Elana Palmer

The unhappy path to quota: ⛔️ Work account list from top to bottom ⛔️ Work a ton of smaller deals ⛔️ Waste a lot of time chasing unqualified deals The happy path to quota: ✅ Work accounts most likely to engage ✅ Work a balance of large and small deals ✅ Invest all your energy into qualified deals This starts with territory planning. Play the odds and invest energy in accounts with the highest likelihood of closing. Sales leaders, provide guidance for reps so they spend time on the right accounts. Here's a 3-part strategy you can use for QBRs later this month and next: 1/ Analyze every deal worked in the last 6 months: ↳ What are the top two industries where you win the most? ↳ For the closed/won deals, what persona(s) was the first meeting with? ↳ What personas mobilized the deal internally? ↳ What use cases/solutions did you sell the most of? ↳ For the closed/lost deals, what made them a bad fit? ↳ What size were these companies? ↳ Were there patterns in specific department headcount or growth? ↳ What triggers did they have in common? 2/ Make a list of closed/lost deals to re-approach: ↳ Timing was bad ↳ Contract renewal dates are coming up ↳ Missing features or capabilities ↳ Didn’t get access to power ↳ Lost to a competitor ↳ Lost to no-decision 3/ Add your accounts into Sales Navigator, and run these searches: ↳ Accounts with prospects who are past employees of current clients ↳ Accounts within industries where you have the most success stories ↳ Accounts with newly hired executives that match your personas ↳ Accounts with good emails/phone numbers of your ideal personas ↳ Accounts with ideal triggers (hiring, etc.) ↳ Accounts where you have intro opportunities through teamlink ↳ Accounts where your leadership has connections ↳ Accounts where you have 1st-degree connections ↳ Accounts with contacts in your local geography ↳ Contacts who follow your company on LinkedIn ↳ Contacts you’ve had past interactions with on LinkedIn ↳ Contacts who are newly promoted into a leadership position ~~~ A proper territory strategy goes narrow and deep—not wide and shallow. Future efforts should be informed by your org's past successes. Use this list as a cheat for your next QBR. What would you add to the list? #Sales #Prospecting #Outbound

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The Demand for Technical Sellers! Sales professionals with technical expertise earn up to 20% more than generalists, reflecting their value in articulating complex SaaS solutions. These "technical sellers" are critical for engaging decision-makers and closing deals in industries like WMS, TMS, and demand planning. Looking for technical sellers who can drive results? Let’s talk about how I can help you find these high-impact candidates.

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Cold calling doesn't have to suck • Chad Baker: Something that doesn't get talked about enough → https://buff.ly/3UQUgtV • Zac Thompson: Pattern interrupts don’t work. → https://buff.ly/3yndpvR • Scott Martinis: When you get a soft objection or "I'm not the right person" → https://buff.ly/3yndEqL • Gabe Lullo 🏀🙌: I don’t care how many… → https://buff.ly/4buNJMs • Cameron Morgan: "Cold Calling isn't just 'booking meetings". → https://buff.ly/3wVEaHn • John Ciannello 🦁: The line I use to book over 80% of my meetings → https://buff.ly/4aq8xn6 • Patrick Trümpi: Most salespeople rush the cold call → https://buff.ly/4btaH6C • Troy J. Sacco: Cold call hacks → https://buff.ly/4buOmFO • Chad Johnson: Here are 5 top tips for making better sales calls → https://buff.ly/4bw2MFY • Neil Bhuiyan: Cold Calling Affirmations  → https://buff.ly/3wKNpKx • Matthew Putnam: Struggling with cold call anxiety?  → https://buff.ly/3UQF3cm • Kyle Darling: Low response rates to cold email? → https://buff.ly/4bvAlYA • Hessam Vahedi Kashi: Steal my cold calling framework → https://buff.ly/3QWrxTv • Rohith Reddy: Why make it harder than it needs to be? → https://buff.ly/3QWj0jh • Leslie Venetz: I used to make 120-200+ cold calls a day → https://buff.ly/3UQI1h4 • Nick Ross: build rapport AFTER the meeting is booked. → https://buff.ly/3UV8WZ5 • Aubrey Washington: You're going to need to give a high level value prop → https://buff.ly/4brmkuN • Tyler Hickey: Use filler words on cold calls. → https://buff.ly/3yofK9S • Richard Harris™: The best objection response for first call cold calling.  → https://buff.ly/3K8FNEO  • Jonathan Philips: Cold Calling and Chess → https://buff.ly/3QVjGWi • 🔥 Abe Braha: 2 stats about cold calling → https://buff.ly/3UQlFMw • Cipriano Martins: Call reluctance → https://buff.ly/3Khkvog • Stef Geraldes: amplify your sales calls → https://buff.ly/3yuMBtP • Dee Acosta 📱: Lots of hate on Permission Based Openers lately. → https://buff.ly/4atkngd • Mehul Fanawala: There's a MYTH circling around the SaaS sales → https://buff.ly/3KdK35U • 🔥 Tom Slocum: 5 tips to be a cold calling badass → https://buff.ly/4avakHp • Charlotte Lloyd: Cold calling doesn't have to suck. → https://buff.ly/3wORUUn • David Rolls: An objection I get a lot  → https://buff.ly/3UU2H7B • J. Blake Parker, MBA: How many cold calls does it take? → https://buff.ly/4ar31Rj • James Bissell: “Send me an email” → https://buff.ly/3Kaj3nV ********************************************** Get my collection of 120 cold call openers by subscribing to my newsletter.: https://buff.ly/3SgnwJo  **********************************************

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CROs: Run this outbound play to break into massive accounts 👇 Most CROs don't engage in deals. Or help reps break into ent/strat accounts. I've never been a CRO before—so I can't tell you whether that's good or bad. You have a lot of responsibilities as a CRO. But, I recently met a CRO who lands meetings with the C-Suite in MASSIVE accounts. The biggest companies you can think of in every category. The key principle: Power is more willing to engage with power. Leverage the C-suite title. Here's how it works: ✅ Pick 10 accounts to get started Choose the top 10 accounts that can make the quarter/year if you win them. The best accounts are ones that reps have worked but not been successful in breaking through. We'll assume you're already going after low-hanging fruit accounts where execs have existing relationships. So we won't count those as part of this exercise. ✅ Work in tandem with a great SDR Pick one of the top SDRs to help. Ideally, this is someone with great leadership potential that you want to promote at some point. ✅ Optional: Give the SDR access to your LinkedIn account This one will make you uncomfortable. You also have the option of creating a separate LinkedIn account as well. But give the SDR autonomy to send approved messages. ✅ Execute the outreach The SDR should do basic account research to find existing initiatives where your solution can add value. Then they need to research the individuals in the C-suite to find podcasts interviews, features, etc. if available. Pick 1-2 similar customers to mention in the message. This should be mentioned in the outreach, along with how you can add value. CTA: Ask for 10 minutes. Send via email and LinkedIn message or InMail. Here's what an example message could look like. --- Eric, Solid Q1, and congrats on the success of Nordy Club sales. Looks like membership growth is a key growth lever. I imagine member retention is a big focus. Our team has had tremendous success helping CVS, BestBuy, and Kohl's run world-class membership programs. Opposed to a quick 10-minute chat to learn more? Jason ✅ Run intro call These will likely go longer than 10 minutes. And the CEO will send you over to someone else in the C-suite. Run a solid intro call and make an offer to introduce key team members on your side. ~~~ The email/LI message should have all of the components of a great cold email: research, problem, social proof, and CTA. But the big difference is leveraging a c-suite title to get a meeting in the c-suite. I wish more CROs and execs in companies would leverage this approach. Agree or disagree? #sales #outbound

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Customers shouldn't be a simple hand-off from sales to CS. (no, no and no 🙅🏼‍♀️ ) (+ without customers, there wouldn't be a hand-off happening in the first place) Mastering the art of customer retention isn't just beneficial for orgs today... 👉🏼 IT. IS. ESSENTIAL.👈🏼 When this is realized + full understood that success is directly tied to the recurring revenue model that defines the SaaS industry today – it quickly becomes clear that high churn rates are more than just numbers. What they are - are warning signs of potential mismatches in: a/ PMF b/ huge miss in customer satisfaction Showing up and delivering market needs + intentionally focusing on building solid, trusting relationships that fuel long-term growth... that's growth for BOTH your customers + your company = winning combination. There is no question that it’s easy to get caught up in the race for new sign-ups, I get it. But if we pivot towards nurturing existing relationships, ensuring that what we sell, will solve now, and solve as things evolve with your customers’ growing demands - those new sign-ups, they become a fun bonus. 📈 The most valuable asset any SaaS company (+ beyond SaaS) can offer = - the trust and loyalty of the customers being served and the future customers experiences to come - bc it's not just a customer journey anymore, it's a customer experience from 1st touch through buyer cycle +++ beyond. Don't let the hand off get out of hand. Sales people, stay in touch with your customers. Set reminders on your cal to follow up on something specific: E.g.: touch base about "XYZ" they talked about that was happening a few months from when you spoke last - that has nothing to do with the product or solution you sold to them, big ps! Be human enough where your buyers, who are also human (as a reminder), will continue to follow you in your career because you cared about them past the sale...trust is retention and relationships are gold. #customers #retention #revenue

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90% of sales teams have no clue what their capacity is! Some things to think about here... How many opportunities can a rep manage at once? Beyond this number, critical steps will be skipped in the sales process. How many opportunities can a rep manage while prospecting? If your sales reps have to generate pipeline (as I believe all reps should do) then their sales capacity is limited to the hours they don’t have blocked for prospecting. How is capacity mapped to sales targets? - You have your Close Rate and ASP - You have Sales Cycle and Sales Capacity - You can now map our realistic sales targets - You can map our how many deals are needed - You can map how many deals will come from inbound - And how many deals will come from outbound prospecting Your reps block time to prospect and use the rest of their time to close deals. How does this fall apart? 1. You give reps too much inbound and they skip steps. - Close Rates drop - Average Sales Price drops - Opportunities take longer to close - You have enough pipeline but miss target Good problem to have. Hiring more reps should result in more sales. 2. You give reps enough inbound to stay busy - Reps have enough inbound to stay busy - They take all the right steps in the process - Close Rate, ASP, Sales Cycles all remain good - But they don’t have enough pipeline to hit target - And they don’t ever have enough time to prospect - They busy all day every day just managing pipeline Your sales targets are unrealistic for a pure inbound model. You need to lower sales targets and/or hire more reps and get them prospecting. This is a model many subscribe to but IMHO it creates terrible sales practices. Reps can’t replace pipeline so they’re too afraid to ask hard questions or walk away from unqualified opportunities so they just chase everything. 3. Reps don’t have enough inbound or outbound pipeline - Reps don’t have enough inbound to stay busy - They have plenty of time for outbound prospecting - But they can’t generate enough pipeline to hit targets Whatever hours they have for prospecting is not sufficient to hit targets. You need to lower targets and/or find a way to improve outbound conversion or the sales process. When reps miss targets we always blame them for not doing enough. But how do we know if they did enough if we don’t know their capacity? 🤔 In the 📰𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙊𝙥𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 📰 we explained how to do a sales capacity plan. Get it here: 🔗 https://bit.ly/48YVpEP 🔗 ✌️

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Cold call objection handling pro tip. Ask multiple choice questions. 𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: --> "What vendor are you using?" 𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: --> "You must be using X, Y, or Z, right?" Show them that you know the space. Meet them halfway. #sales #coldcalling

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🔑 MEDDPICC isn’t just a methodology; it's the blueprint for consistently closing complex deals. It cuts through the noise and focuses on what truly drives a sale, from identifying key decision-makers to understanding the critical pain points that lead to a signed contract. Here’s how it breaks down: Metrics: What’s the measurable impact for the customer? Economic Buyer: Who controls the budget? Decision Criteria: What drives the decision? Decision Process: How will they decide? Paper Process: What’s the approval and signing process? Identified Pain: What problem are you solving? Champion: Who’s your internal advocate? Competition: Who are you up against? If you’re serious about winning deals, you need MEDDPICC in your toolkit. It’s the blueprint for turning speculative opportunities into qualified wins. 💥 #SalesSuccess #B2BSales #MEDDPICC #SalesExcellence

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When RevOps is really just SalesOps (And the CRO is really just the VP of Sales) 𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦 𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗘 - Closing deals should work - Clear pipeline management process - Forecasting is as accurate as possible - But everything before & after is an issue 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 - Has different goals - Maybe the target is MQLs - Has their definition of MQLs - And their definition of SALs, SQOs - Has systems with different metrics - Their reports don't match sales' reports - Leads routed from one system to the next - With lots of things falling through the cracks - Classic case of marketing/sales misalignment 𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 - Do SDRs report to marketing? - If so, we're misaligned there too - The goal may be meetings booked - So AEs have lots of leads and meetings - But maybe not the ones they really need - The ones that convert to pipeline/revenue - We have more misalignment & finger pointing - Do SDRs report to sales? - What content do they have? - What events and assets do they share? - What visibility do they have into engagement? - How does marketing align with their outreach? 𝗢𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 - Sales is paid to close deals - How do they hand off customers? - What is the onboarding process? - Who builds/maintains that process? - What is done if sales drops the ball? - What is done if sales overpromises? - How are incentives and comp aligned? 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 - Which customers are easiest to retain? - Which customers are most likely to churn? - Which customers are the easiest to expand? - How is this data used to improve sales targeting? - How do we maximize NRR if sales is in their own silo? For me RevOps drives value by getting into the weeds and finding ways to generate more revenue with the resources available. That includes SalesOps and optimizing the sales process to close more deals. However, if we stop there we end up with an expensive and inefficient revenue engine with high CAC, high Churn and low LTV. We end up with different departments chasing different goals in different systems with different reports and different definitions of success. What would you add to this? Anything I missed? ✌️

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🚨 Sales agents who don’t follow up after the first attempt risk losing 70% of potential customers. Is your business leaving $30,000+ on the table every month? 🤔 Let’s do the math: 👉 In real estate, one deal earns you $5,000–$7,000 in commission. 👉 With a 2% conversion rate, every 100 calls close 2 deals, generating $10,000–$14,000. 👉 If your agency handles just 300 leads a month, you’re looking at $30,000–$42,000 in potential revenue. Now here’s the game-changer: An AI sales agent takes over your inbound and outbound calls, ensuring: ✅ Every lead is followed up within seconds. ✅ No missed opportunities or human errors. ✅ A scalable model to handle unlimited leads. 🚀 After implementing an AI agent, real estate agencies have seen: 🔹 20–30% revenue growth, turning missed leads into closed deals. 🔹 Increased efficiency by saving 48+ hours per week on manual follow-ups. 🔹 The ability to scale effortlessly without hiring additional staff. 💼 Imagine closing just 3 more deals a month—that’s an extra $15,000–$21,000 in revenue! Why wait? Drop a “AI Sales” in the comments, and I’ll send you FREE ACCESS to Our AI Platform Where you can create AI agent for your business within 5 Minutes & connect it with your website & Facebook ads. 👉 Let’s make sure you are connected with me so that never miss another lead and watch your revenue soar!

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48 Sales Books for Top Performers (The Complete List) • The Art of Selling - Tom Hopkins • Fanatical Prospecting - Jeb Blount • Great at Work - Morten T. Hansen • New Sales Simplified - Mike Weinberg • The Qualified Sales Leader - John McMahon • Closing The Sales - Zig Ziglar • Inside the Mind of Sales - Derek Borthwick - Coaching Training Author • The Challenger Sale - Matt Dixon & Brent Adamson  • Virtual Selling - Jeb Blount • From Failure to Success - Frank Bettger • Exactly What You Say - Phil M Jones • Never Split the Difference - Christopher Voss • 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey • The Inner Game of Selling - Ron Willingham • Addicted to the Process - 🏄‍♂️ Scott Leese • Insight Selling - Mike Schultz , John E. Doerr , et al. • High-Profit Prospecting - Mark Hunter • The Lost Art of Closing - Anthony Iannarino  • Attraction Selling - Justin Michael • Selling with - Nate Nasralla • Sales Secrets - Brandon Bornancin • The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes , Amanda Holmes, Michael Gerber, et al. • Spin Selling - Neil Rackham • The Seller’s Journey - Richard Harris™ • Gap Selling - Keenan . • To Sell is Human - Daniel Pink • The Ultimate LinkedIn Messaging Guide - Daniel Disney • The Sales Bible - Jeffrey Gitomer • The SaaS Sales Method for AEs - 🐶 Jacco van der Kooij, Fernando Pizarro, et al. • MEDDICC - Andy Whyte • B2B Sales Mentors - Scott Ingram • Winning Complex Enterprise Sales - Bud Suse • Sales Differentiation - Lee Salz • Pick Up The Damn Phone - Joanne Black • Selling is Hard. Buying is Harder - Garin Hess • Problem Prospecting - Richard Smith & Mark Ackers • Mega Deal Secrets - Jamal Reimer • The Work Before The Work - Paul M. Caffrey • Sell Without Selling Out - Andy Paul • Big Companies - Jill Konrath • Endless Referrals - Bob Burg • Emotional Intelligence - Colleen Stanley, CEO • The Job Nobody Dreams Of - Bill Becker • Solution Selling - Michael T. Bosworth   • Conversations That Win The Complex Sale - Erik Peterson & Tim Riesterer • The New Strategic Selling - Robert B Miller & Stephen E Heiman et al. • Hope Is Not a Strategy - Rick Page P.S. Join 2,349+ sellers who read my daily newsletter: https://buff.ly/3Xp3399 + get direct access to all lists, cheatsheets, and templates

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Thanks for the mention Haris Halkic. Cold calling doesn't have to suck, if you feel like it, go have a look at the below content!

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2024 SDRs are not like 1990 SDRs SDRs are crucial for achieving pipeline goals. Why do I say this? Sales development is no longer a smile-and-dial function. Sales development no longer just registers prospects for events. Sales development no longer just calls someone they've been told to call by an AE. Sales development is the conduit between the demand generation of Marketing and the targeted sales accounts to create a product, a quality meeting, that will impact the bottom line. So, to sum up.... Before you start your 2025 planning, have you considered how to best utilise your most critical pipe gen asset? Whats your take? #salesdevelopment #growth #sdr #GTM #sales #coldcalling 🇬🇧 living in 🇳🇱 | Get more content like this ➡️ Follow David Wilkins 🔥 hit the 🔔 for updates on new posts | Fix your outbound TODAY: Saleswise: Top of Funnel Consultancy

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Never ask these 5 Questions on a cold call. Wondering what to ask instead? Check out our newsletter for a guide on asking better questions, Link in the comments( 3300+ Sales Pros read it every Monday at 11 am) Practice asking better questions on Blue, your AI powered sales communication for instant feedback #sales #outbound #sdr

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Universal messaging doesn’t exist when in sales. Nuances do exist, even if we (PMMs) believe one doc speaks for everyone. That’s kinda hard when in sales. Because, the best sellers listen more than they speak. - Ask questions for thoughtful dialogue - Suspend pre-existing assumptions - Be curious about the buyer’s world Sellers don’t just talk about product; they listen for cues on ‘why’ it might pique interest. That’s why one messaging doc isn’t enough in sales. (A lesson I learned fast, when I first started smiling ‘n dialing.) Because, even great messaging needs context for new buyers on a sales call. Context being “how does this relate to me today?” Context = better seller credibility Here are three fast buckets I find that context for faster sales credibility: 1. Know the buyer: Use Perplexity to gather public testimonials about your product. Better when what’s said matches job title and industry. 2. Market: Use Perplexity (again) to find three key insights related to your product’s market category, from the buyer’s perspective. Example being Dropbox can be both “digital cloud storage” or “remote collaboration”, depending on buyer POV. 3. Competition: When you know the appropriate category, easier to narrow scope on key competitors. Should be no more than 2-3 in any competitive deal for B2B. Review win-loss opps, ask sellers “what common competitors get mentioned?”, and use Perplexity to fill the gaps. I mentioned Perplexity three times. If you’re not familiar, it’s an AI model ideal for market and competitive research. Gives you the direct source link for every fact cited. Objective research makes for more credible sellers too. 😉. But back to messaging! Great product messaging shows how to talk about it. But, listening matters more in sales. And sometimes, great messaging doesn’t show what to listen for (on a sales call). Even great messaging needs context in sales. Listen for it, don’t just talk about it. —————— This post was inspired from latest 1-hour convo on We're Not Marketers 💀 with Robert Kaminski 🎯. Listen while you’re working out at the gym. No timer needed. 🏋🏾‍♂️

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Catie Ivey, CRO of Walnut, recently joined me on The GOATS of Growth to discuss the differences between selling in today's environment versus selling just a few years ago. Of course, as a GTM recruiter, the thing that stuck out most to me was what she says in this clip below about the level of talent required on the go-to-market team when budgets are tight. There's a big difference between great sellers and CSMs and everyone else--and it's never been more apparent. We also talked about: -Creating buyer-centric experiences -Unit economics and KPIs she tracks -Her transition from VP to CRO -Traits she looks for when hiring -Much more Access to the full episode will be in the comments, or just search for The GOATS of Growth online or in your podcast app. Catie, thanks again for joining me! Please follow Catie for more great content.

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💡 How to uncover deal blockers Sales reps often loose deals for reasons and decision criteria they have not been aware of. There is a simple, yet very effective question to change this. "Dear prospect, if you had to decide today on a scale from 1-10, how likely are we to work together?" I use the question at the end of every qualified meeting further down the funnel (e.g. 2-3rd disco, demo, proposal). Its super effective for multiple reasons: 1️⃣ it requires the prospect to be specific and deliberately choose, no wishy-washy 2️⃣ for 8 and lower: ask "why" and "what's missing for a 10?" You will usually get all the reasons you can then respond to explicitely. 3️⃣ for 9 or 10: ask "why?" and get the prospect to articulate your value out loud🤩 Ever used it or a variation thereof?

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