Pitching what your product is (e.g., "corporate cards") is a trap, as most companies have a solution in place. This invites an immediate shutdown. To gain traction, lead with the specific problems and frustrations inherent in the tools they are likely already using, which opens the door for a conversation about a better way.
Related Insights
Instead of only showing your solution, ask the prospect to share their screen and walk through their current workflow. This "reverse demo" vividly exposes flaws in their system, making the need for your solution painfully obvious to everyone on the call, as evidenced by a crashing Excel file.
A benefit like "accelerate monthly close" is not a problem. To make it compelling for a cold call, reverse-engineer the underlying pain by asking why a prospect would care. The answer—"monthly close takes too long because of manual error cleanup"—reveals the actual problem you should lead your pitch with.
Most pitches fail by leading with the solution. Instead, spend the majority of your time vividly describing a triggering problem the prospect likely faces. If you nail the problem, the solution becomes self-evident and requires minimal explanation, making the prospect feel understood and more receptive.
Sales conversations often rush to demo a "better" product, assuming the buyer wants to improve. The crucial first step is to help the prospect recognize and quantify the hidden costs of their current "good enough" process, creating urgency to change before a solution is ever introduced.
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.
To sell effectively, avoid leading with product features. Instead, ask diagnostic questions to uncover the buyer's specific problems and desired outcomes. Then, frame your solution using their own words, confirming that your product meets the exact needs they just articulated. This transforms a pitch into a collaborative solution.
Pitching a solution's features is ineffective because a product's value is meaningless without the context of a problem it solves. Buyers don't care about your "titanium coating" until they understand it solves their problem of "scrubbing egg crust off the pan." Start with the pain to make them care about your solution.
Executives are inherently skeptical of salespeople and product demos. To disarm them, frame the initial group meeting as a collaborative "problem discussion" rather than a solution pitch. The goal is to get the buying group to agree that a problem is worth solving *now*, before you ever present your solution. This shifts the dynamic from a sales pitch to a strategic conversation.
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.
