The WOW! Factor Preparation System
Differentiate yourself so memorably before and during the sale that comparison becomes irrelevant
The WOW! Factor is Gitomer's framework for creating a memorable, differentiated sales experience that moves the prospect from comparison mode to decision mode. WOW! is not entertainment or flash—it is the full measure of your sales power, delivered through thorough preparation, creative presentation, and genuine belief. The framework begins before the meeting and extends to how you are talked about after you leave.
Gitomer defines WOW! across fifteen characteristics: persistent, prepared, best, creatively different, funny, truthful, real, compelling, fast and to the point, skillful, knowledgeable, courageous, memorable, long-term oriented, and able to get to yes. Each can be scored 1–5, and a score above 70 is WOW!. Below 50 is a DUD. The self-assessment forces honest identification of gaps rather than generalised 'work harder' advice.
The core logic is competitive: most salespeople are somewhere between non-observant and oblivious in their preparation. The WOW! practitioner researches the prospect deeply, arrives with tailored ideas and value, and then questions and listens rather than presenting. The contrast is so sharp that the prospect experiences it as a category of its own.
- Being memorable is more durable than being persuasive; what the prospect talks about after you leave determines whether you get the order.
- WOW! is created through preparation, not charisma—it is within reach of any disciplined salesperson.
- The contrast effect does the selling: when your WOW! presentation follows a standard one, the gap creates its own momentum.
- Most competitors will not do the work required for WOW!, making preparation the most underutilised competitive advantage in sales.
- WOW! does not work every time, but it works far more often than non-WOW!—and the effort invested builds skills that compound.
- Research the prospect at depth before any contactUse every available source—website, LinkedIn, news articles, mutual connections—to understand the prospect's business, competitive situation, recent challenges, and personal interests. The Mackay 66 questionnaire is a useful template. The goal is to arrive knowing things the prospect does not expect you to know, which signals investment and creates instant differentiation.Pro tipMost companies do twice as much research before buying as a salesperson does before selling. Matching that level of preparation alone puts you ahead of the field.
- Build a comprehensive preparation packageAssemble everything the presentation might require: a written proposal, support documentation, testimonials addressing likely objections, a comparison chart against competitors, product samples or demos, and a leave-behind of value. Have scripted answers for every objection you have heard in the past twelve months. Arrive with more than you need.WarningPreparation is not the same as having more slides. WOW! is the intelligence behind the materials—relevance to this specific prospect—not the volume of paper.
- Score yourself against the 15 WOW! characteristicsBefore each major presentation, rate yourself 1–5 on: persistent, prepared, best, creatively different, funny, truthful, real, compelling, fast and to the point, skillful, knowledgeable, courageous, memorable, long-term, and able to get to yes. A score above 70 means you are ready to present. For scores below 60, identify the two or three lowest-scoring areas and spend 30 minutes improving them before the meeting.Pro tipThe easiest areas to improve quickly are funny (add one relevant piece of humour), memorable (create one custom element for this specific prospect), and prepared (one additional fact you know about their business).
- Deliver the presentation as a dialogue, not a monologueBegin with a clear statement of your objective for the meeting. Then question and listen rather than presenting. Allow the prospect to guide the depth of each section. Insert your WOW! elements—testimonials, comparison charts, custom ideas—in response to what the prospect reveals, not on a predetermined script.WarningThe most common WOW! failure is over-preparation of content and under-preparation of questions. A brilliant deck delivered as a monologue scores zero on the memorable and compelling dimensions.
- Close the loop: document and follow up with immediate valueWithin 24 hours of any WOW! presentation, send a handwritten note or personalised email that references something specific said in the meeting—not a standard thank-you template. Include one additional piece of value (an article, an introduction, an idea) that demonstrates you were listening and thinking about their specific situation.Pro tipThe post-meeting follow-up is where most competitors completely vanish. A thoughtful, specific follow-up within 24 hours often does more to win the sale than the presentation itself.
Gitomer built a complete WOW! package to pitch his book to New York publishers: prototype covers, a 15-page proposal, trademarked title, multimedia computer presentation, wallet-sized flashcard samples, and scripted answers to every objection. He secured appointments with one publisher that lasted 45 minutes instead of the allocated five—purely because the preparation created enough engagement to keep the conversation going.
After Gitomer published an article on getting in the door, Sheila Neisler wanted to demonstrate that gift baskets were a useful sales tool. She hand-delivered a personalised basket that included a book of quotes on winning and cat food for Gitomer's cat, Lito—referenced in his published articles. She was talked about in his office for weeks.
Gitomer emphasises that business cards are an image investment, not an expense. He describes a cat named Lito receiving a business card as 'Corporate Mascot'—a pure WOW! moment that generated conversations, referrals, and retained attention among everyone who received it. The card was kept, shown to others, and talked about.
Gitomer developed the WOW! framework from his own experience pitching The Sales Bible to New York publishers in the early 1990s. He built an unprecedented preparation package—prototype covers, a 15-page proposal, a trademarked title, a multimedia presentation, and sample flashcards—that differentiated his pitch so completely that Mr. Book gave him the longest appointment of his day.
He generalised the lesson: the combination of thorough research, creative materials, targeted questions, and bold asks could replicate this outcome in any sales context. The framework is built around the insight that most competitors won't sacrifice the time and effort required to create WOW!—which makes it a reliable, sustainable differentiator.