Know your audience before you pitch

*This is going to be a personal experience — but I’ll prove a point I promise. I used fake names to protect personal identities.

Last week, I received a sales call that was a perfect example of what not to do. It started like this:

Sales rep: “Hi miss, my name is Olivia Smith, and I’m here to fix your hiring problems. Jason Smith is here to help.”

Me: “I’m sorry, I don’t know who Jason Smith is, and I’m not working in HR.”

The sales rep then tried to explain that Jason Smith was not a person, but a platform for optimizing recruiting processes — and asked me for contact details for my colleagues in HR. Naturally, I declined and ended the call.

Here’s the thing:

Why would a stranger ask for my colleagues' information after so wrongly targeting their outreach? Of course, the answer is no.
Why would someone try to sell me something completely unrelated to my role? Again, no.

I’m not in HR, I have no buying power in that department, and the entire call was irrelevant to me. It got me thinking — if I were the salesperson, I’d make sure to do basic research before pitching (she didn’t even know my name).

A good sales call should focus on something the prospect can actually relate to and benefit from.

This was a perfect reminder that, in business, context is everything.

TACTICS

A good pitch includes Ecosystem Intelligence

Every good pitch starts with a story. Numbers matter, sure, but the way you tell your story matters too. Your audience needs to be able to see themselves (and in this case, your company) in the story you’re telling.

Make sure that your story has one problem and one solution. Sell the importance of the problem, then sell your strategy to solve it.

Our pro tip here would be to add Ecosystem Intelligence to your pitch. For us, Ecosystem Intelligence are insights — which you can find in Crossbeam Copilot — derived from a vast amount of data across our network.

So, before you just start calling or emailing random people, what if you use Ecosystem Intelligence to prospect smarter and close deals faster?

• Who is the contact associated with an opportunity?
• Who from your contacts is listed as a decision maker?
• Who is listed as the primary opportunity contact role?
• Who is listed as an economic buyer?
• Which contact is listed with an opportunity contact role of executive sponsor?
• Which contact is listed with an opportunity contact role of technical buyer?
• Which contact appears frequently in different datasets?
• What is the current tech stack of your prospect?
• Who of your partners have this account listed as a customer and for how long have they had a relationship?

Here are some examples of phrases you can use during the pitch leveraging Ecosystem Intelligence:

• Identify the contact and role: "As the primary decision maker for [opportunity], I wanted to share how our solution can directly solve your key challenges."

• Align with their tech stack: "I see you’re using [specific tools], and our platform integrates seamlessly to enhance those workflows."

• Leverage existing partnerships: "Our partner, [company], has worked with your team for [X years], and we’ve seen strong results with similar clients."

• Appeal to executive and economic buyers: "For your executive sponsors, we offer future-proofing, and for your economic buyer, we help reduce costs by [X]."

• Highlight data and relationships: "Given your involvement across key initiatives, we can help simplify processes so you can focus on strategy."

• Closing: “With our strong integration, partner relationships, and alignment to your goals, we’re confident we can add value. Let’s set up a quick demo to explore further."

Learn more about Ecosystem Intelligence and how to obtain it here.

MEME OF THE DAY

This is how customers feel during sales calls

Here we are again, just for fun, asking ChatGPT to turn Meghan Trainor’s song “NO” into a song about my experience with last week’s sales call.

Here’s a fragment of what I got as a result, sorry not sorry:

Sales rep, let me stop you right there, oh before you speak,
Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no

You called me up, but here's the thing
I don’t need what you're trying to bring
And I’ve heard this pitch, it’s all the same
Sorry, but it’s just not my game

My name is no, my role is no, my answer’s still no
You need to let it go, uh
You need to let it go, uh
Need to let it go, uh
Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no

You’re talking tech, and hiring too
But I don’t work in HR, dude
And that name drop? It means zilch to me
I’m just not the right person, you see

My name is no, my role is no, my answer’s still no
You need to let it go, uh
You need to let it go, uh
Need to let it go, uh
Nah to the ah to the, no, no, no

Oh, thanks for the call but I’ll pass this along,
No need for the sell, 'cause this pitch feels so wrong
I don't buy, I don’t decide, I’m just not your guy
Please don’t take it personal, just sayin’ goodbye

STUFF YOU CAN'T MISS

- October 14-16: GTM2024 — TODAY

Join Pavilion at The Fairmont in Austin, TX to get ahead on your 2025 GTM strategy, learn about market trends, and boost your GTM strategy. Get your ticket here.

- October 16 — Empowering Women in Partnerships: Self-Care Strategies for Successful Women in Partnerships — TOMORROW

Jen Waltz (VP, Global Alternate Channels at Kron), Caryn Jervis (Global Head of Partnerships), Lauren Jeter (Co-founder of Pong Agency), Beatriz Rignel (Global Business Development Manager at Meta IT), and Bethanie Nonami (Keynote speaker) will encourage women to reflect on their health and create sustainable routines that empower them personally. Save your place here.

- October 22 — Successfully Presenting Your Plan

Learn from Tai Rattigan (Co-founder and COO of Partnership Leaders) how to effectively present your budget plan to key stakeholders with confidence and clarity. Save your spot here.

- October 24 — Tech Stack Summit ‘24

Join Justin Zimmerman, Tai Rattigan (Co-founder of Partnership Leaders), Kristen Kelly (Global Technology Alliances Director at Netskope), Greg Portnoy (CEO of Euler), and many more GTM leaders as they help you pick the right people, process, or tools to grow your co-sell, integration, or cloud partnerships. Save your spot here.

- November 11-14: Web Summit

70,000 people will gather in Lisbon, Portugal for one of the biggest tech conferences in the world, featuring speakers from leading companies across nearly every technology vertical. Book your ticket to join them here.