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. One = professional.
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.