Welcome to issue 64! Did someone forward this to you? If so, Subscribe here!

Last week you learned how to lean into the signals your buyer is sending on every call.

This week I want to take it one step further.

Because catching the signal is only half of it.

The other half is knowing what that signal is actually telling you and how to use it to show up where you can help them the most.

Every outcome a buyer is willing to pay for falls into one of four buckets.

Miss the bucket.

Lose the deal.

Every deal you've ever won mapped to at least one of these.

G — Grow Revenue

R — Reduce Costs

I — Insulate from Risk

P — Productivity

Every deal you've lost probably didn't.

When a signal goes up on your call, your job is to figure out which bucket it's pointing to.

Then reframe your offer through that lens.

This is the most exciting one to sell. If your offer helps someone make more money, that's the lead.

But here's where founders get it wrong. They say "we help you grow revenue" without tying it to something specific the buyer just told them.

Listen for: "we're struggling to convert leads" or "our renewal rate is slipping."

When we connect the dots, it’s much more powerful.

"You mentioned you're struggling to convert leads. That usually comes down to two things; who you're talking to and what's happening on the call. That's exactly where we start.”

Question to surface it:

"Where is revenue growth the biggest priority right now? New clients, keeping existing ones, or expanding what current clients spend?"

This one sells itself when the timing is right.

The mistake is leading with cost reduction before you know it matters to them. Not every buyer is cost-motivated. Push savings on someone focused on growth and you'll sound like you're solving the wrong problem.

Listen for: "we're trying to do more with less" or "we've had to make some cuts."

"It sounds like margin is a real focus right now. Companies in a similar spot typically see X reduction in [cost/resources] within the first 90 days so that’s where we tend to focus right at the beginning."

Question to surface it:

"Is there a specific area where costs feel out of control right now?"

This one is the most underused. Risk is often the real reason someone buys but they just don't say it that way.

It might sound like compliance. Or a bad experience with a previous vendor. Or not wanting to be the person who made the wrong call.

Listen for: "we've had issues with..." or "we can't afford another..." or "our board has been asking about..."

Risk buyers don't need to be sold to. They need to feel protected.

"It sounds like the downside of getting this wrong is significant. Part of what we do is give you a clear, outcome-focused process so that conversation doesn't come up again."

Question to surface it:

"What's the cost of not solving this, to the business or to you personally?"

This one is a quiet motivator for a lot of people.

But, it hides behind "our team is doing a lot of manual work" or "we just need to get better internally." It doesn't scream urgency. But the pain is real and it's building.

Listen for: "we're stretched thin" or "too much time goes into [X]."

Connect the productivity gain to something they actually want more of. Time back is only valuable if they know what they'd do with it.

"You mentioned the team is spending 8 hours on [X] every week. We typically eliminate that entirely which means that time goes back to [what they told you matters].”

Question to surface it:

"You mentioned hours being spent on [X] every week. What would your team actually focus on if that time came back?"

You don't need to hit all four. You need to find the one or two your buyer actually lives in.

This isn't a checklist.

It's a filter to help you navigate the conversation.

When they describe their problem, ask yourself:

Is this a Grow, Reduce, Insulate, or Productivity conversation?

Then position your offer through that lens.

Not "here's what we do."

"Here's what we do and here's exactly why it matters to what you just told me."

That's the difference between a pitch that lands and one that doesn't.

Pull up your last three, call recordings, proposals or post-call follow-up emails.

Read how you described your offer.

Ask yourself: does it map to Grow, Reduce, Insulate, or Productivity?

If you can't tell, your buyer couldn't either.

Pick one. Rewrite a single sentence that ties your offer directly to one of the four.

That's your starting point.

And if you haven't read last week's issue on seeing the “bat signal” start there first.