Sat.Nov 28, 2020 - Fri.Dec 04, 2020

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Why Prospects Are Like Fruit: Targeting Your Ideal Client

Anthony Cole Training

Years ago, while attending the Objective Management Group International Sales Conference, Dave Kurlan, president of OMG, talked about how to effectively manage opportunities through the pipeline. He made the analogy that prospects are like fruit and vegetables in the produce section of your local grocery – they are all perishable.

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Forecasts are about the deals, not the number!

Membrain

This is one of those topics I wish I could just put to bed and ignore–yet it keeps rearing it’s ugly head. We continue to get forecasting wrong, at least for complex B2B sales.

B2B 166
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The Should-How Fallacy (Or Why “Correct” Isn’t “Useful”)

ConversionXL

Get a chicken. Cook it until it’s perfectly done. Reduce the jus to a nice pan sauce. Then finish it with some butter until it has the right balance of flavors. Enjoy. This is a useless recipe, but it’s not wrong. It assumes, however, that accurate advice on what you should do is as valuable as advice on how to do it—the “Should-How Fallacy.” But being right doesn’t create value; empowering others to succeed does.

Niche 161
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Get Ready Now for the Future of Sales

Engage Selling

This year has been all about adapting quickly to unexpected events.

Sales 152
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Smart Tools & Strong Teams: A People-First Approach to AI in Sales

Speaker: Matt Sunshine, CEO at The Center for Sales Strategy

AI isn’t replacing salespeople—it’s empowering them. The most forward-thinking sales organizations are using AI to enhance human performance rather than eliminate it. From coaching and messaging to prospecting and pipeline accountability, artificial intelligence is giving managers and SDRs the new tools they need to work smarter, sell better, and close more.

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Templates, Scripts, Context, and Variability

Partners in Excellence

I read a fascinating discussion led by Jeff Molander on the Copy Culture. Much of the discussion revolved around how we look at best practice, finding things to copy or emulate to improve the ability for others to achieve higher levels of performance. We develop scripts and templates, that help us leverage those practices and experiences that have worked, minimizing those that don’t work.

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Are you frustrated with your technology Frankenstack?

Membrain

Is this you or someone you know? Somewhere on your smartphone lurks at least one… two… maybe three little apps you haven’t used in six months. At least some of those apps… maybe dozens of them… are work tools you never log into.

More Trending

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How Long It Roughly Takes to Close a Deal in SaaS. And Why.

SaaStr

Q: How long does it usually take to close a deal in SaaS? Ok here’s a really rough set of timelines to how long it takes to close an Opportunity in SaaS: So: A $5k deal, or say $499 a month, can often be closed in a call or two. Certainly the buying decision that can be made in a day, a week, or at least the same month. A $20k-$50k deal often takes 2–3 months.

Closing 136
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Sales Dashboards 101: Your Key to Becoming a More Data-Driven Sales Team

Sales Hacker

Imagine watching a basketball game without a scoreboard. It would be nearly impossible to understand what was happening or who was winning. Now imagine playing in that game. It would be difficult to know how far behind or ahead you were, how much time was left, or what you needed to do to win. That’s what selling without a sales dashboard is like. But a sales dashboard is only useful if it’s done well.

Pipeline 135
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New Infographic: 4 Ways to Take the Lead in Virtual Selling

RAIN Group

As we near the end of the year, we’re left wondering what the world will look like in the next stages of pandemic recovery. One thing that’s for certain? Virtual selling is here to stay. In fact, 89% of B2B decision makers say they’re likely to sustain the new sales model beyond the next year, according to McKinsey & Company. If you want to succeed in 2021, you must master this new medium of sales.

Sell 135
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5 Ways Difference Makers Make a Difference During Times of Upheaval

Heinz Marketing

By Maria Geokezas , VP of Client Services. It is a simple concept. Difference Makers make a difference. In times of upheaval, such as the current health scare, social justice and political situations, the difference between teams that emerge as victors and others that seem stuck comes down to the Difference Maker. What, Exactly is a Difference Maker?

Gaming 133
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How to Coach Reps on Overcoming Sales Objections with Confidence

Speaker: Brendan Sweeney, VP of Global Sales and David Phelan, Account Executive

In a world where buyers are more informed and objections are more nuanced, confidence isn't optional—it’s a competitive advantage. In high-stakes conversations, knowing how to handle pushback can make or break the deal. Join industry experts Brendan Sweeney and David Phelan for a behind-the-scenes look at how teams are transforming sales coaching with real-time feedback, objection-handling role plays, and pre-call preparation that actually sticks.

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The Relevance Of A CRM For Financial Services

Salesmate

Customer experience is the heart of any business. The kind of support you provide to your customers is as important as your services. Hence, every business needs a helping hand that makes sure they provide the best experience to their customers and create a repeatable cycle of customer satisfaction. One handy way of ensuring the best services for any business is using a Customer Relationship Management software that enables timely services as well as personalized experience for their customers.

CRM 128
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3 Ways to Repel Your Clients

Engage Selling

As the pandemic continues, client retention is more important than ever before. Let’s discuss three ways you may be repelling your clients, so you can avoid this behavior and keep them! 1.

Clients 127
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Found! The Caliper vs OMG Comparison: Which Sales Candidate Assessment is More Predictive?

Understanding the Sales Force

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Yesterday, I received two assessments for the same candidate: one from Objective Management Group (OMG) and one from Caliper. Not being one to pass up opportunities like this, I conducted the following comparison: First, it's important to know that OMG's assessment is sales specific - built for sales. Caliper's is a personality test adapted for sales.

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When It’s Worth It To Hire an Interim VP of Sales

SaaStr

We’ve talked a lot on SaaStr about the damage a bad VP of Sales can do. They often make things much worse than they were before — and burn a year and half of your capital doing it. More on that, and the line between Great, Good and Bad here : But what if you are struggling to just find a Good VP of Sales … should you hire an Interim one?

Pitch 127
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Welcome to the Future of Hospitality: Smart Rooms Start Here

Speaker: Jady West, VP of Hospitality & Chris Bennett, Head of Sales & Engineering

The modern hotel room is no longer just a place to stay—it’s an experience to remember. Today’s guests expect seamless 5G connectivity, personalized comfort, and high-tech convenience. From AI-powered smart room controls to in-room entertainment and app-based services, technology is redefining hospitality from the inside out. In this new session featuring industry pros Jady West and Chris Bennett, we’ll explore how high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity powers the innovations that are enabling

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Ways To Motivate A Team When Sales Are Down

Salesmate

As a manager, you wouldn’t like to see poor sales results. However, declining sales graphs isn’t a pleasant sight for your sales team too. Constant failure leads to demotivation. They aren’t able to think clearly due to low morale. Demotivated sales reps find even the simplest of tasks challenging. Being the head of the team, you need to empower your sales team and boost their morale.

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Our Latest Podcasts: Hit Your Numbers & Start Strong in 2021

Force Management

End this complex year on a high note and define your plan for next year. Our November episodes share tips and insights to consider as you make strategic decisions (for yourself or your sales team) heading into next year. Review our rundown of episodes below. Each episode is available on your favorite podcast player, so you can easily download, listen and share.

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“We Will Never Revert Back….”

Partners in Excellence

The pandemic and associated economic disruption has forced all of us to reinvent how we work. Whether it’s within our own organizations, with customers, partners, or suppliers, everything has come up for grabs. We have had to rethink everything we do. What’s really intriguing is the pandemic has provided a forcing function, driving us to make changes or rethink ours strategies and approaches–but they are things we should have done years ago, independent of the pandemic.

Up-sell 115
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On Your Next Big Deal? Double Your Pricing.

SaaStr

There’s a fun — and very lucrative and rewarding — exercise I like to go through with most of the startups I work with. It’s goes like this: First, who’s your largest customer? OK. Now, do you have a prospect in the pipeline that’s somewhat similar? You do? Great. Now … On that deal … go quote twice your highest price ever.

Price 127
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Breaking The Commerce Bottleneck: Your SAP Exit Plan Starts Now

Speaker: Jason Cottrell and Gireesh Sahukar

Retailers know the clock is ticking–legacy SAP Commerce support ends in 2026. Legacy platforms are becoming a liability burdened by complexity, rigidity, and mounting operational costs. But modernization isn’t just about swapping out systems, it’s about preparing for a future shaped by real-time interactions, AI powered buying assistants, and flexible commerce architecture.

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How To Start A Sales Conversation That Captures The Interest

Salesmate

Potential buyer – Hello. Sales rep – Hello, I am Kelam, calling from Ace Interno; we are a B2B portal, holding six years of………. (Buyer hangs up the calls). Oops! This is what happens when sales conversations commence with a boring introduction. Nobody has time in this busy business world. People repel to uninteresting sales conversations; they find interruptive, infuriating, and a waste a time.

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B2B Lead Generation: How To Find And Attract New Leads For Sales

SalesHandy

For a sales team to continually nurture and close — B2B lead generation plays a crucial role in enabling the process. Over 60% of marketers believe generating quality leads to be one of the biggest challenges they face. . A single best channel or method to generate leads doesn’t exist. It’s often a mix of multiple organic and paid channels. These combine to generate a steady stream of sales leads within the best performing teams. .

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How to Deal With Difficult People in Your Sales Org – According to the Sales Hacker Community

Sales Hacker

Sales is a relatively high stress profession, with a fair amount (read: lots) of positive and negative swings. And with the industry being as competitive as it is, you’re bound to run into conflict. Dealing with difficult managers, coworkers, and even clients can add a lot of extra stress to your day-to-day work. Knowing how to deal with conflict in the workplace is a necessary skill every sales professional should master.

Sales 103
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7 “Easy” Ways to Increase Sales in One Quarter. Or Even Just One Month.

SaaStr

My 7 top tips to increase sales quickly. Hire a great VP of Sales. Yes, I am a broken record here. But I’ve seen it 100+ times. Hire a great VP of Sales, and even if nothing else changes … she’ll increase the revenue per lead by 20–100%+. In one sales cycle or less. More here: How My VP, Sales Doubled Our Sales in 90 Days. And No, It Wasn’t… Raise prices 20% — on new customers.

Quota 127
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New Research-Backed Strategies to Empower Managers as Culture & Engagement Leaders

Speaker: Beth Sunshine, SVP, Up Your Culture

When culture isn’t consistently lived out across the organization, engagement suffers—and it often starts with a disconnect at the top. In this session, Beth Sunshine, SVP of Up Your Culture at The Center for Sales Strategy, will reveal how HR and executive leaders can close the gap between vision and execution by equipping frontline and mid-level managers to become culture carriers.

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What Does Salesy Mean? (With Salesy Words and Phrases)

Salesmate

The other day I was speaking to one of my friends who’s a startup owner. She was infuriated speaking to people who sounded too salesy. As a startup owner, she was looking for a solution to streamline her business operations. Sadly not even one sales rep showed interest in understanding the problems she was facing. All she could hear was self-centric sales pitches.

Trust 112
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Even Super-Heroes Take Some Time Off

Partners in Excellence

I’m a great fan of the Marvel Comics Super-Heroes. Particularly, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Jessica Jones, and the collection of heroes in the Avengers. They are, virtually, invincible, which is what makes the super-heroes. But they aren’t always on. They knew they had to take breaks, recovering from whatever their last world saving battle was, strategizing and thinking about the next.

Gaming 102
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Rethinking Your Premium Content: How to Build a Guided Learning Course

Hubspot

Are you seeing a lower return of effort for traditional premium content like whitepapers, webinars, ebooks and more? Alternatively, do you find the biggest results just aren't there for the amount of work you put into the creation? If so, you're not alone. While these offers can provide in-depth insights for prospects, not every prospect sees the value in them.

Education 101
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5 Interesting Learnings from Slack at $1B in ARR

SaaStr

So this 5 Interesting Learnings post is a bit bittersweet. We’ve recently checked in with a bunch of our Cloud and SaaS favorites as they cross $1B in ARR: 5 Interesting Learnings from Zendesk. As It Crosses $1B in ARR. 5 Interesting Learnings from HubSpot as It Approaches $1 Billion in ARR. 5 Interesting Learnings from RingCentral. As it Approaches $1B in ARR. 5 Interesting Learnings from Palantir at $1 Billion in ARR.

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Automation, Evolved: Your New Playbook for Smarter Knowledge Work

Speaker: Frank Taliano

Documents are the backbone of enterprise operations, but they are also a common source of inefficiency. From buried insights to manual handoffs, document-based workflows can quietly stall decision-making and drain resources. For large, complex organizations, legacy systems and siloed processes create friction that AI is uniquely positioned to resolve.

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Sales Prospecting Success: 4 Steps to Creating New Conversations

Highspot

If you’re just getting started with developing a prospection motion, you might be wondering how to get your buyer’s attention and create conversations with them. The answer lies in an organized sequence of outreach deployed across multiple media with a strong, value-based offer that will compel the buyer to act. In other words, you need an Attraction Campaign.

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Different Types Of Prospects And How To Sell To Them

Salesmate

Your sales success is dependent on your ability to handle and convert prospects into paying customers. Like all fingers of the hand aren’t the same, even the sales world is filled with different types of prospects. So, the sales tactics that helped persuade one potential buyer might be ineffective while dealing with a different prospect. A good understanding of different kinds of prospects can help in developing successful strategies.

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9 Custom Reporting Tools For Your Marketing Team

Hubspot

When it comes to creating reports for your data , sometimes a pre-built dashboard, table, or template will do the trick. But what happens when your current tool doesn’t have a pre-built report that meets your needs or includes the metrics and dimensions you want to use? Well, that’s when a custom reporting tool comes in handy. What are custom reporting tools?

Customers 101
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When The Team Revolts

SaaStr

Start-ups aren’t democracies, no matter what some employees may think. The CEO is the CEO, and the founders are the founders. But start-ups also aren’t IBM or Cisco. Or even, anything like DropBox or Slack or Box or Hubspot, not organizationally at least. From 1-10 employees, it’s a family. After 150 or so, somewhere in there, it starts to become a traditional hierarchical structure.

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Get Higher-Quality B2B Leads That Convert!

B2B marketers face a number of challenges, including: continuously generating great leads converting leads to active sales prospects finding vendors that deliver real results Aggregage has proven content syndication, webinar, online advertising and intent signal marketing programs that deliver higher-quality leads. More than 700 companies have already benefited from our programs.