Data you need and data you don't
A services sales leader needs a short list of numbers that change decisions. Here's which data earns a place in the weekly review and which can go.
3 min read
Blog
The Stage 1 blog Page 6
How services firms find accounts getting ready to buy, get in through people they know, and open conversations worth having. Written by Kevin French.
What to do when they say you're wrong
When a buyer says your hypothesis is wrong, the next note decides everything. How to take the correction, ask the right question and earn the meeting.
3 min readThe forward to a colleague
What it means when a buyer forwards your note to a colleague, how to reply to both people, and the mistakes that turn a good handoff into a dead end.
3 min readProduct launches and the services work behind them
Why a product launch announcement points to services work a firm can win, which signals around it matter, and how to time an opener to the cleanup.
3 min readSelling to the Fortune 500 as a small firm
How a small services firm wins work at a Fortune 500 company by picking one business unit, one problem and one leader instead of the whole logo.
3 min readPipeline when a big client ends
When a big client engagement ends, the pipeline gap shows up months later. How to see it coming, rebuild fast, and use the ending to find new work.
3 min readTurning a correction into a meeting
When a senior buyer corrects your hypothesis, you're one reply away from a meeting. How to answer a correction so it turns into a real conversation.
3 min readSelling to fast-growing mid-market companies
Fast-growing mid-market companies outgrow their systems, teams and processes at once. Who buys services there, what breaks first, and how to open.
3 min readNew market entry as a buying signal
When a company enters a new market, region or segment, it needs capacity it doesn't have. How to spot the move early and who to write to about it.
3 min readSelling to a head of data
What a head of data owns, how they're measured, what they tune out, the signals that matter, and a first note that speaks to the real job.
3 min readBuilding a sales stack for a small firm
The small set of tools a 20 to 100 person services firm needs to sell well, what to add in what order, and what to skip until it starts to hurt.
3 min readWhy compliments in openers backfire
A compliment in the first line of a cold note signals that a pitch is coming. Why senior buyers tune it out, and what to open with instead.
3 min readReconnecting with a dormant contact
How to reach back out to someone you haven't talked to in years without it feeling transactional, and when a dormant contact can open a door.
3 min readWhat services founders get wrong about outbound
Services founders built their firms on referrals, then run outbound like a software company. Here are the mistakes that stall it and how to fix them.
4 min readA credit facility is money with a purpose
A new credit facility or notes offering comes with a stated purpose. Read what the money is for. That purpose tells you the services work behind it.
3 min readJanuary pipeline resets
January is when services pipelines get honest. How to reset your list, re-engage accounts with fresh budgets, and use the first weeks of the year well.
3 min readSelling to companies in a turnaround
How to sell services to a company in a turnaround, who holds the power, what they'll fund and what they won't, and a first note that fits the pressure.
3 min readOffice closures and consolidation signals
Office closures and site consolidations create services work in IT, finance and shared services. How to read the signal and who to write to.
3 min read