1. Asking to provide Context

The purpose of this exchange is to 'ask for permission' to set the stage for a positioning statement, by asking something like.

AE: "Out of curiosity, do you have much familiarity with what we do, or would you first like some brief context from me?"

Once the prospect says something like "Not that much" or "A little bit," you can now continue with the next step.

2. Brief positioning statement

Account Executive

a) "We ensure that you _______(accomplish XYZ) so that _______(bad thing does not happen)" (Power Headline)

b) "So, we work with XYZ teams to solve a number of issues, anywhere from __________, _________, & _________, among others." (Pains we solve)

c) "Based on my research, it seems like that topic might be relevant for you, and thought it was worth a conversation." (Intro to hypothesis)

d) "With that said, curious to learn more about you and how you go about __________ (input process for how they get things done today) if that works for you." (Segue Question)

CONTEXT: The purpose of this exchange is to provide very brief context around what your company does so that you are making a 'deposit,' and 'scratching the itch' of the prospect so that the prospect feels more comfortable talking about their role once you ask them.

The positioning statement allows you to briefly describe your company and solution, without starting with the words "We are a....."

The positioning statement should take more than 30 seconds and should have the following format.

3. Raising issues

Account Executive:

“Thank you, Bob, that was very helpful. So, for context, firms like yours want to speak with us when they feel they have any one of the following problems.

1. They feel like they’re missing out on…
2. They feel like they’re losing a lot of money because of…
3. They feel like their competitors are doing better in…

Curious which of these might resonate with you, and if not, what might come to mind?”

CONTEXT: The purpose of this exchange is to provide insight to your prospect, while simultaneously bringing up potential problems your prospect might have.

Presenting specific problems gives your prospect a moment to think about the problems they’re aware of, but also provides them with the chance to evaluate whether their company may be struggling with additional challenges they hadn’t yet articulated (or weren’t planning to share).