Build Repeatable SaaS Sales, Sauna People, and Pilot Purgatory

Hey founders, sellers, and the sales curious!

Welcome back and hello to our 52 new subscribers, we’re pumped to have you.

Diving deep in this Growth Drop…

• Last call! 📢 Submit your Sales Accelerator application by tomorrow

• Reflecting on 12 months of ‘On-Season’ rest and recovery

• And ICYMI, why your pilot’s stuck in purgatory 👻 

SERVICES

Build Confidence. Grow Pipeline. Close Sales.

🚨 Friday, 27th June is the last day to apply to our July Sales Accelerator Cohort! 🚨

Not sure if you’re a fit? Book a complimentary strategy call.

GROWTH WITH GREALY

Rebuilding at One of Sydney’s Most Expensive Gyms

In the last month, I’ve been seeing some great content on ‘third spaces’, if work and health blend (as Mark wrote about here), and the big questions like, do handshakes and networking belong in saunas?

In this edition of my On-Season Operating System series: 

• Sauna people

• Lessons from high performers

• Fixing my IBS with nasal breathing (Say what!) 

A part of managing my On-Season for top performance has been a space for rest and recovery. 

If you don’t know SOMA (not sponsored), it's a top $$$ health club. 

Twelve months ago, I signed up and never looked back. 

What I didn’t know was that I would heal my body, meet bio-hackers, businessmen, and some of the wealthiest individuals in Sydney.

The People You Meet in Saunas

And I found time and time again, people would: 

• Test the waters as they topped up the steam 

• Say g’day and make a comment about the heat 

• Ask what split you were doing between hot and cold

This led to some of the most interesting conversations: 

1. Carnivore vs Veganism: A debate between a carnivore and a vegan about health practices, their dietary journey, and the planetary impacts. We spent 60 minutes between the sauna, plunge, and hydrating, deep in conversation. 

2. Early Web 3 Investor: I met a very stealthy early investor in a few big projects. One of the nicest people I’ve met, and we spent 90 minutes discussing startups, life, business, world travel, and health. We still WhatsApp.

3. Hair Transplant Entrepreneurs: I met the people responsible for most of Sydney's male hair transplants and heard how they built their empire.

Lessons from High Performers

1. Life Optimisation Is Experimentation: Similar to seasons, different ways of living will serve you in those periods. Play around with routine and inputs. 

2. Fuel Fuel Fuel: Eating was insanely topical. Each person had their own routines and beliefs. 

3. Timing Is Everything!: I’ve heard it before, but god, it's good to hear more about the importance of timing and making the tough calls from highly successful people. 

4. Health Is a Flex: People didn’t care about your job and were more interested in your training routines, the new health protocol you were trying, or how you were chasing performance.

The verdict on Sauna networking? It works if people are respectful, and it works better if it’s unintentional. When the vibe is there and the community is involved, it can be an unreal addition to a longer hot-cold therapy session. 

IBS and Mouth Breathing

Ironically, it wasn’t until my slipped discs and nerve damage took place that this issue was identified. 

I WAS A MOUTH BREATHER!!! Shock, shame, and so many questions. 

So, my performance coach, Ken at Four Axis, and I went to work.

Steps to resolving mouth breathing:

• Dry needling of the neck, back of the head and jaw

• Learnt to drink water again 

• Breathe with proper tongue posture 

• Relax the tongue to the roof of the mouth 

• Breathe deeply through the nose

• Train breaths to reach the base of my diaphragm 

• Neck strengthening and resistance - yes, like a F1 driver (photo pictured)

• Actively focused on nasal breathing when walking, sitting, and exercising 

All of this meant: deeper sleep increased by an hour on average, VO2 max capability improved, spinal mobility increased, my face became leaner and sharper again, and I hit gym PBs for the first time in years.

IF YOU GOT THIS FAR, THANK YOU! 🙏 

It's been longer than usual since my last update, but I’m writing longer-form content focused on detail, value, and unique experiences that may help you.

As always, forward and share with anyone you think would get value!

SALES INSIGHTS

Getting Out of Pilot Purgatory

Last week, I wrote an article about ‘Pilot Purgatory’ on LinkedIn.

That’s the place your pilot goes to die, and you’re stuck… eternally waiting for a Closed Won. It’s too good not to reshare, so here’s a snippet. Or, read the whole thing here.

Common Pilot Mistake That Kills Your Deals

Establishing the Relationship on the Basis of 'Free'

Whether you want to or not, sometimes you have to do sh!1 for free.

One of my first pilots with a decent-sized aged care provider resulted in amazing feedback, usage, and social proof of our solution.

But we made no money. And that was on me!

You have to remember that every deal is a value exchange, and this relationship was established on the basis of free. We got visibility, usage, and learnings, and they got access to our solution for 12 months.

In the end, I had to fire the client as they wouldn't jump to paid, but it was amicable.

What to Do Instead

How to Avoid Forever Free

It's important you discuss commercials before pilot kick-off and once value has been established. Most founders, after months or years of building, are so happy to finally be talking to a potential customer that they are afraid to add friction and lose the deal.

It's important to remember that this isn't about friction, losing a deal, or being 'salesy'. It’s about validating and proving the commercial rigour and proof of your solution.

By bringing this forward, it moves our prospect to think more deeply about the value of the product and into a buyer's state.

When to Charge 

This is a balancing act of product market readiness and a clear problem established.

Ideally, all pilots are paid, or, at a minimum, structured to move into payment based on a trigger or milestone. If your prospect is being unclear about when they would commit to paying, the typical triggers are...

• Example A: The prospective customer is saying how much they love the product 

• Example B: The business starts requesting lots of custom features 

• Example C: The prospective customer starts talking long-term 

• Example D: The prospective customer mentions the time saved or benefits in comparison to the old way of doing things

These are all signal values that have been established, and we are now in a position to introduce longer-term thinking and bring payment into the discussion.