Oren Klaff ‘Pitch Anything’ Book Review

Wes Schaeffer
January 25, 2018

Read your prospects to sell how they want to buy

Stream below or right-click here to download the episode.

Oren Klaff was a guest on Episode 142 of The Sales Podcast
I first read his book in 2011, and I kick myself for not re-reading and studying it more closely since then
At the core of Oren’s pitching/selling philosophy is what he calls frame control, which is a lot like framing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
- You must be in control of the meeting by leveraging tools and frames such as:
  - Power
  - Time
  - Intrigue
  - Prize
  - Analyst
  - Story
  - Hook like emotion. Move them from interest to involvement to commitment.
  - Decision
- There are also tools such as:
  - Moral authority frames, which are great at disrupting analyst frames
  - Intrigue disrupts the analyst frame (control access to the details)
  - Relationship frames can derail price and analysis frames and keep your pitches on track

Plowing: stick to your frame during first contact
Frames are impervious to rational arguments
Frames mainly involve basic desires
Frame Disruption: Time Frame
- Collision when attention begins to wane
- So be brief, concise, interesting
As I’ve shared in The Sales Agenda for years, “When you own the frame, you control the agenda, and you determine the rules under which the game is played.”
You need to understand the role and areas of the brain we use to communicate with our prospects
- You’re using your higher-level neocortex
- They are processing with their “croc brain” or “lizard brain,” which views everything as either something to eat or something that will eat them!
The goal is always to get and keep attention
- The Alpha has no problem with getting and keeping attention
- How do you become the Alpha in the meeting? See above.
We are our own worst coach! (Join the sales training program.)
How to control
- Present
- Safe
- Short
- Clear
- Visual
- Novel
- Simple
Stop the dog and pony show. Be dynamic. Capture their attention. Win the sale.
“Remind me again why in the world I’d want to do business with you!”
“Have you ever done a deal this large before?”