36 principles of enterprise selling

1) Any sales challenge can be unstuck with more research

2) Start account research with the earnings call transcribe.

3) Data easily obtained = data used by almost every seller. Dig deeper.

4) Section 1A of the 10-K report (aka Risk Factors) is usually the most insightful

5) Don’t use personal intel (hobbies etc.) in the cold outreach until it’s a slam dunk

6) Study the career trajectory of the target exec before reaching out.

7) No gimmick in the opener beats a relevant research-based assumption.

8) Consider hiring a full-time junior analyst for relentless research on tier-1 accounts.

9) Have readily available intel on every member of the buying group.

10) Master the Lingchi — death by 1000 cuts — lots of solid hypotheses delivered to different stakeholders

11) "Creative" outreach with video etc. is a multiplier. So if the offer is of 0 value — there’s nothing to multiply.

12) Execs are reading emails (yours included) during other convos.

13) Don’t use click baits in the subject lines — they ruin the trust.

14) Recapping is one of the most important skills for the enterprise seller.

15) Saw a piece of copy you liked? Rewrite it by hand.

16) Write drunk, edit sober (don’t be hard on the first draft, but be ruthless polishing it)

17) Stop “clearing the throat” in your copy (no wordy intro paragraphs).

18) More verbs, fewer adjectives.

19) Rewrite passive voice.

20) BLUF (bottom-line up-front) — start with the main idea and then build the case

21) Study the great copywriters of the past — Halbert, Carlton, Schwartz, etc.

22) Every client story should include a pinch of imperfection (makes it believable).

23) Red flag. Champion badmouths your competition on the disco call

24) Red flag. Champion doesn’t deliver on small commitments.

25) Red flag. Champion is super excited about your offer with zero skepticism.

26) In a buying group of 7 people and more, at least 2 people hate each other’s guts.

27) The more the buying group, the more it leans towards risk reversal.

28) Red flag. Smooth sales process with zero hard questions along the way. There probably is a crisis you are fully ignorant of.

29) Deal with a big account under the sign-off level of C-1 exec is not enterprise selling.

30) If you want 6-figure deals — work with existing demand. If you want 7-figures and above - create demand, and engage the C-Level up and early.

31) Make your selling experience valuable for customers. Learn from McKinsey and other top consultants.

32) There’s time for ego, and there’s time to be the dumbest person in the room.

33) Concentrate on 2-3 things you are great at. Delegate the rest.

34) First hour of every day belongs to your wellbeing.

35) Learn how your body cycles work and build a workflow around them.

36) Invest in therapy.