Start with the terms of the deal.

We are all conditioned to go through a big pitch ending in a big pricing reveal.

The thought process is we build so much value in what we are saying that the pricing is a no-brainer when you get there.

The reality is the person on the other an is just impatiently waiting to get to the pricing.

Last year I had Josh Rosenberg on the #lovesellinghatesales podcast, one of the most impactful things he told me was to always start with the terms of the deal.

It sets the stage for a far more productive meeting.

If you are aligned on the terms, then the rest of the presentation is less presentation and more discussion. Coming together on the details rather than a dog a pony show where nobody want to talk because they are waiting to see the numbers.

If you are not aligned on the terms up front, well, you have saved your self a bunch of time and you can focus that meeting on solving for that rather than presenting something nobody cares about.

I tested this a bunch at the end of 2021 on my last few deals of the quarter. The results were tremendous.

The terms in my world look like this…

Budget needed to yield high level output from business case (full business case in the appendix).

Key outcomes – business improvements

Key outputs – what they get.. deliverables.

The rest is all detail, that nobody really cares about until they are bought into the fundamental terms.

We always hear our most valuable asset is our time, same for your prospect.

Do both of you a favor and start your pitch with the terms of the deal!