Power up With PESTLE

If you’ve subscribed for the last year, you know simply selling a product isn't enough. Customers demand value, and we can deliver it by positioning ourselves as trusted advisors. Easy right? A powerful tool for achieving this is the Insights framework, specifically using PESTLE analysis (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) coupled with third-party data. Let’s dive in.

PESTLE helps us understand macro forces impacting our customers' businesses and can underpin stories you tell to make a point.  By analyzing these factors, we can uncover hidden challenges and opportunities.  For example, Trump’s attacks on the EPA (Environmental) might create uncertainty for sustainable products or services.  A shift in economic policy (Economic) from arbitrary tariffs to high interest could impact your customers’ margins.  Technological advancements (Technological) may render their current solutions obsolete, etc.

But it’s just about identifying these trends, but connecting them directly to the customer's specific needs. It’s about bringing it all to life in a compelling narrative. It’s about how third-party data brings your point tremendous credibility. It provides concrete evidence to support our insights, making them harder to refute. Imagine presenting a customer with data showing their competitors are already adopting a new technology (Technological) and gaining market share. Your data-backed anecdote creates a sense of urgency and demonstrates the value of your proposed solution.

Now you’re empowered to ask more strategic questions.  Instead of a generic product pitch, we can ask: "With the rapid advancements in AI-powered analytics (Technological) and the increasing availability of real-time data insights, how are you currently leveraging data to improve your decision-making processes in supply chain management?"  This opens the door for a consultative conversation, where we can present our product as a critical part of the solution.

PESTLE-informed insights, supported by data, enable us to position our offerings as critically important to effectively navigating (or initiating) important change initiatives. We can demonstrate how our product not only solves an immediate problem but also contributes to their long-term strategic goals, like increased efficiency, cost savings, political capital, or market leadership.  Now the conversation goes from price to value, making it easier to close deals and build long-term partnerships. 

Look at your 11 AM sales meeting tomorrow. What PESTLE insight will you bring to elevate your sales game?

Data matters. While this is obvious to many, you’d be shocked at how many companies make decisions based on ~vibes~ and relationships. A McKinsey Global Institute study shows that organizations that make decisions backed by customer analytics data are 23 times more likely to acquire new customers. This is why data visualization software is a mega billion dollar business (shoutout Data Studio, Google Analytics, and Tableau).