The First Meeting Differentiator

The first meeting is where everything begins—or ends. Get it right, and you build unstoppable deal momentum. Get it wrong, and the deal is in big trouble.

Most salespeople approach first meetings with a discovery mindset—planning the questions they'll ask and the points they'll make. But here's the truth: prospects don't care about your checklist. They care about what's in it for them. And that meaningful value is what's missing from most first-meeting experiences and can quickly become a deal killer.

In this breakthrough book, sales management strategist and bestselling author Lee B. Salz flips the script and presents a consultation mindset—a proven approach that not only helps you achieve your objectives but also ensures your prospect receives meaningful value. This shift changes everything. First meetings become energized, impactful conversations that build trust, ignite interest, and set the stage for closing deals.

Following the success of Salz's bestsellers Sales Differentiation and Sell Different!, The First Meeting Differentiator adds a powerful new component to your sales strategy. Packed with real-world stories, actionable insights, and hands-on workshops, this book helps you build a first-meeting framework that lays the foundation for your deal success journey.

While many sales books touch upon this critical step of the sales process, The First Meeting Differentiator is entirely dedicated to mastering it. It provides a step-by-step game plan to transform your first meetings into energized, client-centric consultations that leave your prospects wanting more.

Inside, you'll learn how to:

• Design a first-meeting strategy that excites prospects and earns their trust. • Use techniques that differentiate the meeting experience, not just your product. • Engage emotions in ways that motivate them to take action by leveraging Empathetic Expertise™. • Master qualifying to separate real deals from mirages. • Create intriguing questions that qualify deals, differentiate you, and make consultations magical. • Stop talking about features and benefits, and develop stories that captivate, differentiate, and lead them to want to buy from you. • Navigate common deal obstacles that derail first meetings and keep your deals moving forward. • Shift from one-sided discovery to dynamic consultations that deliver value for both sides. • Use Consultation Cliffhangers™ to ensure prospects can't wait for the next step.

If you want stronger pipelines, faster closes, and more wins, it all starts with The First Meeting Differentiator.

© 2025 HarperCollins Leadership (Audiobook): 9781400239894

Release date

Audiobook: 30 September 2025