Signals at mid-market companies with no filings
Mid-market companies don't file 10-Ks, but they still leave signals. Here's where to look when the public record is thin and how to read it.
3 min read
Blog
The Stage 1 blog Page 3
How services firms find accounts getting ready to buy, get in through people they know, and open conversations worth having. Written by Kevin French.
Proof points that land in a first conversation
A proof point lands in a first meeting when it matches the problem the buyer just described. Here's how to pick one, say it short and stop talking.
3 min readWhy proposals stall and how to spot it early
Proposals stall for reasons you can see weeks before you send them. Here's what to watch for in services deals and what to do when the signs show up.
3 min readWho should ask, the founder or the seller
Who should ask a connector for a warm intro, the founder or the seller, and how to decide based on who owns the relationship and what's at stake.
3 min readBuild a target account list that isn't a guess
Most target account lists are a guess dressed up as strategy. Here's how services firms build one from fit, evidence and live buying signals.
4 min readWords that make you sound like a vendor
The words and phrases that make a services firm sound like one more vendor to a senior buyer, and what to write instead so you sound like a peer.
3 min readSelling to real estate companies
How services firms sell into real estate companies, from REITs to operators, who buys, the pressures on them and the signals and opener that fit.
3 min readSales and delivery handoffs that keep trust
How services firm leaders run the sales to delivery handoff so the client never feels the seam, and the promises made in the sale survive kickoff.
3 min readThe handoff from seller to delivery lead
When a services seller should bring the delivery lead into a deal, what the handoff carries, and how a late handoff stalls pipeline that looked healthy.
3 min readFinding signals at private companies
Where to find buying signals at private companies with no SEC filings, from job posts and leadership moves to local news, tenders and owners' own words.
3 min readWhy replying within the hour matters
Why answering a senior buyer's reply within the hour turns more conversations into meetings, what to send fast, and what to avoid in the rush.
3 min readIntros when you're the new firm in town
How a new or unknown services firm gets warm introductions when nobody knows its name yet, by borrowing the trust its people already earned.
3 min readSelling to construction and engineering firms
How to sell services into construction and engineering firms, who buys, the margin and project pressures they face, and the signals that matter.
3 min readWriting in your firm's voice, not a template's
Why outreach templates make every services firm sound the same, and how to write openers that sound like your firm and the people in it.
3 min readA culture of research
How a services firm leader builds a sales culture where research before outreach is the norm, from what gets inspected to what gets praised.
3 min readWhy last quarter's news is worth less
Buying signals lose weight with age. Here's why a fresh signal beats an old one, how to discount stale news, and when an old signal still counts.
4 min readSignals that look good and aren't
The buying signals that look promising to a services seller and usually aren't, and the quick checks that separate a real opening from noise.
3 min readWhat unsubscribe requests teach you
What an unsubscribe request from a senior buyer usually means, the short reply to send, and what a pattern of them says about your targeting.
3 min read