Why Effort is killing your enterprise deals, and why it’s time to learn physics

I want to tell you about two orangutans on Baghama Island.

There is a flooded river. On a platform in the middle of the raging water, the park rangers have left a pile of fruit.

Ugi, a large male orangutan, stands on the bank. He is strong. He is dominant. He is incredibly hungry. He stares at the fruit. He paces the shoreline. He knows he cannot swim—orangutans sink like stones—so he waits. He hopes the water level will drop. He hopes the fruit will somehow float to him.

He waits until he starves.

Beside him, a female orangutan named Aeyu ignores the water entirely. She looks up.

She climbs a skinny, precarious sapling near the bank. It doesn’t reach the platform. It isn’t a bridge. But Aeyu understands something Ugi doesn’t. She starts to sway. She throws her weight back and forth, loading the tree with kinetic energy, oscillating wider and wider until the physics of her movement allows her to grab the next tree.

She swings across the gap. She eats.

If you work in enterprise sales, you know Ugi. You might be Ugi.

You are staring at a target account—a Fortune 500 manufacturer, perhaps. The revenue looks delicious. But between you and the signature is a flooded river of bureaucracy.

There are gatekeepers who hate change. There are compliance officers who exist to find risk. There are CFOs who view every new software purchase as a personal failure.

The average sales rep looks at this flood and tries to swim.

They send more cold emails. They make “just checking in” calls. They try to brute-force their way straight to the C-Suite with charisma and a ninety-slide pitch deck.

It doesn’t work. The current is too strong. You drown in the “maybe” pile. You end up with a pipeline full of deals listed as “Stalled due to internal budget freeze.”

I’m writing my new book, The Sway and Reach Method, because I’m tired of watching talented sales reps die wet.

The modern enterprise is a hostile ecosystem. The easy deals—the transactional ones—are being swallowed by automation and self-service portals. The only deals left for human beings are the complex ones. The messy ones.

Winning these deals isn’t about persuasion anymore. It’s about navigation. It’s about physics.

You cannot jump straight to the close. You have to build a bridge using the people already rooted in the ground.

The Sway and Reach Method is the playbook for mapping the invisible power structures of a corporation and using their own weight to generate momentum. It’s about identifying the “thin branches”—the mid-level managers drowning in operational pain—and turning them into human catapults that launch you over the gatekeepers.

Inside the book, we stop talking about “hustle” and start talking about mechanics:

• Why “Calling High” Fails: The C-Suite is too rigid to move. We’ll look at why you need to start lower to build energy.
• The Invisible Org Chart: How to ignore LinkedIn titles and find the “Shadow Network”—the people who actually control information flow.
• Calculating Oscillations: How to script your internal champions so they can build consensus in the “shadow meetings” where you aren’t invited.
• Surviving the River: How to navigate Procurement without letting them strip the flesh off your margins.

The water in the enterprise jungle is rising. You can keep standing on the bank like Ugi, hoping the environment changes to suit you.

Or you can look up.

Stop swimming. Start swaying.

In the world of sales, there’s a common misconception that customer problems are roadblocks to success. But seasoned sales professionals know the truth: customer problems are not obstacles, they are opportunities in disguise. Let’s delve into why this is the case and how you can leverage these “problems” to boost your sales.

Why Problems Equal Opportunities

1. Unmet Needs: Every problem a customer faces represents an unmet need. By identifying and understanding these needs, you position yourself as a solution provider, not just a salesperson.
2. Building Trust: When you genuinely listen to a customer’s problems and offer helpful solutions, you build trust and credibility. This trust is the foundation of long-term customer relationships and repeat business.
3. Differentiation: Many competitors focus solely on showcasing their product features. You can stand out by highlighting how your product or service directly addresses the specific pain points your customers experience.
4. Innovation: Customer feedback, especially complaints, is a goldmine of insights. It can spark innovation and lead to product or service improvements that better meet customer needs.
5. Value Demonstration: Solving a customer’s problem is the most powerful way to demonstrate the value of your offering. It’s real-world proof that your product or service delivers results.

Turning Problems into Sales

• Active Listening: Don’t just hear your customers; truly listen to them. Ask probing questions to understand the root of their problems, their frustrations, and their desired outcomes.
• Empathy: Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Show that you understand their challenges and care about finding a solution.
• Tailored Solutions: Avoid generic pitches. Customize your presentations to showcase how your product or service directly addresses the customer’s specific problems.
• Focus on Outcomes: Shift the conversation from product features to the positive results your customer can expect. How will your solution make their life easier, save them money, or improve their business?
• Follow Up: After the sale, don’t disappear. Check in with your customers to ensure their problem is resolved and they are satisfied. This proactive approach strengthens relationships and opens doors for future sales.

Real-World Examples

Think about a software company that discovers its customers are struggling with a complex user interface. By redesigning the software to be more user-friendly, they not only solve a problem but also create a major selling point.

Or consider a retailer who learns that customers are frustrated with long checkout lines. By implementing self-checkout kiosks, they address a pain point and improve the overall customer experience.

Conclusion

In the world of sales, problems are not the enemy; they are your greatest ally. By embracing customer problems as opportunities, you can build trust, differentiate yourself, drive innovation, and ultimately achieve greater sales success. Remember, every problem is a chance to showcase your expertise, provide value, and turn a challenge into a win-win situation for both you and your customer.