Sales — Close Deals
Sell the problem you solve, not the product you built.
Outreach Principles
- Lead with their pain, not your product. "I noticed you're hiring 3 engineers to build internal tooling" not "We built an amazing platform."
- Reference something specific. Blog post, LinkedIn post, job listing, press mention. Prove you did homework.
- One ask per message. "Open to a 15-min call?" not "Check our demo, read our blog, and schedule a call."
- Follow up exactly once. Two follow-ups = spam.>
Cold Outreach Template
Subject: [Specific observation about their company]
Hi [First name],
[One sentence referencing something specific about them — proves research.]
[One sentence connecting their situation to the problem you solve.]
[One sentence on what you offer — outcome, not features.]
Worth a 15-min call this week?
[Your name]
Anti-patterns:
- "I hope this email finds you well" — delete this from your vocabulary
- "We're an AI-powered platform that leverages..." — nobody reads past "leverages"
- Sending the same template to 500 people — they can tell
Demo Playbook
Before the Demo
- Research the prospect: company size, stack, pain points, competitors they use
- Prepare 2-3 specific scenarios relevant to them
- Have answers ready for: pricing, security, integrations, timeline
During the Demo (30 min max)
| Time |
What |
| 0-5 min |
Discovery: "What's your biggest pain with [X] today?" |
| 5-20 min |
Show 2-3 workflows that solve THEIR specific pain |
| 20-25 min |
Pricing and next steps |
| 25-30 min |
Questions |
Rules:
- Never show features they didn't ask about
- Let them drive: "What would you want to see next?"
- If they're excited, shorten the demo and close
After the Demo
- Send recap within 2 hours: what you showed, what they liked, next steps
- Include specific pricing (not "let me get back to you")
- One clear next step with a date
Objection Handling
| Objection |
Response Framework |
| "Too expensive" |
"What's it costing you today to do this manually?" (reframe as ROI) |
| "We'll build it ourselves" |
"What's the engineering cost? How long until it's production-ready?" |
| "Not a priority right now" |
"When does this become urgent? Can I check back in [specific time]?" |
| "Need to talk to my team" |
"Happy to join that conversation — what concerns would they have?" |
| "Using competitor X" |
"What's working? What's not?" (find the gap) |
| "Need more features" |
"Which specific feature would unblock you?" (scope it) |
Never: Argue, dismiss, or pressure. Understand → reframe → suggest.
Pipeline Management
| Stage |
Definition |
Action |
| Lead |
Showed interest (signup, inbound, referral) |
Qualify within 24 hours |
| Qualified |
Has budget, authority, need, timeline (BANT) |
Schedule demo |
| Demo'd |
Saw the product |
Send proposal within 48 hours |
| Proposal |
Reviewing terms |
Follow up once at day 3 |
| Negotiation |
Discussing terms |
Be flexible on terms, firm on value |
| Closed Won |
Signed |
Hand off to onboarding |
| Closed Lost |
Dead |
Log reason, learn, move on |
Weekly review: Pipeline value × probability by stage = weighted forecast.
1---2name: sales3description: (forwward) Writes outreach sequences, prepares demos, handles objections, and manages pipelines with consultative selling frameworks. Triggers on cold outreach, demos, objection handling, CRM workflows, pipeline management, or any direct sales and customer acquisition activity.4---56# Sales — Close Deals78Sell the problem you solve, not the product you built.910## Outreach Principles11121. **Lead with their pain, not your product.** "I noticed you're hiring 3 engineers to build internal tooling" not "We built an amazing platform."132. **Reference something specific.** Blog post, LinkedIn post, job listing, press mention. Prove you did homework.143. **One ask per message.** "Open to a 15-min call?" not "Check our demo, read our blog, and schedule a call."154. **Follow up exactly once.** Two follow-ups = spam. One = professional.1617## Cold Outreach Template1819```20Subject: [Specific observation about their company]2122Hi [First name],2324[One sentence referencing something specific about them — proves research.]2526[One sentence connecting their situation to the problem you solve.]2728[One sentence on what you offer — outcome, not features.]2930Worth a 15-min call this week?3132[Your name]33```3435**Anti-patterns:**36- "I hope this email finds you well" — delete this from your vocabulary37- "We're an AI-powered platform that leverages..." — nobody reads past "leverages"38- Sending the same template to 500 people — they can tell3940## Demo Playbook4142### Before the Demo431. Research the prospect: company size, stack, pain points, competitors they use442. Prepare 2-3 specific scenarios relevant to them453. Have answers ready for: pricing, security, integrations, timeline4647### During the Demo (30 min max)48| Time | What |49|------|------|50| 0-5 min | Discovery: "What's your biggest pain with [X] today?" |51| 5-20 min | Show 2-3 workflows that solve THEIR specific pain |52| 20-25 min | Pricing and next steps |53| 25-30 min | Questions |5455**Rules:**56- Never show features they didn't ask about57- Let them drive: "What would you want to see next?"58- If they're excited, shorten the demo and close5960### After the Demo61- Send recap within 2 hours: what you showed, what they liked, next steps62- Include specific pricing (not "let me get back to you")63- One clear next step with a date6465## Objection Handling6667| Objection | Response Framework |68|-----------|-------------------|69| "Too expensive" | "What's it costing you today to do this manually?" (reframe as ROI) |70| "We'll build it ourselves" | "What's the engineering cost? How long until it's production-ready?" |71| "Not a priority right now" | "When does this become urgent? Can I check back in [specific time]?" |72| "Need to talk to my team" | "Happy to join that conversation — what concerns would they have?" |73| "Using competitor X" | "What's working? What's not?" (find the gap) |74| "Need more features" | "Which specific feature would unblock you?" (scope it) |7576**Never:** Argue, dismiss, or pressure. Understand → reframe → suggest.7778## Pipeline Management7980| Stage | Definition | Action |81|-------|-----------|--------|82| Lead | Showed interest (signup, inbound, referral) | Qualify within 24 hours |83| Qualified | Has budget, authority, need, timeline (BANT) | Schedule demo |84| Demo'd | Saw the product | Send proposal within 48 hours |85| Proposal | Reviewing terms | Follow up once at day 3 |86| Negotiation | Discussing terms | Be flexible on terms, firm on value |87| Closed Won | Signed | Hand off to onboarding |88| Closed Lost | Dead | Log reason, learn, move on |8990**Weekly review:** Pipeline value × probability by stage = weighted forecast.
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