SaaStr

MAY 17, 2024

As Product leaders, you have to build trust with CEOs and founders, align on vision and strategy, stay focused on the customer’s problem, and effectively navigate misalignment to ensure your product has the greatest chances of success right out of the gate. But how do you tactically achieve all of that?

Product 68

Product GTM Trust Growth 68

SaaStr

MARCH 13, 2024

Dear SaaStr: How Do I Increase Pricing Again Without Angering Customers? First, plan to increase pricing in general once a year, each year for new customers. And generally for new customers, not existing customers. Try to increase pricing annually for new customers. But make sure you’ve earned it.

Price 102

Price Customers Start-ups Closing 102

SaaStr

APRIL 13, 2024

Dear SaaStr: How Do You Build a Real Exit Strategy? At a high level, three things you can do that aren’t very hard will increase the odds you have an “exit”: First, build the best product in an important space. You’ll hear this story again and again from founders that were acquired.

Cross-sell 109

Cross-sell Engineering Conversion Product 109

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 14, 2024

How do we survive (though some real leaders are asking themselves how we thrive.) How do we survive (though some real leaders are asking themselves how we thrive.) And too many have never seen this, they have no experience with which to deal with this. We see a lot of uncertainty.

Objectives and Key Results 121

Objectives and Key Results Clients Drivers/motivators Start-ups 121

Search Engine Land

MAY 9, 2024

Your online reputation is what users can learn about your brand within a few seconds. In this article, you will learn: How to properly monitor what is said about your brand online across different platforms. How the right strategy and different processes can defend your brand from potential threats.

Engineering 108

Engineering Networking Clients Construction 108

Martech

JANUARY 26, 2024

Do you know what drives revenue growth? Focusing deeply on the customers you serve. Winning your clients’ loyalty brings you much more revenue. Satisfied customers don’t just come for more, they’ll spread the word about you. This is where an ideal customer profile (ICP) comes in.

B2B 118

B2B Customers Appointment Objectives and Key Results 118

Salesforce

APRIL 9, 2024

Yes, that’s how long companies have struggled to make sense of and extract value from what’s now called big data — datasets so large they can only be analyzed via computer. All your data is, at long last, unified, harmonized, and accessible to every business app and user. It’s a far cry from where we’ve been. How did we get here?

SQL 110

SQL Retail Service Represent 110

PandaDoc

MAY 8, 2024

Which approach and tools should you implement to make the most of this potential? Read on as we cover everything you need to know about the SMB sales process, and how your sales team can crush it in the competitive landscape. Thousands of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are joining the market every week. In the U.S.

Objectives and Key Results 52

Objectives and Key Results B2C Legal Government 52

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 5, 2024

As you will see, Martin has a fascinating and rich career an selling. Martin articulates something that I think so many of us find so exciting about selling: “The main reason is that it challenges you to reinvent yourself and stay current with your knowledge because it is the most dynamic industry of all.

Sell 115

Sell Territory Consult Contract 115

Salesforce

JANUARY 8, 2024

Salespeople have a reputation for overpromising in their pitch. You’ve heard the adage about salespeople telling a customer “Of course we can do that!” But back at the office, they’ll ask their delivery or product team in a panic, “We can do that, right?” ” to close a sale.

Contract 110

Contract Process Legal Real Estate 110

Martech

MAY 15, 2024

We discussed the importance of being able to translate technology and break down silos in organizations, all while never losing sight of the customer. We discussed the importance of being able to translate technology and break down silos in organizations, all while never losing sight of the customer. Did you find that to be the case?

Healthcare 85

Healthcare Technology Technology Sports 85

Partners in Excellence

JULY 17, 2023

Most are pretty bleak, they don’t have enough opportunities to achieve their goals. As I look at the ‘qualified deals’ in your pipelines, there seems to be a lot of garbage.” “What do you mean?” As I mentioned this, I asked, “How do you know these are real?”

Pipeline 87

Pipeline Contact Closing Process 87

PandaDoc

MAY 9, 2024

It presents a snapshot of how your entire sales process is performing. This guide will explain the sales velocity formula and what it means for your business. Key takeaways Sales velocity measures the rate at which your sales force generates revenue. It gives a summary of how healthy your sales pipeline is over time.

Pipeline 52

Pipeline Legal Objectives and Key Results Lead generation 52

Salesforce

SEPTEMBER 26, 2023

You’ve done your customer research, made prospecting calls, and connected with a potential buyer. But do they really want to buy, or are they just window shopping? If you correctly identify a buying signal, landing a deal becomes much easier. But how do you know if they are interested in what you’re selling?

Contract 119

Contract Negotiate Follow-up Contact 119

Hubspot

MARCH 25, 2024

Welcome to " The Pipeline" — a weekly column from HubSpot, featuring actionable advice from real sales leaders. Are you ready for a shocking, next-level revelation that's going to turn your world upside down? Here it is: Prospects aren't always easy to deal with. Want more content like this? Subscribe to our newsletter!

Prospecting 74

Prospecting Price Presentation Pipeline 74

SaaStr

MAY 8, 2024

Some people are unwilling to work in the current environment and blame it on customers and the macro. You were supposed to change the world and be utterly disruptive to succeed. If you compare your company to two years ago, you have to be twice as efficient. How do you budget this?

Quota 82

Quota GTM Price Finance 82

SaaStr

OCTOBER 28, 2023

Dear SaaStr: My Startup Doesn’t Have a Free Trial or Freemium Option. Free trials and freemium options work well — if you can support them well. Ask yourself: Can someone deploy your app in minutes? Would you yourself want a free trial first, before buying? One side benefit you get is a better product.

Strategize 102

Strategize Conversion Product Customers 102

SaaStr

MAY 13, 2024

And that thing I’ve learned is that you can take two brutally competitive products, that are very similar, give each a booth at SaaStr Annual, Europa or at one of our digital events… or each can try a podcast ad or do a newsletter ad … and one can walk away with more leads than you can follow up on.

Quota 81

Quota Pipeline Follow-up Start-ups 81

SaaStr

OCTOBER 3, 2023

Dear SaaStr: What Does A Salesperson Need To Do To “Earn Your Business”? The beauty to sales in SaaS is as sales professionals, for the most part, you aren’t selling a commodity or a fungible product. You can’t just go down the street, or to another website, to get a better deal on the Ford F-150.

Negotiate 106

Negotiate Price Prospecting Sell 106

SalesLoft

MAY 3, 2024

If you’re struggling to maintain productivity and close deals with a leaner revenue team, you’re not alone. Hard Choices: Lean Revenue Team Options When revenue teams shrink, it feels like you have two choices: Work fewer deals, or Work the same number of deals but see sales cycle times increase.

Engineering 52

Engineering Closing Account management Represent 52

Martech

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

The company I worked for was extremely traditional and vowed never to have a website or allow employees to use email. Well, that was in 1996, and as you can imagine, a few years later, they could no longer fight it because the world had changed. I remember when the web was brand new, unknown and scary to many people.

X-functional 112

X-functional Cross-sell Territory Retail 112

SaaStr

MAY 25, 2023

Have a strong M&A offer? Not sure what to do? Look at this pic or a similar one Do you want it? Venture rounds post Series A are tough again, IPOs have been on hold for quite a while, and most importantly, multiples are down. They have nothing to their names but their companies. If so, say No If not?

Sell 144

Sell Price Up-sell Start-ups 144

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

We want to get a desired outcome without doing all the work one would normally have to do to achieve that outcome. I continue to imagine, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could achieve my desired level of fitness, without having to go to the gym for an hour every day! In work, we constantly look for shortcuts.

Pipeline 129

Pipeline Drivers/motivators Technology Technology 129

Salesforce

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Sales great Zig Ziglar once wrote, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” Let’s dig into the most important things I’ve learned about target-setting from more than 20 years in sales and business so you can start clocking revenue. All they have to do is start running. But will they?

Quota 116

Quota Territory Pipeline Sales 116

SaaStr

MARCH 12, 2024

First, there are three types of acquisition deals: Talent — To get the expertise on your team and more firepower. Before the M&A Process What should you do before you even have an M&A process? Not only do you have to pass the hiring interviews as a Founder, but everyone on your team does, too.

Negotiate 88

Negotiate Finance Launch Start-ups 88

SaaStr

MAY 9, 2023

From day one, it’s critical to drive results to impress your investors, acquire customers, and set your sales team up for success. 1 You Need to Get Out There And Sell Sometimes, the best way to learn is by doing. Your customers are paying for a problem to go away, and your product is a means to an end.

Objectives and Key Results 102

Objectives and Key Results Sales Up-sell B2B 102

Martech

DECEMBER 29, 2023

The success of Black Friday, the annual, in-person shopping bonanza complete with overnight camping for deals, has launched an entire season of markdowns. The reality is that sales events and interruptive discount-related marketing do not create sustainable consumer connections. How much trust do consumers have in us?

Trust 100

Trust Drivers/motivators Repeat business Campaign 100

Martech

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Results depend not just on the AI you’re using, but how you integrate it into your existing tech stack, processes, and strategy. AI is incredibly good at gathering and analyzing huge volumes of customer data. And of course this allows you to improve areas such as customer experiences like never before.

Technology 125

Technology Technology CRM Finance 125

PandaDoc

MAY 13, 2024

You already know who your customers are — but do you know what makes them tick and drives their decision-making? Key takeaways Understanding your customers’ fears, desires, and motivations can help you connect with them and build genuine relationships. Why do people buy? Is it pure luck?

Closing 52

Closing Legal Real Estate Trust 52

Salesforce

JUNE 28, 2023

Let’s be real, the sales pitch has evolved. You have about 30 seconds to hook your audience. In those 30 seconds, you have to connect, persuade and provide value to a complete stranger — it’s no easy feat. Get deals done, make customers successful, and help your company grow.

Pitch 98

Pitch Objectives and Key Results Sales Trust 98

The Lost Book of Sales

JANUARY 12, 2024

Consultative selling is more than creating value or helping your clients solve problems. There’s a common critical stage in many sales processes that demands your attention and it's about addressing your customer's concerns lingering under the surface. In my experience, buyers' fears vary greatly.

Negotiate 111

Negotiate Objectives and Key Results Price Clients 111

Salesforce

OCTOBER 10, 2023

Think about the last time you watched a football game. It’s no different in sales — only instead of game rules, you use a sales cycle to make sure you’re following the right steps at the right time. Let’s take a look at the stages of a sales cycle, and how you can use it to secure regular deal wins. Probably not.

Objectives and Key Results 110

Objectives and Key Results Negotiate Sales Technique 110

Salesforce

APRIL 18, 2023

Get answers to your burning questions about the best ways to sell, learn, and grow in this ever-changing field. Have a question? Get deals done, make customers successful, and help your company grow. All of this will likely be integrated into a CRM, where sales and customer data live. Ask it here.

CRM 98

CRM Pitch Territory Presentation 98

SaaStr

DECEMBER 26, 2023

If fewer than 8%-10% or so of your demos convert to paid customers, you’ll start to burn out your sales team. Because they need to close 10-15 deals a month to eat. If they have to do more than 50 demos a month, they’ll just run out of time. It’s because your top-of-funnel is unimpressive.

Conversion 92

Conversion Quota Engineering Start-ups 92

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Too often, I hear the lament, “I don’t have the time to coach!” As you might expect, the calendars are packed with meeting after meeting–on all sorts of things. We see them leading team meetings, but usually these are fairly one way discussions, “You aren’t hitting the numbers, you need to do more!”

Pipeline 111

Pipeline Meeting Technology Technology 111

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

You can literally do almost nothing but make your customers happy and usually you will still grow. Underestimated: Just how expensive the incremental customer gets beyond your core, highest velocity ICP. And that’s just fine if you build the next Slack, Figma, Zoom, Databricks, Monday, Bill, etc.

Growth 118

Growth Customers 118

SaaStr

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

The question for bigger customers especially on if a vendor will actually stay around if they you buy. But it’s been mitigated to some extent in the minds of customers. With 100+ public Cloud companies, it’s now a bit clearer that at least after a certain point in time, SaaS vendors have a lot of stability.

Customers 118

Customers Start-ups Sales 118