🧲 Why Thinking Big Is Overvalued

Thinking big doesn’t come naturally to me. 

Maybe it’s a cultural thing. I’ve always admired some of my American friends for their ability to set wild goals and be hyper-confident about them. 

It’s an impressive skill. But when it comes to sales, it’s not what matters most.

Empathy is the real game-changer.

If you want to make it part of your sales toolkit, there are three key components to consider:

1. Listen to customers

2. Connect your offer to their needs

3. Remove risk

Empathy was crucial when I first connected with Samy in Hypefury’s early days.

Listen to Customers

In 2019, after developing the first version of Hypefury, Samy was looking for a CMO.

He was already talking to a few candidates. 

They pitched him grand plans to raise VC money and skyrocket Hypefury’s valuation. Maybe those ideas weren’t crazy, but there was one problem: they weren’t rooted in what Samy wanted.

Samy wanted to bootstrap Hypefury. 

Instead of assuming his needs, I asked questions and focused on his goals. Understanding customer needs is more valuable than any big, bold strategy.

Connect Your Offer to Their Needs

Once I knew what he was looking for, I aligned my skills with his goals. 

I didn’t promise the moon. I had a plan based on my affiliate marketing and SEO experience—I had already helped a Dutch startup grow to over $3M ARR. But I was upfront about my lack of expertise with Twitter. 

Instead of forcing my vision on him, I ensured my offer matched his needs.

Remember: no connection, no sale.

You have to connect with people and show how your offer aligns with their needs. 

Remove Risk

Even with the right fit, people hesitate when making decisions—sometimes for the right reasons, sometimes not. It doesn’t matter. 

We have to focus on how to overcome this resistance.

The best way? Remove as much risk as possible.

In my case, I offered to do a two-month internship for free. 

He could see my work before talking about money. No risk, no pressure, just proof. By taking the risk off the table, I made it easy for him to say yes.

Now, working for free is not a silver bullet. 

First, you have to be smart about it. Use it only when dealing with someone you truly want to do business with.

And it’s not the only way to remove risk. Remember: you have to listen to your customers.

Think about what makes them hesitate. Then, do all you can to build the trust needed to close the deal.

That’s it for now, everyone! We’ll meet again next week to discuss some more of this!

Feel free to reply to this email. It goes directly to me.

Cheers,

Yannick