Elliott A. Beckstrom

The same page… AEs, SDRs, CSMs & renewal managers How are you tracking to your goal achievements 🎯? Some mid-year reminders for the team. - Re-align to find out what has changed in your shared account(s) - Stay connected on a regular cadence - Build report and trust - you want to rely on each other - Meet in person if possible - see previous bullet - Enable tough feedback sessions - so important - Share current customer status and revisit top priorities - Strive for a unified front & strategy - Known when to engage leadership - target this as a step - Share your success metrics, KPIs, and percent to goal Success is a #team sport Have a great day!

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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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The most underrated weapon for any Sales Rep? Your voice 🗣 So many people undermine the importance of training the way you speak to a prospect and how you control a call through your voice. Here are some key areas to focus on: ❌ Cut out the filler words like the ums and the ahs. Filling your sentences with these gives the impression you aren't confident in what you're talking about. Record yourself doing a role play or pitch, listen back and try to notice where you're using these. ✅ Tonality is absolutely key. Are you showcasing a part of the product that solves the pain point you've uncovered? Match your language to your tone and really try to emphasise the effect the way you're going to help them overcome this challenge. 🏃‍♀️ Sloooooow down! Talking at a rapid pace makes it harder for a prospect to follow and again makes it seem like you aren't as confident in what you're saying. 😰 Take a breath or sip of water before answering/in between sentences - this will help with slowing down/cutting out fillers and will help control the call. ⏱ Don't interrupt and let people finish what they're saying. Don't keep saying 'mmhm' and 'okay' whilst someone is speaking (this will take the meeting room mic away and can make it seem like you want to say something). Try muting yourself when the prospect is speaking and come off mute once they've done. Do you feel your voice is important as a seller? What else have I missed?

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As enterprise network environments become increasingly dynamic, complex, and disparate, IT teams need automation tools to maximize value throughout their technology stack. With the acquisition of Pliant, IBM will provide clients the ability to radically simplify the automation of their infrastructure and network with a tool that securely automates, integrates, and connects the platforms, services, and applications within their environments.

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Early in my career, I made mistakes that I urge all AEs, SDRs, and Sales Professionals to avoid. Building relationships is essential to close deals and achieve top-tier sales performance. However, The end goal is NOT the relationship, it is the DEAL. Many salespeople fall into the trap of being great at making friends but fail to move deals forward and end up with nothing. Will you make friends along the way? Of course. Should you make friends? Absolutely. You just need to remember that the outcome you are seeking is not the relationship. It's the DEAL. The Champions & POCs who backed me in deals are now some of my great friends and even mentors. We literally hang out with each other whenever they are in Bengaluru or I'm in their city. If I had not closed those deals, I wouldn't have had either a champion, a friend, or the deal itself. Success is what builds true connections. Remember: "Sales is about making Sales" #sales #experience #b2b #saas #ae #sdr

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My Enterprise sales team added a third “C” to MEDDPICC... And it's helping us improve deal qualification and win rates So what’s the third “C”? Change As in Change Management I’m convinced that if my team isn’t fully engaged in the third “C”, then the deal isn’t really qualified…and I’m assuming that we’re losing the competitive battle. So for my Enterprise Sales team MEDDPICC is now MEDDPICC(C) Tracking “change” is that important. And here’s why you should care: Effective change management is what makes your software’s value proposition predictable. And that’s all Executives care about - Predictability. This is why the third “C” is so important to deal qualification. Because the type of projects you want to sell Executives, Can (and should) have big political implications for their careers And they need to be sure they’re placing a bet with the right partner Knowing that the outcome will be predictable So, how do you do that? Advise them on your change management methodology (and successes) Tell them, prescriptively, not only how your software will solve their largest business pain… …but more importantly, how your change management processes will make ROI and time to value predictable. Because when all key stakeholders buy into the new process…and are cool with the change… Then, and only then, can your software’s benefits be realized. Are you talking enough about this with your AEs? And, AEs are you bringing experienced change management experts to your calls to advise & guide on the change process? If not, then I guarantee you that your enterprise win rates could be better The stakes in SaaS are higher than ever. And the difference between winning and losing is razor thin. My Enterprise Sales teams aren’t in a deal until we’re talking change management up and down the prospect’s org Add this third “C” to MEDDPICC(C) and see how it changes the buy-in on your deals, your proposals… And your win rate Drop a comment on how you’re discussing change management with your AEs…and using it to win deals

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Your AEs not generating enough pipeline? Too dependent on SDRs? Some thoughts and suggested actions: ➡ Insufficient Training & Enablement Outbounding and selling are distinct skills, and over 80% of reps aren't proficient in both. Without a compelling talk track, AEs won't confidently pick up the phone. Solid email coaching is essential for generating responses. Action: Create a practical playbook for AEs and offer weekly or bi-weekly training sessions on the latest best practices. ➡ Lack of Accountability Outbound efforts are challenging and often unpleasant, much like exercising. Accountability is crucial as most people won't do it on their own. Action: Schedule weekly 1-hour blocks dedicated to pipeline generation. Assign a team lead or a rep with leadership qualities to ensure adherence and report on daily results. ➡ Misguided Sales Math Avoid setting arbitrary activity targets. Instead, help reps determine the precise outbound activities needed to hit their sales targets. Action: Calculate the necessary outbound activities starting from revenue and deals closed to the number of meetings needed. ➡ Inadequate Coaching & Feedback Pipeline and deal reviews dominate most managers' 1-on-1s and team calls, leaving little room for pipeline generation discussions. Provide guidance on target accounts, approach strategies, and messaging feedback. Action: Dedicate 10-15 minutes of your weekly 1-on-1s to focus solely on pipeline generation. What did I miss? #sales #outbound #pipeline #salestips #outboundsales

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Almost halfway through 2024 and the year remains uncertain. To adapt and win in this competitive environment, CROs are making these 5 changes. Check out "The State of Revenue" highlights report to learn more.

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Sales Folks especially SDRs and AEs We live in a virtual world now; most calls happen virtually, especially if you are in SaaS. In such setups, your presentibility over video calls matters a lot. Make sure your lighting is on point and if you feel you are in a bad place where the lighting is not that great there are gadgets available for your laptops to enhance the lights Imagine you go on a call and the other person is barely able to see you, it won't make the other side feel that comfortable talking to you. These small things matter and create differences so if you are reading this post and your lighting sucks get it fixed immediately. Have a Bright Wednesday!!! #smallthingsmatters #lighting #saas #sales #sdr #ae

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Who said modeling with ServiceNow data isn’t possible? Let’s be real - YouDesign’s 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐇𝐮𝐛 makes it not just possible but super easy. Here’s the deal: • Grouped tables? Yep, all tailored to your architecture. • Drag-and-drop? Of course, for both single entries and entire datasets. • Filters? Global, teamspace, personal—you name it, we’ve got it. • The biggest question: Is it 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞? Absolutely yes. Whether you’re working on dependencies, maintaining data, or planning your next steps, 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐇𝐮𝐛 takes the guesswork out of the process. Take a look for yourself—watch the video and see how it simplifies everything 👇 #enterprisearchitecture #servicenow #youdesign #digitaltransformation #inspi4u

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Imagine a world where selling is as easy as logging into your ZoomInfo home page. A world where your whole day was planned for you of who to contact, when, and how. A world with perfectly curated account summaries of your top ICP accounts served to you without you having do anything. That’s the world that ZoomInfo Copilot, the next big innovation to go-to-market promises to deliver. As a ZoomInfo partner and power user, I get to be one of the first ones to try out this new AI powered platform. Follow along with me as I explore the ins and outs! #ZoomInfoCopilot #zoominfo

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#Value selling - and marketing/selling based on outcomes and value - WORK!! But in spite of that, #b2bsales teams resist change. Value is effective 96% of the time, but adoption sits at 19%. WTH???? Take a listen to the #ROI Guy, the Wry Guy, and the Rye Guy (you figure out which is which) to hear ways to fix this. And that means you, #b2bmarketing, #preslaes, and execs!

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If you know your ICP and you know deals close when you have demos w/ a specific decision maker, in the right industry, at the right company size, at the right time - then your team’s leading indicators should be focused on the activities that drive that desired result.

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Tired of losing hard-earned deals? Solve for Revenue Leak. In Clari’s 2024 Revenue Leak Report, RevOps leaders said leak happens at every stage of the funnel. - Creating: Poor and slow upsell pipeline tracking - Converting: Unsure where pipeline is dropping off - Closing: Slipped deals Don’t let Revenue Leak drag down another quarter – or another year. Download the Revenue Leak Report for more: https://lnkd.in/g9gnGrdz  

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Why are reps so reluctant to show a potential customer their solution? In the past, I have been trained to just do discovery on the first call then schedule a demo. What does the customer get from that? No wonder more and more people want a sales rep free experience. I’ve started to show the platform in the first call. Why? -It generates interest in having another meeting -It shows them that we can solve their potential problems -It speeds up the sales cycle Try to share your solution on the first call. Then you can do a more personalized demo as a follow up meeting. Discovery is not a one time conversation. You should be doing it throughout the whole sales cycle. Let me know how it goes!

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Being 3X more effective at achieving your sales goals can feel like a dream ☁️ But it becomes a reality when you enable the i̶m̶possible ✨ Among other things, The State of Sales Enablement Report 2024 shows that when sales managers provide coaching feedback within seller training, sellers are 44% more effective at consistently achieving their sales goals. Download the State of Sales Enablement report today to uncover more best practices 👇 https://hghspot.co/3xR3i2C #sales #survey #enabletheimpossible

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There’s a conundrum when it comes to measuring sales training impact… I’ve worked with a lot of enablement teams that use leading indicators to measure training impact: Workshop Attendance Gong Recordings SFDC Hygiene Rep Surveys The problem: There’s no clear way to connect these metrics to business outcomes. Then, on the other side, you have teams that focus mainly on lagging indicators: Win Rate Pipeline Creation Sales Cycle Length Average Contract Value The problem: It takes a minimum of 3 months to see any results, and even if you do, no one believes that the changes can be attributed to sales training. Basically, if you focus too far down the funnel, no one believes you, but if you focus too far up the funnel, no one cares. Here are the only 3 questions you need to be able to answer to know if your training worked: 1/ Did reps use the training? Did they show up and engage during the session? Are they practicing the skills covered? Are their skills improving as a result of practice? 2/ Is there a clear change in outputs as a result of the new behavior? This is where you can think about leading indicators like (talk ratio, buyer engagement, and business case creation) 3/ Did the the new behavior lead to a change in key outcomes. This is where you tie a thread from the leading indicator to the lagging indicator. (Eg. What’s our win-rate on opportunities that include a business case?) The team over at Replicate Labs are taking what used to be a long drawn out process of measuring impact (that involved lots of help from RevOps), and turning it into a few simple steps. They’ve built one of the only training adoption platforms I’ve seen that allows you to see how practice produces outputs that lead to outcomes. If you’re tired of relying on surveys or waiting 3+ months to see results that no one believes your team influenced, reach out to James Pursey, and see for yourself.

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I’ve helped 12+ AEs and SDRs transition into SE/SC roles. There’s no doubt that you can earn a lot as an AE. AEs can make $1,000,000+ in a good year - a very lucrative career path. But the reality is most AEs don’t get there. It takes an exceptional AE to earn consistently at high levels, year in and year out. (I personally would be a terrible AE 😅) A big reason why folks pivot to Sales Engineering is because the earning potential is solid and much more consistent. That’s what the data in the image shows: 36% avg quota attainment for AEs vs... 74% for SE from this same company, with similar OTE’s As an SE, you don’t always have the extreme upside* that your AE counterpart will, but your income is more stable. (*there are some companies that pay SEs similar to AEs, with SEs able to clear $1M+ in a great year, though this is more of the exception than the rule) As an SE, there’s also less pressure to hit quota, quarter after quarter. The roles are different, with different responsibilities and varying degrees of risk (and upside). Both paths can provide tremendous opportunities depending on your strengths and the type of work you enjoy. Hope this provides some perspective for those who are considering SE or AE career paths. #sales #presales #compensation (source: RepVue)

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