November 22, 2025 | Read online​

This is one of the weirdest Sales/economic environments I think I’ve ever experienced in my career.

The reports show that 22 States are already in a recession, the stock market is being held up by 7 companies who are all spending money with each other, AI is evolving and devolving faster than ever, the political environment is a joke and none of the executives I talk to have any confidence in what the next 6-12 months is going to look like.

It’s no wonder why indecision is almost a default setting right now for buyers.

However, it's evident to me that companies know they need to evolve and change but very few know how or what to do right now.

I’ve had a lot of sales calls recently with companies looking to upskill their sales teams but as I go through the discovery process and try to find the root cause, or the real “why” behind what’s driving the need, many of their answers tend to be vague or unsure.

This is why it’s more important than ever for us as Sales professionals to help clients figure it out and why we need to stop “selling” and get back to truly helping them solve real problems that are having an impact on their business right now.

To help address some of these issues from a tactical standpoint I thought I would share a few tips in this week’s newsletter and then share a story that highlights an example of my favorite negotiation technique.

(BTW, This newsletter is a little longer than usual but I’m taking off today for Costa Rica where I’ll be unplugging for the week. I won’t be sending out a newsletter next week so I thought I would add a bit more to this one)

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SALES TACTICS/TIPS: The Decision Criteria - PRIORITIZED

SALES TIP/TACTIC: Presentations/Demos - NO ONE CARES

SALES FROM THE STREETS: My Favorite Negotiation Tactic

FINAL THOUGHTS

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SALES TACTICS/TIPS:

The Decision Criteria - PRIORITIZED

One of the questions we should always be asking during the qualification/discovery phase is “what’s the criteria you’re using to compare the different options/competitors” (i.e. Decision Criteria).

The problem with this question is that the vast majority of the time the client will give VERY vague answers like: we want to make sure it’s the right fit; it fits in our budget; there’s some type of reporting function and support, etc.

A vague answer to that question tells me a few things: 1) I might not be talking to the right person, 2) they probably haven’t bought something like this before and 3) there’s an opportunity for me to help guide/lead them.

Here’s how you can help guide/lead them.

1. Brainstorm (or survey some of your existing customers) to identify all the different criteria people use (or should use) to evaluate a solution like yours.
   1. Try to come up with a list of at least 10
   2. Put “price” on the list 3x: 1) Actual Cost, 2) TCO and 3) ROI
   3. Make sure you put things on the list that are not all in your favor or things that you excel at.
      1. You can use this to disqualify as much as you can use this to qualify
2. Refine the list into a simple spreadsheet or google doc and add a column to add numbers so you can prioritize the list.
3. Ask the client about their decision criteria. If they give you a vague answer, say something like this:
   1. “Thanks for sharing. We’ve surveyed our customers over the years and compiled a list of all the different criteria they have used to evaluate solutions like this. Would you mind going through this with me and prioritizing them in order of what is most important and least important?”

When done right, this approach adds value to the client and puts you in the driver seat compared to your competition.

You then want to focus your questions, presentation, proposal, etc on the top 3 priorities.

If one of their top priorities is something that isn’t a strength of yours, you can preemptively address it before going too far down the wrong path.

You can also use this when meeting with other people in the org to make sure everyone’s priorities are the same and if they’re not you can use it to bring everyone together.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

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SALES TIP/TACTIC:

Presentations/Demos - NO ONE CARES

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, demos are my least favorite part of the entire sales process.

The main reason is because they’re all exactly the same and most reps tend to just go through the motions.

Reps usually do an ok job at engaging with the client during the qualification/discovery process but then it comes time for them to show their solution or present to the client and everything changes.

The client sits back in their chair and brings their email window right below the eye line of the rep and pretends to be paying attention while the rep goes though the first 5 slides about their company (background, client list, awards, etc) and then drones through every slide in the deck, pausing intermittently throughout asking “does that make sense” to try and get some type of engagement and then ends by asking the other meaningless question - “do you have any questions?”

At the end of one of those canned, piece-of-crap demos they usually give us a nice little parting gift by telling us they need to “digest the information” and will get back to us.

Let’s be clear, if you ever hear the word “digest” at the end of one of your demos, you’ve done a terrible job. It’s our job to help the client digest the information. If they walk out of the conversation more confused than they were walking in, we’ve done a terrible job.

Here’s how to fit it:

1. Start the presentation/demo with a “shared agenda” highlighting the flow and key topics.
2. Then, ask each person what their main priority is or what the main thing they want to see in the presentation.
3. (optional but recommended) use the “upfront contract” to set up the close and say something like:
   1. “If we were to get through all of this and address all your priorities TYPICALLY the next steps are to….” (and then dictate what the next step will be).
4. When you start the presentation, ask how much of your company background they want to know about. If there are new people in the meeting who don’t know much about your company and they say they’re interested in some background then go through those first few slides. If not, skip them and get right into what they care about.
5. If there’s a basic feature that all your competitors have then don’t spend much (if any) time on it.
6. Once you get to a part of the presentation that highlights something that one of the people said was a priority for them, pause, address that person directly and say:
   1. “Sarah, you said earlier that your main priority was X. This is the part of our solution that addresses that, let me walk you through it.”
   2. Then, instead of saying “does that make sense” say something like:
      1. How does that compare to your existing solution or
      2. How do you see that fitting into your existing workflow.
   3. The way they answer those questions will tell you everything you need to know on whether or not it “made sense”
7. Finish the presentation by reviewing all the priorities and seeing if you missed anything
8. If not, be assumptive with your “close” for the next step that you had highlighted in the beginning.

Try that approach and let me know how it works.

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SALES FROM THE STREETS:

My Favorite Negotiation Tactic

The reason I didn’t highlight this as another technique in the previous section is because I’m really the only one who can use it. It doesn’t happen too frequently but I absolutely love it when it does so when it came up this week I was almost too excited to use it.

I don’t want to give any details of the exact back and forth I had with the client but I’ll map out the general scenario which is related to when I’m selling my Negotiation training.

I usually work with my Champion to map out the details of the program and make sure it’s the right fit and will have the impact they’re looking for.

I always discuss pricing before sending the proposal because I never want it to be a surprise. From there I put together the proposal and try to get a meeting with all the decision makers so I can walk them through it and get their immediate reaction and feedback.

If I can’t get a meeting to deliver the proposal in person I usually use a video tool like Vidyard or Loom (not sponsors) to record a video of me walking them through the proposal and highlighting their main priorities and components of the proposal I want them to focus on.

Since I talk pricing upfront, I rarely get clients coming back to me to try and get a discount but it does happen from time to time and it usually comes from someone in Finance or Procurement who hasn’t been part of the sales/buying process.

When this happens, I refuse to negotiate over email or through my Champion and try to force a conversation with the person who is asking for the discount and has the authority to sign.

When I get them on a call this is usually how it goes:

THEM: Hey John, I’ve heard really good things about your training and my team is excited to get started. But before we do, we need to discuss your pricing and I want to see what kind of flexibility you have with your pricing.

ME: None

THEM: Oh, come on man, there’s always a little wiggle room. What kind of discount can you offer?

ME: Do you know what you’re buying from me?

THEM: Yeah - Sales training

ME: Do you know what KIND of sales training you’re buying from me?

THEM: Yeah, negotiation training.

ME: Exactly. So, if I were to give you a discount, why would you hire me?

THEM: Silence.

ME: 🙂

THEM: Fine

It doesn’t work all the time but it’s fun when it does.

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

This coming week in the US is usually a slow week for many people because of the Thanksgiving break. It’s a GREAT time to focus on getting things in order and ready for the end-of-year push starting the new year off strong. Make sure you use it to your advantage.

Here are some things you can do: clean up your inbox, update/enrich your lead lists, set up your tracking tools (Sales Navigator Saved Searches, etc), learn how to leverage AI, go through some training on a specific skill you need to improve, clean up CRM, review notes on your biggest deals that you think will close by end of year and make sure you haven’t missed anything, do some prospecting, etc.

Otherwise, unplug completely like I’m doing and recharge yourself.

#MakeItHappen

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How did I do with this edition? Amazing - can't wait till next week It was okay Needs work