Wave #40: How to avoid running pilots

And 2 other tactics I use

February 22, 2021

Dang, it's been a while.

Good morning to everyone except the people who think LinkedIn is a dating app ☀️

✌️ Deal Strategy // How to avoid Running Pilots

Let's be honest. Pilots are tough. We all want to avoid them at all costs. So here are some talk tracks you avoid pilots:

1⃣ Understand their success metrics, and work backward

If it's a huge delta in revenue - it ain't going to happen.

Therefore, understand what they'd like to achieve. Work backward from that. Most of the time the prospect will come to their own conclusion that the pilot doesn't make sense.

2⃣ Double the work

Let them know that they'd be going through the implementation phase twice.

Who the heck wants to do implementation twice? And if they already have resource constraints, it ain't going to happen.

3⃣ Timeline

This is where it's important to tie your deals to a critical event. If the prospect has a timeline they are working off of, a pilot may only delay their go-live.

These won't always work ;) Sometimes you just gotta do them, especially as you move into Enterprise.

🔥 Prospecting Strategy // Your best demand gen source is your own people

Last week one of my good buddies/mentors, Reilly Devine, and I went tuna fishing down here in Mexico.

Reilly made a great point: one of your best sources of demand gen in 2021 is your internal team.

Your internal team:

- Has connections at prospective companies

- Is evaluating platforms that you probably want to sell to

- Use to work at many prospective companies

- Is probably already using the product you are trying to sell to

- Has worked with a partner that recently sold to the prospective company

Now, how do you find these common connections between people at your company and prospective companies?

LinkedIn.

But, there's a company out there trying to solve this problem: CoSell.

🤙 Follow-up Strategy // Keep it single-threaded

You know that follow-up is table-stakes. But does your follow-up include everyone on one thread? If yes, how often do you get a response? Yeah me neither.

Single-thread your follow-up post-meeting.

+ Contact Sally directly with how your product helps Sales Ops.

+ Contact Johnny directly and tell him you liked his joke.

+ Contact Lucy and offer to introduce her to your CMO.

Your chances of getting a reply will be higher :)

☀️🏝🏖

Thanks for coming by today. If you like or didn't like today's issue, shoot smash the reply button and let me know. I'll respond :)

👇

PS - I'm working on a new super-secret product for B2B sales & marketers with one of my best friends Tom. If you are interested in being a design partner, reply and let me know.

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