Skyler A.

"People hate to be sold to... BUT THEY LOVE TO BUY." I'm taking everything I've learned from the "Great Day in Sales" podcast [especially the live episode with Jen Allen-Knuth] and presenting at the performance track at Utah Business Forward in November. Why? First - I'm a Melanie Paris Jones fan through and through so if you're not following her what are you doing. Second - I feel like my perspective on sales, building pipeline, generating demand [leads] and actually treating customers has COMPLETELY changed in the last year. The concept of "Sell Like a Buyer" comes from the idea that you don't have to sell your products the same way as everyone else or like it was sold 20 years ago. B2B is feeling more B2C every day. We need to adapt and make sure the selling process is actually what the buyer wants. That process may not look anything like it did 20 years ago. That's the funnest part - got to be ready to adapt. They gave me a code so use this to get your tickets! Last year was awesome and its trending 3x where it was last year for attendees.

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The best cold email I've ever received, hands down, essentially said this: 1. Saw you went to Utah! Think Cam Rising will be as good as he's being hyped up to be this year? 2. Are MQLs or pipeline generation part of the KPI this year? If so, can we chat about how we can help? 😊 Do you think it worked? Well, I guess I gave you the answer in my first sentence of this post. Yes, it worked! Emmanuel Morgan knew I was a University of Utah alumnus but took a chance that I might also be a Utes Football fan. He sent this email shortly before the 2022 season and was a perfect way to pique my interest. I didn't end up becoming a customer even though I liked the product he was selling. However, two years later Manny and I still exchange messages about college football news. We weren't in a position to purchase that type of software at the time, but had things changed I know who I would have called. Moral of the story: it all begins, and ends, with relationships. That's true in sales and marketing, along with any other role you may occupy, or in your day-to-day. What's the best cold call or cold email you've received?

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While everyone else is saying cold calling is dead or email is dead or any other sales activity is dead here I am saying that you're all being bamboozled by vendors. Let me explain. None of those mediums are dead. It's a combination of efforts that adds up to grow sales. Some days you may make 300 calls, the next you may make 4. What does it matter if at the end of the month you have 10 deals regardless? It doesn't. Stop focusing too much on one channel and start leveraging a multi channel lifecycle marketing approach. We can only onboard 11 more businesses on our $249 special after an over whelming outreach so if you want to see a significant response rate from your outbound campaigns be sure to reach out to me.

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Focusing on the weakest link can really boost your sales performance.

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This framework is incredibly valuable for diagnosing sales issues. Breaking it down step by step makes it easier to identify where improvements can be made.

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Great approach to troubleshooting sales. Focusing on KPIs and asking the right questions can really help uncover what's holding back growth.

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Hot take: Discovery isn’t about finding pain. It’s about understanding the challenge. Anyone can find pain. But not everyone can actually sit in the moment and feel the specific business challenge. This sounds like: “our conversion rates are dipping” Most folks dive into how we can help conversion rates. Instead ask: when did you notice the dip? “We noticed it when we started moving up market” What’s your hunch on why that is? “Well deal cycles take longer and we don’t always have the proper stakeholders at the table” NOW we understand the business challenge. And we can talk about how cool Gong is. And how Gong helps with all of those things. But until they verbalize the deeper root issue. We have more work to do. LMK your best tips for running discovery? P.S. discovery is a big focus for my team RN so hit me with your fave disco questions

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The hardest part about being a full cycle sales rep is outbound. When swimming in a red ocean, there’s plenty of companies and reps that try to automate the process and cast a wide net that has HUGE holes in it. To actually make outbound more efficient and effective, I created a 13 week cadence that will be educational and personalized to each prospect. I’ve preached it before, but free value and a human touch is EVERYTHING when it comes to outbound sales. So In my outbound cadence, I’ll be using loom to personalize videos and show my prospects that I’m human and I actually care about helping them out. Even if prospects don’t end up closing, I won’t be bombarding them with emails and calls begging them to buy. I’ll simply just be sharing free value that will help them and position myself as a trusted advisor. If you’re currently outbounding, what’s your favorite way to personalize your outreach? Let me know your thoughts below! #sales #outbound #growth #techsales #saas

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people say outbound is dead and I see it's not being utilized enough. everything starts with organizational siloes. sales for itself. marketing for itself. CSM for itself. partnerships for itself. as a consequence. outbound is often used just for sales. but if you have a core outbound team that knows how to: -segment the market -build an offer -write copy -give true value -and do this on a scale then you can use this: -for partnership outreach -community building -live events -podcast invitations -link building -co-promotion and co-creation of content on socials so remember if you say outbound is dead you probably didn't let it live in your organization in the first place.

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It's unfortunate that some companies adopt such practices. They often adhere to clichés like "sales is a numbers game," which overlook the importance of skills, particularly soft skills like empathy. One, can't simply demonstrate empathy, discourse and dexterity on a simulated call; genuine interactions are far more nuanced than that. Skilled salespeople know it's about building genuine connections. Cultivating genuine connections and relationships is indeed the lifeblood of any successful sales pipeline. It's about quality over quantity, nurturing leads will keep you and your pipeline robust and close rate abundant.

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𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐬 When hiring for sales roles, a resume can only tell you so much. Here’s how to vet sales candidates effectively: 1. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 🗣️ Behavioral interviews focus on how a candidate has handled situations in the past, providing insight into their problem-solving abilities, work ethic, and interpersonal skills. Ask open-ended questions like, “Can you tell me about a time you turned around a difficult sales situation?” to gauge their experience and approach. 2. 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐢𝐭 🌟 Sales roles require strong communication, empathy, and the ability to build relationships. During interviews, observe how candidates interact with you and others. Are they personable and persuasive? Do they demonstrate emotional intelligence? Also, consider how their personality aligns with your company culture—cultural fit is key to long-term success. 3. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞-𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 🎭 Role-playing exercises can simulate real sales scenarios, allowing you to see how candidates perform under pressure. For example, you could ask them to pitch your product to a “client” or handle common objections. 4. 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 📞 Don’t skip the reference check—this is your chance to get an unbiased view of the candidate’s past performance. Ask former managers or colleagues about the candidate’s work habits, strengths, areas for improvement, and how they contributed to the team. 5. 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦-𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 🧠 In sales, the ability to think critically and solve problems is crucial. Present candidates with a hypothetical sales challenge and ask them how they would approach it. Their response will reveal their analytical skills, creativity, and ability to develop effective strategies on the fly. 6. 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 📈 The sales landscape is always changing, especially in tech and SaaS industries. Look for candidates who show a willingness to learn and adapt. Ask about how they’ve kept up with industry trends, new sales tools, or shifting customer needs. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 Vetting sales candidates beyond their resumes is essential to finding the right fit for your team. By using behavioral interviews, role-playing exercises, thorough reference checks, and assessments of soft skills and adaptability, you can identify top performers who will contribute to your company’s growth and success. 📧 Looking to improve your sales hiring process? Let’s connect at [email protected]! #SalesHiring #SalesRecruitment #TalentAcquisition #InterviewTips #SalesSuccess #TechSales

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Truly insightful Matt Craike. It has never been about Sales & Marketing it should get in the reverse. With the kind of digital and social media penetration. Being Factful, Tactful and Credibility is utmost import to anyone in Sales or Revenue Enablement role. The C Pillars are : 1. Credibility: Vision, Mission & Value Proposition. Fearless to create a buzz in the marketplace even if there is serious competition 2. Communication: With the kind of insane marketing options and channels we have. Build a storyline and utilize the potential of the digital world and SM 3. Conversion: This is where Sales will burn the midnight oil, pitches, use cases, email templates and whatnot to constantly be at the phones and fill the funnel to trickle down to a robust pipeline

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In this climate it is definitely crucial to do more with the pipeline you have and focus on quality, than to cover high early leakage by pulling in more low quality pipeline. Nate Nasralla loving the content here!

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Three words your customers never want to hear you say... Not my fault. There have been plenty of times when I’ve made mistakes, and there have been plenty of times when someone on my team made a mistake. Being a CSM makes you a leader simply by nature of being client-facing. You represent your company to the client, so you must be accountable for mistakes, whether they are on you or your team. The sooner you learn how to take extreme ownership when it comes to mistakes, the better. When an issue arises (and it will), accept it, own it, and learn from it. 💪 #customersuccess #accountability #leadership

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HIRING NOW: ENTERPRISE & COMMERCIAL AE - SaaS - Automation - $ALES & MARKETING account signals and insights SaaS tool 💸 Commercial Account Executive: $125k base 50/50 split - $1m quota 💸 Enterprise Account Executive: $150k base 50/50 split- $1.2m quota Actual inbound leads - $20k - $500k deal sizes - 6 months sales cycle You keep account in your book of business for upsells while CSMs are responsible for renewal #seriesbstartup, working under one of our longer term #vpofsales who JUST started - you must have experience - at an earlier stage org of less than 200 employees - selling a complex solution - ideal experience selling into #gtm #salesleaders or desire to Selling into other SaaS orgs! work with clients like GitLab Notion MongoDB and MORE - providing insights on how their #gtm can do more with less, and make more $$ In a world of tech, where everything is connected it is more possible than ever before to build connections between your current clients, and your ideal prospects This solution combines Sales, Marketing, Community and Operations and uses AI to enrich, score and analyze intent - $ignals are one of the most important aspects of monitoring what is working, and the best way to target, support and optimize every account. An ideal rep understands sales strategies including #productledgrowth and #productledsales MUST BE HUNGRY, LOVE BUILDING PROCESSES and have experience working in a startup get on my schedule! 206 747 9724 #accountexecutive #commercialaccountexecutive #enterpriseaccountexecutive #gtmsaas #gtmsales #salesjobs #salescareers #bestfootforward #softwaresales #saassales #salesdevelopment

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The average SDR is making $85,000 The average SMB AE is making $130,000 a year. The average MM AE is making $165,000 a year. If you crush it as an SDR, are at a company that actually promotes top talent, and continue to perform as an AE you can literally double your income in just a few years. How cool is that? I teamed up with RepVue and put together a few resources with some more details on salaries based on roles... check it out. SDR salaries & a list of high paying SDR Roles: https://lnkd.in/gqfUbnqR SMB AE salaries & a list of high paying SMB Roles: https://lnkd.in/gcpnQ_Xt Mid-Market AE salaries & a list of high paying MM Roles: https://lnkd.in/gPd-RHCb Ent AE salaries & a list of high paying Ent Roles: https://lnkd.in/gibqD9Gv

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In my experience, this post is 100% accurate. Every big deal I've sold in my career has had a different story behind it. None of them fit completely into the framework of the multiple sales methodologies I've been taught. Sometimes it's one part of methodology A and 2 parts of Methodology C. Sometimes with a heavy dose of being in the right place at the right time. As the author below contends, the one necessary factor is consistent effort and getting a little bit better each day.

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2 of our SDRs hit their quarterly quota last week. 😱 🤠 🚀 Want to know what we didn't do? ❌ 🔝 Talk about raising quota from a few months of kick ass work 🥅 Change their goal post with a new arbitrary goal for the quarter because they're ahead Want to know what we did do? ✅ 🎉 Celebrate their win internally (and externally hehe) 😆 Joke (I think?) about them taking the month of June off 🤑 Remind them of their quarterly accelerator Make sure you're not accidentally disincentivizing your people when they have kick ass months and quarters. Reward them, celebrate them and ensure your system is set up to help them continue doing amazing work for the team and org.

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