Chelsea Tolbert

The biggest time sap as a seller? Spending time on people that can't/won't buy 🫠 What was the biggest change I made as I became a more Senior AE? Qualifying out Focus on: ✅ Your core buyers/ICP accounts ✅ Harder hitting questions ✅ Challenge prospects that are time wasting ✅ Match prospects urgency the quicker you focus on these points, the quicker you'll have a pipeline of real deals #sales

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Salesloft helps drive efficiency from an individual contributor level all the way through sales leadership. Check out how Gabby Winfield and the team at Staffmark are driving success with Salesloft: https://lnkd.in/eP_NQzuV

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💶 There are loads of posts around BANT, MEDDICC, methodologies and so on. But in the end, sales always comes down to ‘need’ but I don’t think many really get what that actually means. I’ve seen Enterprise AEs torn apart at QBRs by CROs as they haven’t been able to truly identify ‘need’ and what the compelling event is. My simple advice: The ‘so what?’ method. Kind of like the 5 whys, whenever you get an answer to your sales questions, ask yourself internally, ‘So what?’ ”I need to make sure this is signed before Dec 31st.” So what? “If we don’t we’ll be in trouble with the regulators.” So what? ”Worst case scenario we can be fined 10% of our annual turnover…” Spoiler alert: 95% of the time it comes down to 🤑 💰 💶

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What should you do when a promising deal goes dark? 🧐 I have the pleasure of working directly with Sales Manager David Mansfield and here he shows how ZoomInfo Copilot can help you identify and re-engage with key contacts to get your deal back on track. Don't let a stalled opportunity mean a lost deal. Learn how ZoomInfo Copilot's AI capabilities make it easier to multi-thread, connect with decision-makers, and keep the momentum going. ⬇️ #ZoomInfoCopilot

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Calling all B2B sales professionals. With our friends at Aircall, we need your help with our State of Sales Coaching survey 2024. 3-5 minutes of your time could win you amazing prizes - the latest AirPods, Sonos speaker, Nespresso machine, and of course MySalesCoach scholarships. Sales coaching is widely considered the most critical function of a frontline sales leader. Previous studies demonstrate that it significantly boosts win rates and quota attainment. However, many sales organisations find it challenging to establish and execute an effective sales coaching culture and strategy. Our survey seeks to identify the key trends, best practices, and impacts of sales coaching in 2024. You'll be first to get the study published in October packed with insight, data and trends. Leaders and Individual Contributors should complete the survey - with scholarship places up for grabs for each. Your voice really matters, complete today for a chance of these amazing prizes and to be first with the report. Link here to complete - https://lnkd.in/eKRcTPXV

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𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 In the latest in our Sales Training Series, we look at a fabulous tool for managing the complexities of BIG deals at BIG Customers. A political Map is a very useful tool for deeply understanding all of the players that are involved at your Customer, what their influence might be, how they face off to one-another, what are their personal / professional motivations, and what concerns they may have with your Company or Solution. • 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: List the individuals or groups within the customer organization who have a vested interest in the SaaS solution. This may include executives, department heads, IT personnel, end-users, procurement officers, and influencers. • 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀: Evaluate the influence and decision-making authority of each stakeholder. Some stakeholders may have direct decision-making power, while others may serve as influencers or gatekeepers. • 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: Analyze the relationships and connections between stakeholders. Identify allies, champions, and potential detractors within the organization. Understand how decisions are typically made and who holds sway over whom. • 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀: Gain insight into the motivations, priorities, and objectives of each stakeholder. Understand what they hope to achieve by adopting the SaaS solution and how it aligns with their departmental or personal goals. • 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Identify potential objections or concerns that stakeholders may raise during the sales process. Anticipate questions about ROI, security, integration, compliance, and other relevant topics. • 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: Based on the political map, develop a targeted engagement strategy for each stakeholder. Tailor messaging and value propositions to address their specific interests and concerns. Cultivate relationships with key decision-makers and influencers. • 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀: Proactively address potential obstacles or objections raised by stakeholders. Provide evidence, testimonials, case studies, and references to demonstrate the value and credibility of the SaaS solution. Offer solutions to address specific concerns and mitigate risks. Happy Selling

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Unlock the power of revenue intelligence with Chorus by ZoomInfo. 🔓 From identifying risk factors to tracking essential communications, Chorus helps you stay on top of every opportunity and prioritize your accounts. Watch as Solutions Consultant Anthony Cruz shows how to gain key insights into your deals and optimize your sales strategy with Chorus. ⬇️

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How do you detect atrophy in your team? Many of the conversations I’m having with revenue leaders centre around how they can become more proactive vs reactive. A big part of this is detecting atrophy - those reps who may be blindly slipping into decline or heading for a bad quarter. To be proactive requires ruthless focus on LEADING indicators. Rather than obsession over LAGGING metrics. Leading indicators typically include KPIs such as: - pipeline value ($ opps created) - pipeline volume (# opps created) - stage to stage conversion (%) - activity volume Another great leading indicator is competency scores - ie what level of competence are reps demonstrating vs key competencies you expect them to display. Close monitoring of leading indicators helps you as a leader make proactive interventions so your team can course correct before it’s too late. It might just save your quarter. #leadership #data #growth #metrics #objectivedata

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Hey sales leaders. I need your help. I have 4,000 accounts I need data enriched on by end of next week. Who are the best manual data enrichment partners. If you are selling these services, consider this your buying intent signal! 🙂

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The #1 habit salespeople use to keep deals moving to close? Maintaining deal momentum is tricky—especially with long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders. While follow-ups via email, text, or LinkedIn are the baseline, they often aren’t enough. The key is to have a personal pipeline review and ask: What can I do today to add value and move this deal to close? Some examples: 1. One rep I know sent a fun Amazon gift—a drink holder shaped like the brand’s name. This playful gesture sparked laughter, strengthened rapport, and ultimately helped him close the deal. 2. Another rep revived a fading conversation by sending a thoughtful DoorDash gift card, which re-engaged the buyer and led to a successful close. 3. One focused on building personal relationships across all stakeholders (by sending personalized emails and texts to each stakeholder individually). Inevitably, when one of the stakeholders hesitated, the other stepped in to support the deal. 4. A different rep engaged with his buyers personal social media accounts (specifically Instagram and Facebook), expanding to a multi-channel relationship, helping him close the deal. 5. More recently, I had a rep who leveraged below the line champions to (1) get connected with the economic buyer, and (2) to justify why now with stunning testimonials, helping move the deal to close. Each of these creative solutions stemmed from asking "how can I move this deal forward and add value?" during a personal pipeline review. I recommend reps do this daily, weekly, or somewhere in between. Depending the size of your pipe, you may start with less while you're focused on pipe creation. Mornings work best—spend 30-60 minutes thinking creatively about how to move deals forward. Go through every single deal, starting with the ones furthest along in the pipe. Riff with your manager or colleague if needed. Be consistent. What other creative things have you seen/tried to help move deals forward? #sales #pipelinereview #dealmomentum

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Meetings are where deals are won and lost. 🤝 They're so important that sellers spend roughly 70% of their time either preparing, presenting, or following up on them. Learn how to make the most of your meeting prep, here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4bGn8v7 ​

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Unlock the power of revenue intelligence with Chorus by ZoomInfo. 🔓 From identifying risk factors to tracking essential communications, Chorus helps you stay on top of every opportunity and prioritize your accounts. Watch as Solutions Consultant Anthony Cruz shows how to gain key insights into your deals and optimize your sales strategy with Chorus. ⬇️

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Enablement challenges are everywhere and it might seem impossible to enable your sales reps in every aspect of their role 🤯 In this new series, you will learn how to solve these challenges through the lens of enablement professionals 🚀 But first, Kelly Lewis welcomes you on your journey to enable the i̶m̶possible👇 https://hghspot.co/4gaUVAh #salesenablement #enabletheimpossible

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Aiming to build an AI-powered sales tech stack? Look no further than this comprehensive guide by eWeek, which recommends an AI-powered enablement platform like Seismic. "[Seismic] automatically recommends the most effective content to sales reps based on specific deals, ensuring that they are always equipped with the most relevant and impactful sales materials." Learn more in eWeek:

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Here's the stark facts in sales today. - 31% of reps are making quota - Nearly half (44%) of deals slip - Sales cycles are double digits longer, win rates are double digits down - Inbound leads are down - Salesforce recognised the need to increase pipeline coverage to by 50% (from x2 to x3) Most of those we speak to recognise all these challenges. But they are stuck. "Do more with less" is the message. They have cut teams and fought for those remaining. Their organisations are stuck with blind hope and knives sharpening. The only solution they know is to fire and replace. Because the real problems aren't acknowledged. The market has changed and it's harder. But are teams are not more skilled. The same teams, that could achieve in the old world are failing in this one. And the last message anyone wants, is we need to spend some money to solve that. "That's your job isn't it?" cries the leadership to time-starved managers and leaders. Anyone want to guess what's going to happen to sales manager average tenure (already at an all-time low of 18 months)????

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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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