Tom McLeod

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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🚀 Sales Confidence 2.0: Get SDRs Who Hit the Ground Running! 🚀 Tired of spending weeks onboarding new SDRs, only to realise they aren’t a fit for your fast-paced team? I know the challenges of hiring SDRs—getting the right person who’s not just great on paper but ready to sell from day one can be tough. Let’s face it, traditional CVs don’t tell you if someone has the grit to go out there to the market and have conversations. We provide pre-trained and pre-screened SDR candidates, ensuring your next hire can deliver results immediately, without the lengthy training process. Our Sales Confidence 2.0 ranking system highlights the most proactive, self-taught talent, so you can skip the guesswork and bring on SDRs who are proven to thrive in sales. 🌟 Meet Our Top Talent of today🌟 Jalil- an experienced B2C sales professional with entrepreneurial passion, showcased resilience and bravery in handling tough objections during his role play. Enrike -A charismatic listener who builds trust with strong questions, creating powerful, results-driven conversations. Zuhair- An adaptable professional with retail experience, skilled at handling tough conversations and solving problems creatively. Ali - An aspiring sales professional who thrives on the thrill of winning deals, bringing energy and enthusiasm to every prospecting challenge. Jiya - A versatile professional with a strong background in events, her energy and bubbly character from the role play can allow her to use humour to establish trust. Avishai- A future leader with a background in music, is a well-spoken and articulate professional who excels at getting to the point and handling objections with ease. If you are hiring reach out, remember 50% reduction fee.

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Sales leaders - What’s the general consensus on buying prospect (B2B) data lists these days (UK)? Yay or nay? Apart from the obvious scoping of the data around my ICP, what should I be looking for? And finally, who’s gonna recommend someone to provide this for me based on you having a great experience with that data company? Data will be managed via Hubspot, if that helps.

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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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"I hope no-one from Cognism watches this..." 😅 The truth is, the SDR role isn’t dead - it’s evolved. Forget the days of hammering phones and spamming inboxes. The best SDRs today bring real value by ✅ knowing your business, ✅ understanding your pain points, ✅ delivering relevant content that keeps them front of mind. Even if it’s not the right time to buy, ✅ they know they’ll be top of your list when it is. In this clip, Global Sales Director (and £5-25M ARR ICP/GTM wiz) Paul Wingfield and I talk abut why we firmly believe SDRing is far from dead, and how companies like Cognism are nailing the modern SDR in to ICP game. 💬 What's your take on where SDRs win, or lose today? #sdr #cognism #sales #gtm #icp #MakingRevenueTick #podcast by Tick Talent

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RANT: Time For School - Intelligent outbound calling puts ANY other B2B sales channel to shame... let's talk facts: https://lnkd.in/d4j7_WAY Want to enable your sales team to effortlessly have 1) Live conversations on-demand in 4.5 mins with ONLY impossible to reach named decision makers at your dream accounts (whether you have their direct dial or not) 2) Get smarter with every call I can get you set up for FREE... 1) To have more conversations in a day than you've likely had in the last month 2) Identify areas of opportunity to levelup your targeting, data, messaging, rep sales craft that you couldn't learn any other way Book in a time to discuss here: https://lnkd.in/dPTGV9qm I'll share my own cold calling metrics for 2024 year to date below... if you want to operate at this level... We can operationalise this in days for your reps to deliver your phone-optimised value proposition to your unqiue target list... #outboundsales #insidesales #sales #coldcalling #salesleadership ConnectAndSell, Inc CRO Connected Pavilion RevGenius GTMfund Modern Sales Pros

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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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I helped launch Salesloft , Gong , 6sense and many others in the UK via Sales Confidence I’ll be honest I’ve not been as excited about a new GTM technology as much as I am about Clay (And for once I’m not being paid - yet ;) ) The flexibility, possibilities and opportunity to impact your pipeline is incredible. This has the feel of the Salesforce , HubSpot ecosystem effect. I’m seeing consultants, agencies, experts popping up in my feed particularly in the US rapidly over the last 6 months. I’m not surprised they have just raised $62 M at a $500 M valuation! Varun Anand and Kareem Amin are doing amazing things! I don’t really see it as a SDR or sales person end user tool…tell me if you feel differently? However, it’s application to drive productivity and efficiency accross your sales team is epic! Are you using or thinking about Clay in your tech stack? What love to hear about your use cases. What’s working and what isn’t? Who in the UK or Europe should I be following?

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What level of technical knowledge do sales people actually need? SaaS sales folk are pros. They know their product inside out ✅ They can diagnose pain specific to personas ✅ They can dentify ‘the gap’ and demonstrate value and ROI ✅ They can sell value and build revenue🏆 But what happens when things become a little… out of the box? What about when faced with a particularly tech-savvy prospect who wants to get under the hood? 🤔 My experience in software consultancy and SaaS tells me the best technology sales people build more credibility with a level of technical competency BUT of course, we have to be realistic. Clearly sales people don’t need to become experts across the tech stack, architecture, code base, cloud services, front-end, back-end, APIs etc. But what they can be taught are technical concepts, such as —> 🔹What is OOTB vs what could feasibly be bespoke (and why) 🔹The platform data structure in tangible, understandable terms 🔹What data is ‘compatible’ with the product (and why) 🔹What technical / feature limitations exist for customers (and why) 🔹What integrations mean for their product 🔹What integrations are available (and why) 🔹Why front-end changes aren’t just ‘adding a button’ 🔹How technical discovery is properly conducted And importantly… 🔸Not to take a feature request on face value and to always ask the WHY 🔸When and how to bring Technical Presales into the sales cycle 🔸When to say no to prospects (you can’t deliver EVERYTHING!) 🔸When to admit you’re out of your depth (trust me from experience, tech-savvy prospects see through the blagging straight away!) Technical / product concepts enable sales people to positively control conversations with prospects, set realistic expectations and avoid the tech team from pulling their hair out 😂

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Are you tired of the same old sales scripts and automated messages? 🥱 It's time to step out of the automation rut and bring back the human touch to your sales outreach 💥 Join us for an virtual webinar aimed at SDRs hearing insights from Mike Hamberg, Head of Pipeline at YuLife and Emma Ward 🌜, SDR Manager at Lunio as they'll be unpacking... 🚀Innovative Outreach Techniques: Discover new, creative strategies to connect with prospects that go beyond the typical automated messages 💪 Enhanced Autonomy: Learn how to take control of your sales process, making decisions that reflect your unique personality and style 🤝 Building Authentic Relationships: Master the art of building genuine connections with prospects that lead to lasting professional relationships 🔥 Boosted Engagement and Conversion: Understand how personalized, creative outreach can significantly increase your response rates and conversion metrics Secure your spot now: https://lnkd.in/eJDrxKBk #steppingoutsideofautomation  #SDRswebinar  #salestips

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VPs Sales, STOP managing your SDRs | Here's why... 👀 Here's the sh*t you should be doing: 💵 Focus on supporting your AE team/s close deals 🧬 Prioritise strategic collaboration with other functions 📊 Review data to set strategic direction 👔 Spend time hiring A-Grade Leaders & AEs 🤝 Give attention to customers to optimise renewals & upsells ⚙️ Implementing & driving adoption of core sales processes Here's the sh*t you either should NOT be doing or worse... MISSING: 🗣️ Coaching the most inexperienced/junior reps in the org 🔁 Hiring & promoting in an ever-changing team dynamic 👥 Providing daily support for people still finding their way as an adult 🧑‍🏫 Teaching the BASICS of how cold-call, email, qualify, etc. 🔬 Study current prospecting trends & ideas 💪 Keeping impatient and hungry young professionals motivated Be honest with yourself... 🧠 Think about where you're burning your calories 🧠 Think about whether you have the time to manage this stakeholder group 🧠 Think about whether your prospecting knowledge is as sharp as it should be 🧠 Think about whether your SDR team is delivering the results you want 🧠 Think about where you are going to have the biggest business impact ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ 👋 Hi I'm Andy, Founder of RevRocket. I specialise in building, optimising and growing your SDR function so you don't have to. Considering getting support for your PipeGen Team? Shoot me a DM ✉️

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SDRs who deserve to be AEs... ✅ Help coach other SDRs ❌ Are in it for themselves ✅ Hit quota every month ❌ Sometimes smash it ✅ Build amazing internal relationships ❌ Moan about their AE and Manager ✅ Prioritise the team winning ❌ Think they're an individual contributor ✅ Train every single day ❌ Believe they know it all ✅ Compete against themselves ❌ Compete against others in the team ✅ Are genuinely happy when others win ❌ Get bitter when others are successful 99% of success is in WHO you are. And HOW you do things. Embrace being different. Embrace being better. What am I missing? ---- PS. My SDR to AE bootcamp closes tomorrow. 5 seats left; https://lnkd.in/ejFQERRF

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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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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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Focus on pipeline generation as your number one priority • Jacob Karp: Without the pipeline you have nothing. → https://buff.ly/3Vwfq1O • Chris Ritson: I met the no.1 SDR in the UK... → https://buff.ly/3X6xn8B • Ben Gobbitt: On track to beat our AE self-sourced pipeline goal this quarter → https://buff.ly/4bLLjZX • Nick Bontrager: I got 3 prospects to respond who were ghosting for MONTHS → https://buff.ly/4bMLc0t • 👋Ashleigh Early: 3 pipeline ideas worth checking out → https://buff.ly/3Xb5fBi • Gavin Kowalski: The ultimate guide as to why prospects buy!  → https://buff.ly/3XfiYXF • Chris Lu: "Pipeline cures all" → https://buff.ly/4bLDELv • Josh Roth: You need more pipeline coverage right now → https://buff.ly/4bK95Wk • Phillip Kousz: Our job remains unchanged: generating, moving, and closing pipeline → https://buff.ly/4bNjRer • Tim McCarrey: 80% of sales take 5–12 contacts. → https://buff.ly/3VtdCqx • Dom Odoguardi: Cold calling doesn't need to be boring so spice things up! → https://buff.ly/3XdPzxe • Morgan J Ingram: Why you need to gamify it. → https://buff.ly/3VwqJYa • Ian Barker 👨‍🍳: Here is how I identify ICP → https://buff.ly/4bL3CPe • Sam Lopez ☁️: A big part of the SDR role is getting really good at asking questions and listening → https://buff.ly/3XaSqGT • Tyler Hickey: Cold calling is a zero-risk activity. → https://buff.ly/4c383Fj • Tom Bertrand 🎁: Selling SaaS is the hardest it's ever been → https://buff.ly/3XdPtpm • Alan Ruchtein: If you're booking 0 meetings through cold emails → https://buff.ly/4bL1Ptf • Stuart Taylor: This email has over a 60% responce rate when prospects have gone silent → https://buff.ly/3yPODor • Benjamin D. How do you create a great 30-second cold call pitch? → https://buff.ly/4bPh9Fg • Troy Munson: Here is every channel I use for prospecting and how I use them → https://buff.ly/3VwfpLi • Nick Cegelski: Get your prospect talking about problems → https://buff.ly/3X7FVw1 • Cipriano Martins: Have a reason for the call → https://buff.ly/3VtLbbT • Kyle Kemp 🎯: Sales calls are the lifeblood of your business → https://buff.ly/4bMLbtr • Charles Muhlbauer: 80% of sales take 5–12 contacts. → https://buff.ly/3VwfpuM • Leslie Venetz: 7 ways you can make cold calling suck less → https://buff.ly/3X5nbgC • Armand Farrokh: "I love my territory and I do not need more accounts" → https://buff.ly/4bTEWEk • Salman Mohiuddin: Pain resonates more than the gain → https://buff.ly/4bNyjmS • Amanda Long ⚡️: Want to personalize emails quickly? → https://buff.ly/4bOAG8L P.S. Join 2,215+ sellers who read my newsletter: https://buff.ly/4cctfZ3 + get direct access to all lists, cheatsheets and templates

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Win rates 7X when 5 or more contacts are engaged in the opportunity vs 1. Here are 3 ways we’re engaging more contacts in every opportunity: ✅ Incentivising SDRs to bring in extra contacts into the meeting.   Spoken about this one a lot but we pay SDRs for every extra contact they bring into the opportunity. SDRs spend time with their AE mapping out the opportunity post-discovery and aligning on key stakeholders to bring in. ✅ Running weekly call afternoons with our AE team Every Thursday our AEs join our SDRs in their call block to compete for who can bring in the most net new conversations. This has been a fantastic way to get our sellers to pause in their week and focus on driving multithreading activities as well as giving SDRs some healthy competition ✅Utilising new tools such as trumpet 🎺 Recently Cognism has started using trumpet. It has been an absolute game-changer. It allows us to email gate ‘pods’ to collect viewer data helping identify new individuals in the decision process, engage directly with those new stakeholders in live chat, and auto-enrich new pod viewers into our CRM. If you haven’t seen trumpet 🎺 already link in the comments below 👇

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As we creep closer to the end of H1, this week I've been thinking a lot about '𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧’. Buckle up, it’s a lengthy post 🤓 Within Account Management, hitting sales targets isn't just about hitting your numbers - it's about building lasting relationships and creating (and continuing to prove!) value for your clients. Some key strategies that have helped me in H1: 🤝 Understanding your clients 🤝 - It sounds simple, but investing time to truly understand your clients' businesses, their pain points, and their goals is imperative. This allows you to tailor solutions that not only meet their needs but also exceed their expectations. - Regularly check in with clients to gather feedback and stay updated on any changes in their business environment. 💡 Value-Driven Selling 💡 - Always shift the focus from selling products to solving problems, ensuring you highlight the value your solutions bring to the client’s business, whether it's through increased efficiency, cost savings, or competitive advantage. - Use case studies and testimonials to demonstrate the measurable benefits other clients have experienced. 🎯 Set Goals 🎯 - Ensure your sales targets are SMART. Breaking down larger targets into smaller, manageable goals will keep you motivated and accountable - in turn, ensuring you're on track. - Regularly review and adjust these goals based on client needs and direction of the market. 🗣️ Collaboration and Communication 🗣️ - Collaboration within your team! Sharing knowledge, strategies, and success stories together can inspire you to try a new direction gaining unexpected results. - Maintain clear and consistent communication with clients to ensure alignment and manage expectations. 📚 Continuous Learning and Adaptation 📚 - Stay updated with the latest industry trends, sales techniques, and technology advancements. Continuous learning equips you with new tools and strategies to stay ahead of the competition. - Be adaptable and ready to pivot your approach based on client feedback and market changes. 🎉 Celebrate Successes and Learn from Failures 🎉 - Recognise and celebrate milestones and successes within your team. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces effective strategies and behaviours. - Analyse setbacks to understand what went wrong and how to improve. Every failure is an opportunity to learn and improve. Hitting sales targets in account management is a blend of strategic planning, deep client relationships, and continuous improvement. By focusing on these strategies, we can encourage sustained success and make a meaningful impact for our clients and our organisation 🚀 Are there any strategies I’ve missed that you found effective in hitting your sales targets? Share your thoughts in comment 👇 #accountmanagement #sales #salestargets #salesstrategy

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Removing friction from the buying process equates to objection handling - both move the buyer along the journey

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