Go beyond simply describing customer pain points. Give their core problem a unique, memorable name (e.g., "the invisible sales team"). This act of naming establishes you as an expert, builds instant credibility, and gives the prospect a new lens through which to view their challenge.
Related Insights
The speaker lost a promising lead by describing his service with vague terms like "strategy" and "enablement." He realized he should have focused on the specific, tangible problems his service solves, like overcoming cultural differences for offshore sales teams calling into America.
Simply promising a desired outcome feels like a generic 'win the lottery' pitch. By first articulating the audience's specific pain points in detail, you demonstrate deep understanding. This makes them feel seen and validates you as a credible expert who can actually deliver the solution.
Go beyond simple customization and build proposals using the customer's own words and lingo from discovery calls. Reflecting their exact language back to them proves you listened and understood their unique pain. This makes them feel heard and emotionally connects them to the solution, creating urgency.
Don't just solve the problem a customer tells you about. Research their public strategic objectives for the year and identify where they are failing. Frame your solution as the critical tool to close that specific, high-level performance gap, creating urgency and executive buy-in.
Instead of a feature-focused presentation, close deals by first articulating the customer's problem, then sharing a relatable story of solving it for a similar company, and only then presenting the proposal. This sequence builds trust and makes the solution self-evident.
In initial meetings with enterprise prospects, Nexla's founder didn't pitch a solution. He focused entirely on validating the problem. By asking, "Do you see this problem as well?" he framed the conversation as a collaborative exploration, which disarmed prospects and led to more honest, insightful discussions.
Move beyond selling products or solutions. The highest level of selling is articulating the customer's problem so well, and expanding on its implications, that they see you as the only one who truly understands and can solve it.
Don't just list all your features. To build a strong 'why us' case, focus on the specific features your competitors lack that directly solve a critical, stated pain point for the client. This intersection is the core of your unique value proposition and the reason they'll choose you.
A common marketing mistake is being product-centric. Instead of selling a pre-packaged product, first identify the customer's primary business challenge. Then, frame and adapt your offering as the specific solution to that problem, ensuring immediate relevance and value.
