Jason Darmody

11 things world-class sales development teams DO—and what the worst teams DON’T Insights from... → Outbound Squad's experience working with world-class teams at Gong, Shopify, Rippling, and more → Orum's 2024 State of Sales Development report Commentary on how the best sales development teams... ✅ Use AI responsibly ✅ Retain top talent SDRs ✅ Align with AEs ✅ Deal with low-pick up rates ✅ And plenty more 👇 P.S. Watch this video for our full commentary: https://lnkd.in/eBFYfnU3

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💡 22% - Sellers with strong leadership support achieve 22% higher quota attainment [6sense, BDR Benchmark Report] ⏩ 2X - Companies leveraging AI-driven account prioritisation experience up to twice the sales velocity: deals close faster and at significantly higher conversion rates. [6sense, Annual Report] 🚀 $66M - Implementing an AI-based revenue strategy helped clients like Marathon Health generate $66M in new pipeline, unlocking quality leads and faster revenue growth. [6sense, 2023 Case Study] Discover how improved data and AI can significantly boost efficiency and ROI: https://okt.to/RkejuP

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Too many sales leaders are obsessed with scaling: - More calls - More leads - More emails - More meetings - More opportunities Without nailing: - ICP - Discovery - Messaging - Buyer journey - Value proposition Better to 2x what works than to 10x what doesn’t.

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Ever wondered how many decision-makers are involved in the average buying committee? It's over 11! 😲 This makes engaging in the right conversations more crucial than ever. To navigate this complex landscape, Shane Evans, CRO at Gong, leverages LinkedIn Sales Navigator to connect with key stakeholders. We had the chance to chat with Shane about how he’s equipping his team for future challenges, keeping pace with the tech industry’s rapid evolution, and utilizing LinkedIn for Sales to foster valuable connections and high-quality dialogues. 🚀 Curious for more insights? Dive into the full interview here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eN8zDbpt

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Lion Australia celebrates the success of enhanced trade promotions! With a rich history dating back to the mid-1800s, Lion stands out as a top provider of beverages in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. The company's commitment to building strong customer relationships drives its success in the industry. Investing millions annually in trade promotions, Lion ensures that retailers receive discounts and bonuses for promoting its products. Recognizing the value of tailored promotions, Lion offers each customer a unique and ever-evolving portfolio of promotions. Managing trade promotions is key, and Lion's transition to Anaplan from spreadsheets has proven to be a game-changer. Initially adopted as an interim solution, Anaplan outperformed expectations when compared to the permanent solution originally chosen by Lion. Not only did Anaplan reduce TPM claim-processing errors by 1.5%, but it also showcased greater flexibility and efficiency for Lion. As a result, Lion has embraced Anaplan as its strategic TPM solution, paving the way for continued success in the beverage industry. #LionAustralia #TradePromotions #planwithAnaplan

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Sometimes the Next Catch (New Client Win) is the One You Let Go 🐟🐟 Just like a sales acquisition person or leader, I would find myself getting straight back into the field in anticipation of catching that next big deal. This past weekend we were back out in the harbour as my son wanted to reel in another big fish. This is following my sons big catch the previous week when he caught his largest fish ever—a King Fish. Before long, he hooked another big one, and our hearts raced together as he reeled it in. You can read more about that one here https://lnkd.in/g78pPExk This one was a beauty too — big, strong, and everything you’d imagine when you dream of landing the “big one.” But as he brought it closer and got a good look, we made a choice: he let it go. Why? Because not every big fish is the right catch for you. This can sound familiar to customers. This fish didn’t suit what we were after or align with the experience we wanted. Watching it swim away gave us a sense of clarity and reminded me of an important lesson in sales and business: Not every opportunity is worth taking. As salespeople, we’re wired to chase and win. Seeing a potential new customer or deal can spark that same excitement, but it’s critical to pause and ask: Is this the right fit for me, my team, and my business? Here’s why letting go of the wrong opportunity can be the best decision you make: 1. Values Matter – In fishing, respecting the fish and the environment matters. In sales, respecting your values and the alignment with a customer’s goals is crucial. If there’s a mismatch, it’s better to walk away than force a deal that may not work out. 2. Focus on Your Strengths – Catching a fish you can’t handle—or taking on a customer that doesn’t align with your expertise—can distract you from what you do best. Channelling energy into the right opportunities builds momentum and confidence. 3. Long-Term Thinking – Letting a fish go allows it to grow or find its place elsewhere. In sales, saying no to a misaligned customer makes space for the right one. It’s about quality over quantity and relationships built to last. The moment I watched that fish swim away, I felt peace. It wasn’t a loss—it was a choice to stay true to what matters most. Have you ever turned down a customer or deal because it wasn’t the right fit? What helped you make that call, and what did you learn from the experience? Let’s share stories and lessons in the comments. Sometimes, the hardest decisions are the most rewarding. #SalesLeadership #CustomerAlignment #StrategicDecisions #FishingForSuccess www.victors.nz

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"Effective sales reps don't sell to buyers. They sell with them." Book 21: 'Sell with: The art of selling with champions to shape internal buying conversations & close enterprise deals' by Nate Nasralla Some interesting points in this book from Nate Nasralla around champion building, account mapping and writing compelling problem statements. Here are some of my takeaways: 🛣 Enterprise account mapping should have the flow of information and the priorities, metrics and incentives each person cares about. 🚧 There are three levels of consequences: functional problems, strategic problems and personal problems. 📝 Good writing is clear thinking made visible. 💚 When you are champion building, what you are really doing is trust building. What book are you reading this week?

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Here are our suggestions for some fresh technology ideas this week. Do you know these software vendors and can they help your business? Gong - one for the sales team - founded in 2015, Gong provides a Revenue Intelligence platform designed to transform sales teams by capturing and analyzing customer interactions across various channels such as phone, web conferencing, and email. The platform uses AI to deliver insights, suggest next actions, and automate workflows, helping businesses increase efficiency, improve decision-making, and accelerate revenue growth. Exclaimer - Exclaimer is a leading provider of email signature management solutions - what is that you might ask? The company offers tools that enable businesses to create, manage, and control professional email signatures across their organizations. Exclaimer's solutions help ensure brand consistency, legal compliance, and effective marketing through recipient-specific email signatures. The platform is widely used by organizations of all sizes to enhance their email communications and corporate identity​. Databricks - a powerhouse in the data area and a fast-growth vendor. Databricks is an AI and data analytics company that provides a unified platform for data engineering, machine learning, and analytics. The company's Lakehouse Platform combines the best elements of data warehouses and data lakes to offer a scalable and efficient data management solution. LivePerson - a leader in the 'conversational AI' and messaging solutions that enable businesses to engage with customers through chat, messaging, and voice channels. The company's platform leverages AI to deliver personalized customer experiences, automate responses, and improve customer service efficiency. LivePerson serves a wide range of industries, helping companies enhance their customer engagement and drive better business outcomes​. Hive - Hive offers a project and process management platform designed to improve team collaboration and productivity. Founded in 2016, Hive provides tools for task management, project tracking, and workflow automation. The platform integrates with various business applications, allowing teams to manage all their work in one place. -- There are thousands of technology vendors in the market - Viewpoint Analysis helps business leaders to find and select the technology that can help them best! #technologyideas #vendorselection #digitaltransformation #software

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Sean’s Sales Tip 🚫 Focusing solely on increasing the pipeline to meet sales quotas is a misguided strategy. It is akin to saying I will risk $300 in the slot machine, instead of $200 to make a win. 🔔 Salesforce's recent decision to require 3x pipeline coverage, up from 2x, rang the alarm bells for me. 💸 Such an increase demands significant effort and resources, leading to a dramatic rise in customer acquisition costs (CAC) and other bid related costs without guaranteeing an equivalent increase in revenue. 🤔 Think about the optics of this announcement. You are saying to your sales teams it is OK to lose 66% of your deals now, instead of 50%. 🎯 The emphasis should shift from maximizing pipeline to optimizing win rates and accelerating deal velocity. Step 1 🏆 Improve Win Rates Improving win rates is a more efficient and cost-effective approach to achieving sales targets. For instance, a modest increase in win rates from 20% to 25% can yield substantial revenue gains with no extra pipeline required. Step 2 🚀 Accelerate deal velocity To enhance deal velocity (and also win rates), salespeople need to focus on creating pain, recruiting, and equipping champions within the client organization so that your deal gets done and becomes a priority. 💡 Prioritizing win rates and deal velocity over pipeline growth is a smarter and more sustainable strategy for achieving sales quotas. This means that Sales Leaders need to be trained in how to coach their teams effectively and for them to get out of the office more often.

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Sitting down with Justin Geller (VP of Sales at Gong) was a treat. One of their early GTM hires he's risen the ranks - instrumental in their rise to category leading/defining growth and market dominance. Interviewing 1000's of candidates - he shares valuable lessons learnt about the strategic importance of clear communication and mission alignment in hiring Practical advice on sourcing top talent And trusting your instincts and maintaining honesty in the recruitment process The new episode of Between Two Hires (The Subtle Art of Not F#*king Up Your Team) drops this Thursday at 9AM PT! #saleshiring #salesrecruiting #hiring #startup #sales #between2hires

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In today’s market, #leaders are working hard to scale their teams to maximise productivity, performance and optimise efficiency. As they think more strategically about building their #sales organisation this article shares four strategic hires they believe can help transform a #salesteam and give them the boost they need to beat their targets. No surprise to me but my role is on the list.

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It should not be so hard to empower your sales teams. But, in 2023: 📉 53% of CROs struggled to increase sales velocity and rep productivity 📉 72% of salespeople spent time not selling 📉 28% of sales reps expected to attain quota This year, learn how to leverage the power of sales enablement 🚀 https://lnkd.in/eHDKVJ_J #salesenablement #change #saas

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Revenue Leaders. Salespeople at all levels. “Coming 10/15… Powerful articles Expert Insights Actionable Strategies Interviews with the best minds in sales”

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SWAT teams rather than armies. Hearing this phrase from lots of sales teams recently. And there is lots of logic - to a smaller highly trained (and coached ;-) elite team rather than a larger team, whether SDR’s or quota carriers. Here’s the drivers… - Sales Efficiency, the obvious one. Growth at all costs is gone, presumably forever. Cost of acquisition and sustainable growth are now key. - Raise The Bar, a smaller elite and well coached (couldn’t resist this time) team removes the weakest performers, the time and resources spent trying to pull them up and raises the bar for everyone on the team. - Bottom Up Economics, teams resourced based on on actual pipeline not multiplying quotas by team size. Quota carriers, even if good prospectors, can’t and arguably shouldn’t create all their own pipeline. If you don’t have the pipeline from SDR’s and inbounds, the team is bloated. - Elite is easier , With a smaller well chosen/recruited team, it’s more realistic with time and resource to help make them elite. And with an elite team, everything is easier. - Cheaper, it’s not just sales efficiency. It’s cost and budgets. They are smaller and what is possible or affordable has changed. What are you doing to create your SWAT teams?

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My Day 3 at ZoomInfo included a valuable 'Run Your Mind' session with Chris Hatfield from Sales Psych, focusing on stress and burnout prevention. Key takeaways: 1. Stress is a natural reaction, with our perceptions influencing how we manage it. 2. Burnout often results from neglecting our identities outside of work and overlooking our accomplishments. 3. It's crucial to pinpoint controllable stressors to effectively manage them. 4. Stay mindful of energy levels and prioritize proactive and reactive recharging strategies. Check out the pictures below for more insights!

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Poor territory management sinks even the best sales reps. Here are my three rules to help you get territory management right: 1) Ongoing, not static Reps should have smaller territories so they can focus attention. Then, when AEs uncover details that make an assigned account a poor fit, replace it with another high-potential account. If a territory is too big, AEs will be pulled thin. If it's too static, AEs will spin their wheels in poor-fit accounts. I've found focused but evolving territories most effective for all but strategic account segments. 2) Accounts belong to the company, not the rep High-potential accounts with unengaged reps are a massive waste of territory. If a rep doesn't give an account the attention it deserves, leaders should move it to a rep who will. I've seen "stagnant" accounts turn into six-figure wins by moving an account to a rep willing to do the work. 3) Balance propensity and TAM A territory full of potential whales is a slog - reps may work for quarters without closing a deal and getting paid. A territory full of small transactions is a drain—reps will be on a hamster wheel, unable to focus on significant revenue opportunities. Great territory build requires understanding what drives TAM for your product (hint: it's not just revenue and the number of employees) and using tools like Common Room to uncover propensity to buy via mentions, signals, multi-threading, etc., across different sources. Accurate TAM projections + understanding buying propensity = balanced and scalable territory management. Any other territory management rules you have seen drive success?

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