Enterprise sales isn't fundamentally different from SMB sales. It's still about finding one individual with a project they're stuck on. The added complexity comes from the internal purchasing bureaucracy that this individual must navigate, not from a different buying motivation.
"Pull" (strong customer demand) is more crucial in enterprise sales than in SMB. A champion needs immense motivation to push a deal through complex procurement, legal, and committee approvals. Without strong pull, the deal will stall due to internal friction and extended timelines.
Aggressively challenging a prospect's thinking, a misinterpretation of "The Challenger Sale," can come across as offensive and destroy a deal. This is especially damaging when the prospect already has a strong need (pull) for your solution, turning a likely win into a catastrophic loss.
Artificial urgency from discounts is ineffective in enterprise sales. To accelerate a deal, anchor the timeline to your champion's own deadline for their project. Work backward from their required results date to create a mutual action plan that forces quick decisions to meet their goals.
Once you've found a champion with pull, your role shifts from active selling to project management. Using the "tush push" football metaphor, you must push your champion from behind, equipping them to navigate internal politics and sell on your behalf, rather than trying to lead the charge yourself.
Starting the sales process with a large group demo is ineffective for discovery and identifying the real champion. Instead, schedule the group demo but insist on a preliminary one-on-one call with the requester. Use this private call to understand their individual 'pull' and goals first.