Creating Value Propositions That Resonate

Here's how to simplify your pitch and 10x your sales: 1. Talk less, sell more. Short sentences = more sales. Hemingway once bet he could write a story in 6 words that'd make you feel something: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Your pitch should pack the same punch. 2. Complexity is for people who want to feel smart, not be effective. The worst salespeople make simple things sound complicated. The best make the complex simple. 3. Complexity says, "I want to feel needed." Simplicity limits to only what is needed. 4. Read your pitch out loud. I remember when I'd asked my COO to read the manuscript of my book. He chose to do it aloud. All 258 pages. Ears catch what eyes miss. The final version reads like butter. 5. "Be good, be seen, be gone." This was the best sales advice I ever got. - Good: Deliver value - Seen: Make an impression - Gone: Don't overstay your welcome People buy from those they remember, not those who linger. 7. Speak like your customer, not a textbook. We like to sound sophisticated. "We create impactful bottom-line solutions." But we like to listen to simple. "We help small businesses explode their sales." Which one would you buy? 8. Every word earns its place. Your pitch should be lean and mean. - Be specific - Avoid cliches - Check for redundancy - If it doesn't add value, cut it out 9. Abstract concepts bore. Concrete examples excite. ❌ "We'll increase your efficiency." ✅ "We'll save you 10 hours a week." Paint a picture. 10. People buy on emotion & justify with logic So tap into their feelings: - Fear of missing out - Desire for success - Need for security Then back it up with facts. 11. The "Grandma Test" never fails. If your grandma wouldn't get your pitch, simplify it. No jargon. No buzzwords. Just plain English. 12. Benefits > features. Dreams > benefits. ❌ "Our group hosts 10+ events per year." ✅ "Our program helps you close deals." 🚀 "Let's take back Main Street through ownership." 13. Use power words: - You - Free - Because - Instantly - New These words grab attention and drive action. Two final things to keep in mind... Simplicity isn't just for sales. Apply these principles to: - your business operations - your thinking processes - your next investment - your relationships - your to do list Sales isn't just for car dealerships. You pitch when you: - Negotiate a raise - Interview for a job - Post on social media - Hire someone for a job - Talk to an owner about buying their biz If you found this useful, feel free to share for others ♻️

Your prospects are lying to you. Not about budget.... About what's really stopping them from buying. Most sellers spend 90% of their time convincing people why they SHOULD buy. But completely ignore why they WON'T. It's like Eminem in 8 Mile. Remember that final battle? He called out every single reason someone could use against him. Took away their ammo. Left them speechless. That's exactly what you should be doing in sales. The Unspoken Objections (The Real Reasons People Don't Buy): Fear - "What if this doesn't work and I look stupid?" - what do you think your prospects are afraid of with your product, get ahead of it. Pain of Change - "Learning something new sounds exhausting" - how hard do your prospects believe the change process will be? Uncertainty - "I don't trust that this will actually deliver" - Have they ever done something like this before? Past Experience - "We tried something like this before..." Ego/Commitment - "Admitting we need help means I've failed" Being Wrong - "What if I pick the wrong solution?" Things are OK - "We're not dying, so why rock the boat?" Lack of Understanding - "I don't even know what this does" Most reps pray these never come up. Winners address them before they're even thought. The 8 Mile Approach to Selling: Instead of: "Our product increases productivity by 47%" Try: "I know you're probably thinking 'another tool to learn' - here's why this one's different..." Instead of: "We have 500 happy customers" Try: "You've probably been burned by vendors before. Here's what we do differently..." Instead of: Hoping they don't bring up price Try: "Yes, we're expensive. Here's why companies still choose us..." When you proactively address the unspoken objections: 1. You build massive trust (they think "wow, they get it") 2. You control the narrative 3. You eliminate their escape routes 4. You sound like a peer, not a pitcher The uncomfortable truth? People don't buy because of what you tell them. They don't buy because of what they tell themselves. And if you're not addressing what they're telling themselves, you're just another rep making noise. Stop selling features. Start dismantling fears. Your close rate will thank you. Sit down. Map these out in the messaging process (this applies to outbound just as much as it does demos) Get to work. Now everybody from the 313...

One of the biggest takeaways I spotted from Intuit Mailchimp’s analysis of the 2024 holiday shopping season is that the new year is ripe with new opportunities to drive loyalty. Here’s why → 64% of orders from Mailchimp customers with connected stores came from new customers during Cyber Weekend 2024. That's a huge opportunity to grow your loyal customer base! And research we produced with Canvas8 tells us that the best kept secret to driving loyalty is actually grounded in science. Our Loyalty Wheel reveals 4 key drivers of loyalty: 1. Reward: Our brains love rewards. Create a sense of reciprocity by offering exclusive deals, personalized discounts, or early access to new products. 2. Memory: Make it easy for customers to remember (and repeat!) positive experiences with your brand. Design a frictionless customer journey, offer subscriptions for frequently purchased items, and send well-timed reminders. 3. Emotion: Foster an emotional connection that goes beyond transactional exchanges. Align your brand with causes your customers care about, share authentic stories, and build a sense of community. 4. Social Interaction: Encourage customers to share their love for your brand with friends and family. Create opportunities for user-generated content, run refer-a-friend programs, or host exclusive events. And here's how to put it all into action: 🎉 Surprise and delight: Gift your customers with unexpected rewards. And just not generic discounts. Offer exclusive experiences or partner with like-minded brands to create unique offers. 🛝 Streamline every touchpoint: Remove friction in the customer journey with automation. From browsing to purchasing to post-purchase support, make it easy and enjoyable to do business with your brand. 🎯 Prioritize personalization: Craft your messaging and build authentic connections. Use data and AI analysis to understand your customers' values and preferences and use those insights to create content that resonates. 🤗 Give VIP treatment: Make your customers feel like VIPs. Give them early access to new products, invite them to exclusive events, or feature them on your social media channels. Download Mailchimp and Canvas8’s The Science of Loyalty and The Strategic Loyalty Playbook for a deep dive into the science, complete with actionable strategies and inspiring examples: https://bit.ly/49FJayO Make 2025 the year of the loyal customer. You got this.

Here’s the proposal template that helped me close over $100 million in enterprise sales: It’s also helped my clients close more than 50% of their deals when they use it. And until now, I’ve never shared it publicly. Most sellers are great at pitching features. But the ones who consistently win big deals? They know how to tell a great story. The truth is, executives don’t buy products - they buy confidence. They buy vision. They buy a story they want to be part of. If you want to sell like a top 1% seller, you need a proposal that doesn’t just inform… it moves people. Here’s how I do it 👇 The Story Mountain Framework for Sales Proposals: 1. Exposition – Introduce the characters and setting. Start with them: → “You’re trying to expand into new markets… to grow revenue… to unify your tech stack…” Set the vision. Make them the hero. 2. Rising Action – Lay out the challenges and obstacles. → “But growth stalled. Competitors moved faster. Customer churn increased.” Quote discovery calls. Surface real pain. Build emotional tension. 3. Climax – Introduce your solution. → “Then you found a better way…” Now show how your solution helps them overcome the exact obstacles you outlined. 4. Falling Action – Ease the tension. → “Here’s our implementation plan. Here’s the ROI. Here’s how others in your industry succeeded.” Give them confidence that this won’t just work—it will work for them. 5. Resolution – End with clarity. → “Here’s our mutual action plan. Let’s get started.” Lock in buy-in, next steps, and forward momentum. This structure has helped me close some of the biggest deals of my career—including an $8-figure enterprise deal at Salesforce where I used this exact approach. I broke it all down in this week’s training—and for the first time ever, I show you the actual proposal I used AND tell you how to access my Killer Proposal Template for free. 👀 Watch the full training here: https://lnkd.in/gPY_cvv5 No more boring product pitches. No more ghosting after the readout. Just proposals that close.

One question turns failed PropTech pitches into closed deals. And most vendors never ask it. Here's the strategy alignment secret nobody's talking about. Last week, I watched another great product get rejected. Strong features. Clear value prop. But they pitched long-term efficiency to a merchant builder focused on exit value. Now they're wondering why the deal went nowhere. Here's how to align your pitch with their investment strategy: 1. Focus on strategy, not just asset type The secret isn't just knowing office from multifamily. It's understanding their investment timeline: Most vendors only see: • Office vs. retail • Multifamily vs. industrial • Class A vs. Class B Smart sellers also ask: • Hold period length • Exit strategy • Value creation timeline • Cash flow priorities Most fail because they stop at asset class. 2. Tailor your pitch to their timeline For long-term holders, focus on: • Operational efficiency • NOI improvement • Portfolio-wide impact • Solution stability • Compound ROI over time For short-term players, emphasize: • Repositioning acceleration • Lease-up support • Quick implementation • Flexible contract terms The timeline mismatch breaks more deals than price. 3. Ask the right questions first Start with: • "What's your typical hold period?" • "Are you looking to stabilize and hold or exit?" • "How do you handle property management?" • "What's your current solution stack?" Not: • "What types of properties do you own?" • "How many units do you have?" • "What systems are you using now?" • "When can we demo our product?" 4. Connect your value to their strategy Your pitch should show: • ROI within their ownership window • Value that matters to their strategy • Implementation that fits their timeline • Flexibility that matches their exit plans Never assume: • All owners want long-term savings • All GPs prioritize NOI • All buildings are forever holds • All operators think the same 5. Become a strategic partner Investment strategy changes everything: • It shapes their decision criteria • It determines their value metrics • It drives their timeline needs • It defines their success The difference between just another vendor and a strategic partner is understanding their investment strategy. Want to learn how the best PropTech companies align their pitches to investment strategies? Check out our free PropTech Pipeline Playbook email course in the comments.

You'll never convince me that describing your startup as an 'AI platform for X' is the best way to get your message across and yet so many of the startups I meet do just that. Vague, jargon-heavy phrases do little to set a business apart or make the value proposition clear. Instead of leading with buzzwords or generic categories, focus on communicating your company’s mission, who you serve, and the specific problems you solve. For example, rather than saying an “AI platform for X,” describe the tangible impact your product or service delivers: “We help logistics companies reduce shipping delays by predicting disruptions before they happen,” or “Our solution enables retailers to personalize every customer interaction, increasing loyalty and sales.” This approach clarifies the offering AND makes it relevant and memorable to your audience. Unless you are building AI infrastructure, we can assume that you are powering your solution with AI and also using it internally to be the most efficient and effective. So I'm not sure that you need to lead with the AI part - it's really not the most important element. Ultimately, the goal is to make your company’s value unmistakable, so that anyone reading your description immediately understands not just what you do, but why it matters to them. So let's get back to basics and just say what we do!

If you sell a highly technical product, keep this in mind. You don’t know need to know more than others — you just need to help buyers communicate more clearly. Even if you make up a few words along the way... Like in this example, from a convo while writing my first book. It's a pretty interesting excerpt, from a Sr. Director Data Science at a Fortune 200 finance firm ⤵ ____ Nate: “Reps who work with technical buyers can feel intimidated, like they should know more than a buyer. What’s your take on that?” Her: “I can see it. But for me, I like working with people who have different knowledge. If they’re a data science expert, what’s the point? I don’t need that. I have that. What I need is help communicating the value to my business.” Nate: “What’s an example of a seller who did that well?” Her: “Well here’s one. Culturally, we’re a ‘build’ organization. I mean, we even built our own CRM. And data science is hard to tie to revenue, so it’s hard to make a case to buy something when the default is build.” Nate: “Sounds frustrating.” Her: “It is. We have this chicken and egg problem. We need to spend to prove our impact on revenue. But we don’t have the proof, so we don’t get the spend. So then we just start building to solve the issue." Nate: “And what was the issue in this case?” Her: “Grunt work. Spending months of time on basic data work in Python, instead of actually looking at and sharing results from our models." Nate: “Okay got it, and that wasn’t easy to communicate?” Her: “Well that’s the irony, and the message we developed with this sales rep. We’d been spending 6 months of people time at minimum on these types of tasks. And the thing is, people aren’t free. So by building, we were spending quite a lot. But we weren’t showing the cost of our time to achieve an input. All the value we create is in a model's output. So the more we cut the cost of an input, the greater our value. You follow?” Nate: “Yep, I’m with you.” Her: “Okay, so when I first proposed new spend, our finance team saw a vendor as new. Something extra. Telling them about how we'd improve our data processing didn't matter. But our people’s time? They took that for granted. It was already budgeted. So we re-approached it as a cost-reduction argument. Re-allocating the spend for a basic data task to software from a person meant the cost of that job decreased. Plus our team was freed to develop new models. So our cost-per-insight went way down. Which was a completely made up metric. Nobody tracks that. But I liked that it was so much simpler. The two things. More insights, at less cost to produce them.” Nate: “And that’s what this rep helped you come up with? Lowering your cost-per-insight?” Her: “Yes, and it worked.” _______ TL;DR: 1/ You don’t have to be smarter than others. Just think differently. 2/ Simplicity sells. Even if it’s a made-up term, give your buyers the language they need to communicate more clearly.

Buyers don’t need more information—they need you to bring a new perspective In 2011, Patagonia made a decision that challenged everything we expect from a brand. On Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, they ran an ad with four simple words: “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” It wasn’t a stunt. It was a call to action. CEO Yvon Chouinard urged consumers to rethink their buying habits and the environmental impact of their choices. Patagonia wasn’t chasing a quick sale. They were asking their customers to think differently. That message resonated because it wasn’t just about jackets or even sustainability. It was about trust. Patagonia showed they were willing to challenge their buyers. Not to sell more, but to inspire better decisions. That bold, solution-oriented perspective didn’t just build loyalty. It built a legacy. Sales leaders, there’s a profound lesson here. Our job isn’t just to meet buyers where they are. It’s to bring a perspective that shifts how they think about their challenges. 👉 Buyers don’t need more data or a longer list of features. They need clarity. They need insights. They need sellers who are willing to challenge assumptions and help them envision better outcomes. This isn’t easy. It requires deep preparation. It means understanding their world so well that you can say, “Have you considered this approach?” or, “What if you solved this problem in a completely different way?” That’s how trust is earned—by doing the hard work of showing up prepared to reframe their needs in ways they hadn’t yet seen. Patagonia didn’t ask their customers to buy into a jacket. They asked them to buy into a better way of thinking. In sales, we’re called to do the same. The future of selling isn’t about delivering more information. It’s about helping them see what’s possible and inspiring them to act. 📌 How do you show up with a POV that inspires action?

It probably doesn't matter whether you do customer research or not... ...if all you're going to use it for is to validate the obvious value prop The obvious value prop is the one most people can think of without talking to a single customer. And it's probably the one your competitor is using in their marketing material. You won't get a gold star next to your copy that says "validated by customer research" -- The only way your research moves the needle is if it actually shows up in your copy -- if your copy is actually different Here's two techniques you can use to take it to the next level and stand out: 1) Uncover a non-obvious value prop Here's an example from when I used to market fire protection equipment: The obvious value props were protecting machines and preventing downtime (safety + productivity = save money) After talking to customers, we spotted two less obvious value props: a) Downtime could cause a machine shop to lose a customer, which means we were actually helping them protect revenue (make money!) b) Because we often sold to very busy business owners, we also addressed a psychological pain point ("I have more important things to worry about than the remote possibility of a catastrophic fire") 2) Punch up the obvious value prop with a specific detail Sometimes the obvious value prop IS valid, so you don't have to ditch it entirely Weaving in specific details will build trust by signaling to the customer that you understand their pain points from experience (not just internet research) Here we used "back up and running in as little as 45 minutes" -- which is a specific figure from a customer interview Customer research is a TON of work Don't settle for surface level intel -- keep digging to make sure the time you spend on research really pays off #b2bmarketing #messaging #copywriting

Prospects are skeptical of sales messages that sound too good to be true. Here’s an example: “We drop student loan payments to $0, but only if your payment is over $150.” Prospects secretly think, What’s the catch? Here are the objections you never hear: 1. Fees Included: The $150 payment cap may include service or administrative fees, leaving less money going toward the principal. 2. Deferred Costs: Payments reduced to $0 now could mean higher payments or a balloon payment later. 3. Potential Trade-offs: Borrowers may forfeit certain benefits (e.g., forgiveness programs) if they switch to this program. What are salespeople to do? Proactively address the objections. Like this: “We drop your student loan payments to $0 if your payment is over $150. This includes all fees. Interest does not accrue. There’s no balloon payment. If you’re pursuing forgiveness, this won’t affect your eligibility.” The lesson? Calling out negatives defuses negatives.