Speaking slots tell you what a leader is selling inside
When a buyer takes the stage at a conference, the talk is a pitch for their internal agenda. How to read a speaking slot and write to it.
3 min read
Blog
The Stage 1 blog Page 11
How services firms find accounts getting ready to buy, get in through people they know, and open conversations worth having. Written by Kevin French.
Pipeline reviews that change behavior
Most pipeline reviews update a spreadsheet and change nothing. How to run a review that changes what your sellers do the following week.
3 min readHypotheses for cloud services
How to write a misery hypothesis when you sell cloud services. Where to look, the four guesses that tend to land and an example opener.
3 min readSelling to media companies
How services firms sell into media companies. Who buys, the pressure on their revenue models, the signals that matter and an opener that lands.
3 min readEvent attendance as a buying signal
When a buyer says they're going to an event, they've told you what they're learning about. How to read event attendance and what to send.
3 min readUtilization pressure and the sales calendar
Services firms sell hardest when the bench is full and stop when it empties. Why utilization pressure wrecks the sales calendar and how to fix it.
3 min readThe risk factor that wasn't there last year
A new risk factor in a 10-K is leadership admitting a problem in writing. Compare it to last year's filing and you'll know where the budget is going.
4 min readHow to ask for an intro people actually forward
The intro ask that gets forwarded is short, written for the buyer, and takes the connector ten seconds. Here's how to write both notes.
4 min readWhen they say we tried this before
When a buyer replies that they tried this before, it's an opening, not a no. What the reply usually means and the response that keeps it going.
3 min readHypotheses for data and AI services
How to write a sharp misery hypothesis when you sell data and AI services, built on the pilot gap, the data underneath and the leader on the hook.
3 min readWhy your forecast misses in month two
Services forecasts break in the second month of the quarter. Here's why the miss starts at the top of the funnel and how to catch it early.
3 min readBuilding a network before you need it
Warm intros only work if the network exists before you need it. Here's how a services seller builds one steadily without it becoming a transaction.
3 min readPricing conversations start in Stage 1
Services firms lose margin at the proposal, but the damage starts earlier. The problem you name in the first conversation sets the price you can charge.
3 min readWho follows your competitor's page and why it matters
When several people from one account follow a competitor's page in the same weeks, a vendor search may be starting. Here's how to read it.
3 min readWhen a buyer comments on your post
A comment or reaction from someone at a target account is attention, not intent. Here's how a services firm follows up without pouncing.
3 min readSelling to telecom companies
How services firms sell into telecom operators. Who buys, the margin and legacy pressures they face, which signals matter and an example opener.
3 min readHypotheses for modernization services
How to write a misery hypothesis for modernization work, with the problems buyers really face and an example opener that invites correction.
3 min readCompetitor engagement without creeping people out
When a buyer engages with a competitor, it's a real signal. Here's how to use it without telling them you watched them like a hawk.
3 min read