Personalization that isn't flattery
Real personalization is about the buyer's problem, not the buyer. How to tell the difference and write an opener that's specific without flattering.
3 min read
Blog
The Stage 1 blog Page 7
How services firms find accounts getting ready to buy, get in through people they know, and open conversations worth having. Written by Kevin French.
Selling to an enterprise architect
What an enterprise architect owns, what they're measured on, what they ignore, which signals matter, and how to write a first note they'll answer.
3 min readThe angry reply
What an angry reply to a cold note usually means, the short response that calms it down, and the mistakes that close the account for good.
3 min readThe agile coach job post
An agile coach, platform engineering or delivery excellence hire means the way a company ships is changing. The program needs help before the hire lands.
4 min readWhy most sales tech fails in services
The bulk of sales tools are built for high-volume software sales. Why they break inside services firms and what a services sales stack really needs.
3 min readSummer pipeline in services
Why summer feels slow for services sellers, what's happening inside buyer organizations, and how to use the season to build next year's pipeline.
3 min readWarm intros into private equity portfolios
How to find warm paths into private equity portfolio companies through operating partners, boards and fellow portfolio executives, and what to ask.
3 min readGuidance cuts and what they mean for vendors
A guidance cut freezes some services budgets and opens others. How to read the cut, who's under pressure afterward, and what to say to them.
3 min readEarnings call language that means budget
The phrases on an earnings call that tell a services seller money is moving, the phrases that mean it isn't, and how to turn them into an opener.
3 min readReplies are where meetings are lost
Teams obsess over the first message and rush the reply. Here's how to read each kind of buyer reply and answer it so it turns into a real meeting.
4 min readSelling to companies after an IPO
How to sell services into a newly public company, who holds the budget after listing, which signals matter most, and an opener that fits.
3 min readOwning every send. Why a human approves
Why every outbound note to a senior buyer needs a person to read and approve it before it goes, and what that person should check before hitting send.
3 min readResearch that takes ten minutes, not two hours
How to run account research in ten minutes without cutting corners, by capping each source at three facts and stopping the moment the hypothesis is clear.
3 min readTrust is the product
A services firm sells trust before it sells any work. How every note, meeting and proposal either builds that trust or spends it, and how to lead for it.
3 min readA new facility needs systems before it opens
A new plant, distribution center or data center has an opening date. The systems, integration and staffing work behind it has to land first.
4 min readThe one-word reply
What a one-word reply from a senior buyer usually means, how to answer "sure", "no" or "who?" without losing the thread, and what to avoid.
3 min readRegulatory change as a buying signal
Why a new rule with a compliance deadline creates real services budget, how to read it in filings and job posts, and how to open without fearmongering.
3 min readWarm intros for a new market
How to find warm intros when you enter a new industry or region where nobody knows your name, using adjacent ties, delivery teams and investors.
3 min read