In a previous post, we introduced the concept of the sales impact statement and on using that tool to focus the opening of your sales call. Remember, no one is sitting by the phone waiting for your unsolicited call. And sometimes, they aren’t even waiting for your scheduled phone call. People are busy. They have things they need to get done, especially if they are decision makers. As we teach in our Away Game Selling program, once you break the prospect’s preoccupation, you must work to get their attention and start building their interest by articulating value with a sales impact statement. .
What is the Sales Impact Statement?
In its most basic form, the sales impact statement is an elevator pitch. It is a brief, structured statement customized to the buyer in question. It’s designed to overcome the natural preoccupation and elicit some interest on the part of the buyer. In this statement, you are highlighting the primary benefits of doing business with you as succinctly as possible. Upon opening the sales call, you’ve already earned their attention using a sales starter. Now, you are attempting to break through the buyer’s preoccupation by eliciting interest from them.
Salespeople often fail at this point because they don’t have a solid framework for directing the sales call. Instead, your average salesperson will meet a prospect with nothing more than a laundry list of what their company, product, or service does and hope that name recognition or prior knowledge on the part of the prospect will be enough to win them over. These salespeople have to work harder at becoming trusted advisors because they fail to connect with the buyer at an emotional level and start building trust. They employ what I call the spray and pray strategy, and that never works.
The impact statement is analogous to a thirty-to-forty-five-second commercial on television. And like a commercial, the impact statement should speak the buyer’s language, not yours. It needs to tap into the buyer’s mindset, address their needs, and create opportunities.
Ultimately, how you use your sales impact statement in your sales process will be determined by your sales methodology. With that, let’s take a look at the basic framework of the impact statement.
How to Create a Sales Impact Statement
There are 4 basic parts of your impact statement that, when combined, will deliver an impactful message and elicit interest from your client. Here are the 4 components of the sales impact statement:
1. Provide the general benefits you bring to the relationship.
This is the stage where you state a general challenge your other customers in your prospect’s industry have faced in the past, and a solution that resolves the challenge.
2. Give a brief overview of how you work or provide an example.
This is where you provide a brief synopsis of how you work. Remember, you are selling yourself at this introductory stage. This goes a long way to starting your journey towards becoming a trusted advisor. You also provide a brief synopsis of how your product or service has provided the general benefits for your other customers. This component gives your statement credibility.
3. Suggest similar benefits are possible for them.
This part pulls back and adds a sense of realism to the statement. In an earlier post, I wrote of how my team of new sales professionals, fresh out of college, were calling their prospect base and promising to deliver a 10% to 40% increase in revenue when they knew nothing about the prospect’s business. You can’t make promises like that. But you can imply a correlation by using a statement like, “We’ve done this for our clients. We might be able to do the same for you.” That’s not a claim. It’s a potential opportunity for your prospect.
4. Use the trial close to get an appointment or advance the sale.
Usually, the last component is the trial close. You’re asking the prospect if they are willing to walk through the discovery process with you. You’re asking them to take the next step.
Examples of a Good Sales Impact Statement
Here’s an example of what a sales impact statement might sound like in a sales conversation:
“You know, if you’re like a lot of organizations we work with, you’re probably looking to improve consistency across your sales team, increase conversion rates, and gain more predictability in your revenue. We help companies do that by identifying where performance gaps exist, aligning their sales process to how buyers actually make decisions, and reinforcing the behaviors that drive results. We might be able to help you do the same. Would you be open to sharing how your team is currently approaching those areas?”
Here’s another impact statement example. If I were selling accounting software like QuickBooks and I get an entrepreneur on the phone, I might say something like the following to get an appointment with them:
“Look, if you’re like a lot of entrepreneurs, you’re probably concerned with money in, money out, accounts out the door, and taking care of all the taxes and things you’re responsible for as a business owner. We’re able to help businesses like yours because we understand what they are trying to do and the kind of business they are in. We have a couple different versions of software that are less complicated for different kinds of businesses, and then we teach them how to use the software, so it becomes part of their process. I’m not sure we can do the same thing for you. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions, or would you be willing to meet over a cup of coffee?”
Do you see the structure?
A strong sales impact statement allows a sales professional to communicate value in a clear, repeatable way. Notice that it doesn’t focus on the product or service itself. Instead, it focuses on the outcomes and challenges that matter to the buyer.
It positions the seller as someone who understands the buyer’s world and earns the right to ask deeper questions.
Where the Sales Impact Statement Fits into the Sales Process
The sales impact statement can be used in all sorts of scenarios at the beginning of the sales process where salespeople are trying to get their prospects to be more receptive. It will do a couple of things. First, it will qualify the prospect to see if they are a good fit for the salesperson’s products and services. Secondly, it will qualify the salesperson in the prospect’s eyes. Remember, the prospect is also judging how the salesperson builds rapport, trust, and understanding of the prospect and their situation.
Sales impact statements can be used during business development efforts to set appointments, helping prospects quickly understand the value of the conversation. They are also highly effective in face-to-face meetings and introductions, where establishing relevance early is critical.
In addition, sales impact statements can be leveraged in social selling situations to capture attention and create engagement in digital interactions. They are equally valuable at networking events, where concise, outcome-focused messaging can differentiate a salesperson and spark meaningful conversations.
Improve Your Sales Calls with a Sales Impact Statement
Remember, when opening a sales call, sales professionals have got to be able to speak with impact and credibility. Look at it this way. You put in plenty of work to research your prospect and break that 7-second barrier to form a good impression. Don’t waste it with a lukewarm effort to break through their preoccupation, elicit their interest, or use the time in a fishing expedition. Instead, know how you are going to work with this prospect to cultivate their interest and build your credibility. Your goal is to reach the point where they want to know more when you reach the trial close.
So, I leave you with this action to take. Before talking with your next prospect, create your own sales impact statement by answering this question: what can I say about my business that answers what I do, how I do it, and why it would be important to them?
Once you understand how to create and deliver a strong sales impact statement, the next step is embedding it into a broader, repeatable sales system. Tyson Group’s Away Game Selling program equips sales professionals with the skills and structure needed to execute consistently at every stage of the sales process, from opening conversations to advancing and closing opportunities. If you’re ready to elevate your team’s execution and drive more predictable results, explore how Away Game Selling can help you build a winning sales approach.
