Ephraim Ramallo

The Fate of the SDR: Nothing Stays the Same Yesterday, Volker Hein, the Godfather of Systematic Software Sales in Person, dropped a real statement: "The #SDR model as we know it is obsolete. Not for the obvious reason everyone is discovering and hyping up (#AI), but..." (Link to the post in the first comment - well worth reading). 🔍 Why does Volker argue this change is necessary? He notes a profound market shift – an increase in diversified, specialized software providers and ineffective, technology-driven outreach attempts. This evolution leads to a significant shift in GTM Motion models, moving from superficial contact points to High-Touch and Dedicated Sales. --- 🌐 Why are circumstances as Volker describes? Digitization has made customers today better informed, more demanding, and more autonomous. The traditional SDR role, focused on quantity, neither provides impact nor value. --- 🔄 Volker's conclusion: A paradigm shift is necessary, from superficial contact points to consultative approaches that offer real value. --- 🔭 My view: This transformation is just the beginning of a broader upheaval in Sales that will fundamentally change all aspects of our sales models. --- Let me show you 📈 From Joe Girard's * Handshake to Algorithms That Sell: Selling was once the art of personal touch. Today, this art is transforming into data-driven, personalized customer experiences, supported by algorithms that predict customer needs more accurately than ever before. * Joe Girard hat es als "erfolgreichster Autoverkäufer aller Zeiten" ins Guniessbuch der Rekorde geschafft. Folge dem Link in den Kommentaren und lerne die 13 Erfolgsprinzipien von Joe Girard kennen. --- 🚀 The New Role of the SDR – Strategic, Technological, Indispensable: The days of SDRs as mere door openers are over. In a world where customers are often better informed than the sellers themselves, the modern SDR must be a savvy, strategically thinking advisor. --- 🎯 The Future is Non-Negotiable: We're not at a crossroads; we're already on the path. Companies that see this transformation as an opportunity will be the winners of this new era. --- 💡 What Do You Think? Is the rise of digitization through AI a threat or an opportunity? What skills do we need to promote to grow? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #Change #Transformation #GTM #CRO #CROMastersAi

80

23 Kommentare

How can you be more strategic in RevOps? - Move from report jockey to strategic advisor? Here’s a tangible example: - Suppose we’re running a Pipeline Council meeting... - We start showing CQ pipeline and forecast are on target Then, we show the pipe gen for the next quarter is not on track. Here’s how we could tackle the conversation: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴? - This slide shows our pipeline for next quarter. - Current progress is $1M against a target of $3M - We’re behind pace to hit that $3M target on time. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗞𝗣𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼? - This will impact one of our major KPIs… - New business bookings for next quarter.” 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱? - We have about 40 more days here - To increase our pipeline generation - In order to close the gap we have today 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁? - If we stay at the same pace - We’ll likely only reach $2.2M in pipeline. - We would likely miss next quarter’s revenue targets. 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: - We can see the issue is in the enterprise segment. - We’re creating about 1/3rd the opportunities we need 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: - We’d suggest having a 2nd meeting - Looping in marketing and field sales - To brainstorm a one-off campaign here - And how we can close this gap together 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽: - Other ideas to beef up pipe gen in the next 40 days? This is the fundamental difference in being strategic - We’re identifying a root issue and a potential solution - We’re making it easy for leadership to respond to this data - Not asking them to analyze data and make conclusions alone But what do you think? What would you add here? 🤔 More on this in in yesterday’s 📰 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙊𝙥𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 📰 Get it here: https://bit.ly/4cDUcVO ✌️

33

3 Kommentare

🚀 **The Future of Sales: Adapt or Get Left Behind!** 🚀 In today’s rapidly evolving market, the divide between traditional sales methods and modern strategies has never been starker. 🤔 👴 **Cold calling, endless emails, airport lounges, and painstaking CRM data entry**—these antiquated methods are slowly but surely becoming obsolete. While they might have worked in the past, they can no longer keep pace with the demands of today’s informed and discerning buyers. 🔍 Enter the new era of selling: **AI-driven tactics**! Imagine leveraging AI to: - Create tailored content tailored to your audience’s needs. - Distribute that content effectively to key decision-makers. - Align your approach with prospects through deeper insights. - Close deals through strategic video conference introductions, making your pitch more personal and engaging! 💡 Sales professionals who embrace these innovations aren’t just surviving; they’re thriving! By leveraging AI, they save time, enhance personalization, and significantly improve their closing rates. The choice is clear: adapt to the future of sales or risk being left in the dust. 🌪️ What strategies are you using to modernize your sales process? Share your insights below! ⬇️ #Sales #AI #SalesStrategy #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfSales #SalesEnablement #Innovation #LeadGeneration #SalesTech

3

1 Kommentar

Cold outbounding? A tip from me: don’t sell software to CEOs. In my personal experience, it’s mostly a waste of time. Why? Well, I don’t generally buy sales-served software. I don’t have anything against it — I generally love salespeople 😉. However, sales-served software is generally a larger investment and process for a specific function. I don’t do that — I hire people that have great judgement, that buy software that they need, and I'm generally involved in that decision making process when it makes sense to do so. I honestly can’t remember the last time I directly spent a meaningful amount on software for the company. Everything I buy, I mostly self-serve for personal use, and put it on a credit card. These tools look like ChatGPT, Loom, etc. I’ll try them for my personal use, and spread them more widely across the company if I think they help me build the type of company I want to build. Well, that sucks. Should I just ignore you, Stephen? No, please don’t: I crave the attention. Use me to get to other people. I will connect you with people on my team, if I think it makes sense. I’ve done this tons of times. Best way that you can get me to connect you is to do two things: 1️⃣ Send me personalised outreach that shows you understand the top priorities for our company. This means you’ll have to do some account research. It’s pretty obvious what I care about from my posts on LinkedIn, or from logic. 2️⃣ Impress me — make me feel like I’m missing out! Easiest way to do this is via social proof — if someone I really respect uses you, and says you’re amazing, that’s an instant forward to someone on the team with a “please investigate this”. So, there you go. A little tidbit for your day. Sample size of 1, I might not be representative, etc, but I’ve sense checked this with a few other CEOs and they tend to agree!

127

12 Kommentare

I wish I had known that before I started a company! When we started SDRs of Germany we had a clear roadmap. The next 3 years were sorted (so we thought... 😅). And then... our value proposition evolved based on customer feedback. Our sales cycle evolved based on our deal analysis. Our team grew based on the revenue we made and the need we had. Within less than 12 months we had built a completely different version of our company than we first had imagined. By then we have spent money on long-term contracts and wasted energy on making things work with the wrong tools. If you're working for a start-up or are planning to start one, learn from our mistakes. Set yourself up for success by allowing yourself to stay flexible. That's why I am such a big fan of softwares like Pipedrive that allows Start-Ups like us to grow, adapt and change where needed while staying flexible on the way. You're looking for the right solution for your business? Awesome! Feel free to dm me or check out the link below for more infos on our CRM. #salestech #inspo #2024

76

4 Kommentare

Here are 3 things #customersuccess leaders get wrong. And what they should do differently: 1️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 In most companies where #CS exists, the majority of company revenue comes form the customer base. In some instances, 85-90 % of revenue comes from the customer base. But CS leaders fail on two fronts here: - To realize this revenue impact on the company success - Articulate this revenue impact to the board, CEO, C-suite in a way that will empower the CS leader & team ✅ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨? Just like with your customers, you need to be able to show ROI internally. First, figure out how much revenue impact you own. And what 1 %-point improvements in NRR would mean for the company. Now create a plan to improve NRR and articulate that to leadership so you get a seat at the table and empowerment you need. 2️⃣ 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐂𝐅𝐎 Let's be real, most CS leaders have lived in spreadsheets. They are analytical and have a nack for using numbers and data. But when it comes to really understanding the impact of CS, we too often stuck believing that our CS metrics are the end all, be all. But anyone that has spent time with their #CFO and dug in, realize what KPIs and metrics matter for the business. ✅ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨? Have quarterly meetings (if you can) with your CFO or a FP&A leader to walk through the metrics the CEO/board cares about. You'll see things like EBITA, Rule of 40, Gross Margins, Cost of XYZ, ARR Growth etc. The key is not just to know what financial metrics impact the business but HOW the metrics you own impacts those financial metrics. Knowing that will ensure you are driving company success through your team. 3️⃣ 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐒 𝐨𝐫𝐠. 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 As a CS leader, you can typically impact your org. in four key areas: Position (within the company), Team, Methodology, and Resources. I see too many CS leaders focus on one or two of these areas. For example, they are great at driving internal buy-in (Position) and good at getting the right Resources (e.g. a CSP), but not great at hiring/developing people (Team) and how to drive workflows (Methodology). ✅ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨? All these parts are all connected, so when you create your annual budget, also create a CS Audit plan that incorporates these four areas. You can structure this plan like this: ➡️ What and who do I need internally to be successful ➡️ What is the optimal team structure to build around our customer base ➡️ What methodology do we deploy (what, when, who, how) ➡️ What resources do we need to make this all happen? What else do you see? 👇🏾 Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM Aaron Thompson Bob London Markus Rentsch Astrid Adriaens-Berges Rachel Provan *** 🛎️ If you enjoy my content, follow me for more ♻️ Repost to share with your network

23

8 Kommentare

Most sales orgs over-complicate sales commission. If your commission agreement does not fit on one page, it is likely too complicated. My go-to rule: Choose 1-2 priority KPIs you want to improve as a company the following period. A few examples: 👉🏻 Yearly C-ARR (new Logos or total) 👉🏻 Total ACV 👉🏻 Customer Churn first 6 months (or any other period) 👉🏻 Multi-year contracts 👉🏻 Revenue of a specific product 👉🏻 Upsell of current clients 👉🏻 Renewals 👉🏻 Up-front payment 👉🏻 Cash-flow 👉🏻 Services Revenue 👉🏻 Number of New Logos etc. Only consider the key KPIs in your commission agreement. If salespeople do not understand the agreement, it won't be effective. You cannot consider every single special case. And in case of doubt, salesperson should benefit. Two rules I would always apply: ✅ No cap and no floor ✅ Use an accelerator beyond 100% achievement If not applied, you will incentivise very weird behaviour. Below, you find an example of how an agreement looks. That is the whole thing.

283

79 Kommentare

What's the State of AI & Automation in B2B Sales? Simple insights you can’t miss. In our session yesterday, we presented the initial findings of the Sales Efficiency Report. Here are the key highlights: 🚀 Manuel presented on Inbound-led Outbound VS Traditional Approaches: He took the stage, tackling the age-old debate. The verdict? A balanced blend of inbound and outbound is key. Our survey (n = 132) also revealed: 📈 Lead Engagement: Trade shows & conferences remain vital for industry presence. Personalised emails are still king for staying in touch with leads. 💡 I had the pleasure of showcasing the 2️⃣ most popular AI use cases that increase value for B2B companies (n = 130): 1️⃣ Practical examples of CRM enrichment (CRM regularly synchronises with AI data providers for up-to-date insights) 2️⃣ and Follow-up Automation (AI continuously evaluates feedback and personalises follow-ups), demonstrating how these processes can be streamlined using AI. 👏 Many thanks to our speakers Manuel, Florian, and Valentine for sharing their expertise and insights. If you missed it, don't worry, here's the ungated recording https://lnkd.in/eN9Zd7jW and we are sharing the full report soon. 🔍 What was your favourite takeaway from the webinar? #B2BSales #AI #Automation #SalesWebinar #LeadGeneration #MarketingAutomation #SalesEfficiency

13

4 Kommentare

Hey Salespeople: Seeking best practices for B2B selling in Germany/DACH. I'll gather from comments into main post body here: - Prefer to buy from (local) German speakers (though some say this is becoming less critical than in the past) - Need examples of / references to similar customers using your solution successfully; far less willing to be an early adopter - Formality: Limited small talk. Be polite, respectful, and not overly-familiar. - Punctuality: Start on time / end on time - Detailed: More focused on technical details vs. marketing language. Facts & figures must be well supported. Be prepared to go deep in every meeting which means having a SME (sales engineer) involved from the start. Also, have plenty of robust collateral. - Quality-First: Quality and proven results are more important than price - More focused on security, privacy, & compliance - Process: Well structured sales process - Ensure your outreach is GDPR compliant. Respect do-not-call registries. Otherwise, cold calling is fine as long as your solution is relevant except in Austria. Cold-emailing is double opt-in (user signs up for list then clicks link in follow up email to confirm) and you must always provide an option to opt-out. - Provide local (German speaking) customer service - Legal negotiation tends to involve more back and forth; thus more expensive - Collaborative approach: Listen, discuss, and show expertise rather than assertively pitching.

19

26 Kommentare

"I have a SDR agency who is setting up ICP qualified appointments for me. I do not need to worry about keeping my sales team busy." These were the exact words of the CEO of an enterprise SaaS startup (ACV > 100k USD) when I asked him about his efforts to build up his pipeline. SDR's are a non negotiable resource for tactical marketing initiatives which help you connect with "in-market" buyers through brute force tactics like email marketing, linkedin outreach, and telecalling. But, at any given point of time, only 5% of your target market is looking for your solution (especially if its enterprise B2B) and these comprise of the "in-market" buyers. And these are the "in-market" buyers which SDRs try to engage. But what about the remaining 95%? That's where brand marketing comes in play What's brand marketing in the enterprise B2B context? - Understanding what keeps your prospective buyers awake at night and building your content strategy around the same. - Founder led marketing which involves the CEO/top brass using his LinkedIn network and business credibility to engage with prospective buyers. Eg Adam Robinson, CEO of RB2B and Retention.com - Engaging with prospective buyers in educational communities on Slack, Telegram Messenger, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and other platforms - Commenting on relevant posts by peers and prospective buyers on LinkedIn - Ensuring that your employees share their enthusiasm about your product/service in their own LinkedIn and professional networks. If you are a B2B marketer, I am looking forward to know more about your experiences in brand marketing #b2bmarketing #b2bsaas #b2bsales #b2bmarketingstrategy #b2bsalesstrategy #b2bgrowth #b2bcontentmarketing #b2bbrand

12

2 Kommentare

Lately, a lot of GTM experts and founders have been asking:  “How is AI changing sales enablement?” The hype is real. Here are some interesting use cases I have noticed so far: 1. Smarter call coaching After a sales call tools like Gong analyze it and highlight what went well and what didn’t like missed questions or unclear next steps. Reps get instant feedback and managers save time on reviews. 2. Faster, better emails AI tools help reps write personalized emails in seconds. For example they can generate industry-specific messaging that speaks directly to a prospect’s needs boosting reply rates. 3. Custom training for new hires New reps get personalized training based on what they need to improve. If someone struggles with objections, AI focuses their learning on that area helping them ramp up faster. 4. Focus on the right deals AI tools like Clari show which deals are most likely to close and flag at-risk ones. Reps know where to spend their time, and managers can step in where needed. AI isn’t just changing sales enablement it is making it smarter and faster. #Salesenablement #AIIinsales #GTM #Salescoaching #Revenuegrowth #Futureofwork

6

hey RevOps - let's talk deals skipping stages in your CRM for a second. ⏭️ Think we all agree that skipping stages is a no no. 🙅🏻 But that assumes you have your deal stages setup in a way that aligns with your sales process. Because if your deal stages = sales process, then you'd rarely if ever need to skip any stages, right? 🤷 So when your sales team starts asking questions about this, what's the best way to explain to them why they can't skip or leapfrog stages in your CRM? This question was posed recently in the RevOps Co-op Slack group 💬 Here's how the #RevOps community answered 👇 📌 Explain what data is collected at each stage and why it's important to deliver insights to help them sell more and sell better 📌 Contrary to the above point, another member suggested avoiding the "sanctity of reporting" argument Instead, ask detailed questions about these deal exceptions to understand why they didn't follow the standard stages in the first place and see if stage adjustments and/or entry/exit criteria changes are needed 📌 Visuals visuals visuals - create a visual and some documentation on why stages are setup the way they are and how they align the selling process This should clearly tie what the sales team does to each particular stage. The main thing to understand here is that your deal stages are meant to align with your sales process ✅ Sales process first, deal stages follow, Not the other way around, Meaning you shouldn't try to align your sales process to your deal stages. 🚫 Things change and evolve, your sales process is no different. So make sure you constantly re-evaluate whether your existing CRM setup still makes sense, Given the way the biz is operating today. Oh, and drink your water...gotta stay hydrated. 🙂 💦 #revenueoperations #salesops #salesoperations #CRM #salesforce #hubspot

14

5 Kommentare

I finally experienced how it feels to "cold call" as a rep at Salesforce, Hubspot & co. Called the CEO of a publishing house Them: "Samuel Müller" Me: "Hi Samuel, its Patrick Trümpi at Taskbase calling, hello" Samuel: "Hi Patrick" Me: "Hi Samuel, we do not know each other. Do you mind giving me 30 seconds so that I can explain why I call you right now?" Samuel: "Yeah go ahead" Me: "We are working with many publishing houses such as klett, cornelsen who have the following challenge. They...." Samuel: "I actually know you guys" Me: "Ah really?" Samuel: "Yeah sure, we are working closely with the companies you mentioned" Me: "Ah wow. And what do you think about our technology?" Samuel: "I think.... Went into a very open conversation and Didn't book the meeting He was working with a competitor and was happy Probably something salespeople from Salesforce, Hubspot and co. encounter regularly as well 😅 I celebrate disqualification as much as booking a meeting ✌🏻

151

42 Kommentare

To Salespeople Who Lose Deals At the Final Hour: These 6 words are the best advice I can give you ⬇️ Don't "Await" the Verdict. Influence It. A few years ago I noticed a strange pattern: Whenever I was waiting on a ‘verdict’ from a buyer, I lost. “We have a budget meeting on Tuesday where my boss is going to make a decision. I’ll let you know what we decide.” Some get excited to hear things like that. I dread it. Deals like that sound good. But they almost always go south. This isn't just true when closing deals. I noticed the same thing when raising funding. I noticed it again when recruiting. I usually lost when candidates said things like this: “Thanks Chris. I’m making my final decision on where to work next by Friday. Can I call you then and let you know what I decide?” Trust me when I say this: If you’re passively awaiting a verdict, bad sign. You’re going to lose whenever this is the dynamic: “Final decision meeting is on Monday. I’ll let you know then.” Now. You might be thinking: “Damn Chris, you’re right! I lost 8 out of 10 deals where I was ‘awaiting a verdict!’” If that’s you, your next thought is probably: “So what do I do so I don’t lose?” Follow this rule: Don’t await the verdict. Influence it. Whenever I'm in a pipeline review with my AE team, any time I hear a situation where they’re awaiting a verdict, I ask this: “How can we move from awaiting to influencing the verdict?” Two examples: Example 1: Buyer: “I’ve got a final budget meeting with my CFO Friday. I should have an answer then.” Instead of waiting until Friday where your weekend will promptly be ruined, say this: “As you can imagine, I’ve helped a few dozen others sell this internally to their CFO. Mind if we find 30 min before the meeting to put a 1-page business case together? I can share some angles that worked in the past.” Perfect. Now you’re not awaiting your doom. You’re taking the bull by the horns. Example 2: “I’m reviewing all of my notes between vendors and I’ll make my final decision Tuesday.” This one’s harder. You had a champion in your corner in the first example. But this? You’re dealing with a coy buyer. Say this: “I can understand that, and I have to ask: If you learned nothing new between now and Tuesday, what would you decide and why?” A tad aggressive? Maybe. But now you’re getting something you can work with. Instead of saying “Ok… Talk Tuesday…!” you instead have a chance to influence their thinking. See the difference? If you’re awaiting a verdict, you are an ‘effect.' If you’re influencing a verdict, you are a 'cause.' You’re making things happen instead of letting things happen. Big difference. As I reflect on the last decade selling SaaS, recruiting, and raising capital, I’ve found this to be true: You will lose 8/10 deals where you’re awaiting a verdict. P.S. Master the art of influencing the verdict in my (free) Q4 closing masterclass here: https://lnkd.in/g6tFrgJv

711

74 Kommentare

Dear SaaS CEOs, COOs, and CROs, stop blaming your CSMs for churn that happens for reasons not under their control. They can't stop customers from leaving if ⛔️ your product has major flaws ⛔️ you are acquiring the wrong customers ⛔️ you are setting unrealistic expectations ⛔️ your Customer Support is underperforming Yes, they can and should provide the insights to understand where and why customers are leaving. But it’s your responsibility to ensure the proper measures are taken and to hold the respective leaders accountable. Your churn rate will remain high until change your tune or go out of business (whatever comes before). Churn is a company-wide issue that needs an orchestrated approach to deal with it. Act accordingly. PS: Create more value for your customers and your company --> https://lnkd.in/d5cGMT4R #saas #customersuccess #customervalueledgrowth

832

44 Kommentare

Dear SaaS CEOs, COOs, and CROs, stop blaming your CSMs for churn that happens for reasons not under their control. They can't stop customers from leaving if ⛔️ your product has major flaws ⛔️ you are acquiring the wrong customers ⛔️ you are setting unrealistic expectations ⛔️ your Customer Support is underperforming Yes, they can and should provide the insights to understand where and why customers are leaving. But it’s your responsibility to ensure the proper measures are taken and to hold the respective leaders accountable. Your churn rate will remain high until change your tune or go out of business (whatever comes before). Churn is a company-wide issue that needs an orchestrated approach to deal with it. Act accordingly. PS: Create more value for your customers and your company --> https://lnkd.in/d5cGMT4R #saas #customersuccess #customervalueledgrowth

105

4 Kommentare

Dear SaaS CEOs, COOs, and CROs, stop blaming your CSMs for churn that happens for reasons not under their control. They can't stop customers from leaving if ⛔️ your product has major flaws ⛔️ you are acquiring the wrong customers ⛔️ you are setting unrealistic expectations ⛔️ your Customer Support is underperforming Yes, they can and should provide the insights to understand where and why customers are leaving. But it’s your responsibility to ensure the proper measures are taken and to hold the respective leaders accountable. Your churn rate will remain high until change your tune or go out of business (whatever comes before). Churn is a company-wide issue that needs an orchestrated approach to deal with it. Act accordingly. PS: Join 5k+ CS professionals and sign up for my weekly newsletter if you like this post --> https://lnkd.in/dtC7MEjP

1.182

39 Kommentare

"Outbound is dead!" Wrong. Manual, impersonal, irrelevant outbound is dead—and good riddance. But automated outbound that feels human? It's printing money in 2024 and beyond. Here's the deal: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆: • SDRs manually grinding 8 hours a day • Copy-paste templates • Hoping something sticks • Inconsistent results 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘆: • Automated multi-channel sequences that feel personal • LinkedIn + Email working together 24/7 • Predictable pipeline generation • Your SDRs focus on actual conversations • Focus on content creation We're seeing clients get 15+ qualified meetings per month on autopilot while their SDRs s̶l̶e̶e̶p̶ are on vacation. 🏝️ The truth? Outbound isn't dead - it just evolved. The companies who adapted are feasting while others are writing obituaries. ☠️ Want to see how "set-and-forget" allbound (inbound+outbound) systems look like? Drop a "🤖" below and I'll share my exact process.

11

8 Kommentare

How we fixed our POC problem: We've run 30+ POCs over the last few months DealPage (YC W23), with a mixed bag of results. POCs are a key way buyers de-risk working with startups. Unfortunately, they're passing that risk off to you. If you don't know what you're getting into (like us a few months ago), that could lead to wasting time, money, and opportunities. We've turned our POC process around by changing 3 things in our tactics and approach. NOTE: this might only be helpful for founder-led sales at startups 1. Get to "NO" faster ❌ In our first few POCs, we bent over backwards to eventually get to "YES." Need a few more weeks? Sure! Want to wait until the next release? No problem. That led to tons of scope creep, POCs that dragged on for 2-3x as long as intended, and less urgency from buyers. The biggest change we made was encouraging buyers to say "NO". Counterintuitive, but giving buyers easy and frequent outs changed everything during our POCs. Tactically, this meant diving into every objection with the approach "is this a deal breaker? If it is, no worries!" Buyers who stuck around were now consciously opting in, and convincing themselves that they really needed our product, vs. the other way around. For startups, this is a great way to find out what really matters to buyers and avoid wasting your efforts. 2. Agree on the buyer's time commitment, not an overall timeline ⌚ Most POCs are based on length, e.g. 4 weeks. We moved from agreeing on timelines to getting commitments from our buyers on how much time they would spend with us on check-ins, onboarding, and testing (e.g 5 hours). The length of the POC and specific dates were less important. Users adopt and love your product once they are onboarded, familiar, and getting value. Not by having it sit around for a certain amount of time. This change in framing allowed us to ensure our buyers were investing in the POC process (sharing some of the risk), helped us cut our average POC time in half, and was a great source of insight into our time-to-value. 3. Run free POCs, but sign an LOI 🖋️ In the early stages of building a product, most startups have to provide some value for free. We tried running POCs with no contract signed, then getting full agreements signed, and lastly LOIs. The first screwed us over in predictable ways. The second slowed us down too much and we lost momentum. LOIs (for us) have been the right mix of commitment and speed. It lets our buyers get into the platform and see value quickly. If we're getting positive feedback and "opt-ins" at our first check in, we're able to kick off formal procurement shortly after. These 3 changes helped our conversion rate, decreased POC lengths, and made Andrew Luo and I happier, less stressed founders. P.S. If you're looking to run better POCs, we have a FREE POC Plan template you can use as a starting point linked below! ⬇️

27

5 Kommentare