Direct Sales Pitch Mastery

I’ve coached thousands of sellers on how to create the perfect sales pitch using a framework called the 5 P’s. Until today, I have never shared this with anybody except my coaching clients. Here’s why it’s so effective: when most companies create a first call deck or sales pitch, they make it all about their own company and how great they are.   𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬! The reason why is simple: customers don’t care about your products and services. They care about themselves, achieving their goals, and solving their own problems. Yet most pitch decks fail to speak to the problems which customers face and the pains they are causing. That’s why I created a framework which focuses solely on the customer’s challenges and how your solution can solve them. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟓 𝐏’𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐏 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫: 𝟏. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: What problem do most prospects you work with face that your company can solve? The problem should be very high level, and important to Senior Executives at the company. It should be a business problem, not a technical problem. For example, if I sell CRM, the problem I solve would be rep underperformance, low rep productivity, or missed forecasts. All of which are important to a CRO or CEO. 𝟐. 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧: Why does the problem exist? What is the root cause of the problem? By understanding the source of the problem, you demonstrate credibility and establish immediate trust with prospects because you are speaking their language. In the above example, I could say that reps often miss their forecasts because leadership has poor visibility to their sales pipeline and no way to accurately predict which deals are most likely to close, all of which a CRM solves for. 𝟑. 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧: What pain is the problem causing? The pain is always focused on the metrics that are impacted by the problem. For example, missed forecasts could mean a reduction in stock prices, missed revenue targets, and sales layoffs. 𝟒. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: How does your company solve the problem? The promise should always solve the primary reasons you just outlined. So for example, AI driven forecasting would prevent inaccurate manual forecasting and low visibility to deals. 𝟓. 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐟𝐟: What metrics do you positively impact by solving the problem? Key payoff metrics for a CRM would be improved rep quota attainment, productivity, and accurate forecasting, all of which drive top line revenue & profitability. In this week's training video, I walk you through how to create the perfect sales pitch using the 5 P framework. You can find the training here: https://lnkd.in/gmu_Bdu3 PS - If you want to access a copy of the Problem Mapping Template so you can fill out the 5 P’s for your own solutions, get it here: https://lnkd.in/gASNe_em

I’ve been cold calling for 9 years. Here’s everything I know about it: (this is a longer post so bear with me) 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: People don’t hang up because it’s a cold call. They hang up because you sound unsure, scripted, or boring. - Be calm. - Be confident. - Be clear. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸: Don’t ask “𝘏𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?” Don’t ask “𝘐𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?” Just try: “𝘏𝘦𝘺 (𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦), 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧.” That opener alone will double your talk time. 𝟯. 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁: No one cares that you’re the “𝘯𝘰.1 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘟.” Tell them what pain you solve, fast. 𝟰. 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: “I’m not interested” just means they don’t understand you yet. Use the FFF method: Feel - Felt - Found. “𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 (𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵).” 𝟱. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: If they’re talking, you’re winning. If they’re curious, you’re in. If you book the meeting, that’s the win. 𝟲. 𝗩𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁: You could have the best pitch in the world… But if you don’t make the dials, you won’t get the meetings. Consistency > perfection. 𝟳. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲: Don’t waste time trying to convince people who don’t have the problem you solve. Laser focus on your ICP, the ones who feel the pain. 𝟴. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆: Your tone > your script. People say yes to people who sound like they believe in what they’re saying. 𝟵. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁: Most meetings I book happen after the call. Send a short LinkedIn DM or a value-driven email right after. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁: They have a framework. They prep. They reflect after each call. And they improve daily. Cold calling still works if you do it right. Now let's book some meetings!!!! P.S. I've created a free cold calling cheat sheet where I share all of my do's & don'ts. You can access it for free here: https://lnkd.in/g9BrrDA6

The less I sounded like a salesperson, the more I sold. The more I admitted we were held together with duct tape, the faster people bought. Everything I learned closing deals from cafe wifi in San Francisco while my co-founder fixed bugs in real-time: 1. You're not selling a product, you're selling belief: Early customers aren't buying features, they're buying your conviction. They want to see fire in your eyes when you talk about the problem. The demo matters less than whether they believe you'll still be around in 6 months to support them. 2. Every "no" is actually "not yet" (until it's not): You'll hear no 47 times before someone says yes. Then that same person who said no will circle back in 3 months when their pain gets worse. Your job is less about closing fast, and more about staying memorable until the timing aligns. 3. Your first 10 deals will come from places you'd never expect: You'll obsess over landing that dream logo. Then your college roommate's cousin becomes customer number 1. That random LinkedIn comment turns into a $50K deal. Serendipity beats strategy in the early days. 4. Discovery calls are therapy sessions where you happen to sell: Prospects don't want a pitch, they want someone who understands their pain better than they do. Shut up. Ask questions. Let them vent. The sale happens when they realize you've lived their nightmare. 5. Your close rate means nothing until deal 50: 3 deals closed out of 5 conversations? Cool, your sample size is meaningless. One founder gets lucky with timing. Real patterns don't emerge until you've had 50+ real sales conversations. 6. Discounting is admitting you don't believe in your price: The moment you drop your price without them asking, you've told them it wasn't worth it. Hold the line. If they can't afford it, they're not your customer yet. Come back when the pain is expensive enough. 7. The demo is where deals go to die: You'll build the perfect demo flow. Polish every click. Then realize prospects zone out after 4 minutes. Show one thing that makes them say "oh sh*t, I need this." Everything else is noise. 8. Your competition isn't another startup, it's doing nothing: You'll obsess over competitor features. Meanwhile your prospect's real alternative is a Google Sheet and hoping the problem goes away. You're not fighting other vendors, you're fighting inertia. 9. Following up is the entire game: 80% of deals close after the 5th touchpoint. Most founders give up after 2. The money is in the patient, non-desperate follow-up that adds value each time, not "just checking in." 10. You can't scale what you haven't done 100 times yourself: Every founder wants to hire a VP Sales after deal 10. You don't know what good looks like yet. You don't know the real objections. Do 100 deals yourself or you'll hire someone to fail expensively.

I helped a client implement April Dunford's "Sales Pitch" framework in their deck last week. After their first two pitches, they said: "This is completely changing our conversations!" I read April's book when it first came out and have tested the framework with multiple clients since then. It works incredibly well. Here's the framework breakdown (and why each step is so valuable): 1. 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 (𝗣𝗢𝗩): Start with what your experience reveals about the customer's situation and problems you can help solve. This positions you as a trusted expert and frames the conversation around your unique value. 2. 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: Discuss common solutions customers typically use with honest pros and cons. This builds credibility and helps uncover what they value most in potential solutions. 3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱: Paint the picture of an ideal solution by summarizing the pros of all alternatives. This creates alignment––if they agree with your perfect world description, they're likely a fit. If not, they probably aren't. 4. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Now introduce your solution and category. This works because you've established the perfect context before revealing your offering. 5. 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲: Focus your demo exclusively on your differentiated features. Don't overwhelm with every feature. Instead, highlight what truly sets you apart and creates unique value. 6. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳: Provide evidence that you deliver on your promises through testimonials, case studies, and results. This validates your claims and builds trust at a critical moment. 7. 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Come prepared with answers to common questions. This demonstrates you understand their concerns and have thought ahead about potential roadblocks. 8. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗸: Close with a clear next step. A good pitch always includes a straightforward call to action appropriate for where they are in their journey. The beauty of this framework is by the time you reach that final ask, it feels completely natural for both sides. What sales framework has worked best for you? #positioning

Whether you’re promoting yourself in an interview, pitching a product, or asking for a raise, here’s how to persuade the person without being manipulative: At our Science of People lab, I’ve found that the most persuasive communicators master what I call the Two C’s: 1. Clarity Confusion kills persuasion. People can’t say yes to what they don’t understand. So before anything else, get crystal clear about what you do, who you help, and why it matters. 2. Curiosity Humans are drawn to questions, not monologues. If you can make someone genuinely curious, you’ve already earned their attention. Now let’s put those into practice. Step 1: Forget the elevator pitch Instead, think in terms of value propositions, statements that clearly show what you do and spark curiosity about how you do it. For example: “Meeting planners and association executives hire me to make them look like superstars.” That’s from Don Levine Jr. Every time he says it, people respond with: “Really? How do you do that?” And that “how” is the golden question, the one that opens real conversations instead of shutting them down. Step 2: Invite dialogue Your goal isn’t to “pitch.” It’s to start a discussion. When you state your value clearly, people naturally ask follow-up questions, and that’s when your expertise shines. Compare these two: • “I’m an engineer for a software company. We specialize in cybersecurity” • “I’m an engineer trying to solve the three biggest challenges in cybersecurity today” The second version invites curiosity and sets you up as an authority. Step 3: Be ready for “how” and “why” A great value proposition always leads to deeper questions: “How do you do that?” or “Why do you do that?” That’s your chance to explain your mission. Those “how” and “why” conversations create trust and credibility faster than any sales script ever could. Step 4: Add the third C (Courage) Yes, I’m sneaking in one more C. Because clarity and curiosity alone aren’t enough. You also need courage. • Courage to sound different • Courage to be memorable It takes confidence to say something like: • “I’m a human behavior hacker” • Or Jim McConnell’s favorite: “I keep my clients off the front page, keep executives alive and out of jail, and make suppliers accountable” • Or even a wedding planner who says: “Brides hire me so they can sleep better at night.” Each of those lines makes people lean in. Step 5: Create your own Here’s a simple fill-in-the-blank template to build your value proposition: I help [target audience] in [category] by [benefit/outcome] so they can [result]. Examples: • “For store owners in retail, our micro camera system provides fail-safe, worry-free security 24/7” • “I help startup entrepreneurs in tech hire the right people so they can focus on growth.” Now, I’m curious: what’s your value proposition? Fill in the blanks and share it below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

I Stopped Pitching. My Revenue Went Up..... The day I stopped pitching was the day my numbers started growing. Sounds backwards. Let me explain. For years I was a pitch-first seller. Deck loaded. Value prop rehearsed. First meeting = product demo. That’s the American way. It worked in the U.S. It bombed in Asia. So I tried something different. I walked into my next client meeting in Jakarta with no deck. No product slides. Just questions. “Walk me through your biggest challenge this quarter.” “What have you tried that hasn’t worked?” “If you could fix one thing in your customer experience, what would it be?” Forty-five minutes of listening. That’s it. At the end, the client said: “This is the first meeting I’ve had with a vendor where I didn’t feel sold to.” That deal closed 3 weeks later. Zero slides. The framework I use now: first meeting is for them. Second meeting is for us. Never the other way around. Here's my prep: • For your next first meeting, leave the deck in your bag. Prepare 5 questions that demonstrate you’ve done research on their business. Open with: “I’ve done some homework but I’d rather hear it from you. What’s keeping you up at night?” The shift from presenting to listening changes the power dynamic entirely. • Time your talking vs. listening. Use your phone’s timer. In the first meeting, aim for 80% listening. If you’re talking more than 20%, you’re pitching. You’re not there to impress them with your product. You’re there to understand their world so deeply that when you DO present, everything you say maps to something they told you. • Take notes by hand, not on a laptop. It signals attention and respect. And write down their exact phrases — not your interpretation. Use their language back to them in the proposal. When a client sees their own words in your solution, they feel understood. That’s trust you can’t fake. • After the meeting, send a summary: “Here’s what I heard. Did I get it right?” Two things happen: you demonstrate you actually listened, and you give them a chance to correct your understanding before you invest time building the wrong proposal. What’s the biggest deal you’ve closed without a traditional pitch? What did you do instead? #SalesLeadership #APAC #saleslife

Old school sales tactics are broken. Nobody responds to a hard sell anymore... The best pitches don't feel like sales calls, they feel like a diagnosis. When I first started Lever, I'd get on calls and try to convince people they needed what we offered. It felt forced and no one cared. But everything changed when I stopped trying to convince and started trying to understand. When you do that, the sale becomes natural. Not because you convince them, but because they can see you get their problem better than anyone else. And there are a few things that make that possible: 1. Define A Clear ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) Know exactly who you're selling to. Figure out: → Who this is built for? → What stage they're at? → What they're struggling with? → Who this isn't for? 2. Understand Their Pain Points Show you understand what they're going through. Ask: → "What's your setup now?" → "What's broken?" → "What's that costing you?" → "What changes if this gets solved?" 3. Create An Irresistible Offer Everything flows from your offer. If it's weak, nothing else matters. Make it valuable, clear, and tied to the outcome they want. 4. Build An Ecosystem That Drives Leads Build systems that generate attention, nurture it, and convert it. → Content, outbound, ads → Newsletters, lead magnets, funnels → Calls, product pages 5. Remove Risk With Proof Don't just talk. Show evidence. → Results with context → The process you followed → Predictable timelines Skip the pitch until you've earned trust with proof. 6. Make The Next Step Easy End every conversation with clarity: → "Here's what I'd do next." → "Want me to map this out for you?" No pressure. Just direction. 7. Ask for Referrals Great work leads to referrals naturally. → Deliver a clear win → Remind them who you help → Make it easy to introduce others Sales get easier when you stop trying to convince people and start helping them see what's possible. If you want more breakdowns on building trust and turning conversations into clients, subscribe to our free newsletter, Building Leverage. Each week, we'll give you quick tools to grow your influence and close more deals without feeling pushy. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/47q7i9v

I kept losing deals until I realized this one brutal truth. I thought closing deals was about having the perfect pitch. I was wrong. I would explain everything clearly. The prospect would seem exciting. Then… nothing. “Let me think about it.” “I’ll get back to you.” Silence. At first, I blamed the price. Then, I thought maybe they weren’t the right fit. But the real problem? → I wasn’t leading the next step. No matter how good the conversation was, if they didn’t know exactly what to do next, they did nothing. So I changed my approach. Instead of waiting, I started using better CTAs (Calls to Action). Here are the 10 that changed everything: 1- "Would you like me to walk you through how this would look for you?" → Helps them visualize the solution. 2- "What’s stopping you from moving forward today?" → Uncovers hidden concerns. 3- "Would it help if I showed you a case study of someone in your industry?" → Builds trust with relevant proof. 4- "Shall we map out a timeline that works for you?" → Shifts focus from “if” to “when.” 5- "On a scale of 1-10, how confident do you feel about this?" → Reveals hesitation and lets you address doubts. 6- "What does success look like for you in 6 months?" → Connects your offer to their goals. 7- "Would you like to discuss the details now or schedule a follow-up?" → Keeps the conversation moving forward. 8- "If we could solve X, would you feel ready to move forward?" → Tackles the biggest roadblock directly. 9- "Who else on your team needs to be involved in this decision?" → Ensures you're talking to the right person. 10- "Let’s lock in a start date and get things moving. What works for you?" → Direct, clear, and action-driven. Once I started using these, everything changed. Deals are closed faster. Follow-ups became smoother. Instead of hesitation, prospects had clarity. Because sales isn’t about pushing; it’s about guiding. Which CTA do you use the most? #personalbranding #founders #business

In 18 months, Directive grew from 40 to 150 people. It all started when my Director of Marketing called me in a panic, "We have $10,000 in Sendoso credits and we have to spend them by Friday." But she had a wild idea... "What if we ran convo ads and gave people a $100 gift card for an intro call?" I said something like, “Let’s give it a shot”. Then in the next 18 months, we held sales calls with 6,800 of our top 10,000 target accounts. And went from a small boutique to a global player overnight. The craziest part? We didn’t close a deal for the first 6 months of the gift card campaigns. The part I am proud of most is that we NEVER lowered spend. We dug deep and optimized our way to success. Here are the major pivots we made along the way: 1. I hopped on every gift card intro call for months. I tested new scripts. Got stood up daily. Wasted countless days of my life. After each call, I reflected on the quality of each call based on title, industry, sub-industry, and company size of who I was speaking with. We eventually found one question that helped get the prospect from just wanting the gift card to actually actively listening to our pitch: “Hey Mike, you are obviously successful. What made you prioritize this call given you don’t need the cash?” 2. We tested countless rounds of copy, offers, and subject lines. We always thought we could beat our top performing ad and never stopped pushing. 3. We routed leads to AEs directly instead of SDRs. By personally hopping on the calls I was able to build a proper sales process for the unique nature and cost of these leads. 4. We applied the Winning by Design sales process to our services business. While not a SaaS, we found their rigor + practical approach to selling recurring value to be applicable. 5. We crafted an intro call deck. We took what was working for myself and top reps and we standardized. No more hero selling. We had a consistent pitch deck for intro calls and optimized the deck after each call. TAKEAWAY: Directive is a living case study. I don’t have a rolodex. I’m not an ex-CMO. I’ve never worked as a full-time employee for anyone else. We grew from 40 to 150 people by eating our own dog food—investing millions of our own cash into the exact services we sell clients. I'm obsessed with being the best at B2B marketing. And I refuse to sell anything to customers that hasn’t first worked for my own company.