Good Morning. Get this... it’s 2026, and parents are suing schools over their kids’ bad grades. A new article covers the stories of multiple parents taking their children’s schools to court over grades and report card comments. It’s got me thinking… Can I sue my company the next time I miss quota? “Your Honor, have you seen the leads they gave me?” Now let’s get into today’s Follow Up. (:

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I’ve been working on a few big deals lately.

I’d love to tell you about them, but I’m trying this new thing where I wait for the contracts to get signed before I run my mouth.

But there’s something I’ve noticed about the similarities in all these buyers, no matter how big the company. They want to feel special.

They want proof you’ve solved a problem like theirs. But they also want you to understand why their version is a little different.

Fair enough. I want my doctor to have treated this before. I also want them to ask where it hurts before handing me the same prescription they give everyone else.

And when the deals get bigger, buyers want to reach someone who can make a decision. Someone who knows their name and can actually help.

That’s what feeling special looks like in a deal.

Here are a few tricks I’ve learned to make a buyer feel special…

Buyers want you to understand why their deal is different.

Their budget works a certain way. Or their CEO is especially hard to deal with.

Then, five minutes later, they ask what similar companies did…

“How many employees did they have when they bought?”
“How much funding had they raised?”
“Were they dealing with the same problem?”

They want you to understand the details of their situation. But they also want proof that someone like them made this decision and came out okay.

Psychologist Marilynn Brewer named this push and pull “optimal distinctiveness”. In plain English, we want to fit in and stand out at the same time.

So when a buyer asks for an example, tell them a story of a similar company that bought from you. And then tell them where things are different.

Example:

Acknowledge their ‘special’ situation, but let them know why you’re the right choice to help.

If you watch an episode of Shark Tank, you’ll hear some version of this: “I can make one call and get your product on the shelves of every XYZ store.”

That’s a flex. Knowing someone who can make big decisions is powerful.

All humans like having a little access. And most buyers are human.

If a problem comes up, they want to know they can reach someone who has the power to help.

That’s why bringing a senior leader, or better yet, the founder, into a deal can change everything.

But for real…this works really well. Get your founder on a sales call if you have the luxury. It can wake a stalled deal right up. The buyer sees that the person who built the company is paying attention to their problem. And they’ll feel like they’re special.

Ever sent a lowball offer on Facebook Marketplace just to see if the seller would bite?

You’re willing to pay more. But if they say yes, you feel like you just negotiated the deal of a lifetime.

Economist Richard Thaler named that feeling “transaction utility.” We enjoy getting the things we want, but we really like the feeling of getting a deal on it.

That’s the magic of a “friends and family” offer. It makes you feel like someone let you in through the side door.

You can use that feeling to your advantage during a sales process. Before the deal gets close, figure out what you’re allowed to offer. Could be a discount, extra onboarding, or time with a specialist.

Pick something they’ll actually value, and get it approved before you bring it up.

Then keep it in your pocket until you need something to push the deal forward.

If you give it away on the first call, the next question will be, “Great. What else can you do?”

So hold onto it until you feel like you really need it, and let them know that you “don’t usually do this,” but they’re getting something special.

Because everyone just wants to feel special.

Today’s newsletter was written by Nic Conley