Delete your sales pitch. Do this instead.
Have you ever felt like you're not a "born salesperson"?
I spoke to a startup co-founder recently. He's a great guy—social, sharp, and a fantastic communicator. But when it came to sales, he didn't feel confident. So he did what most of us do when we're unsure: he prepared a script.
That script killed his sales meeting.
In the middle of his pitch, he told me, "I felt there was no connection, and he was barely listening." But what did he do? He just kept going. The script told him to.
Scripts kill sales meetings because they force you to focus on your lines, not the person in front of you.
You end up in a competition with yourself to say what you prepared. You become rigid, fake, and the moment you face an unexpected question, you freeze. It always shows.
Imagine if, instead, he'd stopped and said, "Hey, I get the sense I'm losing you here. Can I ask where I went off track?"
That pattern-interrupt would have grabbed the attention right back.
Of course, you need to be prepared for a meeting. But you don't need to remember lines. You need a framework.
The 'Choice Designer' Framework
Your goal isn't to pitch; it's to guide. You need to design a conversation where the client convinces themselves. Here’s how you build the framework for that.
1. Define your goal
What is the single most valuable outcome for this meeting? Don't just "have a good chat." Be specific.
Is it to schedule a follow-up with the entire team of decision-makers? Get a verbal commitment for a paid trial? Or onboard them to your platform right there on the call?
Pick one. Everything else will lead to it.
2. Map their steps
Once you have your goal, look at it from their perspective. What steps do they need to take to get there? What do they need to believe?
For them to agree to a trial, they need to believe:
The potential upside is huge (e.g., "save millions").
The worst-case scenario is a negligible risk (e.g., "a few lost hours").
They have the time and resources to do it.
You and your company can be trusted to deliver.
3. Prepare your questions
Now, what can you ask them to lead them through these steps? Your questions should make them state the value themselves.
Instead of saying "we'll save you money," ask: "How much time would your team be willing to spend each week to save an extra $100,000 a month?"
Instead of claiming you have authority, ask: "How many of your competitors do you know are using a tool like this?"
4. Reframe their answers
This is where you connect their answers to the steps you need them to take. You're not pushing a point; you're confirming what they just told you.
If they say they'd spend a few hours to save $100k, you reframe it: "Great. Because if you give my team and I just one hour to set this up, we can start that process."
If they say they don't know if competitors use a similar tool, you reframe it by building urgency and credibility: "Understood. We're actually in talks with three of your direct competitors about onboarding them right now."
You're not pitching that you're trustworthy or that you save millions. You're having a conversation where they arrive at those conclusions on their own.
And when you do that, you stop being a pushy salesperson. You become a choice designer.
Now to finish today’s newsletter, a private note to those of you who are reading this.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve received more replies than usual from amazing people I had no idea subscribed, let alone actually read this.
If you’re one of those people, thank you, it means a lot.
And if you’re reading this but we’ve never really talked, hit reply and let me know what you’re working on, let’s get to know each other!
When I say you’re awesome, I mean it.