Proof Sells. So, how much of your sales pitch is proof?
Marrissa closed $4M+ after learning this...
Sales Rocket Fuel Guest Post: Day 3/5
By: Chris Bogdan. CEO - Sales Rocket Fuel
“Delivering tangible proof of the gains is where you should spend 70% of your selling effort.”
-Provocative claim from the book Neuromarketing (brain science research on why people buy.
Most sales decks spend almost all effort explaining what they do, and little time proving the results they claim. Flip this on its head by showing the impact you make faster, then spending more effort proving it.
Remember from our last email that executives want to understand how you could impact revenue, costs or other key KPIs that lead back to those when deciding if they want to talk to you.
Quantifying your impact (ideally in millions) will get you a faster seat at the table.
Once you've landed the meeting, you need to nail discovery & the presentation.
The number one thing to keep in mind as you prepare is this:
Executives don’t buy promises. They buy proof.
…especially when you want to close more 6, 7 and 8-figure deals. They want to predict how likely they are to get similar results to other clients.
What Proof Resonates with Executives & Buyers?
Showing relevant customer stories is a great way to relate your solution to the prospect's situation. Also include reviews, analyst reports, or third-party credibility published about your solution when building your presentation.
You can also use stories to tee up questions (example from my business):
"One of my clients double their revenue growth from 10% to 20% over the last year after training their global sales team with Sales Rocket Fuel, driving millions in additional revenue for their company and reaching best year in company history. What would it mean for you if we could double your growth rate?"
Of course, there's more to providing proof than just faces and numbers.
People Buy Emotionally and Justify Logically
A good story will make your presentation more memorable, and develop an emotional connection that will help you close larger deals.
As the saying goes, people buy emotionally and justify logically. Don’t forget that!
Including personal elements and focusing on transformation and outcomes will help you make your story more relatable. The picture you paint of their future success will help you close larger deals.
In Sales Rocket Fuel, you'll learn frameworks that will have you crafting stories that resonate with your prospect.
To illustrate the power of proof, here's a story about SRF alumni Marrissa DeLuca:
Proof in Action: Marrissa's 100x ROI & a $4M deal in Mid-Market
After spending months on maternity leave, Marrissa returned to work at Docusign into a Mid-Market AE a role that she had been promoted to.
But there was a problem: her biggest customer was moving off of the platform.
It became clear that what had gotten her where she was not going to be enough to get her where she needed to be.
Marrissa had just wrapped up Sales Rocket Fuel after it had been recommended to her.
With this program and coaching, Marrissa learned how to better engage C-level executives, confidently position herself both internally and externally, and improve her storytelling to create a remarkable customer experience.
Less than three months after finishing the program, Marrissa was able to successfully close the two largest deals of her career– including one for over $4 million as a Mid-Market AE. Her bank account saw a significant savings goal met in a matter of months instead of years.
Marrissa's ROI on Sales Rocket Fuel was over 100x.
Which story do you like best? Check out their videos
Enterprise: Karl Schutz, #1 AE at his previous company two years in a row after being at Salesforce/MuleSoft/AWS as a top performer.
SMB: Chris Owens (video) going from 40 to 222% of quota with Sales Rocket Fuel within a few months.
Mid-Market: Marrissa’s story above!
Job Search —> MVP: Will Berkman - joined Sales Rocket Fuel when he was searching for a job, got 3 job offers and then won an MVP award out of 36 people (after this was filmed)
Kevin Cherrick - President’s Club Winner at Docusign who has taken many other sales courses and said Sales Rocket Fuel is the best.
Ready to Show Proof That Sells?
I hope you leverage more proof throughout your sales cycle and let me know how it goes!
Also, Marrissa's story is just one of the hundreds of success stories that have been created by Sales Rocket Fuel alumni.
Here are 56 more stories from alumni who have reached more executives, set more meetings, with some epic best year of their career stories, along closing the largest deals of their lives while feeling more confident.
Want more actionable strategies that work? Join Sales Rocket Fuel 🚀
If you're ready to learn more strategies and frameworks that will transform your sales career, join the next Sales Rocket Fuel cohort starting Friday, February 14th.
Can’t wait to see your success story too!
CEO, Sales Rocket Fuel