Take the time to invest in building a 30-second commercial. The benefits are mutual for you and the prospect; your prospect’s time and attention are respected and you save time and energy by efficiently qualifying and disqualifying the prospect.

Build your 30-second commercial with these four components:

Introduction Statement

Your introduction is your first chance to frame their thinking correctly. Say your name, your company’s name, and your industry.

Complete these sentences with your own information:

My name is [your name] with [your company name]. We are a [type of company/product/service provided].

Make this quick, but share as much information as

necessary to avoid confusion over your general industry.

Pain Statement

Your 30-second commercial must get their attention as soon as possible. Discuss the pains and circumstances of current and past clients you’ve helped. Pain can include goals, challenges, or problems. Initially share two to three pains.

The pain statement is structured, like so:

I work with [people/companies/organizations] that are [facing a challenge in pursuit of an outcome] and are… [not making progress/falling short/hitting a roadblock].

Benefit Statement

After explaining the pains and circumstances of your past clients, begin describing the process you use to address the circumstances better or differently than

your competition. This is your unique selling proposition. Conclude this statement with a description of the desirable outcome your prospect can obtain.

Follow this template to clearly communicate the benefits you offer:

By [implementing a process to address their challenges], we… [enable/empower/make it possible for] them to [achieve the outcome they seek]... even when [they are facing circumstances they consider a roadblock].

Hook Question or Statement

This is any question or statement that gives the prospect a chance to self-select and begin sharing their own pains and circumstances. These statements should always be phrased in the negative to avoid putting undue pressure on the prospect.

Traditional, pushy salespeople always want you to say yes, and so they assume you are interested. At Sandler, we never assume. We always ask because we want the prospect to opt in, not be pushed into a sales conversation.