Virtual Sales Meetings

Many sellers inadvertently lower their status with their "rapport building". Want your prospect to actually respect you? Try this approach: The easiest way to earn your prospect's respect and get them to "like" you: 1. Show you respect their time 2. Show you know their business 3. Show you're prepared for the call To accomplish all 3, our team follows the 𝟵𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 in sales meetings: In the first 1.5 mins of the call, say something that SHOWS we prepped for the meeting and know their business. Examples: 1. For our newsletter sponsorships, we might comment on a new product feature they just released: "𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰-𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 - 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘸'𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘰?" ^This is likely something they'd want to promote in a newsletter -- 2. For our Club Pass sales training program, we'll might comment on something we read on a job posting for an AE: "𝘋𝘢𝘯, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘋 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘕𝘛 𝘈𝘌 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯��𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?" ^Selling into new verticals often leads to VPs wanting to upskill their teams. -- Done right, you differentiate yourself from every other crummy sales call they've taken this quarter AND get a chance to feel out how much they care about the thing you called out. If I get a lackluster response about the new feature release...I know that's probably not something they're going to want to promote in the newsletter, and I know not to waste time asking more about it! Don't waste everyone's time attempting to schmooze about the cold weather in Toldeo in an obvious attempt to butter 'em up...instead, find ways to demonstrate credibility and your calls will kick off so much smoother.

90% of salespeople run terrible discovery calls. At best, they "check the boxes." At worst, they annoy the hell out of buyers. Use these 5 tips for discovery calls that buyers actually THANK you for: 1. "Prime" the call for success. Bad discovery calls start with bad expectations. You do one thing (ask questions). Your buyer expects another (demo). Get the first 5 minutes of the meeting right: After a few min of small talk, say "Do you mind if we talk about the agenda?" Then ask: "Here's what I have in mind for this call. Lmk if you're thinking something different. This meeting will be successful if ________________. Does that feel right?" Fill in the blank with an objective. THEN set the agenda to get there: "The way we'll accomplish that is first by talking about X, then Y. Anything to add or remove?" Do that, and you're ahead of most sellers. 2. Match your questions to the buyer's journey Meet your buyer where they stand. If they're exploring solutions, ask: "What's driving you to explore this category?" If they're not, and they're still crystallizing their challenges, ask: "Let's talk about the top challenges in [you area] that would be an issue if you didn't solve in 6-12 months." The point? Your first few questions should "meet them where they stand." Match your questions with the buyer's journey stage. 3. Firm up the 'why' When your buyer gets off the Zoom call: - they have 100s of emails - they have missed phone calls - their Slack is lit up like a Christmas tree They'll forget about you. Unless you get to the 'need behind the need.' Ask this: "What's going on your in your business that's driving [challenge they shared] to be a priority? What's the origin story of how this challenge got prioritized?" That question is as close to magic as you'll find. 4. Banter on the root cause Bad salespeople do nothing but get information. Great salespeople *create value* in the sales cycle. Here's how: Help your buyer think through the 'root cause' of their problems. - Offer new perspectives - Share what you see with customers - Ask challenging (but tactful) questions Business problems are messy. They're hard to figure out. If you help them do that, you create value. 5. Quantify the value 'Quantifying value' is misunderstood. Most sellers: Do it because it serves you, the seller Great sellers: Do it because it serves the buyer When you help your buyer quantify the value: - you help them appreciate the full magnitude - you help them know what they can ignore - you help them set priorities Try asking: "What metric will improve the most if you solve this issue?" That will start the process. - What tips would you add for better discovery calls that buyers enjoy? P.S. I've kept a list of 39 questions that sell over the last 12 years. These come from watching 3,000 Gong calls, and running over 1,000 discovery calls myself. Here's the free list of 39 questions that sell: https://go.pclub.io/list

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

Most reps start cold outreach with: "I saw your company..." Then wonder why they get ignored. I’ve reviewed 1000+ cold outreach messages. The ones that worked all followed the same pattern: INSIGHT → PAIN → QUESTION Most cold outreach fails because you lead with YOUR agenda: "I'd love to show you our solution..." "I think we could help you with..." Prospects immediately think: "Another sales pitch." Delete. The framework that gets 15-20% response rates: Step 1: INSIGHT Lead with something they don't know about their situation. Share an industry trend or benchmark. "Most VPs we work with don't realize that 60% of their pipeline stalls because..." Why insights work: They position you as an expert, not a salesperson. They create curiosity instead of resistance. Step 2: PAIN Connect that insight to a potential problem they might be experiencing. "...which means you're probably dealing with longer sales cycles and more 'no decisions'..." The key word is "probably." This feels consultative, not presumptuous. Step 3: QUESTION Ask if they're seeing something similar. Not if they want a demo. "Are you seeing similar patterns in your pipeline?" Why questions work better: Questions start conversations. Asks trigger resistance. Full example: "Hi [Name], Most sales VPs don't realize that 73% of deals stall because reps are selling to champions instead of decision makers. This usually shows up as lots of 'positive feedback' but deals dying in committee. Are you seeing similar patterns where reps have great conversations but struggle to get deals across the finish line? Best, [Your name]" What this accomplishes: ✅You sound different from every other rep ✅You lead with value instead of ask ✅You focus on their problem, not your solution The psychological shift: Instead of "This rep wants something from me," they think "This person might understand my situation." Common mistakes to avoid: ✅Don't make the insight too generic ✅Don't make the pain too assumptive ✅Don't end with a meeting ask The result: 15-20% response rates because you sound like a consultant, not a vendor. Stop pitching. Start consulting. — AEs! Check out the 3 questions that break through price objections here: https://lnkd.in/gbBjgxxS Sales Leaders: Want to install a revenue system that your reps can follow? DM me.

The prospecting system that books 20-30 meetings/month 👇 Most reps wake up hoping for meetings The best reps wake up knowing they’ll get meetings Why? Because they work a system If you want at least one meeting a day or even a hat trick with three in a day you need to consistently hit these four outbound levers • Cold calling the fastest way to get live conversations • Email outreach the most scalable channel • Social selling where your prospects are already engaging • Warm intros & referrals the easiest “yes”    How to execute this daily? 👉 Cold calling (50-100 dials/day) • 15 dials before 9am = low resistance. fresh minds • Block 1-2 power hours during peak times (8-10am & 3-5pm) • Skip permission based openers. Get straight to it • Start strong "the reason for my call is..." then bring immediate relevancy • Use open ended questions to drive the convo forward    👉  Email outreach (25-50 emails/day) • Forget personalization. Relevancy wins every time • No fluff, no pitch slaps. Just get to the damn point • Imagine every word costs $1. Keep it under 70 words • Soft CTAs drive replies and move the needle      "worth a quick chat next week?"   "think this is worth exploring?"    • Follow ups win the battle. No “just checking in” BS • Every touchpoint should add value. Not just remind them you exist 👉  Social selling (25-50 connection requests + 10-15 DMs/day) • No pitch slapping have a damn conversation • Blank connect requests win no need for a note • Open a two way convo, seek to understand • Play the long game. Comment, add insights, make intros • Use video/voice notes (30-60 sec) to stand out 👉  Warm intros & referrals (5+ asks per week) • Happy customers? Ask for intros. "Who else in your network would find this useful?" • LinkedIn groups? Start convos. "Anyone here using [solution] for [problem]?" • Past prospects? Re engage. Deals that didn’t close but had interest So why does this all work? When done daily each lever creates opportunities across channels • One day an email reply turns into a meeting • The next a cold call gets a “yeah lets chat” • A well placed DM leads to “let’s book time” When all levers run consistently this system books 20-30 meetings/month Most reps think outbound is a guessing game It’s not. It’s a system Work the system and the system will work for you 👉 Whats your biggest struggle with prospecting?

Lost a $47K deal last month. Not about our product, but because of our 'discovery before demo' rule. Here's what will change in 2026 ↓ HOLD UP - don’t grab your pitchforks just yet. Let me explain. I’ve been there before. In sales, discovery was always about uncovering pain, then tailoring the demo to fit. Simple. old-school. effective. But today? In an AI-powered world - that approach is becoming obsolete fast. Because now? You can learn more about your customer before your first real conversation. They can learn about you, too - and they’ll come with expectations. They don’t want to be grilled for 60 minutes to earn a generic demo. They want proof that you understand their world, their language, their priorities - before you even speak. Discovery still matters. But the way we do it? That’s changing fast. Here’s how to adapt and stay ahead: 1- 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙙𝙤 𝘼𝙄-𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙪𝙩. Ask your favorite LLM about their goals, projects, challenges - whether that info’s public or behind closed doors. 2- 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 Next, get to know the people on the call. Look up their posts, their interests, what drives them inside that organisation. Input your value prop and ask: “What message will resonate most with this person?” 3- 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨. Reach out on LinkedIn, ask how they’re handling the problems you solve. And if you can, offer a small token - a coffee gift card - just for their time. 4- 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮. Send a quick email before the meeting: “What would make this call a win for you?” We have this automated end-to-end, and it helps tremendously. Even one reply shifts the game from transactional to consultative. So no - “No Disco, No Demo” isn’t dead. But it’s no longer a hard rule in the AI era. 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝: If you’re still doing discovery the old way, you’re leaving money on the table. Because the future belongs to those who understand their customers in advance - who come prepared, personalised, and insightful. And trust me - it works. Customers tell us, we know more about their business than most of their staff. Is “No Disco, No Demo” outdated? Or is it just the start of a smarter way to sell? ♻️ How are you embracing the change going into 2026? Curious to hear from you.

Sales teams are sitting on the most underused follow-up asset: Their CEO's LinkedIn posts. Your CEO posts 3x/week on LinkedIn. Your sales team never references it. That's a missed opportunity. I've been writing LinkedIn content for climate tech CEOs and founders for 2.5+ years. Companies that repurpose founder content for sales enablement shorten their 6-12 month B2B sales cycles. Here's how to write LinkedIn posts your sales team can actually use in follow-ups: Tip 1: Start posts with problems your prospects are facing right now. Open with the exact challenge your ideal customer is dealing with today. Use their language, not yours. For example: "Everyone's talking about scaling from $5M to $20M, but nobody talks about what breaks when you hit $10M." When your sales team follows up, they can say: "Saw our CEO wrote about the challenges at $10M ARR. Curious if you're experiencing any of that?" Instant warm conversation starter. Tip 2: Use the borrowed credibility format to create instant relevance. The format: "I met a [prospect's role] who [achieved impressive result]. Here's what they did differently..." Example: "I met a VP of Operations who cut their energy costs by 40% in 8 months." When your sales team reaches out to similar prospects, they can say, "Our CEO just shared a story about a VP Ops in a similar situation. Thought you'd find it relevant." Tip 3: Reference internal triggers that signal buying readiness. Call out the specific moments when companies realize they need a solution. Things like: "Growing past 5-6 crews," "Drowning in service tickets," "Hitting the limits of spreadsheets." These triggers tell prospects: we know exactly where you are. When sales follows up, they can ask: "Are you hitting any of these inflection points?" It naturally qualifies the prospect. Tip 4: Include real numbers and metrics from your experience. Don't just say "we helped a client save time." Say: "We helped a $25M company reduce their reporting time from 40 hours/month to 4 hours/month." Specific numbers establish credibility and give sales concrete data points to reference. When a prospect asks "can you quantify the impact?", your sales team points to the CEO's post. Tip 5: End with niche-relevant engagement questions that filter for qualified prospects. Don't ask generic questions like "What do you think?" Ask questions that only your ideal customer can meaningfully answer. Examples: • "What's the biggest bottleneck you're hitting between $10M and $20M?" • "CFOs: how are you currently tracking sustainability metrics?" When prospects comment, they're self-identifying as qualified leads. Your sales team can follow up directly with context. — Using CEO content for sales enablement is one of the most underrated tactics in B2B. Your sales team gets warm conversation starters. Your prospects feel understood, not sold to. Your CEO's content drives pipeline. — How often do you repurpose your CEO's LinkedIn content for sales?

I’m going to say what most sellers won’t: AI has made prospecting and earning executive meetings too easy. After 25 years in sales, I’m operating at the highest level of my career — not because I work more. Because I'm resourceful and use every tool at my disposal. Here’s my exact workflow that’s driving nearly a 100% success rate landing executive meetings in complex organizations: Sales Navigator pulls every executive I should engage. I create my own lists for newsletters and webinar outreach. Recently, a customer made a huge purchase that nobody on my team even spoke to; turned out, they were on all my webinars. Here are the prompts powering 80% of my prospecting: Prompt #1 – Executive Intelligence Compression Analyze this executive’s website, annual report, earnings call transcript, and LinkedIn activity. Summarize their top 3 strategic priorities, current challenges, tone of voice, and recurring language patterns. Identify 2 potential blind spots or emerging risks they may not be explicitly addressing. Prompt #2 – The 2-Sentence Hook Based on this executive’s priorities and tone, draft a 2-sentence hook that signals relevance, insight, and urgency — without sounding salesy. Use their language style. Prompt #3 – The Surgical Email Write a concise 2-paragraph outreach email (under 120 words) aligned to their mission and strategic priorities. Make it feel written specifically for them. Include a subject line optimized for open rate and curiosity. Prompt #4 – The Board-Level Angle If I were presenting to this executive’s board, what metrics and outcomes would matter most? Reframe my value proposition in board-level language. Prompt #5 – Objection Pre-Handling List the 5 most likely reasons this executive would ignore my outreach. Then rewrite my message to neutralize those concerns preemptively. Prompt #6 – Account Expansion Map Identify 5 adjacent executives inside this organization who would logically care about this initiative and explain why. What used to take me 2–3 hours per account now takes 15 minutes. AI didn’t replace the craft. It amplified it. It sharpened my pattern recognition. It accelerated my preparation. It increased my precision. Most sellers are still blasting generic emails. Meanwhile, AI lets you speak directly to what keeps an executive awake at night — in their own language — at scale. If you understand their perceived risk of change, and you understand their why, you can influence anything. The organizations people call “uncrackable”? They’re just under-researched. If you’re in sales and you’re not building AI into your daily workflow, you’re not competing against other reps. You’re competing against augmented operators. What’s one AI workflow that materially changed your performance? If you want my entire playbook, check out my new book "Moneyball Sales."

Coming to a prospect meeting with a POV is like showing up to a knife fight with a bazooka. Most sellers are out here waving butter knives: generic outreach, surface-level research, and hoping for the best. But the ones closing the biggest deals? They come armed with a Point of View so sharp it cuts through the noise. The illustrious Krysten Conner led a Sales Assembly session where she broke down how to craft a POV that doesn't just sell. It teaches. Here’s the playbook that stood out: 1. Do Your Homework - Then Do More. Krysten shared how she went beyond LinkedIn profiles, diving into press releases, niche podcasts, even CEO newsletters. It’s not just about gathering facts...it’s about finding the threads that connect to your prospect’s why. 2. Leverage the “Groundswell.” Forget charging straight to the C-suite. Start low, talk to end-users, and collect internal intel. It’s the unfiltered insights from below-the-line contacts that give you ammo to trade up. (Bonus: Salespeople inside the prospect company? Goldmines of info, and they will spill the tea.) 3. Create Pattern Interrupts. Krysten sent a prospect a stadium blanket embroidered with the CEO’s alma mater after uncovering his deep ties to the school. It wasn’t about being cute. It was about being unforgettable. That package got her a direct line to the CEO and led to a seven-figure deal. 4. Tie It Back to What They Care About. It’s not about your product. It’s about their business. Their goals. Their risks. If you’re not framing your POV through the lens of what’s in it for them, you’re just adding to the noise. The best part? Krysten’s system is repeatable. Research. Build the groundswell. Deliver a POV that shows, not tells. Sales isn’t about pitching. It’s about perspective. And in a market where buyers have heard it all, a well-crafted POV isn’t just your edge. It’s your bazooka.

How to book more meetings with video prospecting If you're in sales and not using video for prospecting yet, you're leaving money on the table. Video is one of the most engaging and personal ways to connect with prospects, especially when inboxes are flooded with bland text emails. Let’s dive into how you can make video prospecting work for you without overcomplicating it. 1. Keep it short and sweet No one wants to watch a 3-minute monologue. Aim for 30-90 seconds tops. Your prospect’s time is valuable, so respect it. Get to the point quickly: - Start with their name (yes, it matters). - Mention something personal or specific about them/their company. - Briefly highlight the value you’re bringing. Example: ���Hi [Name], I noticed your post about [topic] and wanted to share a quick idea I think could help with [specific challenge].” 2. Personalize like a pro Cookie-cutter videos won’t cut it. Use the prospect’s name, role, or recent activity to show you’ve done your homework. Pro Tip: Unique mentions are key. Reference something only you’d know, like a post they shared, or a mutual connection. 3. Mind your backdrop and energy You don’t need a Hollywood setup, but you do need: - Good lighting (natural light works great). - A tidy or neutral background (no clutter). - High energy and a natural smile. Look into the camera, not the screen, and talk like you’re chatting with a colleague—not delivering a formal presentation. 4. Use visual aids sparingly If it makes sense, show something relevant in the video (like a quick product demo or slide), but don’t overwhelm them. Keep the focus on your message and how it applies to their specific needs. 5. Nail your CTA Don’t leave your prospect guessing what to do next. End your video with a clear, low-pressure ask, like: - “Would you be open to a quick 10-minute call to explore this further?” - “Let me know if this resonates, and I can share more details!” 6. Get comfortable with the camera Feeling awkward on camera is normal at first. Here’s how to get over it: - Ask ChatGPT to write a simple script to help organize your thoughts. - Practice by recording a few test videos—delete them if needed! - Dress professionally but comfortably, and use hand gestures naturally to add energy. 7. Track engagement effectively Use tools to monitor who views your videos and how long they watch. This insight helps refine your approach and improve future outreach. Tools like Sendspark help track engagement and improve your video strategy. 8. Examples & further reading - https://buff.ly/3PCRQNQ (Harry Monkhouse) - https://buff.ly/3TxW0Zn (Darren McKee) - https://buff.ly/3Prhft8 (Ashley Beck Cuellar) - https://buff.ly/4iYAd8h (Matt Zola) - https://buff.ly/3W91k6q (Jordan Richardson 🎷) Have you tried video prospecting yet? What’s working for you?