Founder @ Demo to Close | I coach SMB & MM AEs on the beliefs, systems & skills behind predictable performance | 2X VP of Sales | 7,700+ sellers trained
Miami, FL
Joined February 2010
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Two AEs in the same seat. One calls the buyer the minute the form hits. The other waits for marketing to send better leads.
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5/ What actually needs upgrading: a new relationship with money. New beliefs about what selling is. New beliefs about objections.
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Before you try to master discovery, master buyer awareness. Discovery is broken because sellers aren't aligned to where the buyer actually is.
Five stages.
Unaware. They don't know they have a problem. Ask about problems and they say they don't have any.
Problem aware. They know it hurts but don't know solutions exist. Still on spreadsheets.
Solution aware. They know solutions exist, not yours.
Product aware. They know you, unsure if you're right. Evaluating competitors.
Most aware. They know you and the benefits. Often used you at a previous company.
Inbound leads land in 3, 4, and 5. Outbound prospects are in 1 and 2.
That's why outbound prospects get annoyed when you open with "what problems are you having?" They don't know yet.
Educate first. Then discover.
Which stage are you writing your outbound for?
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Inbound doesn't mean closeable. It means someone was curious enough to click. Your job is finding the story behind the click.
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I audited 23 SMB AEs' calendars and process last month. Some stuck at $100K a year. Others earning $15K-$20K a month and getting promoted. 🧵
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6/ Problem three, dead pipeline.
Average sales cycle 14 days. Deals sitting 45+ days. Prospects ghosting. They're forecasting deals that will never close and burning mental energy on people who disappeared.
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Most sellers lose momentum on the second call, the moment new stakeholders show up.
Three steps I give every SMB AE.
Lock the setup before call two happens. At the end of call one, confirm who else is joining and what they care about, what those people are showing up for, and what exactly gets covered. Skip this and you're throwing yourself a surprise party.
Send strategic follow-ups. A recap to your original contact after call one. An agenda to all attendees 24 to 48 hours before call two. Everyone aligned before the meeting starts instead of ten minutes in.
Start with a recap, not a demo. Goal for the call, agenda, what you heard in discovery. Then ask: "What did I miss?"
That question makes people feel heard, invites corrections, and surfaces intel before you show anything.
What do you open your second call with today?
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