Michael Polley

Everyone is asking whether CS should own renewals and upsell.  Here is what happens if it doesn't. 👇 It’s not good.  I spoke to an Enterprise CSM yesterday about some changes happening in her company. → Renewals and upsells are moving out of CS and back into Sales. → Account Managers will now handle the commercial part of CS’ role. This move is interesting, as it runs counter to what most CRO’s are doing. → Renewals and upsells are increasingly owned by CS, which in some cases means they own a quota for the first time. → Sales continues to own new business and cross-sell to new business units in existing customers. ________________ My friend wanted to know what I thought of this.. First, I don’t have nearly enough information to comment on whether this is a good move or not. I assume they have capable leaders and they have their reasons. There is no right answer. That said, I told her what I would tell my son or daughter if they found themselves in this situation. Get out. I’ve been a part of two companies that did this and this is what I saw… → CS becomes the dumping ground for everything AMs don’t want to do. → CS becomes the scapegoat for every customer that down-sells or leaves. → CS becomes a cost center that will do nothing but shrink. But perhaps the most interesting question behind this move is…why? Because in my experience, if you ask why enough times to understand the rationale behind the move, you eventually end up at… → Leadership does not trust CS. → Leadership does not understand CS. → Leadership does not respect CS. And if those things are true, things are about to get a lot worse before they get better. CS stepping up with more commercial responsibility is not a trend or a nice-to-have. It’s the only way to survive. 📩 Want more? Try my free newsletter. Click the link in my profile. 🔔 Follow me, Bob Mathers, for more. 🎙 Listen to the Growth Mixtape Podcast with Bob Mathers.

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Our latest survey offers a comprehensive look at the current state of selling, featuring insights from 800 front-line sellers. A standout finding: 3 out of 4 respondents believe they could save at least an hour by eliminating the task of creating personalized emails for prospects. While personalization is essential for connecting with prospects, it’s also incredibly time-consuming. Sellers understand its importance, but those hours quickly add up. We know time is money, and we’re dedicated to providing today’s sellers with the tools they need to personalize efficiently and effectively. Additionally, we asked sellers, “What specific tasks in your role do you think would benefit most from AI and automation?” The top three responses were: 1. Follow-up and engagement tracking 2. Reporting and performance analytics 3. Data entry and CRM updating Our survey uncovers valuable insights into the future of sales. Discover how AI can revolutionize your sales process: https://lnkd.in/gMr_3UNA

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After speaking with 100’s of Rev Ops Leaders over the past few weeks, a few key issue stuck out. Here are 3 of the areas I heard over and over: 1.   Aligning Sales and Marketing 2. Data Silos and Visibility 3. Resistance to Change What are you hearing? Comment Below Here is an article that address other issues Rev Ops Leaders are experiencing.  https://lnkd.in/ewhKQGJA.

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🚀 The Power of Speed in Pipeline Creation 🚀 As an SDR Manager, one of my key focuses is helping my team build a fast-moving pipeline that has real potential to close within the quarter. Here’s why this matters: 1️⃣ Accelerated Results: When SDRs create momentum with high-quality leads that move quickly through the pipeline, it drives meaningful results in a shorter timeframe. This momentum keeps the team energized and the business on track to hit goals. 2️⃣ Quarterly Impact: A healthy pipeline that progresses at pace can directly impact quarterly revenue targets. It’s not just about generating leads but ensuring those leads have the readiness and fit to convert, keeping the whole sales org focused and agile. 3️⃣ Stronger SDR-AE Collaboration: Fast-moving opportunities require tight collaboration between SDRs and AEs. It encourages feedback loops and sharper alignment, making each handoff smoother and increasing the likelihood of success. By focusing on creating a pipeline that moves, SDRs can not only help meet short-term targets but also build skills in identifying urgency and potential—a win for everyone. #SalesDevelopment #PipelineGrowth #SalesLeadership #SDR

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Inspired by Scott Martinis post today about signal prospecting / signal-led outbound... I see MAJOR headwinds for automated emails based off signals if those emails aren't coming from the existing stack but a new one-off system that has one two or three signals you either have to replace the entire sales engagement platform you can't just build a silo that replaces a part of it signal-led outbound founders need to think about ROUTING & ASSIGNMENT, ANALYTICS & TRACKING, and all the various RevOps concerns. Not easy. But super necessary. Imagine orchestrating automated-email-based-off-site-visitor across a team of 15 reps with plenty of demand. Are we sure this wave of tools isn't stuck in the SMB/early revenue stage? Super curious what Winson Liu, Nate Sooter, James McArthur 👋, Anastasiia Binns, Nico Druelle, James D. Bohrman, and so many others I could tag think.

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What is the number 1 thing the top sales rep at Gong focuses on in demos? 🛑 Its not building rapport 🛑 Its not showing off the coolest features ✅ Its Aligning to a strategic priority. People don't make budgets for new priorities. But there is always budget for existing ones. Especially ones that are driven from the top down. My last quarter at Chili Piper I jumped back into sales and carried a quota. I knew I had to knock off some rust quick and my first stop for quality sales content was none other than the 30MPC podcast. Listening to Brian LaManna's episode I was able to grab 4 key takeaways from this 4x President's Club winner: 1 - Come with a point of view on what their top priorities might be. It might sound something like "Hey Nick, I was doing some research and noticed you were rolling out MEDDIC methodology to the sales team. Is that the #1 priority for you all or does anything else trump that?" 2 - Never ask "any questions?" Instead => reframe it to "what has stood out the most so far?" Put someone on the spot to think of a question creates a ton of friction. Asking them to share their experience so far lets them speak to what they are feeling and opens up the conversation. 3 - For any secondary calls start with a "What I've learned Slide" Bullet out points that share where they are at today And begin to map out the desired future state that you uncovered in the first call It creates a great baseline to pick up the conversation and see if anything has changed in terms of priorities. 4 - End call with “On a scale of 1-10, how compelling is what you saw today?” Understand where they sit after your demo. And follow up by asking "what would make it a 10 in terms of priority?" This episode was littered with sales nuggets that I was able to implement right away (and helped me hit 280% of my quarterly number) It's also a full circle moment now that we have become partners with 30MPC and helps our mission of levelling up the b2b sales community! #sales #b2bsales #30MPCxAligned

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35-50% of b2b buyers choose the vendor that is fastest to respond. But, most vendors are still forcing buyers to: Fill out a form Wait for a response  Talk to an SDR So, It can take buyers weeks to: See a product demo Learn about pricing Talk to subject matter experts If buyers choose the vendor that is fastest to respond… Why are we still forcing buyers to jump through so many hoops? *(Source: InsideSales.com)

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It’s never been more difficult to be in sales. To be successful, you need high-value outbound messaging that distinguishes you as the right solution for your prospect. But let's face it — not all reps have the time or access to real-time data to truly understand each prospect's needs...  It's time to meet SAM, the AI-powered sales assistant from Similarweb. Only with SAM do you get: 💡Prospect-tailored insights based on buyer intent, sales signals, and your prospects’ use case 📬Hyper-personalized, ready-to-use outbound messaging that spotlights your company as the right solution 🗓️Instantly generated insights accessible through Gmail and Google Calendar, making sales reps ready for any meeting  You can learn more about SAM’s capabilities here → https://bit.ly/3QOi5BB

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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 that care about UX and productivity for sales people: SDR Managers (god bless you wonderful folks). I do find that most direct managers in Sales aren't polling their employees--especially AE's to find out what's not working, what they are putting up with and not complaining about. There are tons of tools that sales folks are buying on their own dime like Scratchpad, Superhuman, etc. We all care about "giving developers the right tools to stay in flow".. but your revenue team? Sure, leaders need our forecasting tools and enablement systems (maybe)--but ask your team "what sucks about this CRM layout, how does thing work on your mobile device, what things are getting in your way, how much time do you spend clicking around poorly designed tooling interfaces---and what would move the needle for you". As an AE-centric leader, i'm working to put things in place that sure--make folks more productive--but that they don't hate using. What say you? whats sucks in your world? what tools do you buy on your own to deal with your day? or even how should the world work for a day-to-day SDR/AE/Account Manager, etc

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If your sales team isn't adding value in conversations, emails, or meetings with prospective customers, they are not sellers. They are order-takers. The sooner your sales leaders realize this, the faster you can address the underlying issues and develop stronger business acumen and sales skills.

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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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Honestly? Makes sense. CS is often seen as a revenue-generating or revenue-retaining org (or both). May as well ladder up to the CRO. It makes more sense, in most orgs, than having CS report up to Sales unless the CS org is an extremely sales-leaning team.. of which many are not, or at least not as their core function. For my $0.02: It makes most sense for CS to report up to the CRO or CEO.

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📣 - Alert to all senior sales and revenue operations leaders! A major new product update from the Lative team! 💪 We've added powerful and easy-to-use sales target and quota planning tools that integrate top-down revenue planning with bottoms-up operational data.   Some highlights of what's in this release: - Set revenue targets and apply seasonality expectations using real data for higher accuracy - Customize and fine-tune quota assignments across levels and dimensions to optimize target achievement - Use a unified dashboard to track sales team performance and capacity against targets and identify gaps in real-time Check out the post linked below for more details and screen captures so that you can see how Lative helps bring top-down revenue planning together with bottoms-up performance and capacity analysis. If you have any questions or are interested to learn more, feel free to DM me.   #RevOps #SalesPlanning #SalesStrategy #StrategicPlanning

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How did ZoomInfo Copilot help Account Manager Dave Howell close a $195,000 deal? 🤔 From surfacing insights about customer sentiment and product interest to identifying a C-level decision-maker who helped seal the deal, Copilot empowered Dave with everything he needed to win his client's business. Watch the full story below. ⬇️ #ZoomInfoCopilot

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Becoming a better SDR is a math problem. Low call to connect rate? Source better contact data and be intentional about the time zones you call. Low connect to meeting set? Make your intro more relevant to the persona’s challenges and ask better questions. Low show rate? Focus on uncovering real pain and shorten the # of days between the cold call and demo. Low sales acceptance rate? Look at your company’s SQL requirements to ensure you’re meeting the mark, and hold opportunity reviews with your AEs and manager. Your conversion rates are telling you something. Studying them and taking immediate action is one of the quickest ways to improve your game. What SDR metrics are your go-to? #sales #sdr

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SDRs and AEs are sending way too many emails these days. All you need is 4. 𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 Jill, looks like your team’s growing quickly. How’re you planning SKO for all your new AEs? We help sales leaders pick everything from destination, flights, meals and events. Simply put in your team size and budget and we’ll give you all your options in seconds. Curious to learn how? 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 Here's a quick video showing how you can plan SKO (flights, meals and events) in less than a minute: [insert video] ♻️ And then repeat that (a week later) with a new pain point That's it. 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: Don't send break up emails. Those get marked as SPAM. What cold email tips do you have? - Mike G 👉 Join 7,000+ sellers getting my (free) sales newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gwQVvVBK

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In a recent discovery call with a VP of Rev Ops, I had a breakthrough moment. Despite initial reservations, a shift occurred when I prioritized understanding over outcomes. I shared my genuine objectives: - Identifying fixable problems - Assessing problem severity - Evaluating if our solution addresses the issue By signaling readiness to walk away if objectives weren't met, trust blossomed, and the VP opened up about challenges. Key takeaway: Detach from outcomes, focus on customer pain. Prioritizing customer needs over sales goals helps: - Build trust - Foster open communication - Ensure alignment - Provide value, even if it means parting ways For those who've experienced similar breakthroughs, share your stories in the comments! #CustomerCentric #DiscoveryCalls #SalesMindset #OrbitShift

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CROs and sales enablement leaders want fast, repeatable, and reportable ways to deliver sales knowledge to sellers whenever they need it. BUT:  1. Sales training doesn’t help do this fast enough (it takes 3+ months for the average seller to ramp up, and they will continue to need SE support to answer everyday buyer questions after that) 2. SE bandwidth is limited and hiring more SEs to solve this problem is an extremely expensive solution To combat this at scale, Luke Martin, Senior Manager, Revenue Enablement Infrastructure Operations at ZoomInfo decided to innovate with AI – where every seller could ask AI a sales question, and it would answer it accurately and phrased the same way an SE would. Curious to know how that journey went? Join us for our webinar, 𝗡𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀: 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝟵 𝗔𝗠 𝗣𝗧, 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭 where we'll be discussing: ✨ The challenges Luke and many other sales/enablement leaders are facing today ✨ Separating gimmicky “AI software” from AI products and solutions that actually work ✨ Scaling AI adoption across your sales organization while keeping security, data privacy, and costs in mind Link to register 👇 https://lnkd.in/ecEBPG_t #CRO #Sales_enablement_leaders

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