be crystal clear about what they’re seeing • it's your prospect’s 1st time seeing it, but your 100th 4. Articulate the outcome “This will help you launch your marketing campaigns 2.5x faster, meeting the business’ product launch dates.” • execs care about business outcomes • clearly state what it could look like with this capability 5. Ask a question “How do you see your team using this capability to solve for [X problem]?” • keep your prospect engaged throughout • lock in those micro-closes ……………………………………....... Have intention and purpose in your demos. Don’t be a feature dumper.

Great B2B sales decks follow a very specific story. Problem → insight → proof → decision. Most companies skip half of it. Instead, they build decks that look like this: → company history with founders' photos → product overview min 7 slides → feature tour that takes forever → pricing in your face as the ask And I get it. You want to explain what you built and why it is great. From the buyer’s perspective, it feels completely off. They are still trying to understand the problem and whether it is even worth solving in the first place. Good sales decks do not start with the product. They start with context. ▫️What changed in the market? ▫️Why does the old way no longer work? ▫️What problem is now worth paying attention to? Once the buyer recognizes the problem, the rest of the story becomes much easier to follow. How to do it better? A simple structure by April Dunford sales pitch framework looks like this: 𝟭. 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 Start with what changed. A shift in the market, a new problem, or a realization that the old way of doing things no longer works. 𝟮. 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 Show how companies are currently trying to solve this problem. This helps buyers recognize themselves in the story. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 Paint a picture of what success looks like if the problem is solved properly. 𝟰. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Only now introduce your company and why you decided to tackle this problem. 𝟱. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 Explain what makes your approach different from the alternatives buyers already know. 𝟲. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 Bring in customer examples, results, or case studies that show this actually works in the real world. 𝟳. 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Address the most common concerns early. Pricing, complexity, implementation, or integration. 𝟴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸 End with a clear next step. Book another call, start a pilot, or move toward a proposal. When a sales deck follows this structure, the meeting feels less like a presentation and more like a shared discovery process. Instead of pushing a product, you are guiding the buyer through a logical decision. Many GTM teams use this structure because it keeps the conversation focused on the problem and the value. Sharing a quick snapshot of the structure & relatable examples below. Want me to feature you the next time I do that? Send me your pitch deck, and I'll gladly consider it. Sales decks are my guilty pleasure. I've read hundreds. The good ones are rare.

There's one habit that separates struggling AEs from elite sellers: They treat executive meetings like product demos instead of strategy sessions. While average reps show features and ask basic questions, elite sellers arrive with insights that reshape how executives think about their business. Here's the exact 5-step intelligence framework that turns executives into champions: 1. Survey Their Current Team First Hit LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Filter for team members active in the past 30 days. Send tailored messages focused on outcomes, not features. Ask about pain points and advice for approaching their exec. Your exec opener: "After talking with 5 of your sales reps in the East, it sounds like AE-created pipeline is a big focus. What are the biggest risks you see to pipe build in the next 3-6 months?" 2. Analyze Their Customer Stories Study their case studies and customer logos. What problems do they solve? Who do they serve? What gets mentioned repeatedly - and what's conspicuously absent? Your exec opener: "You've got impressive logos - Gong, Salesloft, Drift all using your platform. Given that renewals are getting leaner across SaaS, what are the 2 biggest churn risks you're watching next quarter?" 3. Mine RepVue and Glassdoor for Team Intelligence 71% vs 21% quota attainment tells different stories. Use filters and search functions to find specific insights about team dynamics and performance gaps. Your exec opener: "Building pipeline has been brutal in 2025. How are you thinking about attainment risks in the next 3 months?" 4. Study Product Reviews for Competitive Gaps G2 and Capterra reviews reveal what customers love - and what they're missing. Look for gaps your solution fills. Your exec opener: "Your customers rave about functionality and ease of use on G2. The only complaint was insufficient CSM time. Is this a top risk you're addressing this quarter?" 5. Consume Their Content Podcasts, speeches, interviews. Find their personal stories and philosophies. Reference their own ideas to open conversations. Your exec opener: "You made a brilliant point about sales-marketing alignment on Kevin Dorsey's podcast. How do lead conversion issues and slower deal velocity rank as risks you're discussing with marketing?" — This level of preparation doesn't just impress executives. It positions you as a strategic advisor, not another vendor. Your first meetings will be 5x better because you're leading with insight, not interrogation. PS -Want these frameworks delivered weekly? Join 7k+ sellers in my newsletter - details in bio.

I’ve spent years helping B2B companies build and standardize sales messaging. Here’s my model, in five acts. 1️⃣ Define the problem Your prospect called because they have a problem to solve. Help them tell you. ▶ Reflect domain knowledge about the big issues that trigger buying cycles ▶ Land on a clear, simple, mutually agreed statement getting to the heart of the problem 2️⃣ Frame the decision You’re talking to someone trying to understand their options and choose the right one. Help them make sense of what’s in front of them. ▶ Offer your expert perspective on their options, what makes them different, and where your product sits ▶ Be honest about the advantages and disadvantages 3️⃣ Share your unique value Your company or product solves your buyer’s problem in a certain way, which unlocks value that’s hard to get anywhere else. ▶ Tell them what the unique value is ▶ Make it short, sharp, and simple 4️⃣ Break down product capabilities What new abilities do buyers gain from your product? ▶ Tell them what they will do with it that they couldn’t before ▶ It will probably come down to 3-5 short present-tense action statements ▶ Then, reinforce this narrative with your demo 5️⃣ De-risk the decision Prospects are looking for reasons to say no. Take them off the table. This means speaking directly to things like: ▶ Your bona fides ▶ Relevant case studies  ▶ Value relative to cost (i.e., the price and the business case) ▶ How you support the implementation ▶ How you stand by your product ▶ Support after the sale And anything else you need to say to diffuse concerns. After that, you’ll have your obligatory call-to-action/next steps section. But you know all about that already because you’re smart. That’s pretty much it. PS: I am sharing this as a highly distilled, foundational mental model, not a template. You can use it as a framework for writing a deck, developing a sales elevator pitch, or as a jumping-off point for deeper sales messaging and assets. This framework can support a big, lofty narrative as well or a nitty gritty, in-the-weeds approach. Treat it as a springboard, not a Mad Libs exercise.

Want to know why executives are checking their phones during your presentation? Here's a secret: You're not giving a presentation. You're leading a high-stakes conversation. I've spent years helping leaders command attention, and here's the framework that works every time: The Golden Window 🕒  Your opening sentence determines success. Forget "Today I'm here to talk about..." Instead, try this: "We've discovered a way to cut customer churn in half while spending 30% less. I need your go-ahead on three changes to make this happen." The Secret Menu Approach 📋  Structure your deck like a great restaurant menu: - Specials up front (key insights) - Prices clearly marked (what you need) - Ingredients available (supporting data) The Sticky Formula 🎯  Every winning executive presentation needs: - One compelling story - One surprising number - One clear ask Billboard vs. Novel 🚗  If someone's driving past your main message at 60mph, would they get it? Think billboard, not novel. Start with this opener: "The one thing you need to know today is [your biggest insight], and here's why it matters to our bottom line..." Watch those phones disappear. 📱↘️ #ExecutivePresence #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #CommunicationSkills #PublicSpeaking 💡 Follow me for more insights on executive communication and leadership presence.

It’s not just what you say. It’s how you frame it. Behavioral economics is the secret sauce that helps you move beyond logic to frame your message in a way that resonates with what truly drives stakeholder decisions. These are emotion, motivation, and perceived impact. Let's have a look, shall we? 🛠️ Without Behavioral Economics: “This program will help employees develop digital skills that align with our strategic goals.” Sounds fine, right? Logical. Sensible. And completely forgettable. 🧠 With Behavioral Economics: “Without this program, we risk falling behind competitors who are already upskilling their workforce. By investing in this now, we can position ourselves as an industry leader while avoiding costly turnover.” The difference? The second pitch taps into; 👍 Loss aversion (fear of falling behind), 👍 Social proof (others are already doing this), and 👍 Future rewards (gains from industry leadership). How do they work together? 💡 Loss aversion acts as a hook and motivates action to avoid immediate pain or risk. By emphasizing the risks of inaction or potential losses (e.g., falling behind competitors, high turnover costs), you grab the stakeholder’s attention and create urgency. 💡 After addressing the fear of loss, future gains are positioned as the desirable outcome of taking action (e.g., becoming an industry leader). This aligns with the stakeholder's aspirations, giving them a vision of success to work toward. 💡 So, the next time you pitch an initiative: 1️⃣ Start with what’s at stake (Loss aversion: “What will happen if we don’t act?”) 2️⃣ Show the upside (Future gains: “What’s the big win if we do?”) 3️⃣ Bridge the gap with action (How your proposal leads to those outcomes). Use this framework, and you’ll go from “meh” to memorable every time. #LearningAndDevelopment #StakeholderManagement #WorkplaceLearning #Learning

I helped a client implement April Dunford's "Sales Pitch" framework in their deck last week. After their first two pitches, they said: "This is completely changing our conversations!" I read April's book when it first came out and have tested the framework with multiple clients since then. It works incredibly well. Here's the framework breakdown (and why each step is so valuable): 1. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 (𝗣𝗢𝗩): Start with what your experience reveals about the customer's situation and problems you can help solve. This positions you as a trusted expert and frames the conversation around your unique value. 2. 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: Discuss common solutions customers typically use with honest pros and cons. This builds credibility and helps uncover what they value most in potential solutions. 3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱: Paint the picture of an ideal solution by summarizing the pros of all alternatives. This creates alignment––if they agree with your perfect world description, they're likely a fit. If not, they probably aren't. 4. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Now introduce your solution and category. This works because you've established the perfect context before revealing your offering. 5. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲: Focus your demo exclusively on your differentiated features. Don't overwhelm with every feature. Instead, highlight what truly sets you apart and creates unique value. 6. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳: Provide evidence that you deliver on your promises through testimonials, case studies, and results. This validates your claims and builds trust at a critical moment. 7. 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Come prepared with answers to common questions. This demonstrates you understand their concerns and have thought ahead about potential roadblocks. 8. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗸: Close with a clear next step. A good pitch always includes a straightforward call to action appropriate for where they are in their journey. The beauty of this framework is by the time you reach that final ask, it feels completely natural for both sides. What sales framework has worked best for you? #positioning

Most presentations fail before they even begin. Why? Because they’re too generic. If your presentation doesn’t speak directly to your client’s needs, goals, and pain points, you’re losing engagement—and deals. Works for: ✅ Sales pitches ✅ Investor presentations ✅ Client onboarding I’ve seen too many professionals rely on one-size-fits-all slides. Here’s a common mistake I often see: People assume their audience will connect the dots between a generic presentation and their specific business challenges. I know it’s costing them lower engagement, less buy-in, and fewer conversions. However, this simple framework can help: The 3-Step Client-Specific Pitch Framework 1️⃣ Know Their Pain Points - Research their industry, recent news, and public data. - Ask questions to uncover their key challenges. - Example: Instead of “Our software improves efficiency,” say, “Our software eliminates bottlenecks in your manufacturing process, cutting lead times by 20%.” 2️⃣ Align Your Solution to Their Goals - Tailor your messaging to their objectives (cost savings, growth, efficiency). - Use relevant data, case studies, and examples. - Example: Instead of a generic product pitch, say, *“With your goal of market expansion, our platform can increase penetration by 15% in six months.”* 3️⃣ Speak Their Language - Avoid jargon unless your client is familiar with it. - Mirror their communication style—concise for execs, detailed for analysts. - Example: Marketing teams care about conversion rates; finance teams care about ROI. Here’s an example: A SaaS company pitching to a retail chain tailored their presentation by replacing general product features with case studies from similar retailers. The result? Immediate interest and a deal closed 30% faster. A client-specific presentation builds trust, strengthens relationships, and increases your chances of closing the deal. Use this framework to make your next pitch land with precision 👌🏻 What’s your go-to approach for personalizing presentations? Let’s discuss in the comments! 🚀