Andrew Rich

Top 5 key metrics I recommend CROs use for inside sales professionals: 1. Speed of response 2. Efficiency of progression through the process 3. Number of calls per day 4. Number of positive outcomes 5. Demo sets As a CRO leader, these are five metrics that I live by. 

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"People hate to be sold to... BUT THEY LOVE TO BUY." I'm taking everything I've learned from the "Great Day in Sales" podcast [especially the live episode with Jen Allen-Knuth] and presenting at the performance track at Utah Business Forward in November. Why? First - I'm a Melanie Paris Jones fan through and through so if you're not following her what are you doing. Second - I feel like my perspective on sales, building pipeline, generating demand [leads] and actually treating customers has COMPLETELY changed in the last year. The concept of "Sell Like a Buyer" comes from the idea that you don't have to sell your products the same way as everyone else or like it was sold 20 years ago. B2B is feeling more B2C every day. We need to adapt and make sure the selling process is actually what the buyer wants. That process may not look anything like it did 20 years ago. That's the funnest part - got to be ready to adapt. They gave me a code so use this to get your tickets! Last year was awesome and its trending 3x where it was last year for attendees.

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This is a good reminder for buyers and sellers alike. In this line of work it's imperative to understand the psychology of a buyer that is ghosting a sales rep (often times after productive interactions). In my career I've come to a few conclussion: Human beings inharently dislike telling people no. Give them a very compelling reason to re-engage while allowing them an easy out to politely decline without awkwardness. Give them space (not too much) after the first couple follow up attempts. Often buyers have a lot on their plate. Give it a week or two. Perfect your breakup message. I have found that often times buyers will finally respond to a breakup message. ALWAYS defer to the phone as your primary method of contact in sales unless specifically told not to by the client. Always ask for feedback so you can learn from that engagement and continue to evolve your salesmanship ability. Know when to let go and make it a priority as a sales professional to learn how to forget and move on.

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Simple analogy: fly fishing is like #customersuccess and sales. Fly fishing requires patience, strategy, and preparation. So does driving meaningful customer outcomes. Patience: fishing and customer outcomes both take time. Rushing rarely delivers desired results. It’s about understanding the waters you’re in and finding the right moment to engage. Targeting: casting aimlessly doesn’t work. In fly fishing, you study the water, shadows, and movement of fish. In Customer Success, it’s about identifying the right opportunities to add value, focusing efforts where they will make the biggest impact. Fly selection: fish are picky, and their preferences change multiple times each day, let alone each season. You’ll have little success if you cast a bunch of random flies. Customers don’t want every fly in your box. They want what they need. Plan your approach through insights, engagement strategies, or customized solutions to find exactly what that is. Having the right tools: from the appropriate rod and reel to well-tied flies, the right tools make all the difference. In Customer Success, the tools might be CRM platforms, data analytics, or streamlined processes, but their role is the same: enabling you to execute effectively and deliver results. Managing Competition: A crowded river can mean fewer bites. Fish become wary when there’s too much traffic. Similarly, when customers are overwhelmed by competing voices or being over-contacted, they can disengage. It’s critical to find the balance: respecting their space, offering value when it’s needed and ensuring your approach stands out for its thoughtfulness and relevance. Fly fishing teaches us that success isn’t random, it’s the outcome of thoughtful preparation, targeted action, and consistent execution. Whether on the river or in the professional landscape, the principles are the same: patience, precision, and the right tools lead to meaningful outcomes.

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The Rise of Social Selling Demands a New Breed of B2B Sales Professional 🌟 As social selling goes mainstream, a different type of B2B sales rep is emerging. The skills that defined sales success in the past - cold calling, canned pitches, hardball closing - need to be more relevant. Reps who thrive in the social selling era are masters of active listening, empathy, and enablement. They build personal brands around helping rather than pitching. These modern sellers are attuned to the buyer's journey and adept at creating value at every touchpoint. Part marketer, consultant, and influencer represent the future of B2B sales. This is a motivating vision for reps looking to level up their skills and mindset to stay ahead of the curve. The rise of social selling is upon us. Will you adapt and thrive - or fall behind? The choice is yours. But the sales landscape is evolving rapidly. Don't get left in the dust. #B2Bsales #socialselling #salesenablement #salesmastery #buyerjourney #thoughtleadership #personalbranding #empathy #modernmarketing #gotomarketstrategy #gotomarket → Join my community and subscribe to my GTM Edge newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gzNvJdmP (sources: https://lnkd.in/gMkgq9AZ, https://lnkd.in/gaurRdNH)

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AE: "Can you demo to this super warm prospect?" SE: "Sure, what top outcomes are they looking for?" AE: "Umm, here's the e-mail thread. Figure it out." SE: "We might need more information than this..." AE: "But we NEED the demo to sell it to them." SE: "Okay, when's the call scheduled for?" AE: "At 3pm. Today." SE: 😭😭😭 Can anyone relate? Let's change the narrative. #presalesevolution #solutions #sales

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It's 2024 and sellers no longer control the sales process. - 95% of buying happens without the seller (Gartner) - 77% of buyers say buying is overly complex (Gartner) - 89% of buyers buy based on sales experience (G2) How people buy has changed dramatically. Yet (most) sellers are still selling the same. Most. I've used digital sales rooms now for 2+ years. My goal is to give my buyer an A+ experience, so that in a SaaS world of feature-parity, I can be the differentiation. And now for the first-time ever, I can uncover what questions buyers have when I'm not in the room. Which is over 95% of the time. The video shows how. Sign up with Aligned for free here: https://lnkd.in/gtxhNxir ⚡ ⚡ ⚡

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Why Fractional Work is a Perfect Fit for Many B2B SaaS Sales Executives 🚀 Ever wondered what it feels like to have total control over your career? After years in B2B SaaS sales, I’ve found that fractional work is one of the best ways to transition into working for yourself—or even starting your own business. Here’s why: I get to choose WHAT I work on: No more projects that don’t align with my strengths or interests. I focus only on what I do best. I get to choose WHEN I work: Whether it's busy or slow, I have the flexibility to align work with my life and homeschool. I make my own schedule. I get to choose WHO I work with: I collaborate with clients and teams that align with my values and goals—no more mismatches. I get to choose WHY I work: I know I'm blessed to have a spouse providing benefits and I also know I'm working to make something for my family. I get to choose HOW I work: Every process is designed around my style, allowing me to deliver the best results efficiently. I get to choose WHERE I work: Who cares my location so long as I crush it. I have a car and a zoom too lol I get to say NO: Turning down work that doesn’t fit my goals or priorities has been empowering. No pressure to compromise ethics to keep a job. I get to say YES: The freedom to take on opportunities that excite me means I’m always engaged in work that I’m passionate about. It's truly fun! It all comes down to QUALITY and FREEDOM. If you’re in B2B SaaS and thinking about transitioning, fractional work lets you design a career on your own terms. 💡 Who’s ready to make the shift? 🏃‍♂️ DM me and let's talk. #FractionalWork #B2BSaaS #CareerFreedom #PreCallAI #EngineerMasterSolutions

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9 things Sales Leaders should stop doing in 2024 1. Being solely tactical 2. Dodging use of math 3. Befriending your reps 4. Opposing RevOps hires 5. Resisting remote working 6. Communicating infrequently 7. Avoiding tough conversations 8. Focusing only on team morale 9. Being penny-wise & pound foolish What else should we add to this list?

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The Myth of the Indispensable Salesperson Some salespeople still use an old tactic: suggesting that their departure would lead to significant client loss for the company. They might arrange site visits where bosses meet handpicked customers who sing their praises, subtly implying, "Without me, these clients will leave too." But the reality is that while some clients might feel a strong connection to their sales rep, the majority value the product, service quality, and the company's reputation above all. Businesses are resilient, and relationships often run deeper than a single point of contact. Great salespeople don’t rely on such strategies. They trust their abilities, build genuine relationships, and demonstrate their value without resorting to fear tactics. As a leader, don’t be swayed by orchestrated displays. Evaluate the broader picture and trust in the strength of your offerings and team. The two main tools a sales leader has to combat customer flight are: Select competent and confident salespeople who sell the product or service, not just themselves. Encourage operations to regularly engage clients in a positive and helpful manner. By focusing on these strategies, you can safeguard client relationships and build a more resilient business.

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Every AE should use "the menu of pain" on their discovery calls. Huge shoutout to 👩🏻‍🏫 Krysten Conner for the best sales strategy and name of all time. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: Simply give your prospect options based on your experience helping other customers. Here are some examples: 𝗧𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹: Hey Jill - typically when Sales Directors join these calls they're facing a couple of issues: - Issue 1 - Issue 2 But I don’t know how much any of that sounds like your world and what did I miss that you’re focused on? 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: Hey Jill - Thank you for sharing. I work with other Sales Directors in a similar situation and they were each facing a couple of issues: - Issue 1 - Issue 2 But I don’t know how much any of that sounds like your world and what did I miss that you’re focused on? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: 1. You establish credibility and build trust because you know the issues and they don’t have to educate you. 2. You take control. Open ended questions like “what brought you to ABC Company” are ok but it’s a lot of work for the prospect and nobody likes essay questions. 3. Customer experience: It gives prospects room to correct you and people love correcting people. So there's no real downside. You game for trying The Menu of Pain in your discovery calls? - Mike G 👉 For this week only get The Best Sales Course at 35% off with coupon code 𝗖𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗘: https://lnkd.in/gP_-mVXR

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Friday sales reminder: Elite sellers don't circle back, follow up, and check in. Here's an easy gut check. "Does this email add value to the prospect? If yes: ↳ Send it If no: ↳ Make some edits first Add value prior to any ask you have. Make it clear there’s a 0% chance it was automated. The email was meant only for them. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: ↳ Review your last conversation. Reference a specific question or something of interest and share more material on it. ↳ Go to their website and blog - what is on their homepage? What are recent blog articles about? ↳ LinkedIn for their company + ind. profile - what is recent or new? ↳ Google "company name" and hit News. If you have nothing valuable to add to the convo, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 You're either breaking through the noise or adding to it Happy Friday ;) 🦙 P.S. Join 12,000+ sellers choosing to level up on the (free) weekly newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gjeVd_U8

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Ryan Westwood has been involved in 100 companies as an operator, investor, board member and advisor. He grew his last company to over $650m in revenue. His current company has quickly become THE RevOps platform. He’s played a big role in putting the Utah tech scene on the map. Ryan dropped so much knowledge in an hour. It’s impossible to summarize it all… but I promise it’s worth the listen. Ryan Westwood, Chairman and CEO at Fullcast, The Go-to-Market Cloud, is my guest for this week’s episode of Not Another CEO Podcast. I was introduced to Ryan by Nick Cromydas. On our first 30 minute call I ended up taking two pages of notes. Ryan’s obviously had amazing success over the course of his career. But what I appreciate the most is how thoughtful and deliberate he is about how to build a business and the ability he has to boil his strategies and tactics down into easy to understand nuggets. My highlights from this episode are: Taking 6 months to get into CEO shape - After selling his last company, Simplus, Ryan spent time investing, serving on boards and advising companies. Basically everything but operating a company. When he and his co-founders bought FullCast and he took over as CEO he had to get back in CEO shape. Everything from the hours he had to work, the number of decisions he had  to make on a daily basis, the dynamics with his family, his own health, really everything. Good reminder… the CEO job is hard. Talking to 60 RevOps leaders in two quarters - To understand his ICP and ideal buyer persona, Ryan met with 60 RevOps leaders in his first two quarters as CEO of FullCast. He learned so much about the persona he was building for, the way they think, what they’re responsible for, the challenges they face. By the end of those two quarters he felt like he was one of them. It’s such a simple thing, talk to your customers, but I don’t think founders/CEOs do this enough, both in the number of customers and the frequency. The power of the dream team - Ryan’s three co-founders are people he’s worked with before… for over a decade. He talked about how he’s been keeping a spreadsheet of every person he’s interacted with over the course of his career that he wanted to work with again and when it came time to recruit his founding team he knew exactly who he was going to approach and he was able to assemble the dream team. There is so much more: the power in a cap table, running a board meeting, product roadmap prioritization, defining an ICP, missing hip hop when he moved from Philly to Provo, why we’re seeing so many success stories coming out of Utah and more. Here are the links to the full episode: YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ey3AKu5w Spotify: https://lnkd.in/emKyjsBF Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eyXUJHvn If you enjoy the episode, please like and subscribe on your favorite platforms and share with your networks.

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Outside sales leadership - drops in revenue within high performing territories due to retirement - doesn't have to take place. It should not be accepted as inevitable. Joe McDonald of Jasper Engines makes strategic plans to not avoid the revenue drop, he uses a retiring rep to actually grow revenue. He's hands down one of our favorite customers. A strong leader that cares, leads with strategy and process and holds his team accountable to what drives revenue (AKA what makes reps successful). Link to the full podcast link is in the comments. #outsidesales #fieldsales

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Everyone talks about being consultative in sales. But many don't know just 𝙝𝙤𝙬 to do it. So here's one tip that can help. 👇 Because it's not so easy as just saying: "I'm going to be a consultative sales person now." It takes work and practice. And the knowledge of what to do. Here's one thing that can help that very few people know to do: When talking about and presenting your product, don't say "I" or "We" or "Our" As in "𝘞𝘦 have this feature that does this." Or "𝘖𝘶𝘳 service is excellent." Those words feel salesy because you are trying to get them to buy from you. Instead, refer to the product in the 3rd person: "Look at how Acme does this." OR "Did you see how Acme solved that challenge of yours?" This makes it feel like you're on the same side of the table as the prospect, and both looking at the product together trying to decide if it fits for them. Now you're an advisor talking about a potential solution. Instead of a salesperson trying to push their product. Give this a try and let me know how it goes. #mattschats

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The Real Reason Salespeople Come Across as Pushy Let's face it, salespeople often get a bad rap for being pushy. But what drives this behavior? It's not because they're inherently aggressive or annoying (although, let's admit, some might be). The real reason salespeople come across as pushy is because they're attached to outcomes. They're invested in meeting their targets, and they feel nervous about the deal slipping away. This attachment creates a sense of urgency, which can manifest as pushiness. They might start to over-communicate, be more aggressive with their follow-ups, or try to control the conversation. But here's the thing: buyers can smell desperation from a mile away. And pushiness only serves to push them further away. So, what's the solution? Salespeople need to focus on the process, not just the outcome. Build relationships, understand customer needs, and provide value. The sale will follow naturally. Let's shift the paradigm from pushy to helpful. From attachment to detachment. From outcome-focused to process-focused. #Sales #Mindset #ProcessOverOutcome #HelpfulNotPushy"

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Your Sales to CS handoff process needs work. Call Comcast and you'll get a full lesson in how not to treat customers. Ask them to go through a bunch of prompts and repeat the issue 20x before speaking to an agent. You are probably thinking: well our process isn't THAT bad. Are you sure? I bet your process looks something like this: 1. Someone submits a lead or responds to an outbound message (information sharing 1) 2. A BDR follows up to qualify them and set a meeting (person 1, information sharing 2) 3. An AE sets up a Discovery meeting (person 2, information sharing 3) 4. 60-90 day sales cycle (information sharing 4-5) 5. Closed won, handed to implementation for 30 days (person 3, information sharing 6) 6. Moved over to CS (person 4, information sharing 7) Imagine the frustration customers have when they have to share the same info (company information, business problems, etc.) 7 times to 4 different people. It sucks! I had a great time talking about the broken handoff processes in SaaS with Cory Pitt on the Wiser AI podcast.

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Stop telling your buyers what you want to do. "I want to setup a call" "I wanted to come onsite" "I think its best if we...." Start pointing your comments towards your buyer. "Would you like to setup a call?" "Would you agree that the best way to get this done would be to...." "You have a lot of good pain points that people typically have to go to the next conversation." Nobody cares what you want to do. You want to get your buyer there but frame it in a way that focuses on why THEY should do it. #sales

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Dear Sales Leaders, Your incentive programs suck. Amazon Gift cards, AirPods, or Yeti Coolers mean nothing. They aren't inspiring the behaviors you're envisioning: - Consistently exceeding outbound KPIs  - Consistently hitting stretch goals for C/W revenue Cheap gifts for business critical outcomes always fall flat. Whether they're handed out at President's Club or a weekly all hands. I've learned this the hard way over-and-over. After 20 years in tech sales as an IC, manager, director, and now VP. I've seen that you can't expect your reps to climb a mountain. Then reward their blood, sweat, and tears with the bare minimum. There's a better way. The highest performing revenue orgs know this. So they honor exceptional effort + achievement differently. Here’s what I mean. In 2010, I was the #1 global sales rep for Forrester Research (NYSE: FORR). At President's Club in Aruba. Guess what my Global Sales VP recognized my performance with... A coconut monkey holding a phone. That he probably bought at the airport for $5. My other corporate trophies for outstanding contributions to "the business"? Long gone. I've kept the coconut monkey though. Because it’s a hilarious reminder. Of how most leaders think about their sales incentive programs. The saddest part is. I know I'm not alone. There are thousands of top performing sales reps who say the same thing. They've secured millions of dollars of new revenue for their orgs. And have laughable trinkets for their herculean efforts. Why am I not hearing different stories? Why aren't top global reps showing me prized possessions? Like a custom engraved Omega or Cartier watch. My points is. It’s time for sales leaders and their execs assigning them the budget to step up. Reward high achievers with more thought and creativity. You’ll be shocked how much this impacts individual behavior. And sends the right kind of message across your entire sales function. Drop a comment on the BEST piece of recognition you’ve earned. 

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