Better Sales Messaging for Owner-Operated Businesses
I'm Mike Herberts. I help business owners work out the NEGATIVE conversation already taking place in their prospect's mind — and join that conversation before telling them the positives.
The Messaging Thought Gap
There's often a big difference between what you HOPE your prospect is thinking and what your prospect is ACTUALLY thinking.
I call that The Messaging Thought Gap.
And the part most sales messages avoid is often the most useful part: the prospect's negative thoughts. Their doubts. Their objections. Their previous disappointments. The thing they don't believe about your industry.
Don't rush past those thoughts to get to your benefits.
Start with the negative conversation. Show the prospect you understand it. Then tell them the positives.
Sales Messaging Articles
What Should the First Sentence of a Sales Message Say?
Instead of automatically opening with a positive benefit, start with a negative thought the prospect already recognises — then explain the good news.
Why Do My Cold Emails Get Ignored?
Your positive claim may collide with a negative conversation already happening in the prospect's head. Start there instead.
Why Isn't My Sales Message Getting Any Replies?
The Messaging Thought Gap is the difference between what you hope your prospect thinks and what they're actually thinking.
How Should an Owner-Managed Business Approach Prospects?
Owner-managed businesses can use plain speaking to acknowledge doubts and objections before presenting the positive case.
How Do I Write a Better Sales Message?
Identify the negative belief first, acknowledge it honestly, and only then explain the positive.
About Mike Herberts
I've spent much of my working life in sales, prospecting and helping businesses get in front of potential customers.
Today I focus particularly on the sales message itself — especially the gap between what a seller wants a prospect to think and what the prospect is actually thinking.
My approach is simple: join the negative conversation already taking place in the prospect's mind before you tell them the positives.