The First Meeting Differentiator

‘Lee’s book is GOLD! It’s the first book of its kind that not only emphasizes the importance of how you handle the first meeting but it also tells you how to masterfully do it. This critical element in sales has been totally misunderstood and abused – UNTIL NOW. This book is your paycheck differentiator!’ * Jeffrey Gitomer, author of The Little Red Book of Selling *‘Most deals are decided in the first meeting–so why aren’t more salespeople mastering it? In The First Meeting Differentiator, Lee Salz shows you how to turn this critical moment into your competitive advantage. If you want to win more deals and protect your pricing, this book is a must-read!’ * Jeb Blount, CEO of Sales Gravy and author of Fanatical Prospecting *‘Every deal starts with a first meeting–and The First Meeting Differentiator shows you how to make it count. This is a proven framework Lee personally implemented with my team, and the results speak for themselves.’ * Rob Fontaine, Founder/President, Upstate Door, Inc. *‘Follow the advice in The First Meeting Differentiator and ROCK your first meetings with prospects! Sales guru Lee Salz has helped our team improve our results by adopting a forensic and consultative mindset. I hope our competitors NEVER read this book!’ * Liz McBeth, CEO and President, Armour Valve *‘Having partnered with Lee to drive multi-million dollar sales growth, I’ve seen how his strategies create meaningful, client-centric conversations that drive results. This book provides a game-changing framework for transforming first meetings into dynamic consultations that inspire action.’ * Alex Evans, SVP, Majestic Steel *‘I’ve seen firsthand how Lee’s strategies have elevated our team’s performance–and this book will be required reading for my team. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to elevate their sales team’s performance.’ * Courtney Enser, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Millcraft *‘Lee Salz flips the script on first meetings with prospects, showing how to turn them from dull interrogations into engaging, value-driven conversations. The First Meeting Differentiator is packed with practical strategies to help sales professionals build trust, spark interest, and create unstoppable deal momentum.’ * Brian Brault, past Global Chair of the Board of Directors for the Entrepreneurs Organization and Founder of Legacy of Significance, Co-chair of the Entrepreneurial Master’s Program *‘Lee Salz introduces a powerful shift: replace tired discovery meetings with value-packed consultations buyers actually want. A must-read for anyone who leads sales conversations–it transforms the first meeting from interrogation to consultation and moves deals forward–fast.’ * Shari Levitin, keynote speaker and bestselling author of Heart and Sell: 10 Universal Truths Every Salesperson Needs to Know *‘Plenty has been written about prospecting and landing that first meeting–but what happens next? The First Meeting Differentiator is the missing piece. It delivers the tools and strategies you need to master the first meeting, setting the stage for winning more deals. If you want to turn first meetings into real opportunities, this book is a game-changer!’ * Victor Antonio, author of Future of Selling *‘So many sales books are nothing but unproven theory, but not this one! We worked with Lee to develop our sales playbook based on the strategy presented in The First Meeting Differentiator. The result? We are closing more sales and earning more happy customers. Just wait until you read the chapter on Empathetic Expertise! It’s a game-changer!’ * Scot Nichols, Director of Sales, Bedrock Quartz *

Lee Salz is a leading sales management strategist and the award-winning, best-selling author of six business books. His bestsellers “Sales Differentiation” and “Sell Different!” have been called “the one-two punch” every salesperson needs to differentiate what and how they sell to win more deals at the prices you want. His latest book, “The First Meeting Differentiator: Transforming Sales-Focused Discovery into Client-Centric Consultations,” changes the way salespeople approach first meetings with prospects.

Lee’s firm, Sales Architects, specializes in building salespeople into world-class salesforces, offering sales consulting, coaching, custom playbooks, and dynamic keynote presentations and workshops.

Lee has been quoted and featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, MSNBC, ABC News, The Business Journals, and numerous other outlets. In 2022, the Institute for Sales Excellence named Lee Speaker of the Year, and he was recently named by Global Gurus to their Top 30 Sales Thought Leaders for 2025, ranking him #6 in the world.

A graduate of Binghamton University and originally from New York City and New Jersey, Lee now resides with his family in Minneapolis. When he isn’t helping his clients build world-class salesforces, you will find him training for his next powerlifting meet. He’s a champion powerlifter in the bench press.