The Slide Deck That Won a Seven-Figure Deal

One of the biggest deal and most memorable deal won in my career was rolling out a public wifi network for Spark (an NZ Telco) when I was working at Ruckus (a wireless networking company). It’s not just because it’s a 7-figure deal but because it taught me and my team a lesson I'll never forget.

We were pursuing New Zealand's largest mobile operator, I initially did what most tech vendors do – led with our superior technology.

Our pitch was polished: best-in-class outdoor Wi-Fi access points, seamless mobile handover, cutting-edge technical innovations.

Yet week after week, we got nowhere.

Then came the dreaded news – our client had issued a purchase order to Cisco for 100 trial units. Though they hadn't made a firm commitment to Cisco yet, we were losing, and we needed to understand why.

Here's what hit me: we were playing the same game as everyone else. Sure, we had great technology, but as a young start-up, we weren't standing out.

We weren't delivering real value.

The breakthrough came through countless coffee meetings and hallway conversations with stakeholders. I discovered the real problem: they were behind on their 3G to 4G upgrade (yes it was a long time ago, we are now at 5G). In the fiercely competitive mobile market, they risked losing both subscribers and market share. As a public company, this meant more than just revenue loss – their stock value was at stake.

That night, I couldn't sleep. We'd been answering the wrong question. They didn't need better Wi-Fi specs; they needed a way to keep their subscribers happy while their 4G rollout caught up.

We scrapped our original pitch.

Instead, we came back with "Community Wi-Fi" idea – a program offering free wifi for every mobile subscriber. This wasn't just about access points anymore; it was about subscriber retention and brand loyalty. And we made the solution happen by providing end to end seamless integration.

The result?

We didn't just win a deal – we secured a multi-million dollar contract for thousands of access points nationwide. But the real win came months later when our client reported not just keeping their subscribers but gaining new ones. They'd turned a potential crisis into a competitive advantage.

Looking back, the lesson is clear: in B2B sales, superior technology alone doesn't win deals. Understanding your client's business challenges and delivering real value does. Sometimes, you need to stop talking about your product and start solving their problems.

Here are the slides we used during our pitch.

Here is the UVP Template

Think of a current opportunity you have, find real problems they are dealing with through structured questions and business hypothesis.

Here are 3 questions to ask your client to uncover business value:

• What major market shifts are impacting your business most significantly?

• How is your company positioned to respond to these changes?

• What unique capabilities do you need to capitalise on these shifts?

If you reply to my email this and share an opportunity you want to win, I'll help you think beyond technical specs and focus on business impact by providing feedback and insights. 😊

Thank you for being here.See you next week.

Ren

PS.

Oh and I would love to have you in next week's 30-min jam-packed lightning lesson, if you can't make it I'll send you the recording and resources-make sure to sign up.