Jeff Barto

I teach that if 3 things are not present, there’s no conversation and there’s no sale: 1. Negative impact to the customer. It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be headline worthy. It doesn’t necessarily have to be quantifiable. But it has to be present and real. 2. Feelings about #1 above. These can be negative (apprehension, fear, worry, anger) or they equally can be positive (like being relieved, or delighted that your offering cons solve them). Tap those. 3. Business value. Not to the practitioner’s department, but to their management levels above them. What does the business derive from solving a security concern? Sell there. All of these MUST be stated from the customer’s standpoint and using their language.

To collect a compelling testimonial, run, don’t walk, to the customer’s pain. First ask: What was the result of them doing the things which caused or prolonged that pain? Don’t just ask in surface terms; ask in business terms: how did it impact the business? And don’t just ask in business terms: how did it impact that person’s work, reputation, advancement, etc.? Then, and only then, is the customer primed to give you a full-dimension picture of how they have benefited. When they revisit how the previous sub-optimal way worked/resulted/felt, they can now give you a full contrast to how much better things are with your solution in place. That contrast will be super compelling.

In my experience, the top 2 delays in content production are: 1. Overthinking. You're often your own worst enemy - adding content, rethinking, deleting, rephrasing, being unsure, wanting to impress, going off topic. Your slides belong right in the overlap of a Venn diagram, with "what the audience needs" in one circle, and "what you uniquely/expertly offer" in the other circle. Refocus on THAT. 2. Someone else imposing their directives or influence atop #1 above. Guilty parties: "management", "stakeholders", your branding/creative department, and your perception of whoever you want to impress.

This advice is for the fellow introverts, who come to motivational, speaking with a double helping of imposter syndrome: Unlike extroverts who derive their energy from others, your power source is your own. Your ability to motivate, therefore, isn’t limited by energy that you receive. I type this as a dyed-in-the-wool introvert who happens to be great at motivational speech. So dispense any thoughts in your mind about your introversion fueling imposter syndrome, or dictating how shy you are, or how you struggle with sociability, or how hamstrung you are about motivating others. You wield a personal source of energy that is very attractive to an audience. You will blow them away with it, especially if they know that you are an introvert.

Your value prop isn’t about your organization, it’s not about a sales person or initiative, and it’s definitely not about your product. The customer defines value - usually either solve a problem or achieve their business objectives. If your organization doesn’t know what that is, your sales reps, discovering it to really determine whether there’s selling opportunities there.

I learned a key skill for enablement from my 11th grade journalism teacher: Always consider your audience. Sales is your customer, so build for their success. What they need to know, what they need to do and how to do it, what & how they need to solve/sell, etc… Don’t ever fall into the trap of “we do enablement“. No, you enable sales. They’re not the same thing.