RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Club Pass (Course & Community) Johnny Larson (New Club Member) Johnny's Past Episodes: Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Q1 Tactic Teardowns (Sales Nav, Pitch Script)
FOUR ACTIONABLE LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS: Simplify Dashboards: Skip filters and create pre-built reports for dashboards. It saves time and provides clearer insights without extra clicks. Trim CRM Fields: Remove unused CRM fields. If you’re not reporting on them or they’re filled with junk data, they’re just slowing you down. Analyze Mature Pipeline: For accurate win rates, focus on qualified deals created in earlier quarters. Allow time for deals to mature before assessing. Core Metrics Dashboard: T...
The top 15 sales tips shared on the podcast in 2024 (full episodes linked below) Prospecting Best Practices: "That's Exactly Why I Called" Response: Use objections as a reason to keep the conversation going (Sara Uy) Presuppose the Problem: Start with, "You've probably looked into X before, huh?" to reduce sales pressure and uncover nuance (Josh Braun) Call Yourself First: Test new phone numbers for spam labeling before dialing prospects (Ken Amar) Effective Email Structure: Combine business ini...
Enjoy this clip from episode 247 w/ Charles Muhlbauer ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Instead of focusing on quantifying pain, ask deeper questions about the problem’s origins and previous solutions, this will naturally reveal the impact Find out if the problem is known and cared about across the company or just by one person Ask easy, non-pushy questions like “Why is that a problem?” to get the prospect to share the impact without feeling pressured Position involving decision-makers as beneficial for them...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Prioritize Storytelling: Assess storytelling skills during interviews and coach reps on it. It's a foundational human communication skill that drives sales success. Evaluate Questions Asked: Learn as much from the questions a rep asks as you do from their answers. It reveals their curiosity and understanding. Mock Pitch Preparation: Let candidates pitch your product with basic information provided, such as target personas, company size, and common challenges. Avoid setting t...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Leverage POC Momentum: Initiate vendor review at the POC’s peak excitement. Parallel process legal and finance steps to accelerate the deal. Involve Executives in POCs: Require VP-level involvement for POCs. Share examples of risks when executives are excluded to build alignment and trust. Confirm POC Entry Criteria: Secure problem agreement, power alignment, and price understanding before starting a POC to avoid misalignment. Set Realistic Exit Goals: Use achievable metrics...
FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS If you make a mistake while recording a prospecting video, don't discard it. Send it anyway, as it can add authenticity and still lead to positive outcomes. When you feel the conversation winding down, go straight to asking for the meeting to increase your chances of booking it. After sending a LinkedIn video, start by asking, "What did you think of the video?" followed by "What didn't you like about the video?" to engage prospects. Leverage your last interaction—whethe...
Get your forecasting resources ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Commit Deal Essentials: Reps must report four details for commit deals: dollar amount, close date, economic buyer, and their engagement. If not engaged, share the plan to involve them. Three Forecast Methods: Use a top-down pipeline view, a bottoms-up deal analysis, and AI tools for better forecast accuracy. Combining these improves reliability. Quarterly Milestones: By month one, secure 50% of forecasted deals. Month two should see 60% closed,...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Streamline Proposals: Remove unnecessary features to cut costs and stand out from competitors with bloated quotes. If prospects need a feature, they’ll request it, giving you control to reintroduce it strategically. Ask Questions on RFPs: Use RFP responses to ask about priorities and requirements, opening the door for discovery and tailoring your response to their needs. Disqualify Early: Disqualify deals if your product isn’t a fit or their problem seems like a “nice-to-hav...
FOUR ACTIONABLE SALES TAKEAWAYS During demos, connect features shown to insights gathered during Discovery. Address confusion promptly and facilitate discussions rather than relying on your Solutions Consultant. Make your effort visible to prospects when working on the business case. Let them know you're actively involved and invite collaboration, which fosters reciprocity. Refine and finalize your business case incrementally. Use the demo to make the case tangible and save detailed financial di...
Mark and Armand walk through the steps needed to provide effective ongoing training to your sales team. ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Use a capability & cognitive load matrix to decide what to focus your training on The best person for the job to be running that training and sales enablement is the most respected rep or manager on the team Train your managers before you train your teams Establish existing weekly rhythms then drop the reinforcement into one of those existing rhythms so you're not adding n...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Ask for Competitor Proposals: If a prospect cites competitor pricing, request their proposal to directly compare offerings and address discrepancies. Rank Negotiation Priorities: When prospects negotiate on multiple factors, ask them to prioritize what matters most, then focus concessions on top-ranked items. Meet Two Key Pricing Criteria: Share pricing only when the prospect acknowledges your solution addresses a critical pain and they influence or approve purchasing decisi...
FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Explore two types of impact with your prospect: hard metrics (e.g., hours spent, money lost) and soft impact. Address pain points in other departments to accelerate deals and improve win rates. Turn situations into problems by asking questions that highlight known pain points with competitors. If ghosted late in the deal cycle, offer to email the next key contact directly to prompt a response. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Account Executive @ Webflow Account Executive @ Safe...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Uncover what’s not working: Use varied questions in one-on-ones, like “If you had a magic wand, what would you change?” or “Where have we let you down in the sales cycle?” to surface actionable feedback. Run radical candor sessions: Gather reps for skip-level feedback on their manager. Facilitate discussions on what the manager should keep, stop, or start doing, and provide actionable feedback to the manager for growth. Stay connected with the team: Conduct regular skip-lev...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Leverage Twitter for Outreach: Use X (formerly Twitter) creatively to direct prospects to your personalized email. Vin records and tweets videos at CMOs to grab their attention. Smart Follow-Up Strategies: If emails aren’t opened, start a new thread. If they’re being opened, reply to the same thread to keep your outreach efforts visible. Cold Email Framework: Craft emails with an observation, the problem, a solution, and a clear call to action for maximum impact. Use Unique...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Schedule regular meetings with your champion to maintain deal momentum and reduce scheduling friction Schedule multiple next steps simultaneously if they're not dependent on each other to accelerate the deal. Determine whether the prospect will present, ask, or inform the board about the purchase, and prepare accordingly. Ask your champion questions that they might not know, prompting them to involve higher-ups who can provide answers. SAM'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: CEO @ S...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Segmented Team Structure: Down-market teams focus on landing new logos, passing them to expand teams, while up-market AEs handle both acquisition and expansion with retention-based comp. Enterprise Sales Strategies: Use top-down (sell wall-to-wall) or land-and-expand approaches, with the latter yielding higher LTV by scaling through business units first. Deal Inspection Triggers: Monitor $50K deals at stage 3 for POCs and access to power, and stage 5 for mutual action plans...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Identify Strategic Initiatives: Focus on big company bets that are close to revenue, such as IPOs, international expansions, or mergers and acquisitions. Double Personalize Outreach: Combine company-specific observations with industry trends to create messaging that feels hyper-relevant. Build a Strategic Research Framework: Create a table to map key initiatives (e.g., IPO readiness) on one side and sources of information (e.g., 10-K reports, CEO interviews, press releases)...
FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Gauge your prospect’s enthusiasm by asking where they fall on a scale from one to ten, providing more insight than a simple yes/no question. Ask your prospect what they discuss in internal meetings to tailor your pitch to resonate with their executive team. Avoid showing too much software to prevent prospects from associating the product with unnecessary features and higher costs. Recap previous conversations and then ask the executive what you might have missed, ensuri...
Mark Kosoglow walks through the key skills, responsibilities, and attributes for a Sales Leader at each phase of company growth Doer Phase (0 to $1M ARR): The initial stage focused on finding product-market fit. The sales leader handles everything, including cold calls, demos, building sales systems, and refining the sales process. They act as an individual contributor, ensuring the company moves forward without distracting other key team members. Key trait: Being a hands-on, self-reliant execut...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Limit Pricing Options to Three: Offering more than three options overwhelms prospects. Present only the most relevant three to simplify decision-making. Leverage Value-Add Incentives: Highlight low-cost-to-you, high-value items (like waived fees or extra features) to steer prospects toward larger packages. Present Pricing with a Range: Start with a floor price and give a range based on factors, allowing flexibility while avoiding sticker shock. Use Strategic Comparisons: Po...
FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Start by assuming the prospect has researched your solution if they say yes suggest a common objection why they didn't pursue it, if they say no then ask a question to highlight a knowledge gap When explaining your solution, emphasize the before state and the problems associated with it to create contrast with your solution's end-state Ask about specific situations to accurately identify the exact problems the prospect is facing Learn and practice delivering problem sto...
FOUR ACTIONABLE LEADERSHIP TAKEAWAYS Buddy System in Hiring: Involve the new hire’s buddy in the interview process to ensure a strong match. Focused Onboarding Ownership: Assign one person to oversee onboarding, improving retention and team quality. Call Certifications: Require reps to pass intro and demo call certifications to qualify for leads. Hands-On Training: Focus on role plays, shadowing, and practice over slide decks for effective learning. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB COO @ Growth Assistan...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Start with “Why Did You Take the Call?”: Kick off by understanding the prospect’s motivation. For inbound leads, ask directly, "What prompted you to reach out?" For outbound, ask, "What made you take this meeting with me?" This reveals their needs and priorities. Reserve Time for Next Steps: Set aside five minutes at the end to confirm logistics or plan a follow-up. If you need more time to dive into key topics, suggest scheduling another call. Demo Based on Pain Points: Or...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Embrace Silence: Don't fear pauses in conversations. It's natural to take a moment to think about your next question or response during a conversation with a prospect. Setting Conditions for Progress: When faced with a contact unwilling to advance your connection, you have two options: Explicitly ask them what conditions need to be met for them to introduce you to a higher-level contact, like a VP of Marketing. Decide whether to follow their criteria or to prospect directly ...
ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Ask About Interview Prep: Ask candidates, “What did you do to prepare?” to gauge their commitment and thoughtfulness. Challenge in Final Interviews: Address yellow flags, past successes, and expected challenges to identify high performers. Empower Experienced Managers in Hiring: Let senior managers make final hiring calls; stay more involved with junior managers to ensure quality. Standardize Key Processes: Create an 80% standardized approach for pipeline reviews, forecast ...
This was a preview from our upcoming course, Cold Calls to President's Club: register for the waitlist here ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: No Value Propositions. Buzzwords make you sound like a telemarketer, and benefits fall flat without the context of a problem. Triggering Problem. Instead, lead with a problem so specific that it triggers your prospect and reminds them of a painful memory. One-Sentence Solution. If you get the problem right, all you need is one sentence to explain your solution (we do ...
FOUR ACTIONABLE SALES TAKEAWAYS When looking for intel on an account, consider reaching out to ex-employees for insider info Record simple videos, dont be corny, send them natively on LinkedIn Don't over-do personalization, weigh the cost/benefit of putting in extra work into your outreach All personas exist on LinkedIn, don't write it off as a prospecting channel PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Regional Sales Director @ MongoDB Snr Team Lead High Tech Account Executive @ MongoDB High Tech Account Exec...
This is an except from the Daily Sales Show by Sell Better with Will Aitken Check out the full show here: https://sellbetter.xyz/daily-show/how-to-book-more-meetings-with-these-cold-call-strategies
Mark & Armand link up live and in person to discuss the when, how, and who of promoting sales reps to sales managers ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Efficacy in Sales Management: A sales manager’s primary job is to ensure team efficacy while fostering a supportive environment. Effective managers don’t just oversee but actively build up their teams. Conscious Competence: It’s crucial for managers to understand the "why" behind their actions. Recognizing the reasons behind effective strategies allows manage...
