The forwardable note, line by line
A warm intro lives or dies on the note your connector forwards. Here's how to write that note line by line so it's easy to send and easy to answer.
3 min read
Blog
The Stage 1 blog Page 18
How services firms find accounts getting ready to buy, get in through people they know, and open conversations worth having. Written by Kevin French.
When a restructuring is a door and when it's a wall
A restructuring can open a services deal or shut one down. Here's how to read the filing, tell which kind it is and decide whether to reach out.
3 min readWhy great delivery people struggle in sales
Great delivery leaders often struggle when moved into sales. Here's why the skills don't transfer on their own and what helps them make the switch.
3 min readReading an earnings release for the one line that matters
An earnings release is long, but one line usually tells a services seller where the pressure is. Here's how to find that line fast and use it in an opener.
3 min readThe personal trigger and why a title isn't enough
The personal trigger explains why an event matters to this buyer in their seat. Here's why a job title alone falls short and how to write a real one.
3 min readWriting a research hook in one line
The research hook is the first line of a Hypothesis Opening. Here's how to name what happened in one plain line that proves you did the homework.
3 min readWhat a buying signal is, and what it isn't
A buying signal is evidence an account has a reason to buy now. Here is what counts, what doesn't, and why signals stack and age at the account.
4 min readHow many accounts one seller can really work
A seller working big services deals can't cover hundreds of accounts. Here's how to size a real account list, split it by activity and keep it honest.
3 min readSecond-degree connections are a pipeline
Your second-degree LinkedIn connections are a pipeline you already own. Here's how to find the right ones, pick the best path and ask for the intro.
3 min readSelling to regional banks
How to sell services into regional banks. Who buys, the regulatory and margin pressures they face, the signals that matter and an example opener.
3 min readSelling to a CIO
What a CIO owns, what they're measured on, what they ignore and which signals matter. Plus an example opener that gets a CIO to reply.
4 min readThe 8-K items every services seller should watch
An 8-K tells you something material just happened at a public company. Here are the item numbers that signal a services buying window and how to read them.
3 min readCoverage math for services firms
Pipeline coverage math borrowed from software misleads services firms. Here's how to work out the coverage you need from your own wins and cycle times.
3 min readWhen they say we already have a partner
When a buyer says they already have a partner, it rarely means no. Here's what that reply usually means, the response to send and what to avoid.
3 min readHiring your first seller in a services firm
Your first seller in a services firm needs to create deals, not just close them. Here's who to hire, what to avoid and how to set them up to win.
3 min readMapping who you know at a target account
Before any cold note, map who you and your team already know at a target account. Here's a simple way to find the warm paths hiding in your network.
3 min readWhat a new CFO means for your services pipeline
A new CFO changes how every services deal at an account gets judged. Here's what the signal means, when it opens a door and how to reach out.
4 min readThe ten buying signals a services firm should watch
Ten buying signals for services firms, ranked strongest to lightest, and the four questions that decide what any one of them is worth.
4 min read