I’ve got a car to sell you

Let’s take a look at the specs:

• 0–60mph: 30 seconds

• Top Speed: 55mph

• Seats: 4

• MPG: A glorious 20

Not impressed yet? Fair enough. Let’s continue.

This car is complete with a custom body kit. By “body kit,” I mean a collection of old tires tied to ropes and hung around the car, tugboat-style.

Still not rushing to sign the check?

Alright, let’s pop inside.

• Radio? None.

• Sat nav? Forget it.

• Electronics? Only one: a local cell-phone jammer ensuring no calls or texts can be made inside.

• Windows? Permanently closed.

Ok, I'll be straight with you. I have a 1995 Ford Crown Victoria to sell you.

Sounds dreadful, right? Who on earth would want this?

Well, that depends on the buyer persona.

The Right Buyer

No self-respecting adult would want to drive this beast. But if you’re the parent of a freshly licensed 16-year-old, suddenly this monstrosity looks pretty appealing. To be clear, not to your 16 year old, but to you, the concerned parent.

• Glacial acceleration = No racing off into trouble.

• Surrounded by tires = Parking-lot mishaps and low-speed bumps handled with ease.

• No radio, no cell service = Zero distractions.

• Big, heavy, and safe = Built-in crash resistance, limited top speed.

• No working windows = No teenage “hey baby” antics at stoplights.

• Unstressed mechanicals = Reliability for days.

All this for $3,000 + tires.

Suddenly, this looks like the perfect first car.

Thanks, I Hate It

When my older kids started driving, we did something similar. Not quite a Crown Vic, but definitely not a shiny new Jeep either—no massive car payments, no rollover risk, no constant repairs.

And that’s the point: sometimes you don’t have the best product to sell. Sometimes you’ve got the equivalent of a Crown Victoria with a busted radio.

So what do you do?

The Bigger Lesson

You find the right audience. Stop clinging to the idea that you need the “best” product to succeed. Best is subjective.

• A BMW M5 is the best car… for one type of buyer.

• A thirty-year-old Crown Vic wrapped in tires is the best… for another.

Same goes for your business.

If you want help figuring out who your “Crown Vic or BMW M5 audience” is, we should talk. simon@excessionevents.com

And I’d love to hear from you: what product in your career was your version of the Crown Vic?

For me, it was the Polycom ShowStation—a product so bizarre that during one demo, a friend was electrocuted by one, and fell to the floor unconscious during a demo. and most people thought that was a lucky escape. Seriously that is a true story.

About the Author

Simon Dudley is a chump. A man who believes in paying taxes, waiting his turn, the rule of law, being a decent human being. He writes a lot about strategy, technology, society, education, business, Excession Events and science.

#sellingthewrongproduct #salesaudiencetargeting #findingtherightbuyer #productmarketfit #salesstrategytips #businessstorytelling #competitiveintelligence #salesenablement #buyerpersona #businesshumor #productpositioning #saleslessons

The Unexamined Life Is Worthless (Especially in Sales)

Because doing the same thing badly, over and over, is not experience — it’s stagnation.

Let’s take a quick walk down philosophy lane.

Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

He wasn’t in sales.
But if he were, he’d say: The unexamined pitch is not worth repeating.

After every win — or more importantly, every loss — you need to pause and ask: What happened? What worked? What didn’t?

Not to beat yourself up. Not to rewrite history. But to get better.

Sales is a performance sport. The top players review the tape.

Here’s what to do:

• Postmortem the big ones. Why did you win that six-figure deal? Or lose it at legal? Write it down.

• Look for patterns. Are you consistently losing with one persona? Fumbling the pricing slide? Missing a key stakeholder?

• Adjust intentionally. Tweak. Iterate. Improve. The best sellers aren’t perfect — they’re evolving.

Growth doesn’t come from experience.
It comes from reflection.

So if your close rate’s flat but your calendar’s full?
You don’t need more calls.

You need more insight.

Sell Video, Use Video

Because telling clients you’re innovative via text is like faxing someone about your digital transformation strategy.

If you’re in the business of selling video solutions — or claiming to be “modern,” “cutting-edge,” or (shudder) “disruptive” — and you’re still sending walls of text instead of video?

You’re doing it wrong.

Video isn’t a novelty. It’s the new handshake. It’s the face, tone, nuance, and charisma your email will never deliver — no matter how many emojis or bullet points you use.

Want to stand out in a crowded inbox?

Send a 60-second video. Personalized. Relevant. Human.

Here’s what it does:

• Builds trust. Clients see your face. Hear your tone. You go from “another vendor” to “real person with a point.”

• Cuts through noise. While everyone else is “just checking in,” you’re delivering a Netflix-worthy, client-specific broadcast.

• Accelerates decisions. People respond faster to people they feel connected to. Video creates that connection.

If you sell video — and don’t use it? That’s like a dentist with bad teeth.

So don’t just sell the value. Show it.
Your camera is your closing tool.

Use it.

Just Because You Want to Meet Them Doesn’t Mean They Want to Meet You

Because “your solution” is not automatically their priority.

Let’s clear something up:
Just because you think a meeting would be useful doesn’t mean your prospect agrees.

They have inboxes full of pitches. Calendars full of noise. KPIs full of pressure. Your “quick call to discuss synergies” sounds like a request to attend a live reading of the terms and conditions.

So ask yourself: If I were them, would I take this meeting?

If the answer is “not unless I was trapped in an elevator,” rewrite your outreach.

Bring value. Lead with insight. Solve something before you even speak.

Try this instead:

• “I noticed you just expanded your team. Want to see how others are onboarding 50% faster?”

• “Clients like you cut churn by 11% last quarter using this approach — want the playbook?”

That’s value. That earns time.

Meetings are earned, not owed.

Stop booking time. Start earning attention.

LinkedIn: Use It Effectively — It Cuts Both Ways

Because your profile is your storefront — and sometimes your liability.

LinkedIn is your silent salesperson.

It’s working while you sleep, pitching while you’re in meetings, and quietly undoing your credibility if your banner still says “Open to Work” from 2021.

Clients check you out. Partners Google you. Your DMs are more visible than your inbox.

So what does your LinkedIn say about you?

• If it’s empty: “I’m not relevant.”

• If it’s messy: “I’m not credible.”

• If it’s self-centered: “I’ll be fun in meetings.”

Here’s how to fix it:

• Be active. Post thoughts. Comment smartly. Share wins and lessons.

• Be useful. No humblebrags. No “Thrilled to announce!” spam. Just insights, ideas, and value.

• Be human. Your clients aren’t robots. Stop sounding like you’re writing a cover letter to a government agency.

LinkedIn is a stage.

Use it well — or accept that someone else will outshine you.