Commercial Intimacy: The Secret Sauce to Winning Business Before You Even Pitch
Peter McKeon, Founder & CEO - Salesmasters International
Let’s be clear: people don’t buy from people they like—they buy from people who get them. That’s the essence of commercial intimacy. After
30 years selling into SMEs—from scrappy startups to established mid-tier players—here’s the truth: selling without commercial intimacy is
like proposing marriage on the first date. Awkward, off-putting, and guaranteed to fail.
What is Commercial Intimacy?
It’s more than rapport. It’s not about charm or coffee catchups. It’s about profound relevance. It’s your buyer thinking: “These guys understand our priorities, our constraints, our customers—and they speak our language.”
Like I always say: Be more interested in their business than your own sale.
Why It Matters Now
In today’s B2B world, buyers are informed. They’ve read the brochures, compared competitors, and downloaded the whitepapers. But what they can’t Google is: “How will this work in my business, with my constraints?”
That’s where commercial intimacy becomes your unfair advantage. It:
• Shortens the sales cycle
• Builds instant credibility
• Avoids price traps (because value is now obvious)
• De-risks the buyer’s decision
I’ve seen reps chase a deal for 6 months, only to lose it—because they pitched before they understood. You can’t sell relevance if you haven’t earned the right to it.
How to Build It
- Better Discovery Don’t run discovery like a checklist. Show insight. My go-to line? “If I asked your CFO what’s really blocking growth this quarter, what would they say?” That one opens doors.
- Research Their Customers Talk to them about how they’re positioned in their market. Most sellers skip this. Big mistake.
- Mirror Their Operating Model Speak their metrics, not yours. Use their financial calendar. As I always say: You don’t sell to companies—you sell into systems.
- Give Without Pitching I once helped a logistics SME map their Q4 margin leakage—before even pitching. Six weeks later, we won the deal. Why? We acted like we already worked there.
Final Word
In SME sales, relationships are just the starting line. Commercial intimacy gets you across the finish. So ask yourself: Do I know enough to talk like I work here? If not, dig deeper. Once you do—you’ve already won.
Should you need help building commercial intimacy into your sales playbook, feel free to contact me: e: peter.mckeon@salesmasters.com.au | ph: 1300 950 073 | w:https://salesmasters.com.au/
