Nicholas Fields

Being on hold with HMRC for 1h24m 🤢 At Deel, we do: - Live Chat (with a human) in 90 seconds - Instant video calls - Call backs - A dedicated account manager - A dedicated CSM (Both who respond - within the day. And if they’re on PTO there are backfills) - Direct Access to 600 experts across 150 countries - 48 hours response time - A shared Slack/Teams/Whatsapp channel - And for good measure a ChatGPT knowledge base When people ask ‘what type of support do you have’, my answer is ‘well, everything’. That’s how it’s done HMRC!

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Seen some interesting discussion about digital sales rooms (DSRs) on here recently As with most sales tools, part of it comes down to the end user - would you blame Orum or Nooks for a bad cold call? Having sent +2,000 myself, here are some top tips to make them work: 1- Make them personalised - prospect's branding, business cases, call summaries, demo recordings, MAPs 2- Introduce them early 3- Show your buyers how it's going to make their life easier before you send it 4- Don't overwhelm buyers with all information at once. Evolve them over time 5- Adapt to each deal. There is no 'one size fits all' - a DSR for SMB will be different to Enterprise 6- Use video to give context. People retain 95% of video information vs 10% in text 7- Make mutual action plans collaborative, don't just set homework 8- Encourage collaboration through live chat, comments and huddles 9- Focus on the DSRs that have the most engagement 10- Make them on brand 👆 The feedback from our customers' customers is overwhelmingly positive when you follow these steps And if buyers aren't willing to look at a digital sales room, they might not be *that* serious about buying 😬 #digitalsalesrooms

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Who is hiring salespeople right now? This post will reach 50,000 + salespeople across the UK and EMEA. After being on the market myself briefly... I've felt an uptick in hiring activity. However, its not always easy to get your brand out there with all the competition for talent. This one way is easy and free! Just follow the steps below: 1. Post a link to your role/roles in the comments 2. Share and like this post 3. Get your team to comment under the role you posted Easy, Peazy Lemon squeezy! Go Go Go!

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Our two newest SDRs went live on Tuesday.... and this morning they walked into standup with 11 meetings booked between them 😱 Aside from the obvious 'holy sh**, new record' 😍 🤠 we chatted about what made that possible 💡 I've shared before our 5 day flat onboarding overview, here's the extra details not covered: 💜 we build a lot of time into onboarding for good account hunting + sequencing them [2 of their 5 days of onboarding are dedicated to this] 💜 they both sequenced 3x the number of net new prospects I had given them a goal for [pure determination + hard working SDRs] 💜 they each spent ~3 hours on the salesfloor with the team EVERY DAY listening to other team members calls, objection handling, pitches, etc 💜 they practiced pitching w Jim [IYKYK - check out our website] 💜 countless times on the salesfloor when they had a question, multiple team members (Michael Rusu, Sadaf Ghadimi, Tanaree Suriwong, Ryan Zawada + Jared Dietz I happened to witness)  were happy to drop what they were doing and help them Expectations + team support + hiring killers = a recipe for the team to fly high today on Ryan Getz + DaVonte Scafes kickass first week live 🔥 💪 Who ever said prospecting wasn't a TEAM sport? 👀 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦

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No one should be ashamed of working in sales You rank pretty high compared to others Did you know... Average UK SDR Salary: £35,412 → UK - Top 26% → Global - Top 12% Average UK SDR OTE: £45,309 → UK - Top 20% → Global - Top 10% Average UK AE Salary: £55,000 → UK - Top 15% → Global - Top 8% Average UK AE OTE: £75,000 → UK - Top 10% → Global - Top 5% Sources: UK Talent, Jobted, PayScale, UK Tax Calculators Is it comfortable on your high horse? 🐴 Let me know in the comments #sdr #ae

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What I hear a lot from SDR/BDR Managers focusing on cold outbound! 👨‍💻 Their reps are struggling to speak to enough people…..connect rates are sitting about 3% in the US and around 7-10% is the UK Their data quality is poor, so they’re not getting through to the right people or calling bad numbers! The reps call culture is on a decline because they spend all day dialling listening to voicemails and answer machines! (Even when the call goes to the right person they’re being marked as SPAM) What does that mean for SDR Managers and their teams ?🧐 They’re struggling to hit quota because they aren’t having enough conversations…. Pipeline is on a low…. They’re always trying to find ways of motivating their team to dial! If you’re looking to take back control by improving your teams efficiency, Allowing them to have more conversations Improving calling culture (Reps feel like they’re wasting time when they see no ROI on their time) Calling dynamically to ensure your using your data effectively Then let’s have a conversation! Drop me a DM 🚀 P.s Cold calling is the BEST form of outreach I don’t care…..

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Do you need to have SDR experience to be a successful SDR? In my opinion, no. If hiring managers are just looking for existing SDR’s then a lot of talent is being missed. Call centre jobs, door-to-door sales…recruitment 😅 There are many roles out there that build resilience, grit and get people used to being told no… or worse, which is vital. Don’t get me wrong, hiring someone with SDR experience would be ideal and make them very likely to succeed. But, you might be hiring someone who wants to progress quicker than you like. If they’ve been an SDR for a year already, will they want to start from scratch and do another 12 months? They may be a bit more expensive and might even need as much training as someone with no SDR experience if they’re used to doing things a different way! There’s a lot of talent out there, don’t fish from a small pool 🎣 #recruitment #sdr #creativenatives

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🚀 Hiring Account Executives in new regions isn't easy. 💡 Here's what Andy Baillie would look for if he was recruiting the first AE on the ground in the UK 🇬🇧 🎥 Growing Pains is a new video series where fitness meets software sales! 🎤 I interview some of most successful sales leaders in the tech industry about their career journeys and how they've built high performing sales teams. 👇 Follow the link in the comments to watch Episode One! 🍿

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SDR is DEAD 💀 Outbound is DEAD 💀 Cold Outreach is DEAD 💀 Here's my take... 10 years ago there were lots of accounts to cold prospect into who didn't have any SaaS solutions in place. Aka there was LOTS of room for everyone. Companies then hired tonnes of SDRs to hoover them all up as fast as possible. Now we have lots of SDRs fishing is much smaller ponds [because the accounts have all been sold to]. This means SDRs are not doing ''new business'' they are trying to displace existing vendors [in most cases]. Displacement takes A LONG TIME because you have to prove [over time] why you're worth the extra effort to change. The problem is companies want results NOW. They gotta balance short term cash flow with long term strategies... Facts right now are... 1. Outbound is still CHEAP [if done right] 2. Big deals have a GREAT return 3. Organic inbound is SLOW 4. Paid inbound is EXPENSIVE 5. NO well-researched prospect complains about good outreach The solution...PROSPECT-LED OUTBOUND. It balances warm and cold. Here's 3 examples: 1. Prospect visited the website and didn't fill in a form 2. Prospect registered for an event but didn't attend 3. Prospect is new to role There are loads more. The common theme is they ALL fall in the bracket of prospects who have taken some action that could indicate they need some help. Balance your short term [outbound] strategy with a longer term [organic inbound] strategy. Win:win. SDR isn't dead. We just need to get better at it. PS. If you'd like to learn my ''PROSPECT-LED OUTBOUND'' method you can book a free strategy call here [VPs of Sales, SDR Leaders, C-suite only]: https://lnkd.in/gXPrABuy

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Another post with me moaning about blind out bounding - but Russell Weeks this is not moaning about the business development function, you're living proof of how useful SDR / BDR teams that function are. It's this - make sure you get your data right and do some proper research rather than just setting up a sequence and buying a list. Nothing makes me hit the "report spam" button in Gmail earlier than this sort of reach out: "Is setting a positive company culture at MACH Alliance and engaging employees a challenge for you?" Right, so there's clearly some LinkedIn scraping going on, or a list out there with me working for the MACH alliance. TLDR; I don't 🤪, and some of the "I have a PHP developer perfect for the alliance" spam is even funnier. Anyway, point is, 5 minutes researching per contact might make your conversion rate jump significantly! Right, off to play Padel in Marbs! #gatwickbound

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When I started in my first tech sales role I was so focused on the next step (and improving my base). But I quickly realised that the best way to do that was to get really good at smashing my own target and delivering You might have ambitions of becoming an AE, or moving into a management position Either way, if you’re in sales then every route starts with consistent performance and delivering results. So don’t get distracted or discouraged. Start with your target. Get really good at hitting that consistently. The next steps will follow #salescareer #freshSDR

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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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What’s the Most Challenging Market to Cold Call? ☎ In my experience, both at my previous company and now with Teamtailor, the UK market has proven to be particularly difficult for cold calling. The responses from prospects are often direct and, in some cases, exceptionally blunt. One memorable interaction stands out: Me: "Hi [Name], this is Thulani calling from..." Prospect: "F*ck off." Me: 😲 😭 🤣 "Uh…just to clarify, was that a ‘not interested’ or a firm ‘f*ck off’?" To those who coach objection-handling skills, I trust this response aligns with best practices in handling challenging objections! 🤙🏿 Let me know if you've experienced something similar and how you handled it 💡 #salesmage #ae #techsales #coldcalling

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Sales Lessons from Gareth Southgate and England at Euro 2024 ⚽   Anyone in sales or sales enablement knows the feeling. One minute you're celebrating a smashed quota, feeling like you're unstoppable 💪 The next, you're staring at a spreadsheet of missed targets, questioning every sales tactic you ever learned. It's a rollercoaster and sometimes it feels like the freefalls are never ending. 😭   This emotional pendulum swing reminds me a lot of Gareth Southgate and the England team so far at Euro 2024. Remember the heat he took after some shaky performances? The pundits were calling for his head, questioning every decision. Tactics? ❌ Lineup? ❌❌.   Then, Southgate did something bold yesterday. He subbed out his captain, Harry Kane, for a player, Ollie Watkins, that played ZERO minutes in the entire tournament. 😱 😱 A gamble some might say, but a gamble that paid off in spectacular fashion – Watkins bagged the winning goal against the Netherlands!   The lesson here? Even when the pressure's on, and the critics are circling, stay true to your strategy. Just because someone hasn't had their big moment yet doesn't mean they can't be your game-changer. So, the next time you're feeling like you're at the bottom of the sales well, take a deep breath, dust yourself off, and remember: 💠 Believe in your process. You got this far for a reason. Keep refining your approach, and the results will follow. 💠 Don't be afraid to make bold moves. Sometimes, shaking things up can lead to breakthroughs. 💠 There's always an "Ollie Watkins" out there. New ideas and approaches can come from unexpected places. Stay the course, and never lose sight of your self-belief. Let's go!!

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An SDR cold-called me... SDR: ''Is that Chris?'' Me: ''Yep, who's calling?'' SDR: ''It's James, here at XYZ we help companies like yours automate payroll, is this something you'd like to discuss more?'' Me: ''I don't have any employees for payroll but I'm happy to spend 5 mins with you now to help you improve your cold call opener, open to it?'' SDR: ''Erm...okay''. Me: ''So, here's 3 things you can try today... 1. Don't say ''is this Chris', if you don't know who you're calling they won't trust you. 2. Give me more about you in your intro. E.g. It's Chris, I'm an AE at XYZ. A touch more context = more trust. 3. Don't pitch straight up. Switch to a clear reason for the call. E.g. Calling as I know CEOs like you find [insert thing] time-consuming. Would love to chat more, got a minute now, or is later in the week better? We practiced twice, they were immediately better and we parted ways. Everything is a learning opportunity. Just gotta be open to it. PS. Outbound Systems [my new course] is 50% off until Friday. Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/e8YfMAyd

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A reply I have had on cold calls recently is... "I am just going into a meeting, what is this about?" As soon as you say "account planning", "pipeline generation", "meeting conversion" etc, they say "sorry all good for that!" then hang up. It's basically like giving them a pitch slap straight away and giving them an opportunity to say they are not interested. Instead, when they ask what this is about, I say "I know you need to go, but from reading your profile and noticing X,Y,Z, I really think I can add value to your EMEA team" Usually, they then either give you a couple of minutes to say what you need to say to try the hook, or tell you to call them back, where you obviously ask them for a specific data and time.

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We conducted the largest sales coaching specific survey EVER. Now its time to talk through the results and share what we discovered. Next Tuesday at 2pm UK time, join myself and Imani Cracknell from Aircall . Standby for: - How Sales Reps really feel about the amount and quality of coaching they are currently receiving - The huge disconnect that exists between sellers and leaders which companies have to pay attention to. -The type of sales coaching sellers crave (and what they want less of) - The correlation between great coaching and quota attainment. These results are a huge wake up call for Sales Leaders, who are perhaps convinced they have a fulfilled and happy sales force when it comes to their personal development. This webinar will share the specific things you need to be focused on as you plan for 2025, to finally put coaching front stage of your agenda. Register your spot here: https://lnkd.in/eESH_MDq

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BASIC BASIC BASIC: 🔴 SERIOUSLY Stop Selling Yourself, Start Understanding Me! 🔴 Reposting this classic “Sell me this pen” moment from Jordan Belfort. To anyone who wants to sell to me or work with me: Stop telling me how amazing you are! I’m sure you are, but let’s keep it simple... the most basic, fundamental thing you can do is understand what I, as the buyer or prospect, actually need. If you can’t do that, why should I bother listening? #Sales #Communication #CustomerFirst

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