There's something almost magical about a well-executed sales pitch. It's that moment when your prospect, totally engrossed in what you're offering, simply nods and says, "It’s kinda a no-brainer. Let’s do it." This type of commitment isn't stumbled upon by chance, but rather, it's the result of careful engineering of your sales presentation to strike right at the heart of your customer's problem.

The secret to this? A concept I like to call your Captivated Audience.

Imagine my daughter asking me, "Dad, what’s more important, your phone or spending time with me?" There are plenty of reasons I might need my pocket supercomputer, but it's clear that being present with her is the ultimate goal.

In the same vein, while chasing KPIs like MQLs, SQLs, or any other metric up and down the sales funnel might seem important, they become irrelevant until you've nailed down your captive positioning. This is especially true in a down economy. The key to success lies in hitting the pain or fear of missing out - that visceral feeling that compels people to act.

For a startup, this is the make or break moment. It's the point where your prospects decide to give you their attention and invest time considering your offer. It's the point that compels them to act swiftly to close the deal.

However, the journey doesn't end at closing the deal. The part we often overlook is ensuring that they invest the time to use, adopt, and integrate your product into their business. It's about transitioning your solution from an experiment to an essential function of their business - a function they can't live without and are reluctant to change for fear of disruption.

Finding this captivated need and building your brand around it isn't merely a marketing exercise. It's a fundamental part of driving high growth in the companies we work with.

Interestingly, captivated needs don't always resemble the problems we think we're solving. Regardless of what system, workflow, or financial optimization we address, the problems we solve are inherently human.

Perhaps you think your tech is merely a tool for marketing spend attribution, when in reality, it's providing the Head of Marketing with evidence at their fingertips to respond quickly to an irate GM questioning a dip in sales.

Maybe you believe your mobile app is reducing paperwork for field workers, when in fact, it's speeding up cash velocity from project close, giving a CEO breathing room in managing precarious cash flow.

You might assume you're helping property managers fill rental vacancies faster, when you're actually providing them with ammunition to secure a larger line of credit from their bankers thanks to increased cash flow from maximizing utilization.

Regardless of the problem you're solving, you're either helping drive more revenue or doing so at a lower cost. There's someone, somewhere in that chain of action-to-dollars, feeling an emotional need. A need that your solution can alleviate without creating additional stress.

Identifying this captivated need could make your sales velocity skyrocket. Don't merely solve problems - connect with the human needs behind them, build your brand around these needs, and watch as your operations struggle to keep up with your sales.