Sales Methodologies

After 7 years of navigating sales and leading teams in price-sensitive markets across Southeast Asia, I've broken down my experience into these 10 lessons: 1. Leverage real-world examples: When addressing prospects' questions, anchor your responses in actual experiences with other clients. This illustrates social proof without sounding boastful. 2. Showcase intimate understanding: While discussing your product, be tactical, not theoretical; see #1. Display an in-depth understanding of the problem and the client's workflow. 3. Demonstrate first, ask second: Highlight the efficacy of your solution without pushing clients into an immediate commitment. Consider giving consultations, hosting workshops, delivering event talks, or writing articles. 4. Engage, don't oversell on LinkedIn: Stay active on LinkedIn, but refrain from frequent direct selling. Instead, genuinely engage with prospects' content and assist them. Ideally, they shall approach you first. 5. Outbound sales done right: If reaching out, ensure you a) contact 3 to 4 individuals within target organizations, b) A/B test email content and subjects, and c) follow up 3 to 4 times. Rinse and repeat. 6. Emphasize social proof: Populate your digital channels with client testimonials. Create a prominent “Wall of Love” on your website to host all testimonials and case studies, then distribute these across emails, ads, website, social media, blogs, and onboarding materials. 7. Build a lot of social proof: Consider the following to gather more testimonials: a) Offer to draft them for your client, b) Provide services at a reduced/no cost initially, and c) Incentivize the sales team not just for closing deals but also for acquiring testimonials/case studies. 8. Experience on the ground matters: Invest time in your target markets. Begin pitches by sharing personal anecdotes and what you cherish about that particular country. 9. Optimize commission structures: Continually refine your commission structures. Experiment until you find the sweet spot where the team is incentivized optimally for maximum output. 10. Streamline your deck: All supplementary slides should be in an appendix, displayed only if required. The deck structure I like follows this: a) introduce you and your company b) the as-is state c) why existing solutions are not effective d) requirements for the new world e) your solution f) demo g) social proof h) next steps What have I missed?

"Customer Perspective: Validating Key Sales and Marketing Strategies" Recently, I had to purchase bathroom fittings for my home renovation and faced a choice between two shops: one recommended by my neighbor and another I stumbled upon by chance. Initially, I made a purchase from the recommended shop, but ultimately, most of my business went to the new one. This experience highlighted some key sales and marketing principles that worked in favor of the new shop: - Empowerment: The salesperson took the time to explain different fittings and their variations, involving me in the decision-making process rather than simply making the choice for me. - Flexibility: He assured me that I could exchange any unused part or product even after three months, understanding the longer timeline of construction projects. -Approachability & Responsiveness: He was readily available, even via WhatsApp, and responded quickly, which helped me avoid delays. These principles were a valuable reminder of effective sales strategies. While we implement most of these practices at Purva Investments, experiencing them from a customer’s perspective reaffirmed their importance in our own approach.

Old school sales tactics are broken. Nobody responds to a hard sell anymore... The best pitches don't feel like sales calls, they feel like a diagnosis. When I first started Lever, I'd get on calls and try to convince people they needed what we offered. It felt forced and no one cared. But everything changed when I stopped trying to convince and started trying to understand. When you do that, the sale becomes natural. Not because you convince them, but because they can see you get their problem better than anyone else. And there are a few things that make that possible: 1. Define A Clear ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) Know exactly who you're selling to. Figure out: → Who this is built for? → What stage they're at? → What they're struggling with? → Who this isn't for? 2. Understand Their Pain Points Show you understand what they're going through. Ask: → "What's your setup now?" → "What's broken?" → "What's that costing you?" → "What changes if this gets solved?" 3. Create An Irresistible Offer Everything flows from your offer. If it's weak, nothing else matters. Make it valuable, clear, and tied to the outcome they want. 4. Build An Ecosystem That Drives Leads Build systems that generate attention, nurture it, and convert it. → Content, outbound, ads → Newsletters, lead magnets, funnels → Calls, product pages 5. Remove Risk With Proof Don't just talk. Show evidence. → Results with context → The process you followed → Predictable timelines Skip the pitch until you've earned trust with proof. 6. Make The Next Step Easy End every conversation with clarity: → "Here's what I'd do next." → "Want me to map this out for you?" No pressure. Just direction. 7. Ask for Referrals Great work leads to referrals naturally. → Deliver a clear win → Remind them who you help → Make it easy to introduce others Sales get easier when you stop trying to convince people and start helping them see what's possible. If you want more breakdowns on building trust and turning conversations into clients, subscribe to our free newsletter, Building Leverage. Each week, we'll give you quick tools to grow your influence and close more deals without feeling pushy. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/47q7i9v

Struggling with cold intros that don't convert?  My client was too, and it made her lose heart. She could get referrals, but thought she couldn't close because she disliked selling herself. Most advice focuses on perfecting the offer. Wrong place to start. You don't need the best offer to close. I've sold $50M deals at Fortune 100s,  and netted $100K in 100 days solo. These are the 11 common mistakes I learned kill referrals, and the fixes that get closes: ❌Talking data only and overloading the audience ✅Be curious. Ask questions. Let them tell you what they need. 💬”What prompted you to want to meet today?” The goal is 40-60% buyer talk-time. ❌Pitching features instead of belief ✅Check their belief in you as the solution they need. 💬”What do you think delivers the biggest unlock for you?” Winning discussions have 28% more buyer questions. ❌Positioning as a general problem solver ✅Be the 32MM drill bit for the 32MM hole they need. 💬”Here is how and where I have solved this before.” Specialists are 2.9X more likely to command $10 K-plus project fees. ❌Skipping urgency ✅Show a loss-or-gain case. 💬”Would you burn another $160K trying to figure this out on your own.” An urgency cue lifts revenue 27% in studies. ❌Not establishing a decision expectation ✅Be clear about your direction. It is fair to set the agenda. 💬”I will ask for a decision by the end of this call.” Calls with a clear expectation have a 70% higher close rate. ❌Believing what you do is easy ✅Own your expertise was hard won and unique. 💬”I delivered X by doing Y for this client.” Generic social proof drops win rates 22%. ❌Expecting your experience is sufficient ✅Show leverage, talk method. Method > Experience. 💬”I used my 5 step framework to get the same outcomes at 20 clients.” 78% of clients pay a premium when they perceive exceptional, niche expertise. ❌Not demonstrating your impact ✅Quantify and connect outcomes to their needs. 💬”The result of this was a 20% increase in X.” Value-based pricing raises revenue up to 25% over hourly billing. ❌Focusing on your objectives, not theirs ✅First, demonstrate value, then explore mutual fit. 💬”Given your problem, here is how you accelerate. This is my method.” Buyers talk 28% more in calls that close. ❌Coming across as desperate ✅You choose whether you make an offer. 💬”I'm really excited for this opportunity," not "I really need to close to pay my kid’s tuition.” Discounting too early correlates with a 27% drop in win rates. ❌Treating an ask as dirty ✅Believe in yourself and your offer. 💬”If I feel we are a fit, I will tell how I work and ask for a decision at the end of this call.” Fastest sales cycles spend 53% more time clarifying next steps in the first two calls. My client made these easy fixes. Her close rate increased by 50%. Her confidence in herself? Up 100%. Try these easy fixes in your next call. Watch your close rate soar. Which do you believe will make the biggest difference?

A year ago, it was just an idea. 12 months later, we’ve closed over $800,000 in sales. Here are 10 key moves that got us there (and might help you on your journey too). 1. 100M Offers by Alex Hormozi - This book was a game changer. We used it as a blueprint to refine our offer, define our niche, optimize pricing, and craft a compelling guarantee. 2. 90 Days of Action - our goal-setting cohort was critical to our success. It helped us: • Set a clear target: $1M ARR in 12 months, with a goal of 5 clients in Q1 • Develop a detailed plan—because a goal without a plan is just a dream • Focus on inputs (emails, calls, posts) over outcomes (closed sales) • Stay accountable through a supportive community 3. Sold to Our Network First - our earliest clients came from relationships we’d already built. Don’t underestimate the power of your existing connections. 4. Learned LinkedIn & Social Selling - this platform unlocked massive opportunities for FreedUp. • I worked through Justin Welsh's LinkedIn OS (great course) • Darren McKee's LinkedIn & Social Selling cohort was the best business decision I made last year. The impact? Hundreds of thousands in revenue. • Consistency: Five posts weekly with 10 thoughtful comments and five meaningful DMs daily. 5. Invested in Sales Coaching - I worked with THE Chris Ray. He helped me develop a sustainable sales framework, tech stack, and operating cadence. 6. Prioritized Reps Over Perfection - growth in sales comes down to two things: coaching (see above) and reps. Just like athletes hone their craft through relentless practice, we put in the reps to keep improving. 7. Focused on Action Before Optimization - you can’t optimize a sales habit that doesn’t exist. I prioritized taking action over seeking perfection. Most of the time, I didn’t need more information but more courage and consistency. 8. Built a Top-Tier Service - we believe our services are second to none. Our team, the incredible EAs we've hired, and the EA Operating System we’ve built will become the industry standard. 9. Made Smart Hires - Bringing on someone as talented as Pammela Hernandez, CHRP® was a massive win for us. She’s fostered a culture of excellence while keeping things fun. 10. Care Deeply About Our Customers - as Alex Friedman recently wrote, "The biggest moat in startups? Actually caring about your customers." We obsess over client success, not chasing vanity metrics. I spend a significant part of my week talking with clients, understanding their needs, and finding ways to add more value. Bonus: We didn’t quit. Startup life tests you. The work is hard, but managing the stress is even harder. There were countless moments when Aaron and I wondered if we should keep going. I’m glad we did.

It took me 3 workplaces, 1 startup, and an (ongoing) MBA program to learn the 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀. Some lessons I've learned the hard way are: 𝟭. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: At a startup I worked with, we had an incredible product and got a lot of traction from the industry. From conclaves to seminars to virtual presentations, we were being talked about and had a lot of initial conversations. However, we could not convert any customers. This was because we were unable to align our messaging with the top priorities of the client. We presented them with a bouquet that included everything our product did. It left the potential customers confused and they moved to other places. We educated the customer but 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚. A targeted, personalized, and narrower sales pitch is all we needed! 𝟮. 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 if not a pre-cursor: At a consulting firm I worked with, I saw more Business Development (BD) initiatives being explored and discarded than those being pursued. The open culture at the organization invited ideas from everyone but only the ones that formed part of immediate requirements for clients were pursued. This built the organization’s brand and credibility in the industry. 𝘾𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 and it drove the relationship more than any exchange of goodies or discount could ever do. 𝟯. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: While working with the government, one of the vendors reached out to us for free services. He was keen to be involved but didn’t know what he could offer. He displayed his capability and offered to build for free. We initiated an engagement and he delivered well. The engagement cost him a few lakhs but he could build strong relations with decision-makers, embed himself in the system, and make a mark for a long time to come. It was his foresight and recognition that governments are a closed system and one needs to think out of the box to get in. In a closed system, it is 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣. He bagged multiple projects later and is doing well for his firm! While product innovation and quality are super important, effective monetization and sales can build a successful business. #StartupLife #SalesSuccess #B2BMarketing #ClientRelations #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #VC #GoToMarket #GrowthHacking #Networking