Salesforce

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

Ah — that sometimes elusive, but always thrilling moment when you close a deal. That’s why we’ll move past outdated and ineffective sales closing techniques in this article and talk to sales experts to get the nitty-gritty of what it means to close like a boss in today’s world. How do you improve at closing?

Technique 105

Technique Closing Sales Electricity 105

Spiro Technologies

OCTOBER 7, 2021

Percentages are important in sales, not the least bit because commission checks tend to be calculated as a percentage of our monthly quotas. But there is one percentage that’s probably more important to salespeople than the others: their closing percentage. Define (then refine) your value proposition . Ask for referrals .

Closing 111

Closing Referrals Commission Contract 111

SaaStr

MARCH 13, 2025

Are there more demos, more contracts being drafted, and more deals in the works? Even with the same leads and resources you had before, a great VP of Sales should be able to optimize and close more deals. And are those reps hitting quota or at least showing signs they will? If your pipeline hasnt improved, thats a red flag.

Pipeline 59

Pipeline Contract Quota Growth 59

Sales Hacker

JUNE 24, 2021

Adding insult to injury, that imbalance means all that time and money it takes to get prospects to the closing phase goes to waste. But like all other aspects of sales, closing is a process. Radio silence from your prospects at the close stage could be caused by the fact that they haven’t seen the documents your reps sent.

Closing 127

Closing Contact Sales Follow-up 127

Veloxy

JUNE 8, 2022

The pipeline shows how many deals salespeople are expected to close in a given week, month or year as well as how close a particular rep is to hitting their sales quota. For instance, you could have a pipeline worth a million dollars in contract value. 2: Automation. This is where automation comes to the rescue.

Pipeline 195

Pipeline Technology Technology Cross-sell 195

SaaStr

DECEMBER 12, 2023

So quotas are relatively well understood, if sometimes complicated to get right in practice. Keybanc and Sapphire have some great overall metrics here : Overall, the media AE closes $750,000 a year, and that’s actually up from 2022 — mainly due to hiring freezes and contractions. And how many hit quota?

Sell 132

Sell Quota Commission Contract 132

Hubspot

MARCH 1, 2022

Closing calls are a big deal, and, because they’re so important, they’ve acquired a certain mystique. They aren’t anything to fear, though, because the right phone sales technique can help you close the deal and drive it home every single time. Below is a nine-step closing call sequence that’s served me well for years.

Closing 87

Closing Negotiate Contract Legal 87

Veloxy

OCTOBER 24, 2022

When 57% of sales reps expect to miss their quota every quarter, managers need to rely on the 42% to make the team’s number. One of the biggest challenges for the missed quota reps is sales readiness. Most sales reps spend over 175 hours every year on generating quotes and proposals, and waiting for contracts to be signed.

Quota 147

Quota Contract Account management Price 147

Pointclear

MAY 15, 2012

Formula to Predict Inquiries Needed to Make Quota i. Marketing managers regularly ask me how to predict the number of leads (really raw inquiries) needed to achieve quota (I wish more sales managers would also ask). Market share percentage (or closing ratio of leads), this sales force: 32%. 32% closing ratio = 2,840 inquiries.

Quota 66

Quota Contract Follow-up Pipeline 66

SaaStr

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

Well let me just step back with my learnings as you do your own planning: First, assuming you are growing > 80% YoY or so, have a lot of pre-paid annual contracts, … you should be able to be cash-flow positive almost no matter what somewhere around $5-$8m in ARR. Does it cost so, so much to host a few million lines of code on AWS?

Quota 114

Quota Contract Price Growth 114

Hubspot

APRIL 17, 2018

Ask any sales rep what the hardest part of their job is, and I’ll bet they’ll say “closing.” After all, signing new customers and upselling existing accounts is how a rep makes quota. If they’re not getting prospects to sign contracts, they’re not going to hit their number. 17 Sales Closing Mistakes to Stop Making Right Now.

Closing 101

Closing Negotiate Legal Sales 101

Hubspot

AUGUST 8, 2015

A slightly different spin on the question: What would you do for a closed deal? Salespeople are well-acquainted with the thrill of receiving a signed contract and the pressure attached to quota. For instance, if the prospect is this close to signing but still wavering a bit, your salespeople might get creative.

Closing 78

Closing Contract Drivers/motivators Negotiate 78

Veloxy

JUNE 23, 2021

This includes lead generation, qualification, relationship building, presenting, and finally closing the deal. Many salespeople will agree that closing a sale is just the start of maintaining a healthy stream of revenue. The Account Manager is responsible for checking on clients and nurturing relationships after the contract is signed.

Inside sales 232

Inside sales CRM Sales Pipeline 232

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

There’s a slide I see again and again from start-ups: 2 of the early sales reps are at 100% of quota, sometimes 150%-200%. And also share stories from closed deals. Listening to their calls is even better, but this is a close second. Simplify to a 1 page contract. Maybe even help some of reps 3-10 hit quota.

Quota 138

Quota Contract Prospecting Pipeline 138

Sales Hacker

APRIL 10, 2020

In it, Chief Strategy Officer and Sales Leadership Coach at Alice Heiman, LLC, Liz Heiman, shows you how to ask the right questions to close even your toughest deals. 10 Tough Questions to help you close. Prepare for the close (09:17). ? Asking the right questions to close the deal is what we’ll be talking about today.

Closing 84

Closing Contract Meeting Sell 84

Hubspot

OCTOBER 19, 2017

Percentage of sales team hitting quota. 1) Percentage of sales team hitting quota. Quota attainment, or the percentage of salespeople meeting or exceeding quota, tells you whether your quotas are too high or low. As a rule of thumb, your quotas are likely unrealistic if less than 60% are hitting.

Quota 101

Quota Cross-sell Contract Negotiate 101

SaaStr

JULY 22, 2020

Relatively High Quota. You don’t make a lot on each deal, and with a high quota, it’s a big nut to hit. If they make too much, the quota was too low. And if the quota is too hard to hit, and you don’t believe you can hit it … you don’t really try … Not Customer-Centric Enough.

Commission 145

Commission Quota Inside sales Sales 145

SaaStr

MAY 22, 2024

About $1m Quotas for 5,000 Sales Reps Gartner is split into two divisions, and interestingly, both have quotas of about $1m per rep. #2. in Contract Value The power of steady growth #3. 25% Adjusted EBITA Margins Gartner doesn’t quite hit the crazy 40% of some of the most efficient in software, but it comes close.

Cross-sell 114

Cross-sell Quota Contract Price 114

Sales Hacker

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

A major mistake companies make is assuming 100% of their team will hit 100% of their quota, which rarely happens. Key capacity planning elements: Losing a mid-market rep can cost a company 35-40% of their quota capacity for the year. Quota buffers should range from 5% to 35%, depending on the companys growth stage and risk tolerance.

GTM 65

GTM Objectives and Key Results Quota Real Estate 65

SaaStr

OCTOBER 25, 2021

.” and “Something we found really effective at CoursKey, and other vSaaS businesses will likely find as well: Instead of running pilots, sign a multi-year contract but give them an opt-out after 3-6 months. I’ve seen a few exceptions, and personally closed Google after a year-long unpaid pilot. And it was early.

Price 126

Price Contract Referrals Contact 126

Hubspot

OCTOBER 16, 2017

Quota and OTE. Setting quota. Increase average contract length. After they’ve hit quota, they’ll probably relax instead of pushing for the next deal. Factor in their level of involvement in the sale as well -- if they’re only producing leads, rather than closing them, allocate a smaller commission.

Commission 101

Commission Quota X-functional Non-Profits 101

SaaStr

DECEMBER 9, 2019

Great for sales reps looking to hit their quota. Mediocre sales teams don’t close much at the very end of the year. But the great sales team close an amazing amount at the end of the year. And that drives down sales cycles, increases close rates, and drives up your revenue per lead. But why are customers in on it?

Intrinsic 133

Intrinsic Pitch Contract Quota 133

InsightSquared

MARCH 6, 2018

It’s where you’ll track leads to opportunities to closed deals and everything in between. They’ll ensure guidelines are properly adhered to and contracts are being executed, all while simultaneously working to eliminate barriers that slow down the contracting process. Quota and compensation planning. Renewals management.

Contract 119

Contract CRM Territory Sales 119

Veloxy

DECEMBER 28, 2023

Prospecting may involve consistent follow-ups, setting goals, and being knowledgeable about the product, while closing deals often requires a structured follow-up strategy, product knowledge, and familiarity with the sales territory. The inside sales team plays a crucial role in this dynamic environment.

Outside Sales 242

Outside Sales Cold Call Represent Objectives and Key Results 242

Sales Hacker

JUNE 16, 2021

Businesses that implement a sales enablement function see increased quota achievement at the rep and team level. While both are intended to help reps close more deals, sales engagement is a tool to engage buyers. Your new reps’ ramp time is too long before they reach full quota attainment. Not exactly. What is your timeline?

GTM 119

GTM Contract Quota CRM 119

SaaStr

DECEMBER 1, 2021

On why the best sales teams just close so much on the last day of the year (be it Dec 31 for many of you, Jan 31 for others). Great for sales reps looking to hit their quota. Mediocre sales teams don’t close much at the very end of the year. But the great sales team close an amazing amount at the end of the year.

Intrinsic 132

Intrinsic Pitch Contract Quota 132

Engage Selling

MAY 3, 2013

Too often when looking at a sales team’s success, managers only look at the actual sales (the closing of the business). If you have no sales closing today, it indicates that your team has not been performing well for months. Lagging indicators: Revenue and quota focused KPI. Proposal to closed ratio. Annual quota.

Contract 88

Contract Quota Pipeline Sales 88

Sales Hacker

APRIL 19, 2022

In this article, I’ll outline the principles of compensation design , how to build sales compensation plans , and include resources to set OTEs and quotas that keep your reps happy and hungry for more. And, quotas have gotten increasingly harder to hit. If someone doesn’t meet quota, they might earn a lower commission rate.

Commission 98

Commission Product Quota Drivers/motivators 98

Salesforce

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Grow revenue faster with a single source of truth Discover how Sales Cloud uses data and AI to help you build relationships and close deals fast. Fast-forward a quarter or two and its revenue is “stop-and-go” with reps scrambling to find new opportunities after periods of focusing only on closing deals already in the pipeline.

Cross-sell 105

Cross-sell Pipeline Contract Sales 105

Veloxy

AUGUST 17, 2022

However, the right “stack” of Salesforce automation tools can really help you accelerate revenue and crush quota. You’ll easily generate quotes, proposals, and contracts in a variety of formats and in mere seconds. Salesforce automation tools go a long way in helping you improve the productivity and efficiency of your sales team.

Appointment 147

Appointment Territory Cross-sell Contract 147

PandaDoc

JANUARY 27, 2020

If you’re looking to level up your sales career in 2020 but don’t know where to start, we suggest checking out one, two, or all three of the must-read books listed below to get you equal parts inspired and fired-up to crush your quotas this year. Sales newbies who fear falling short of their quota? By: Colleen Stanley. Learn more.

Cold Call 121

Cold Call Quota Sales Negotiate 121

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

I also never “carried a quota”. I saw the main purpose of this process in minimizing the risk for the customer’s evaluation team of being accused for having wasted money on a project that eventually did not provide the expected outcomes So, emotional aspects (fear) had priority over the rational aspects for awarding the contract.

Customers 139

Customers Contract Consult Up-sell 139

Hubspot

AUGUST 8, 2019

Percentage of revenue from existing customers (cross-selling, upselling, repeat orders, expanded contracts, etc.). Percentage of sales reps attaining 100% quota. Imagine one of your reps isn’t hitting her quota. Total closed opportunities by month/quarter (by team and by individual). Average contract value (ACV).

X-functional 101

X-functional Quota Cross-sell Contract 101

Salesforce

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

Best practices for developing an official SDR career track Drive pipe faster with a single source of truth Discover how Sales Cloud uses data and AI to help you manage your pipeline, build relationships, and close deals fast. They work closely with sales representatives to understand customer needs and propose tailored technical solutions.

Tradeshows 52

Tradeshows Drivers/motivators Territory Negotiate 52

Martech

JANUARY 26, 2023

It’s important to schedule them as close together as possible to help make relevant comparisons. Are there additional fees (consulting, add-on features, APIs, quotas)? What is the minimum contract length? Is there a short-term contract or an ‘out’ clause if things don’t work out? Is access included in pricing?

Contract 120

Contract Price CRM Quota 120

Sales Pop!

OCTOBER 18, 2021

A well-defined sales process allows salespeople to close deals predictably. Among sales teams who use sales analytics tools, 74% said they are extremely important for closing deals. Proposal creation, contracting, signing, and approving documents are an integral part of a sales team’s day-to-day operations.

Prospecting 232

Prospecting Price CRM Lead generation 232

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

She will close a lot more of them. Impossible quotas. You want at least half, ideally 60%-70% of your reps, hitting quota. But you have to make sure good, well-trained reps can hit quota and be paid fairly. AEs just closing. Have an actions quota, too. Churn-and-burn contracts. A lot more. This works.

Quota 104

Quota Commission Sales Contract 104