Blog – James White https://www.jameswhite.business The Sales Expert Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:24:24 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.jameswhite.business/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/James-Site-Favicon-100x100.webp Blog – James White https://www.jameswhite.business 32 32 Let’s Talk After the Summer? Why MSP Prospects Delay Buying Decisions https://www.jameswhite.business/lets-talk-after-the-summer/ Sat, 11 Jul 2026 08:35:08 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=25314

Executive Summary

Every summer, MSP salespeople hear the same response:


“Let’s pick this up after the holidays.”


It’s tempting to assume annual leave has killed the opportunity.
In reality, holidays are rarely the reason deals stall.
More often than not, prospects delay because they don’t yet feel enough urgency to act. If the business problem was significant enough, they would find the time before they went away.

In this article you’ll learn:

Every Summer, MSP Sales Pipelines Slow Down

July and August can be frustrating months for managed service providers.


Decision-makers disappear on holiday.


Projects pause.


Meetings get postponed.


Pipelines appear to grind to a halt.


After more than 30 years in B2B sales, I’ve noticed something interesting.


The businesses that continue winning work throughout the summer aren’t necessarily selling better services.

They're simply uncovering urgency better than everyone else.

Because holidays rarely stop people buying.
They simply expose a lack of urgency that was already there.

Why Do Prospects Say "Let's Talk After the Summer"?

This is one of the most common questions I hear from MSP sales teams.


Typically, the conversation has gone well.


An IT Director says they’re reviewing suppliers.


A Managing Director admits they’re unhappy with support.


Someone downloads your cybersecurity guide.


Discovery goes well.


Everyone seems positive.
Then comes the familiar response:


“Let’s revisit this after the holidays.”


Many salespeople immediately blame timing.


I think that’s the wrong conclusion.


Instead, ask yourself:

If ransomware hit their business tomorrow, would they still wait until September?

Probably not.
Urgency nearly always beats inconvenience.

Why MSP Prospects Don’t Buy (And Why You Usually Discover It Too Late)

A quote by James White: If the problem mattered enough, they wouldn't wait until September.

How Can MSP Salespeople Create Urgency Without Being Pushy?

One of the biggest misconceptions in sales is that urgency comes from pressure.

It doesn’t.

Pressure comes from the salesperson.

Urgency comes from the prospect recognising the cost of doing nothing.

Those are two very different things.

Good salespeople don’t invent urgency.
They help prospects discover it for themselves.

Why Prospects Don’t Buy: The 6 Hidden Reasons MSP Deals Stall

Help Prospects Visualise Life After the Decision

Rather than pushing harder, help them picture the benefits of making the decision before they leave.

Questions like these work well:

  • How would it feel if this was already underway before you returned?
  • Would September be easier if your new IT partner had already started planning the transition?
  • What would happen if this remained unresolved until October?

People naturally like clearing their desk before going away.
You’re simply helping them remove one more item from the list.

Read about The Value Gap

A quote by James White: Why Discounting Is Usually the Wrong Answer

Why Discounting Is Usually the Wrong Answer

Every summer I see MSPs making the same mistake.
They panic.
Then they discount.

Perhaps it’s:

  • Free onboarding
  • Reduced project fees
  • Lower monthly support costs
  • "Summer specials"

Please don’t.

The moment you reduce your price simply because it’s July or August, you’re telling the prospect your pricing wasn’t fixed in the first place.

That’s incredibly difficult to recover from.
Instead…
Increase value.

What Can MSPs Offer Instead of Discounts?

Value-added offers reinforce your expertise without reducing profitability.

For example:

Instead of Discounting

Add Value Instead

Reduced onboarding fee

Priority onboarding before September

Lower monthly support

Complimentary Microsoft 365 security assessment

Discounted project work

Cyber Essentials readiness review

Reduced consultancy

Staff cybersecurity awareness training

The investment stays the same.

The perceived value increases.

Everybody wins.

A quote by James White: Prospects rarely tell you why they won't buy. Great salespeople create conversations where they don't have to hide it.

Sometimes the Best Close Is Simply Being Honest

If you’ve built trust throughout the sales process, sometimes honesty is the strongest close available.

You might say:

“I’d genuinely love to help solve this. If we can get everything agreed before you go away, we’ll spend August preparing everything so you’re ready to hit the ground running when everyone returns. How does that sound?”

No pressure.
No manipulation.
Just a genuine desire to help.
Surprisingly often, that’s exactly what prospects need to hear.

My Experience Working with MSP Sales Teams

Across hundreds of sales conversations I’ve reviewed with MSPs, I rarely see deals lost because someone went on holiday.
Instead, opportunities usually stall because discovery didn’t uncover enough business impact.

The prospect liked the salesperson.
They liked the company.
They even liked the proposal.
They simply didn’t believe solving the problem today was significantly better than solving it in six weeks’ time.

That’s a discovery issue.
Not a holiday issue.

Why Most Discovery Calls Fail (And How I Run Mine)

One Final Thought

Don’t confuse timing with urgency.
Prospects don’t delay because it’s summer.
They delay because the pain of staying where they are still feels smaller than the effort of making a decision today.

Your role isn’t to create pressure.
Your role is to help them recognise the cost of waiting.
When you do that well, summer becomes far less of an obstacle than most MSP salespeople believe.

Why Most Discovery Calls Fail (And How I Run Mine)

Diary of an IT Sales Expert Podcast – How I Manage Long Sales Cycles

Frequently Asked Questions

Holiday periods can delay meetings, but they rarely stop important buying decisions. Businesses still make decisions when the need is urgent enough.

Generally, no. Discounting weakens your value proposition. It’s usually more effective to offer additional services or implementation benefits instead.

Focus on helping prospects understand the consequences of delaying their decision rather than trying to force them into making one.

Questions that explore business impact work well, such as:

  • What happens if nothing changes?
  • What’s the cost of waiting until September?
  • How would your business benefit if this was already underway?

Most delays happen because the perceived cost of staying the same is still lower than the perceived effort or risk of changing.

]]> Why MSP Prospects Don’t Buy (And Why You Usually Discover It Too Late) https://www.jameswhite.business/why-msp-prospects-dont-buy-and-why-you-usually-discover-it-too-late/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:27:09 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=25238

Executive Summary

If you’ve ever delivered what felt like the perfect proposal, only to hear “We’ve decided to stick with our current provider” or “We need to think about it,” you’re not alone.


Most MSP sales aren’t lost because your price was too high or your proposal wasn’t compelling enough.


They’re lost because concerns that existed throughout the buying journey were never uncovered during discovery.

In this article, you’ll learn:

 

  • The five hidden reasons MSP prospects don’t buy.
  • Why objections rarely appear at the end of the sales process.
  • The discovery questions that uncover concerns before they become deal killers.
  • How the best MSP salespeople prevent objections instead of trying to overcome them.

They Don't Stop Buying At The End. They Stop Buying Much Earlier.

Every MSP owner has experienced it.
The discovery meeting felt positive.
The chemistry was good.
The proposal reflected everything the prospect asked for.
You leave the meeting convinced you’re about to win another managed services contract.
Then…


Nothing.


The follow-up email gets a polite response.
“We’re still discussing internally.”

A week later:
“We’ve decided not to move forward.”


Most salespeople immediately assume something changed.
In reality, very little usually changed at all.
The concerns were there from the beginning.
The prospect simply never voiced them.
After working with thousands of B2B salespeople over the past three decades, I’ve found that the strongest performers don’t have better closing techniques.
They have better discovery conversations.
They’re not experts at handling objections.
They’re experts at preventing them.
By the time a prospect objects to your proposal, they’re often just putting words to concerns they’ve held for weeks.
That’s why discovery—not closing—is where MSP sales are really won.

Why Do MSP Sales Stall After The Proposal?

One of the biggest myths in sales is that objections happen at the end.
They don’t.


They develop quietly throughout the buying journey.
Every unanswered question…
Every unspoken concern…
Every assumption left unchallenged…
Adds another brick to the wall between you and the sale.
Then, when the proposal arrives, the prospect finally has a reason to delay.
“It’s more than we expected.”
“The timing isn’t right.”
“We’re going to stay where we are for now.”


Those aren’t always the real reasons.
They’re often the safest reasons.
The real concerns appeared much earlier.
Let’s look at the five most common ones.

1. Is Solving The Problem Important Enough?

One of the easiest traps to fall into is mistaking activity for intent.
The prospect replies to emails.
They attend meetings.
They ask intelligent questions.
They compliment your proposal.

None of that guarantees they’re committed to making a change.
Many MSP salespeople continue investing time simply because the prospect is being polite.
Politeness isn’t commitment.
Interest isn’t urgency.
One question I often recommend is:

“Can I ask you something honestly? Based on everything we’ve discussed, how important is solving this problem to your business this year?”

That single question changes the conversation.
If they tell you it isn’t a priority, you’ve saved yourself weeks—or months—of chasing a deal that was never likely to happen.
If they tell you it is important, you’ve confirmed you’re working on a genuine opportunity.

My Experience

Across hundreds of MSP sales reviews I’ve conducted, this is probably the biggest early indicator of pipeline quality.
Salespeople often measure engagement.
Successful salespeople measure commitment.

Why This Matters

A prospect who isn’t genuinely motivated rarely becomes more motivated after receiving a proposal.

The proposal simply gives them another opportunity to delay making a decision.
Instead of asking whether they like your solution, find out whether solving the problem matters enough for them to act.

2. Why Don't Prospects Believe Your MSP Can Deliver?

This objection has become far more common over the past few years.
Not because MSPs have become worse.
Because buyers have become more cautious.
Many businesses have already switched IT providers once.
Some have switched twice.
They’ve experienced poor communication, missed SLAs, failed migrations or promises that never materialised.
So when they sit across the table from you, they aren’t necessarily questioning managed IT services.
They’re questioning whether your MSP will be any different.

They might never say it out loud, but they’re thinking:

  • “Will they really answer the phone when we need them?”
  • “Will the onboarding disrupt the business?”
  • “Are they overpromising like the last provider?”
  • “Will this still feel this good six months from now?”

 

Until those concerns are addressed, they’ll struggle to move forward—no matter how impressive your proposal looks.

One of my favourite questions is:

“Can I ask what concerns you most about moving your IT support to another provider?”

It’s a simple question, but it often unlocks the real conversation.

Typical responses include:

  • “We’ve been promised fast response times before.”
  • “Our last migration was a nightmare.”
  • “I’m worried about the disruption to the business.”
  • “We’ve had providers disappear after we’ve signed.”

 

Now you know what evidence they’re looking for.

Instead of simply telling them you’re different, show them.

Share client success stories.

Walk them through your onboarding process.

Explain how you’ll minimise disruption.

Demonstrate your SLA performance.

Introduce them to customers who have successfully made the same transition.

The best MSPs don’t win because they promise more.

They win because they reduce the buyer’s perceived risk.

My Experience

One thing I’ve noticed working with MSPs is that technical capability is rarely the deciding factor.
Most providers can deliver excellent IT support.
What separates the winners is their ability to make prospects feel confident before they’ve signed the contract.
Confidence sells.
Technology supports it.

3. Why Don't Prospects Trust You?

This is probably the most uncomfortable objection because sometimes it has nothing to do with your company.
Sometimes it’s you.
Perhaps you’ve rushed discovery.

Perhaps you’ve spent too much time presenting.

Perhaps you’ve answered questions before fully understanding the business.

Or perhaps you’ve simply sounded like every other MSP they’ve spoken to.

Trust isn’t built through impressive PowerPoint slides.
It’s built by making the prospect feel understood.
If you genuinely feel trust is missing, don’t ignore it.
Address it.

One question I’ve used for years is:
“Can I ask you an awkward question? I get the feeling there’s still something making you hesitant. Have I missed anything, or is there something you’re unsure about?”


Most salespeople avoid asking that question because they’re afraid of the answer.
The best salespeople ask it because they want the answer.
You can’t rebuild trust until you understand what’s damaged it.

The Trust Equation

In my experience, trust in MSP sales is built through four simple behaviours:
Listening more than you speak.
Asking thoughtful follow-up questions.

Demonstrating genuine curiosity.
Providing evidence instead of promises.
Prospects don’t expect perfection.
They expect honesty.
Ironically, acknowledging uncertainty often builds more trust than pretending to have every answer.

4. Why Don't Prospects See Enough Value?

One of the biggest mistakes MSP salespeople make is talking about technology instead of business outcomes.

Your prospect isn’t buying:

  • 24/7 monitoring
  • Microsoft 365 management
  • Endpoint protection
  • Faster response times
  • Backup software

 

They’re buying something much more valuable.

They’re buying confidence.

They’re buying fewer interruptions to their staff.

They’re buying reduced downtime.

They’re buying protection from cyber threats.

They’re buying the freedom to focus on growing their business instead of worrying about IT.

If those outcomes haven’t been explored during discovery, your monthly fee becomes the only thing the prospect has left to compare.

That’s when your proposal starts looking expensive.

During discovery, ask questions such as:

“What impact does your current IT support have on the business today?”

Then follow up with:

“If nothing changed over the next twelve months, what would that cost the business?”

Now you’re discussing:

  • Lost productivity.
  • Staff frustration.
  • Security exposure.
  • Downtime.
  • Customer experience.
  • Missed growth opportunities.

 

That’s a completely different conversation from discussing antivirus software or response times.

Features vs Outcomes

Your MSP Talks About

Your Prospect Thinks About

24/7 Monitoring

Less downtime

Cyber Security

Reduced business risk

Microsoft 365

Staff productivity

Backup & Recovery

Business continuity

Fast Response Times

Peace of mind

Strategic IT Reviews

Better business decisions

The best MSP salespeople don’t spend their meetings defending their price.

They help prospects understand the cost of doing nothing.

When buyers understand the commercial impact of staying where they are, investment becomes much easier to justify.

5. Are You Speaking To Someone Who Can Actually Say Yes?

This catches more MSP salespeople out than almost anything else.

You’ve built a fantastic relationship with the Operations Manager.

The Technical Director loves your proposal.

The IT Manager thinks you’re exactly what the business needs.

Then comes the sentence every salesperson dreads.

“We just need to run this past the owner.”

Suddenly you’re back to square one.

The person you’ve invested weeks with can’t actually make the decision.

This isn’t their fault.

It’s yours.

You should have established the buying process much earlier.

One simple question can prevent weeks of frustration:

“Apart from yourself, who else will need to believe this is the right investment before we move forward?”

Notice the wording.

You’re not asking who signs the contract.

You’re asking who needs to believe.

That subtle difference often reveals everyone involved in the decision-making process, from business owners and finance directors to board members and operational stakeholders.

Great salespeople don’t just identify decision-makers.

They understand how buying decisions are made.

That’s a huge difference.

In complex B2B sales—particularly managed services—multiple people influence the final outcome.

Your job is to uncover that process before the proposal lands, not after.

The Common Thread Behind Every Stalled MSP Sale

Looking back at these five reasons, there’s one pattern that connects them all.

None of them are really about closing.

They’re about discovery.

The prospect wasn’t interested enough.

They didn’t believe you could deliver.

They didn’t fully trust you.

They couldn’t see enough value.

Or they simply weren’t the person who could make the decision.

None of those problems suddenly appeared when you sent the proposal.

They were there all along.

The proposal simply exposed them.

This is why I spend so much time coaching MSP sales teams on discovery. A great discovery meeting isn’t about gathering information to write a proposal. It’s about understanding the prospect’s business well enough to remove uncertainty before they ever have to make a buying decision.

The better your discovery, the easier the proposal becomes.

Key Takeaways

If there’s one lesson I’d like you to take away from this article, it’s this:

  • Great MSP salespeople prevent objections instead of trying to overcome them.
  • Prospects buy certainty before they buy managed IT services.
  • Trust is built by asking better questions, not delivering better presentations.
  • Value comes from understanding business outcomes, not explaining technical features.
  • Most stalled deals can be traced back to something that wasn’t uncovered during discovery.

The next time a proposal goes quiet, don’t immediately assume it’s the price.

Ask yourself:

What concern did I fail to uncover?

More often than not, that’s where the answer lies.

Frequently Asked Questions

In many cases, the proposal isn’t the problem. It simply gives prospects time to reflect on concerns that were never discussed during discovery. These concerns might relate to trust, perceived value, risk or internal decision-making.

By asking open, consultative questions throughout the sales process rather than waiting until the closing stage. Great discovery creates honest conversations where prospects feel comfortable sharing concerns before they become objections.

Pricing should never be a surprise, but it should follow a thorough understanding of the prospect’s challenges, goals and the commercial impact of those challenges. When value has been established first, pricing discussions become far easier.

Sometimes they genuinely do.

However, it’s also one of the safest ways to avoid expressing an underlying concern. Rather than accepting the response at face value, good salespeople explore what still needs to happen before a decision can be made.

Talking too much.

Many salespeople spend discovery meetings explaining services instead of understanding the prospect’s business. The best discovery meetings are driven by curiosity, thoughtful questions and active listening.

If you're finding that too many proposals are ending with "We've decided to stay where we are" or "We need to think about it," the problem may not be your proposal at all.

It may be your discovery process.

At James White Sales Success, we help MSPs build structured, repeatable sales processes that uncover objections earlier, improve conversion rates and create a more predictable pipeline of high-value opportunities.

If you'd like to improve how your team discovers, qualifies and closes opportunities, get in touch to find out how we can help.

Send James a message

About the Author

James White is Founder of James White Sales Success and is known as The IT Sales Expert. Over the past three decades he has helped more than 5,000 businesses improve their sales performance, with a particular focus on helping Managed Service Providers build predictable sales pipelines, improve discovery conversations and win more high-value business.

]]> Desperation is a Stinky Aftershave https://www.jameswhite.business/desperation-is-a-stinky-aftershave/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 07:12:36 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=25143

Executive Summary

Desperation is one of the biggest deal-killers in sales. When prospects feel a salesperson is focused on selling rather than understanding, trust disappears and the salesperson becomes just another vendor. The best salespeople approach conversations as problem-solvers, listening carefully, asking insightful questions and focusing on the prospect’s challenges before recommending a solution. The less desperate you are to sell, the more likely you are to make the sale.

Desperation is a Stinky Aftershave

You might not notice you are wearing it, but everyone else in the room can smell it.

And in sales, especially in IT and MSP sales, I see this all the time.

A salesperson walks into a meeting with a prospect and, whether they realise it or not, their whole energy says: “I need to sell something here.”

They want to pitch.

They want to prove themselves.

They want to explain the service.

They want to tell the prospect how good they are, how experienced the business is, how quickly they respond to tickets, how strong their cyber credentials are, how brilliant the onboarding process is and how they are different from every other MSP in the market.

And here is the brutal truth.

Most prospects don’t care.

Not yet anyway.

The prospect isn’t thinking about any of that.

They are thinking about themselves:

  • Their problems.
  • Their frustrations.
  • Their risks.
  • Their challenges.

Before they care about what you do, they need to believe you understand what they are dealing with.

That is where so many salespeople go wrong – they walk into meetings with a preconceived idea of what they want to sell, instead of being curious about what needs to be solved.

And prospects can feel it.

They might not say it. They might sit politely and listen. They might nod along and let you finish your pitch. But deep down, they are thinking: “This person is not listening to me. They are just waiting for their turn to talk.”.

The moment that happens, you stop being an advisor.

You become a vendor.

And vendors get compared on price.

The funny thing is that many business owners were actually better salespeople before they ever hired a salesperson.

I see this regularly when working with MSP owners and IT businesses. The businesses that consistently win new clients focus on diagnosis first and recommendations second.

Protecting & Converting hihg-value inbound leads

Not because they had sales training.

Not because they had a CRM.

Not because they had some fancy discovery framework.

They were better because they cared about solving problems

When you started your business:

  • You didn’t lead with a presentation.

  • You didn’t start with your packages.

  • You didn’t launch into a list of features.

You sat down and tried to understand what was wrong.

You wanted to know what was causing frustration.

You wanted to know what wasn’t working.

You wanted to know what was keeping the customer awake at night.

You focused on the problem.

And because you focused on the problem, people trusted you.

As businesses grow, they often lose this.  

They replace curiosity with process.

They replace listening with pitching.

They replace problem-solving with product explanation.

And then they wonder why conversion rates start falling.

The truth is simple.

Most prospects don't want your pitch.

Not yet.

They want to know whether you understand their world.

Whether you understand the consequences of getting it wrong.

Whether you genuinely care about helping them.

Trust comes before solutions.

Trust comes before proposals.

Trust comes before sales.

And trust is impossible to build if your prospect feels like you’ve already decided what you’re going to sell before you’ve understood their situation.

The best salespeople aren’t obsessed with making a sale.

They’re obsessed with understanding the problem.

Protecting & Converting hihg-value inbound leads

In fact, one of the most effective ways to do this is through structured questioning. I’ve written previously about my LAPS methodology and how it helps salespeople uncover what prospects are really thinking and feeling.

Because when prospects feel understood, 

  1. they relax,

  2. they open up,

  3. they tell you more, 

  4. and they trust what you recommend.

That’s when sales become easier.

But here’s the important thing…

Mindset Before Method

Whenever I work with sales teams, people often ask me, “What’s the best sales technique?” or “What questions should I ask?”

The truth is, the technique doesn’t matter if the mindset is wrong.

If you walk into a meeting desperate to sell, no script in the world will save you.

If you walk into a meeting determined to understand, you’ll naturally ask better questions, listen more carefully and build more trust.

The mindset comes first.

The method comes second.

And next week, I’ll show you exactly what that method looks like.

I’ll share how the best salespeople uncover what is really going on beneath the surface, why the first answer is almost never the real answer, and how a few simple follow-up questions can completely transform your sales conversations.

Spotting the stinky aftershave is one thing.

Knowing what to wear instead is another.

We’ll cover that next week 🙂

In conclusion, the irony is that the less desperate you are to sell, the more likely you are to make the sale. People buy from people who are trying to solve their problem, not people who are trying to hit a target.

So next time you walk into a meeting, leave the stinky aftershave at home.

Don’t go in determined to sell.

Go in determined to understand.

That’s my view anyway…

If you’d like to hear me expand on this topic, I’ve also discussed the importance of curiosity, questioning and trust-building on the podcast.

Do you agree with me?

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a salesperson who was trying far too hard to sell?

Or have you caught yourself doing it?

Let me know. I read every reply, even if I don’t always get chance to respond to them all.

Thanks as ever for being part of my community.

Have a brilliant sales week ahead and remember, Eat or be Eaten.

Frequently Asked Questions

Most prospects don’t dislike salespeople; they dislike feeling sold to.

When a salesperson launches straight into a pitch, the prospect immediately feels like the conversation is about the salesperson’s targets rather than their own challenges.

Buyers want to feel understood before they hear recommendations. They want confidence that you understand their situation, the risks they face, and the outcomes they are trying to achieve.

The best sales conversations start with curiosity, not a presentation.

The simplest way to avoid sounding desperate is to stop focusing on what you want to sell and start focusing on what the prospect needs to solve.

Desperate salespeople enter meetings hoping to present their solution.

Trusted advisors enter meetings hoping to understand the problem.

Ask questions, listen carefully, and avoid rushing to explain your services. The more interested you are in understanding the prospect, the less pressure they will feel from you.

 

Ironically, that often makes them far more willing to buy.

Many founders become successful because they built their business around solving a specific problem.

When they meet prospects, they naturally focus on understanding the challenge rather than delivering a sales pitch.

They ask questions because they are genuinely curious.

 

As businesses grow, sales processes and presentations often replace that curiosity. The challenge for sales teams is to maintain the same problem-solving mindset that helped the founder win customers in the first place.

Trust is built when a prospect feels heard, understood, and respected.

That means asking thoughtful questions, listening without interrupting, and taking the time to understand the full situation before offering advice.

Many salespeople rush to recommend a solution after hearing the first problem.

The best salespeople dig deeper.

They explore the impact of the problem, why it exists, how long it has been happening, and what happens if nothing changes.

 

The more thoroughly you understand the prospect’s world, the more credibility your recommendations will have.

The purpose of a discovery meeting is not to sell managed services.

The purpose is to understand the prospect’s business.

Focus on uncovering:

  • Current frustrations with IT
  • Business risks and vulnerabilities
  • Cyber security concerns
  • Productivity challenges
  • Previous experiences with IT providers
  • Future growth plans
  • The consequences of doing nothing

The more clearly you understand the problem, the easier it becomes to determine whether your services are genuinely the right fit.

 

A good discovery meeting should leave the prospect feeling understood, not pitched to.

Because the first answer is rarely the real problem.

A prospect might say they are unhappy with response times, but the real issue could be a lack of trust, poor communication, cyber security concerns, or frustration that their provider is not being proactive.

Great salespeople understand that valuable information is often hidden beneath the first answer.

By asking thoughtful follow-up questions, they uncover the real challenge, which allows them to provide better advice and more relevant solutions.

As I often say, the sale is not in the first answer.

The sale is in the follow-up question.

 
 

“Over the last 30 years, I’ve worked with more than 5,000 business owners, salespeople and sales teams. One pattern appears repeatedly: the salespeople who focus most on understanding the problem consistently outperform those who focus on presenting the solution.

Prospects rarely buy because of the best pitch. They buy because they feel understood.

The Difference That Wins Deals

]]> Time to drink my own champagne https://www.jameswhite.business/time-to-drink-my-own-champagne/ Sat, 30 May 2026 09:47:30 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=25126

In today’s edition, we explore one of the biggest mistakes I made in my first business, why “small businesses” is not a target market, and why it is finally time for me to drink my own champagne and focus on a niche within a niche within a niche. Let’s get to it.

One of the things I talk about a lot is niches.

 

In fact, if you’ve listened to my podcast, attended one of my talks, or worked with me directly, you’ve probably heard me say the same thing over and over again.

 

Be something to someone. Not everything to everyone.

 

And yet, if I’m being completely honest, this is advice I haven’t always followed myself… which means it is time to drink my own champagne.

 

For years, we have helped business owners from a wide range of industries improve their sales performance. We’ve worked with manufacturers, professional services firms, software companies, consultants, construction businesses and many others.

 

The challenge with serving everyone is that eventually your message becomes too broad.

 

You become relevant to lots of people.

But highly relevant to very few.

And relevance is what drives sales.

 

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my first business was saying our target market was “small businesses”.

 

There were millions of them. At the time, that sounded fantastic – a huge market with endless opportunity.

The problem? "Small businesses" isn't a target market. It's far too broad.

Looking back, we should have focused much sooner. For example:

Accountants.

  • Then a specific type of accountant.
  • Then a specific challenge within that market.

 

A niche within a niche within a niche.

A quote by Bonnie Gillespie - "If you try to be everything to everyone, you will be nothing to anyone"

The businesses that win are rarely the ones trying to appeal to everybody.

They are the ones that become known for solving a specific problem for a specific group of people.

Which brings me to the point of today’s email.

From June onwards, we are going to be focusing much more of our content on MSPs (Managed Service Providers).

I will still be sharing lots of sales content that is applicable to all industries, but the examples and focus will be MSP-driven. I appreciate that if this isn’t your area, then you may decide my email is no longer for you. If that’s the case, then I totally respect and understand that.

Why focus on MSPs?

  • Because it is our sweet spot.
  • It is the audience we understand best.
  • It is where we know we can create the biggest impact.

And it is where we see the same sales challenges appearing time and time again.

  • Businesses that rely heavily on referrals.

  • Founders who are carrying too much of the sales burden themselves.

  • Companies with excellent technical delivery but inconsistent lead generation.

  • Sales processes that exist in someone’s head rather than in a repeatable system.

A quote by Austin Kleon - "The more specific you are, the more universal your appeal becomes"

The fear many people have is that focusing on a niche means turning opportunities away.

I don’t see it that way.

 

The service can always be adapted.

 

The real question is whether your message is relevant enough to get attention. Because when somebody reads your content and thinks, “That’s exactly my situation”, everything changes!

  1. Your marketing improves.

  2. Your sales conversations become easier.

  3. Your positioning becomes stronger.

  4. And your prospects are more likely to engage.

 

So from June, expect more content around:

  • Generating leads for MSPs

  • Building predictable sales pipelines

  • Creating sales processes that don’t rely on the founder

  • Increasing client value and retention

  • Winning larger and better-fit opportunities

  • Building a business that can grow without everything depending on you

This isn’t a change of direction.

It’s a sharpening of focus.

It’s us doing exactly what I encourage other business owners to do.

 

Finding our sweet spot.

Doubling down on relevance.

And becoming something to someone rather than everything to everyone.

 

So let me leave you with three questions.

  1. Is there enough of them?

  2. Are they prepared to pay?

  3. And do you actually enjoy working with them?

 

If the answer is yes to all three, don’t be afraid to focus.

 

In fact, it may be the most important growth decision you make.

 

For us, the answer is clear, which is why it’s time to drink our own champagne.

 

Focus isn’t limiting. Focus is liberating.

 

Thanks as ever for being part of my community.

 

Have a brilliant sales week ahead and remember: Eat or be Eaten.

]]> Create Urgency Without Discounting https://www.jameswhite.business/create-urgency-without-discounting/ Sat, 02 May 2026 09:29:40 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=25069

In today’s edition, we’re talking about urgency… and more importantly, how to create it without immediately reaching for a discount when things get uncomfortable.

People love a deal. That’s never going to change.

If a buyer thinks there’s even a small chance they can get what you’re offering for less, they’ll usually take that opportunity. Not because they’re difficult, but because it’s human nature.

The problem is what happens when you give in.

Because the moment you drop your price to “get it over the line,” you’re not just winning a deal, you’re setting a precedent. You’re showing the buyer that your pricing is flexible and, more importantly, that pressure works on you.

That’s a tough position to recover from.

Quote, "The moment you discount, you stop selling value and start selling price"

The Reasons for the Urgency?

It’s worth asking yourself a slightly uncomfortable question here…

  • Why do you feel the need to discount in the first place?

  • Is it genuinely because the price is wrong?

  • Or is it because you need the deal more than they do right now?

Targets, deadlines, pipeline pressure… it creeps in quickly. And before you know it, you’re trying to solve your urgency problem with their wallet.

But here’s the reality—your timeline and their timeline are rarely the same.

And when you try to force urgency through price, it usually backfires.

How to Create Urgency

So if discounting isn’t the answer, what is?

It starts with understanding, not pushing.

When you take the time to really uncover what’s going on for the buyer (the real problem, not just the surface-level version) they begin to feel understood. And when that happens, conversations move forward more naturally.

From there, you need clarity on timing. When do they actually want to solve this? If it’s not a priority for them now, dropping your price won’t magically make it one.

You can also introduce urgency through real constraints:

  • your availability,

  • your capacity, or

  • timelines that exist regardless of price.

These are far more credible and far more effective.

And then there’s the most important piece…

Helping them understand the cost of doing nothing.

What happens if they wait? What continues to frustrate them? What gets worse?

When that becomes clear in their mind, urgency no longer needs to be manufactured.

If you don't believe in your price, your customer never will

Your Rates Are There for a Reason

I was talking about this on a podcast recently using the example of flights.

You don’t negotiate with an airline. The price is the price.

You either see the value in that seat, at that time, for that journey… or you don’t. And that’s exactly how your service should be positioned.

Because the moment you introduce a discount at the point of decision, whether you realise it or not, you’re sending a signal that your original price wasn’t solid.

It doesn’t build trust. It raises questions.

Your pricing exists for a reason. It reflects the value you deliver, the work that goes in, and the outcomes you create.

And if you don’t stand behind it, why should anyone else?

So next time you feel that pull to “just drop it slightly” to get the deal done…

 

Pause.

 

Go back to the problem. The impact. The consequence of waiting.

That’s where real urgency lives.

 

Have a brilliant sales week ahead, and remember: Eat or be eaten.

]]> it’s 3 or 4 https://www.jameswhite.business/its-3-or-4/ Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:12:48 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=24963

In today’s edition, we explore why you need more deals in your pipeline than you think to achieve your revenue goals—and what the implications are if you don’t have this in place. Let’s get to it.

We always need more than we think.

Especially in sales.

I was asked a question some time ago about how you can ensure you hit the targets that you have.

  • Do you need to be lucky?

  • Do you need to work incredibly hard?

  • Do you need to charge higher prices?

All these things help, but there is one simple way of hitting your targets, and that’s to build a pipeline full of leads.

So, what do you need in your pipeline? And what should a good pipeline look like?

I always work on a simple rule:

Ensure that your pipeline and the final stages of your sales process are a minimum of 3 (and ideally 4) times the value of the target you want to hit.

Let’s break it down a bit more.

A quote by Brian Tracy depicting the importance of continuous prospecting.

Let’s say your business wants to achieve a new
revenue target of £500,000 for the year.

You may have certain months that are stronger or weaker than others, but for the sake of this example, let’s say the target is spread across a 12-month period.

To achieve your target, you will need to hit a revenue of £42,000 per month.

So, to hit this number, what should the value of your pipeline be?

The answer is a minimum of £126,000, but ideally £168,000. Let me explain why.

There are two main reasons:

  1. We don’t win all the business that we have (or think we will)

  2. All too often, deals don’t come in when we want them to

I was once told some sage advice by an old Sales Director:

“Plan conservatively but execute optimistically.”

Put simply, don’t do what most salespeople do
and expect that everything will come in. Be realistic.

We always need more than we think.

We might have a good feeling about all the leads we have, but if you are converting more than 2 in 3 leads at the final stage of your sales process, then you are probably too cheap. Even the very best salespeople in the world wouldn’t expect to convert more than 2 out of 3 in the final stages.

In addition, even good deals that will happen often get delayed for different reasons. A person has left or just joined the business, a budget has been put on hold for a few months, or a bigger, more important priority has come up.

Whilst we always try to avoid these issues, they happen. It’s life.

What matters is that we don’t totally rely on them to achieve the targets we want. Doing this means we become prisoners of hope—and no one wants to be a prisoner of anything.

When our pipeline is the same as, or just over, the target, we also exude desperation—which is always a bad thing in a sales deal. We make rash decisions and push prospects to do things “just to hit the target,” and invariably that works against us.

Yet when we have a funnel full of leads that we are engaging with and having good conversations with, the pressure is off. That comes through in the way we work, and that “hidden 10%” is the secret to winning more.

The best way to see your pipeline is like people spinning plates. They continue to put plates up on tall needles and spin them so they can keep adding more. They keep an eye on each plate and give them a nudge now and again to keep them going—until the end of the act, when all the plates come down in an orderly way.

So, what is the best way to build up a 3 to 4 times pipeline?

ABP – Always Be Prospecting.

All too often, people do some prospecting, add some good deals to the pipeline, and then get overconfident. They assume that because they have £500,000 in their pipeline, the year is done. They relax. They take their foot off the gas—and when this happens, the car comes to a stop.

The way to avoid this is to put time aside daily for new prospecting.

Whether that’s contacting people through LinkedIn, sending prospecting videos, making calls, or another form of outreach—build it into your routine.

Make it a discipline. Set yourself mini targets: connect with 3 people a day, create 5 videos, or make 10 calls.

When you do this (alongside your existing sales work), you give yourself the best chance of adding new leads—and you also subconsciously take the pressure off the current deals in your pipeline.

What’s the worst that can happen?

  • You have too much business coming in?

  • You can choose who you work with?

  • You can raise prices due to demand?

None of these are bad outcomes.

So, work on the rule of 3 or 4.

Commit to doing something daily to build your pipeline.

You can never have enough leads—and when you have more than you need, good things start to happen, and targets start to get hit.

Try this out and let me know how you get on. A good starting point is to look at your current target, review your pipeline (especially the final two stages), and identify the gap. If it’s not 3 to 4 times the target, get to work.

Does this cover a challenging sales or business situation you’ve had?

If not, what would you like me to cover in a future newsletter?

Let me know. I read every reply, even if I can’t respond to them all.

Thanks, as ever, for being part of the community.

Have a brilliant sales week ahead, and remember: Eat or be eaten.

]]> You can’t scale without it https://www.jameswhite.business/you-cant-scale-without-it/ Mon, 20 Apr 2026 13:55:29 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=24853

I spend much of my time talking to CEOs and business owners and helping them build plans for growth.

Growth is normally a pretty simple equation.

More customers and/or larger customers + increased prices – lower costs of customer acquisition and delivery = profitable growth

An illustration showing a strategy to profit growth

Profitable growth = smiley-faced CEOs and leaders 🙂

Whilst it seems simple enough, achieving that growth is not a simple task, and especially not for time-poor leaders. The business needs more leads to be converted into customers, and quite simply, this needs to happen without them needing to be involved.

Quite simply, they don’t have the time to engage in all of these conversations when they have other aspects of the business to focus on.

They want business to be brought in and for the tills to buzz whilst they focus on partnerships, delivery, raising money—the list goes on. In their heads, winning business is easy. They did it at the start, and it’s why the company has grown.

All of this is true, but one of the biggest mistakes I see business leaders making when they want to grow their business is not creating a sales playbook or blueprint for success.

The leader has a clear idea of how they want to grow and what others should do to bring new clients on board. For them, sales or winning new business is easy. It happens as a result of the knowledge and skills they have developed over time.

Just because they know what to do, however, doesn’t mean that others are automatically going to know what to do and how to approach certain situations. I always remind CEOs and sales leaders that their sales teams aren’t mind readers or psychics.

Without clear guidance and a blueprint to follow, it is highly likely that the team will drift off course and fail.

We have put together several ‘Business Growth Playbooks’ for organisations over the last few years, and there are three critical factors which we would advise you put in place if you want your future growth to be consistent and strong.

Point 1: Identify past areas of success

Work out where you were strong in the past and use this as the starting point to help others achieve success.

  • Why did the customers you signed up start to work with you?

  • What was it that you offered that made them commit to you?

Try to identify two to three common characteristics that stood out from those early successes and use these as the basis for others to build on. Don’t just choose anyone. Know where you achieved past success and what problem you solved for this group of people, and make that the starting point of your playbook.

Either document it yourself or bring someone in to document it. My company can help if you don’t have time.

“Scaling a business is not about doing more yourself; it’s about building systems that allow others to succeed without you.”
Author Unknown

Part 2: Understand your sales journey and process

Whilst you would love to think as a leader that you won every bit of business that you went for, we both know that’s not true.

You had success, sure, but you didn’t convert every call into a meeting or every meeting into a confirmed sale. There were times when you would have shared proposals which didn’t get through, and you learned as a leader that this was all part of the sales process and journey. Your team is going to go on the same path as you.

Outline the journey that you went on with new customers. At what points in the journey did you know when prospects weren’t a good fit? What were the steps in the process that you used when you won a deal? Did you do a demo, a site visit, or arrange for another customer to speak with them?

Help your team to understand the ideal buyer journey and process you went through and what rates of conversion you had at each stage. It will not only help them win business, but it will help keep everyone realistic about what can and can’t be achieved.

“Process is what turns individual success into organisational success.”
Michael Gerber

Part 3: Identify how to handle inbound leads and approach outbound prospecting

This is the nuts and bolts of good selling, and it’s vital that there is a playbook for others to follow. This is especially important if you want your company to be represented in the right way. This sets out the behaviours and ways of operating that you want from your team.

  • How should they engage with new inbound leads?

  • What should they do, and what should they not do?

  • What questions should they ask?

  • What questions did you ask that got you results?

  • How did you qualify leads to know whether it was right to spend more time with them?

The list goes on—and this is just with inbound leads.

There is a right and wrong way of engaging with those who don’t know your company, and if you let the team just do whatever they want, you will get the business version of the Wild West, which can cause lots of issues.

Protecting & Converting hihg-value inbound leads

Want my simple guide and playbook on this?

It’s here:
Download here

Build a clear plan of how to go about winning new business and document it within a playbook which is a live, iterative plan that gets updated and used. Make it something that the team relies on and which you can use to measure results.

It is also vital within this part of your playbook that you include how they should react to typical responses. What should they say or do when someone ignores their call or doesn’t turn up for a meeting?

Don’t forget these small but critical elements. They are vital. And always remember—you may know how to handle these situations, but they may not. Give them the tools to know what to do and say, and you stand a far better chance of achieving the business growth plans that you desire.

As ever, if you need support or want to talk through how you can start to scale and grow your business, my team and I are here to help.

Have a brilliant week sales week ahead and remember: Eat or be Eaten.

Until the next time,

James

]]> Get Inside your buyers Mind https://www.jameswhite.business/get-inside-your-buyers-mind/ Sat, 28 Feb 2026 08:52:53 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=24355

In today’s edition, we explore why the biggest competitor you face in sales deals is not the bigger company that can offer lower prices, or the smaller firm that offers cheaper more personable services. It’s the greatest obstacle towards getting deals closed which is the process of change. Let’s get to it.

My good friend Alexander Seery was a Detention Officer in the police service for a good while. While at work on a day in 2016, an incident took place which I call an ‘FTE’ moment. It was Alex’s FTE moment…

Warning: if you are reading this over breakfast, you may want to give it a minute before taking the next mouthful.

Alex was taking care of a prisoner who had been arrested and who was going through some mental difficulties. As part of his job as a Detention officer, he had to ensure the well-being of the prisoner, and he was called to the cell as the prisoner had started to become disruptive. When he got to the cell and went in, he found the prisoner had defecated all over the cell and started rubbing himself in his own excrement! 🤮

Alex had to take care of him, and in the process of trying to sort this, the man became even more disruptive and violent towards Alex and another officer.

Whilst trying to solve the situation, the man’s penis (covered in his own poo) slapped Alex in the mouth a few times, and basically covered him in shit.

At that exact time, Alex had reached the point of no return. The ‘F**k This Event’ moment had made his mind up. Enough was enough. He wanted change and would do anything to make that happen.

Years on, Alex is a very successful entrepreneur, but when I talk with him about this incident, it was the catalyst he needed to do something different.

Alex had experienced tough times as a detention officer before which had made him think about whether it was what he wanted to do but this was the final straw. The moment when ANYTHING would have been better than what he had!

 

What has this got to do with sales and you winning deals you say?

People don't resist change. They resist being changed

Change is the biggest reason why your prospects aren’t signing with you right now.

Change is hard. As human beings, we are programmed to like routine and things being as they are.

Take, for example, this morning when you brushed your teeth. I am going to bet that you used the same hand (left or right) to brush them as you will have for days in a row. The thought of brushing them with the opposite hand will feel strange and weird.

And as with many things in life, you only change when you have to, or as in Alex’s case, your current situation cannot be tolerated any longer.

Your prospects are in the same position. They have been doing what they have for some time now.

  • This could be using a different software company.

  • This could be doing the same grind every day not being aware of how much time they are wasting.

  • This could be dealing with constant complaints from customers about a small niggle on their site.

  • This could be putting up with poor service from their existing provider.

  • This could be paying more than they should be for a service.

The list can go on and on. The key thing is, what is going to make them want to change?

It’s far easier to stay where we are, even when things aren’t quite right. If the emotional or physical driver isn’t there to make someone go ‘I want to make a change’, then they will stay where they are.

Which is why when we are selling, we have to dig deep in the conversations we have with them.

It’s also why those who are really successful at selling know that in order to get a deal done, they have to tackle the biggest competitor to their deal, which is invariably NOT another company.

Status quo or staying as they are is a far safer bet. It feels comfortable. It feels natural. Even if it does cause them a slight niggle here and there, it’s comfortable.

What’s the saying – ‘better the devil you know’? Nowhere is that more relevant than when we are selling.

How do you get your prospects away from this?

You have to find out what REALLY makes them feel frustrated.

  • What is their deep concerns with the situation they are in?

  • What is driving them to want to look at something different?

  • Have they had an FTE moment (like Alex did) which has made them say ‘something has to change’?

All too often, the answer to these questions is no. Which is why many deals sound promising but don’t go anywhere.

The only way to understand what is driving your prospects is to build relationships with them. You have to spend time asking them questions and focus on trying to get inside their heads and gauge what really matters to them. And this has to be done without an ulterior motive of ‘wanting to do business with them’. Because when they see this (and they do!!) they tend to stay where they are.

So, when you speak to a prospect next, remember that you aren’t competing with another company. You aren’t trying to outsmart the other salesperson that they also saw recently. What you are competing with is change and moving them from the position they are in now to a better place. A place which feels happy and secure, but which is more importantly far better than the place they are in right now.

If they aren’t changing or moving, then its because the FTE event isn’t or hasn’t happened!

It probably won’t come in the form of a shit covered willy hitting their face, but the concept is the same. Find out when enough is enough and what is pushing them to CHANGE and the deal is yours.

Hope this helps you get the sales results you want. That’s always my goal in these emails. To empower, support and drive you to achieve what YOU want to achieve.

Go make it happen!

Have a brilliant week sales week ahead and remember Eat or be Eaten

]]> Why introverts can be the best at sales https://www.jameswhite.business/why-introverts-can-be-the-best-at-sales/ Sat, 14 Dec 2024 10:44:11 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=19287

Hello Reader,

If you’re anything like me, you’re naturally enthusiastic and eager to engage in conversations.

There’s a widespread belief that people who are super extroverted and confident are, or will be… good at sales.

But there’s one skill I’ve had to refine over the years that has made all the difference in my sales success: knowing when to shut up.

It might sound counterintuitive, but talking less and listening more is a game changer.

In fact, the best salespeople are the ones who master the art of silence at the right moments.

So, it might not surprise you that introverted people tend to have a better understanding of people.

Because when you’re introverted, you’re not speaking much in groups.

That means you’re probably listening. When you listen carefully, you can hear everything and, as a result, have a better understanding of what’s going on.

That’s a mighty skill to have. It’s easier to learn to be confident than it is to learn to understand people. And that is why introverted people actually have a more substantial chance to be the best salespeople – if they keep that skill and master confidence.

It is still essential that you talk during sales; it’s just that you need to know when to talk… and when not to.

With that in mind, here are three critical times when you should stop talking and give your prospect space to speak.

1. When You Ask a Powerful Question

One of the biggest mistakes I see salespeople make is asking a probing or open-ended question and then immediately following it up with a stream of their own thoughts.

For instance, you might ask a critical question like: “How are you planning to fund your expansion?”

This is a significant question that can drive the conversation forward, but what happens next is crucial.

Most salespeople, eager to keep the momentum going, dive straight into additional comments, rephrasing the question, or offering potential answers. What I’ve learned, however, is that the silence after asking a tough question is your greatest asset.

Here’s why: Pausing after asking a probing question puts the spotlight on your prospect. It shows them that you’re truly interested in hearing their response. More importantly, it gives them the time to think and elaborate, providing insights into what really matters to them.

If you ask, “How are you going to fund your expansion plans?” and immediately follow up with another question or comment, you’re taking away the space for your prospect to think through their answer.

Pausing to let your prospect answer fully (without interrupting them) shows a high level of emotional intelligence. You’re not rushing them, and you’re not undervaluing their thoughts. You’re letting them tell you what they need, what their challenges are, and ultimately what’s driving their decision-making process. That’s powerful.

2. When You Get an Objection

Handling objections is an inevitable part of any sales process. Your prospect might say, “I really like your product, but it’s too expensive”, or “We’re not looking to make a change right now.”

Now, the natural instinct for many salespeople is to immediately start defending their product, justifying the price, or explaining why their solution is the right choice. And yes, early on in my career I’ve made this mistake myself.

However, when a prospect raises an objection, your immediate response shouldn’t be a flood of words trying to fix their concerns. Instead, pause.

Let the objection settle. Ask them for clarification if needed. Something as simple as saying, “Thanks for sharing that, I completely understand your concern. Could you tell me more about what you’re thinking regarding [x]?” can open the door for a more meaningful conversation.

Rushing to answer an objection makes you sound desperate.

When you stop talking and just listen, you give your prospect the opportunity to reframe their objection or even answer their own concerns. More importantly, it allows you to gather the information you need to craft a more thoughtful, personalised response that addresses their specific concerns.

3. When You Discuss Price

This is one of the trickiest moments in any sales conversation, right? I’ve seen it time and time again: salespeople mention the price and then immediately start talking about discounts, added bonuses, or justifications to make the price seem more reasonable.

They do this because they’re nervous about the prospect’s reaction to the price, and they hope that lowering the price or offering extras will seal the deal.

But here’s what you should do: The moment you mention the price, stop talking.

This shows that you’re confident in the value of your offering and that you’re not trying to undercut your own value.

It’s a simple but incredibly powerful move.

If you’ve set the price and then immediately follow it up with a justification, you’re essentially telling the prospect that you’re unsure about the price, and they’ll pick up on that.

When you pause, it lets your prospect digest the information, think about it, and even vocalise any concerns. That moment of silence can often lead to a more thoughtful conversation about the value of your service.

They might even come back with a counteroffer or a question that allows you to dive deeper into their needs and how your service can help.

The Power of Silence: A Final Word

Sales isn’t just about talking. It’s about knowing when to talk and when to listen.

If you can master the moments of silence, you’ll find that your conversations become more meaningful, your relationships with prospects become stronger, and your sales results improve dramatically.

In my early days in sales, I worked hard to rein in my natural enthusiasm and learn to pause at the right moments. But every time I’ve done it, I’ve seen the payoff – whether it’s closing a deal, gaining valuable insights, or building trust with a prospect.

I hope these insights help you take your sales skills to the next level. Until next week, take care and good luck.

James

]]> Make December Count https://www.jameswhite.business/make-december-count/ Sat, 07 Dec 2024 09:13:40 +0000 https://www.jameswhite.business/?p=19243

Hello Reader,

 

2025 is around the corner. How are your sales this year looking? And more importantly, how does your pipeline for next year look?

If your pipeline isn’t where it needs to be right now, you’re leaving money – and momentum – on the table. December isn’t the time to wind down; it’s the time to gear up.

Many sales professionals see December as a dead month for prospecting, but that’s a mistake. In reality, it’s one of the most untapped opportunities of the year, as this period holds unique opportunities – if you know how to approach it strategically. Because while others are slowing down, you could be using this time to get ahead, secure leads, and position yourself as the front-runner for 2025.

Are you starting to see how December could be your saving grace?

It’s simple: the work you do now will determine how strong your start to the new year will be. Miss this chance, and you risk falling behind. But get it right, and you could set the stage for record-breaking results.

So, if you’re serious about making 2025 your best year yet, here’s how to maximise your December prospecting efforts:

 

1. Pave the way for 2025

December is a perfect time to lay the groundwork for January conversations. You can reach out to prospects to:

  • Gather insights about their priorities for the new year; and
  • Confirm follow-up meetings or check-ins for early January (you want to get in before your competition).
 

Remember that decision-makers often have two things on their minds this time of year:

  1. Wrapping up current initiatives; and
  2. Planning for the year ahead.
 

So this creates a window where they may be more open to discussing solutions that address their goals for 2025. And you can use this to your advantage by:

  • Framing your outreach around helping them prepare for the challenges or opportunities of the coming year.
  • Position your offering as a way to get ahead of their competition before January begins.
 

2. Laid-back leaders = easier to connect with

While some industries double down during December, many also slow down. This means many leaders will be a little more laid-back. Therefore, December is a great time to connect on a human level. Focus on relationship building as well, because your prospects might have more time to engage in meaningful conversations.

You can take this opportunity to:

  • Offer insights, free resources, or advice without expecting a sale. This positions you as a valuable partner rather than just another vendor.
  • You could also send thoughtful notes of appreciation to clients or prospects you’ve interacted with this year. This adds that extra touch of positioning you as a pleasure to work with.
 

3. Share a joke!

Generic outreach is always a no-go, but in December, it’s even more critical to tailor your messaging. It shows you’ve put some thought into reaching out to them, and they’re not just another number.

A great idea is to stand out with a creative approach.

Try using a little humour in your outreach. Share a joke that’s appropriate for them to tell at the table during the family lunch or dinner during Christmas.

You could say something like, “Oh, by the way, I heard this joke and thought you might like it for the dinner table at Christmas…” You’ll really stand out this way, plus you’ll be remembered.

4. When the competitors are away… You shall play

As I mentioned earlier, while December can be busy for some, many decision-makers experience fewer meetings and a quieter inbox toward the middle of the month. Use this to your advantage:

  • It’s a chance to stand out in their inbox through personalised messaging and build positive relationships.
  • It could be a chance to book calls or demos during these less hectic periods, even if it’s in advance for January.
 

Remember to follow up swiftly. Your responsiveness can make a lasting impression, showing that you’re available all year round.

 

5. Be mindful

While December offers opportunities, timing is key. Be considerate of:

  • Holiday closures or reduced availability toward the end of the month.
  • The fact that some prospects may be in a reflective or family-focused mindset.
 

A good cut-off time for calling would be 23rd December. Thereafter, I wouldn’t recommend calling. What you might want to consider instead, is simply advertising your services, for example, on social media.

Many sales professionals ease up on their efforts in December, but maintaining momentum can set you apart. It’s a great window of opportunity to show your prospects that you’re reliable and committed year-round.

So, if you use December to strategically build your pipeline, you’ll gain an edge and set the stage for massive sales success for 2025.

But if you feel like you aren’t quite ready to dive into “December prospecting” or that you’re not as confident as you want to be – yet… Then, here’s another tip:

Use December to review your skills and enhance them. Sharpen the blade of your “sales knife” – if you will.

And if you want help sharpening your “sales knife,” I’ve got two powerful resources designed to help you crush your 2025 sales goals, at a holiday-exclusive price:

1. Master Sales Qualification with BANT

Poor qualification of leads will result in poor sales. But you can learn to transform prospects into paying customers using BANT. In this course, you’ll unlock all you need to know about BANT through:

  • 10 specific videos, deep-diving into the BANT Sales Methodology
  • 8 downloadable resources with effective BANT techniques to use in your sales process
  • Questions that help uncover your prospects’ priorities, decision-making processes, and timelines.
 

2. Build the Ultimate Sales Foundation with TRACKFARE

Most people try to convert prospects into customers. But I believe in turning prospects into loyal customers. The method I use for this, has worked for me throughout all my years in sales.

I call it TRACKFARE. It equips you with the 9 essential characteristics for sales success. Trustworthy, Approachable, Knowledgeable, are the first 3, can you guess the other 6?

If you can’t, that’s okay, you’ll find them in the course, where you’ll also discover:

  • Actionable steps that are immediately implementable, so you can display these attributes in every interaction, and build your pipeline of loyal customers.
  • And you’ll have access to video content, plus practical checklists to turn theory into practice.
 

So here’s the deal:

Each course is usually £69, but I’ve dropped the price to £30 each for December only. So to get both these courses, you’ll normally pay £138. And now… it’ll cost you only £60!

BUT if you want BOTH paying & loyal customers, then I’ll give you both courses for just £50! That means you get £138 of value-packed teachings – for only £50.

That’s over 60% savings, or £88 OFF – think of all the curries you could buy with that!

But regardless of the savings, this is a deal designed to supercharge your 2025 sales.

And it’s only for December.

So if you want paying customers, loyal customers, or both – at a never-to-be-seen again discounted price – then go here to claim it for yourself now:

Get BANT
Get TRACKFARE
Get both for £50

Remember, as of today there are only 25 days to the new year. And if you aren’t where you need to be, something’s got to change.

Until next week, keep growing and stay focused.

James

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