Sales Playbook Step 5: Prospect Engagement

In my last article, Sales Storytelling, I shared this essential insight: “Prospects don’t care about what you do—until they understand what you can do for them.”

I recommended starting prospect engagement with these three questions:

• Why did our best customers come to us in the first place?

• What business challenge were they facing?

• What outcomes were they hoping to achieve?

If you’ve taken the time to answer these, you should now have two valuable lists:

1. Common reasons customers choose your company

2. Results you’ve helped them achieve

   
   

From these, identify five to seven of the most compelling issues your clients faced—the ones that truly motivated them to act.

Crafting Your Message

Turn each client issue into a positioning statement that begins:

“[X type of companies] turn to [Your Company] when they are looking to…”

Use vivid and emotional language that mirrors what buyers actually feel: 

“...exhausted by outdated systems,”

“...frustrated with lack of results,” 

“...pressured to hit growth targets,”

“...afraid of falling behind competitors.”

These statements become the heart of how you communicate value while engaging prospects.

Introducing the Power Statement

In New Sales Simplified, Mike Weinberg introduces the Power Statement—a concise framework that centres every sales-engagement conversation on the problems you solve.

1. Introductory Headline  – XYZ Company provides [solution] to [target market].
   

2. Client-Focused Transition  – [Target customers] turn to XYZ Company when they… (Insert 2–3 of your emotion-charged problem statements.)
   

3. Brief Offering Introduction  – A single sentence linking your solution to those pains.
   

4. Why You?  – Five confident reasons you’re the best choice.

   
   

Putting Your Power Statement to Work

Once complete, your Power Statement fuels every piece of prospect-engagement content:

• Blog posts or emails focused on one problem you solve

• Case studies that highlight real results

• Phone/email scripts for outbound campaigns

• A razor-sharp elevator pitch

• Discovery questions linked to pains and outcomes
  

Keeping the spotlight 100 % on the prospect raises engagement, positions you as a problem-solver, and lets you tell a story that resonates.

Prospect Engagement Bottom Line:

Your Power Statement is your most important sales tool. It’s the fuel behind every conversation, campaign, and piece of content. A great sales story doesn’t just inform, it changes everything.