How to Control the Frame to Win More Deals
Practical applications of Frame Control for Salespeople, the Hook Point, and Pro tips
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Context
I was first introduced to the concept of Frames after reading Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff. It is a great book and one that I often recommend to those wanting to read more on the topic.
However, after finishing the book it was still unclear on what exactly I should be applying and *how* to apply whatever I’m supposed to be applying to my Sales role.
While the book provided value in the theoretical sense, I felt it was lacking in the practical sense *for salespeople*
Fast forward a few years, I was reintroduced to Frames when I met my mentor.
Only this time we focused on the *application* of Frames in sales.
Everything changed after that.
2 Aims for this Post
Frames are a complex and niche topic in the grand scheme of things.
And if it is talked about, it’s usually obfuscated & watered down by Clowns.
The same Clowns who regurgitate tired advice like:
🤡: Be confident!
🤡: Have equal business stature!
🤡: Just solve their problems & they’ll buy!
I’ve gotten many questions on how to control the Frame with prospects, mainly from those who have *not* gone through my course.
So my 2 aims for today’s post are:
1) Help those who have not yet gone through my course understand what practical applications of Frame look like
2) Help those that have gone through my course reinforce the knowledge
Now I’m assuming at this point you all know what Frame Control is.
*If you’re still unsure what Frame Control is then please refer to the post below and/or you can search my Twitter for more info:
Stacking the Odds in Your Favor
Sales is a game of odds where you are either gaining “Status points” or losing “Status points”
And by the end of each step in your sales process you have either accumulated enough Status to move forward to next steps or not.
Why is it important to control the Frame?
*Read this section carefully
When you have Frame Control, your Perceived Status is High.
And when your Perceived Status is High, your odds of closing the deal are high too.
Now here’s the thing, competing frames don’t coexist.
Frames are either:
- constantly engulfing each other
- and/or one Frame is constantly being engulfed by another (loss of Frame Control)
In an ideal interaction, Frame is passing back and forth until one party has accumulated enough Status to secure the upper hand (Frame Control)
The upper hand is either permanent or temporary depending on the other sides Competence.
If you can gain the upper hand by the end of each step of your sales process, you will have *greatly* improved your odds of securing the deal.
Someone is always controlling the Frame, even if they’re not conscious of it.
So if you’re not controlling the Frame, then the prospect is (consciously or not)
And if the Prospect is the one controlling the Frame, then you are screwed.
Common signs the Prospect controls the Frame:
- You are the one giving all the information without getting any *meaningful* information from them
- You are the one trying to convince them to buy and they don’t seem to care/budge
- They don’t commit to clear next steps and string you along
This is what happens to 99% of salespeople.
Now what does it look like when a salesperson has Frame Control?
Common signs the Salesperson controls the Frame:
- Prospect defers to you and reveals the important details you need to know (i.e shares *WHY* they want to make a change, etc)
- Prospect finds ways to overcome their own objections
- Prospect guides you through their decision making process & agrees to next steps
Sounds too good to be true?
It’s not.
2 Paths to Controlling the Frame
In sales, there are 2 paths to controlling the Frame:
1) the Sales Process - the process that prospects need to follow in order to buy from you. Think of this as your Meta Frame.
2) the Interactions - Framing & Reframing what is being said throughout the interactions
Path #1 - The Sales Process
Having a strong & unwavering sales process is by definition a strong & unwavering Frame.
It enforces your Frame as the dominant one.
A strong sales process conveys that if the prospect wants to buy from you, this is the process they need to follow.
They must follow your sales process or they are Disqualified.
The Typical Sales Process
The typical sales process has salespeople losing the Frame before they even interact with the prospect.
Typical sales processes are centered around:
- Weak Discovery (lots of intellectual questions, no emotion)
- Lots of supplicating Demos to try and “convince” prospects to buy
- Proposals, Discounts, etc
- Follow up Hell
The Ideal Sales Process
An *ideal* sales process would essentially be the opposite of the above.
- Strong Discovery (lots of emotional and “WHY” questions in order to screen out the curious from the committed)
- Only run Demos to *confirm* the sale
- Only paid proposals/trials, no discounts, etc
- Solid next steps *with* consequences if not met (i.e closing their file if they’re a no show or you don’t hear back)
If you run a business / work for yourself, then I recommend taking inspiration from the ideal sales process ASAP.. even implementing some parts of it will likely improve your current situation.
Now for those of you who work for others and don’t have the luxury of customizing your sales process.. you would have to double down on Path #2:
Path #2 - The Interactions
Controlling the Frame throughout the interactions is the hardest part of Frame Control because all interactions are dynamic & unpredictable.
To keep things simple, we will use a typical SaaS sales model as an example here.
I’ll also provide examples of word tracks / strategies you can implement immediately.
Discovery
Objective of Discovery: Get the prospect emotional about the problems your solution fixes
Beginning of call
Objective: Convey Status + Lock in Next Steps
Context: Assuming you have the decision maker on the call
*after intro*
*Chad Note: Can you spot which 3 Frames are being stacked together in the word track below?
🐲: So John it’s good to connect. We’ve only got the hour so why don’t we get started. I’ll be upfront, we typically help sales orgs that are struggling with managing a messy pipeline, inaccurate forecasting, and spending hours if not days on creating commission reports
Some of the verticals we’ve made the biggest impact in are CRMs, Contract Management, and Revops tools
that’s what we do in a nutshell and where we bring the most value. Do you consider yourself under any one of those categories I mentioned?
^ You’ve now begun to Frame the conversation *and* Commoditize them
Prospect: Yes we do bla bla
^ they will likely start opening up here and revealing more information
🐲: So before we unpack all of that, let’s agree that if by the end of the call we’re both convinced we’re the right fit for you, we can set aside time to discuss the next steps, which would be a Demo, and what that would look like. Sounds good?
If prospect agrees, proceed to Q&A
If they don’t want to commit to discussing next steps then that’s a big red flag.
*Chad note: Practice this so it sounds natural.
*2nd Chad note: “So before we unpack all of that” = implies the prospect is the one who has the most to share
Middle of call
Objective: Turn the sale emotional with the questions you ask + Qualify/Disqualify
Here you ask questions like:
🐲: Why now and not say 6 months ago?
🐲: Other than yourself, who else would need to see this in order to make a decision?
🐲: What are 1-2 changes we can make in your business that if we did, you would feel it was the right decision to work with us?
🐲: Are you sure you really need to change anything?
🐲: What would be the impact if we solved for X?
*Chad note: This is *not* a cross examination so try to be conversational & use softeners
End of call
Objective: Confirm they believe you can help + Lock in *real* next steps
*Chad note: the typical next steps in the SaaS sales process after Discovery is a Demo.
🐲: So we’re coming up on our time. *looks at time* We have about 5 min left. In the beginning, we spoke about what our next steps look like.. so how would you like to proceed?
Prospect: *either agrees to demo or No*
🐲: *if agrees to a demo* You said that [key stakeholders] would need to be involved to make a decision, so in order for us to run the demo, we would need to have [key stakeholders] on the call. Can you make it happen?
*Chad note: Try to have a meeting with the key stakeholders before you do a demo so everyone is in alignment. Also, you should only run the demo if *all* the key stakeholders can be on the call. Worst case you can set up multiple demos. But in no way do you run demos for people who can’t make buying decisions. Never pitch the b*tch!
*asking for intro to other key stakeholders before running demo*
🐲: Now that I think of it, I probably should have a brief call with [key stakeholders] before we do the demo that way we’re all up to speed and make the best use of time on the demo. Would you mind making the intro?
Demo
Objective: Confirm the sale
Contrary to popular belief, demos don’t actually sell the prospect.. Demos are meant for confirming that you can solve the problems you discussed on the call with the prospect.
Beginning of Demo
Objective: Convey Status + Lock in Next Steps
*after intro/chitchat*
🐲: So it’s good to connect again Jim. Before we get started, I want to be upfront. This is a decision call. Meaning that by the end if we don’t say No to each other the next steps would be to begin working together. Are you comfortable making that kind of decision by the end of this call?
It’s either Yes or No.
If No, don’t proceed. It likely won’t close anyway.
Remember: you are always moving to clearly defined next steps or a No
The Hook Point
So let’s say you’ve done a good job controlling the Frame:
- The prospect is in Pain.
- They argue with you why they need help.
- They are willing and able to make the investment in a solution
You’ve now reached the Hook Point.
The Hook Point is the ultimate Reframe. It is the point in the interaction where you have the prospect by the balls.
They *know* they need you more than you need them.
They’ve become emotionally invested and are the ones chasing you.
After deals reach the Hook Point, it is very unlikely you don’t close the deal.
Pro tips
- Grab a small piece of paper. Write “Me” on one side and “Them” on the other side. Flip it back and forth during the call depending on who has the Frame.
This is how I sharpened my awareness & implementation of Frames.
- Don’t be afraid to use some Strategic Vulnerability to get the prospect to “save” you.. sometimes it works 😉
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🔥 substack, been waiting for this after all your threads
BTSG - Great post. Curious how you adjust this when you're going through an advisor speaking on behalf of the ultimate client. Especially for long sales cycle, high ACV engagements.