You do not have a sales problem

Writing always excites me just as much as it scares me.
A blank page. Everything to say, but what’s the first thing to write?

The biggest challenge is starting, not reaching the finish line.
Your business doesn’t even have a finish line.

It’s more of the same thing, so you might as well do it a bit better every time you try.

Writing the first line is a commitment to start.
A commitment to show up tomorrow.

And I made this my thing, every week, sharing my thoughts with you.

What are you going to start? Continue? Improve?

In today’s Storyletter:

Every week I hear the same thing:
“We’re too expensive.”
“Our sales team isn’t closing enough.”
“Marketing isn’t bringing good leads.”

Let me be very clear.

You do not have a sales problem.

On a recent call, we reviewed 730+ leads.
Same objection over and over: too expensive.

The obvious reaction? Lower the price.

Wrong move.

Before touching price, understand this: price is relative.
The human brain compares everything.

They compare you to competitors.
They compare you to other things they need.
They compare you to the outcome they want.

Here’s an example.

A founding team needs to raise $5 million. They struggle to get investors to say yes.

If I offer to help for $10K, that number only makes sense in relation to the goal.
If my service helps unlock $5 million, $10K is small.

But only if I position it correctly.

When I present my offer, I don’t just sell the service.
I sell the comparison.
I explain why the other options won’t solve the problem as effectively.

That’s not sales pressure.
That’s clarity.

When was the last time you worked on this with your team?

Simple exercise:

Write it down.
Until you can see it.
Until you believe it.

Because when you believe it, your tone changes.
Your certainty changes.
And your closing rate follows.

From the next 737 leads, moving from “too expensive” to 2–3% closed deals could mean millions.

Still think it’s a sales problem?

I worked so much this past week that I literally burned my laptop’s motherboard and had to order a new one.

I promised myself I wouldn’t work this much, but it’s been a crazy run.

Two great talks delivered.
Four company pitch drafts in progress, helping clients raise over $147 million.

Two more talks booked for next week.
And I’m writing a new talk about why we are selling the wrong way and how to fix it.

One of next week’s talks will be for 70+ salespeople at a large B2B holding company that owns over 18 companies. I love the challenge of delivering high-level value.

The second session will be held three hours later for around 120 young B2B founders attending a two-day sales bootcamp.

Funny story. I commented on a post about this event, hoping something would happen. An old friend saw my comment, called me, and offered to connect me to the organizer. Two days later, after one coffee meeting, I was invited to join.

I love last-minute opportunities.

More than anything, it’s a reminder that we can influence our journey. If we push. If we help. If we connect.

So stop leaving empty comments and start engaging. Yes, that might mean respectfully disagreeing with the author of the post.

Lovable has been my go-to tool this week when I couldn’t do heavy work. I finished building a small household expense app. We’ll start using it this week.

Next up is my sprint offering for pitching and sales.

The plan is to offer two-week sprints for companies looking to improve their message, pitch, or storytelling.

Every week, I collect things I enjoy online. This is my curated top three: playlists to work with, trailers, videos, or just fun stuff.

🎧 Music
This Storyletter was written while listening to this track
👉 🎧 Listen

🎬 Anime meets real life
I love this Sakamoto trailer with its crazy anime-style footage
👉 🎬 Watch

🎥 Max Cooper – A Sense of Getting Closer
A hypnotic collage of everyday life
👉 🎥 View