Bradley Preparington

Enterprise AE | 4 years, 0 closed deals | 400+ hours role-play certified | Discovery is a lifestyle | Closing is just rushed qualifying

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Lost a deal on Friday.

Prospect said our competitor "just sent pricing and followed up."

No discovery framework. No mutual action plan. No stakeholder mapping.

And they won?

This is what's wrong with sales today.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

@KyleAsay_ A game changer for leaders that take preparation seriously. I’ll add this as my 223th tool.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Mum asked if I've been promoted yet.

I told her titles don't matter in sales. Pipeline matters.

She asked about my pipeline.

I told her titles don't matter in sales.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Company Christmas party.

CEO asked me what I'm working on.

I started explaining my account tiering methodology.

He walked off after 90 seconds.

Came back 20 minutes later.

I was still on slide 4.

He didn't come back again.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Anyone can send a cold email.

Not everyone can spend 3 weeks deciding between "Hi" and "Hey."

That's where the real ones separate themselves.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Saw my prospect at a conference.

Made eye contact.

Panicked.

Hid behind a banner stand for 40 minutes.

Texted my manager: "Touchpoint complete."

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Uber driver asked me what I do.

Told him I'm in sales.

He asked my best closing technique.

I told him I don't believe in closing, I believe in preparation.

He said "So you don't sell anything?"

Gave him 3 stars. Rude.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

My forecast is always the same.

"Looking strong for next quarter."

I've said this for 16 consecutive quarters.

Consistency is underrated.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Ex-girlfriend said I was "emotionally unavailable."

That's not true.

I'm just still in the discovery phase.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Prospect bumped into me at Tesco.

She recognised me from LinkedIn.

I recognised her from the 200+ hours of research I've done on her company.

She said "Have we met?"

I said "Not yet. I'm not ready."

She moved to a different aisle.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Still thinking about the rep who told me he wings discovery calls.

Wings them.

Like they're not the most important 30 minutes of a 9-month sales cycle.

Absolute chaos merchant.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

My CRM activity log is just me opening the same 6 accounts every day and updating the notes.

Salesforce sent me an automated email saying "Great engagement!"

Even the software is lying to me now.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Took a prospect to lunch once.

Printed a 12-page agenda for the meal.

She ordered a starter.

I asked if she'd done any research on the menu beforehand.

There was no second lunch.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Matched with a girl on Hinge.

Her prompt said "The way to win me over is being spontaneous."

I unmatched.

Spontaneity is just poor planning with better PR.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Shorter sales cycles aren't something to brag about.

They're something to worry about.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Google Maps sent me a notification saying I'm a "top contributor" to my prospect's office location.

I've driven past it 74 times.

Never been inside.

But I know where the CFO parks.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

My manager set up a meeting called "Bradley's Pipeline Review."

It was 2 minutes long.

One of those minutes was her sighing.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Someone at the pub asked what I do for a living.

I said "Enterprise sales."

They asked how many deals I've closed.

I changed the subject.

They asked again.

I went to the toilet and left through the fire exit.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Went to a networking event.

Someone said "What do you sell?"

I said "I'm not at that stage yet."

They said "How long have you been in the role?"

I said "Four years."

They walked away mid-sentence.

Probably went to do more research on me. Respect.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Zero closed deals.

But also zero refund requests.

Think about that.

[Bradley Preparington @alwayspreparing]

Accidentally sent my prospect dossier to the prospect.

47 pages. Including the section titled "Likely Objections Based On Divorce Timeline."

He called me.

First time a prospect's ever called me.

I didn't pick up. Wasn't prepared.