Nick Pataro 🧑‍🚀

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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SDR Dashboards - what do you want to see? Gimme your top 3 stats/charts/reports you like to see on YOUR dashboard for pipeline gen. There's the obvious activity levels and SQL/SAL volumes but what else do you like to see.....

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Here is the real impact that value selling is having for revenue teams: Tom Pisello David Yockelson 🔑48% improvement in winrate 🔑35% increase in deal size 🔑25% reduction in sales cycle time BUT...... ⛔️ only 19% of reps and 19% of pipeline is using value selling today. BIGGGG opportunity here...!

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SDRs - Struggling with your ramp? Here are 5 tips to immediately improve your results and beat your ramp 1. Meet with 3 top performing BDRs, pick their brains on everything from Prospecting, Research, Sequences, calls, emails, Linkedin DM's etc. Once you have a good pool of knowledge on strategies that are working in the current market you can adapt it and make it your own. 2. Problem enablement: The most important thing to know is WHO you help and HOW you help them. Speak to your AE's who've closed business, CSMs and your own internal personas. The goal is to be able to crisply articulate how you can help a target persona in a target account get to their desired state. No one cares about WHAT you do, they care about how you can help them. 3. Volume: Practice makes perfect, you're not going to get good without the reps so get out there and prepare to fail. 4. Double down: If you find one medium is yielding more meetings then double down on that one, e.g if you're booking 5 meetings a month through call and 1 via email, try changing to a call only sequence for a while to see if it ups your results. 5. Feedback loops: Regularly ask your top-performing peers, AEs and your manager in your 121 for SPECIFIC advice. This means you'll always be growing your skillset. Make sure you're not getting advice from everyone though as this will dilute your focus P.S I'll do a part 2 of this next week but anything you'd add? For now, enjoy a picture of Emre Ceyhan and me at our recent Spike Week!

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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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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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SDR leaders, quit being the superhero. It's stunting your team's growth. (both professional and pipeline) Your job isn't about: ❌ Giving your reps all the answers ❌ Solving all their problems ❌ Running a dictatorship ❌ Doing it all yourself ❌ Micromanaging Your job is about: ✅ Helping your reps find the answers ✅ Coaching problem-solving ✅ Running a democracy ✅ Delegating out tasks ✅ Giving autonomy Less about being the superhero. More about empowering superheroes. Magical things happen when you "relinquish control". Your team becomes more self-sufficient, engaged and productive. And they grow ridiculously faster. Meanwhile you become less stressed. Relieving the constant pressure on yourself. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal right? Well that's because it is. So do yourself a favor. Take off your cape.

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Salespeople: You know that moment when you think something is off? It is. Trust your gut. If you feel it, label it: "Seems like you're skeptical this will work for you.” "Sounds like the value isn't there for you.' "Sounds like you're looking at a few options." "Feels like something's making you uncomfortable." "Seems like you want to shop around." "Seems like you've got something on your mind." "Sounds like you have some concerns." "It doesn't seem like you're ready to switch." "Sounds like you're leaning towards sticking with what you have." Labeling is an educated guess about what the prospect is thinking (Chris Voss). If you mislabel, the prospect will correct you. People like correcting, but they don't like being corrected. Why does this matter? Labeling unlocks the floodgates of truth. Just because you don't recognize the elephants in the room doesn't mean they're not there. No truth. No transaction.

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SDR Leaders: “I statements” are killing your reps! Are your SDRs inadvertently making conversations about themselves? It's time to shift the focus. 🚫 "I think it would be a good idea for you to speak with one of my AEs..." 🚫 "I would love to show you our platform..." These "I" statements put your company and SDR first. They scream, "This is how I get paid!" Let's flip the script. The Golden Rule of SDR Conversations: -It's never about the SDR. -It's never about your company. -It's always about the prospect and their pain points. Action Steps for SDR Leaders: -Stomp out "I" statements during role-plays -Train SDRs to disconnect from the outcome (h/t Josh Braun ) -Emphasize: Not every prospect is a fit, and that's OK Remember, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Coach your SDRs to focus on understanding the prospect's needs first. If there's no fit, move on gracefully. By making this shift, your SDRs will build better relationships, have more meaningful conversations, and ultimately, drive better results. But I could be wrong 😑

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SDRs- your impact deserves recognition ($100k+ a year kind of recognition). You are the driving force of your sales org. Your contributions should be matched by growth and rewards. Top-performing SDRs earn over $100k/yr and if your current role isn’t reflecting your value, there are companies out there that will. Here are a list of companies hiring right NOW: https://lnkd.in/ePzJnBf8 Know your worth and keep the big picture in mind. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, but remember- your earning potential is significant.

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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 best "cheat codes" every AE should know: 1. 1:1s with your boss. Approach them strategically. Proactively share format and content. Biggest deals you need support on. Challenges you need help with. Forecast for the month, quarter, etc. Wins. 2. Perception. Performance is your fire. How you're perceived internally (aka your brand) is the water or gas that gets dumped on your fire. Attitude, how you show up, handle change, communicate, matters. Hold yourself to a high bar. Two levels above where you're currently at. 3. Document everything. Take the time to write down your own sales playbook. Every strategy, process and template you have. Store it on your personal computer. The value of this over time is immeasurable. I can't state this enough. 4. Problems are a good thing. Anytime there's a problem that's an opportunity to solve it, improve it, and add value. Some of the biggest opportunities I've gotten in my career came because I dove head first into problems and helped move the business forward. Startups always have problems. Don't be the negative person. 5. Time management. Block Monday mornings every week. Don't go to meetings if they're not worth your time. Most things can be solved async. Make meetings 15 to 20 mins. Sometimes you need a whole week of no meetings to catch up, get organized and do deep work. Don't feel bad for saying no to people. They'll understand. 6. External coaching. Up level by listening to podcasts, taking courses and building an external network. Don't rely on your company for everything. Even if they're doing a great job get the perspectives and strategies of other people for a significant edge. What would you add to this list? - Mike G 👉 Join 5,000+ sellers getting my (free) sales newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/gwQVvVBK

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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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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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Multi-threading... A skill that's fast becoming the most critical in a sales reps arsenal. Why? 🤔 The market is tough at the moment. 🤔 Buyers are more budget conscious. 🤔 CFOs are asking teams to reduce spend and cut back on investment. 🤔 Prospects that once had buying power and sign off capability now have to get approval from C-Suite. It sounds like an uphill battle 🏃‍♂️‍➡️⛰️ but the truth is, multi-threading is not as daunting as you might think. ⭐️ Here's some tips that have worked well for me in the last 6 months ⭐️ 🗺 Map out your accounts. Org charts are critical for multi-threading. You need to understand who your prospects are, who they report to, and who holds decision making power. Tip - LinkedIn SalesNav let's you build drag and drop org charts! 🗣️ Check with your your champion. Confirm your org chart is correct. Ask them what the process is for bringing on a new vendor. If they don't know, 🆘 they are not a true champion. 📧 Share content early. Begin introducing yourself to key stakeholders quickly. Tip - Connect on LinkedIn with a short and sweet connection request, something like "Wanted to put a face to a name following some great conversations I've been having with (champion name) re (challenge). I'll send over some content via email shortly. I look forward to hearing your thoughts." 🎺 Make sure your content is personalised, engaging, and stands out. TOP TIP - Using a tool like trumpet 🎺 (digital sales room) is a sure fire way to encourage stakeholder engagement. Upload clear and concise value props, how you can solve their businesses challenges, client case studies and more. Ask these contacts to bookmark the page as you will regular update it with content as the deal progresses. And, track their engagement, so you can meet them in the moment. So far, my prospects have been LOVING it! 📞 Pick up the phone. Once you've connected on LinkedIn and sent content, call prospects to ensure that they have seen it. Ask what questions they have and tell them about next steps. By doing the above, when it comes to negotiation these stakeholders will be informed and aware of the entire process to date, and you and your product will be top of mind 🧠 Tenured AE's in my network (I know there are a lot of you), what do you do to successfully multi-thread? P.S. You can guess what I'll be doing in the office today :😉 #multithreading #sales #digitalsalesrooms #dsr #aestrategies

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Are your renewals killing your quarter? Here are 10 ways to make sure you have a terrible Q2 10. Don't update them on new features they were asking for 9. Have a complicated renewal process. 8. Having misaligned data in the CRM  7. Mismanage your renewal process by not tracking discounts or giving away free services that weren't budgeted for. 6. Ignore them because usage is high, so "everything is cool" 5. Ignore them because it's auto-renewed 4. Never contact the Champion and just work with the admins 3. Don't have meaningful renewal conversations. 2. Start the renewal process in the same month its due 1. Never articulate the value they are getting from your product How are you going to have better Q2 numbers?

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Multi-threading is no longer optional. It's essential. Yet, most AE's rely too heavily on a single champion. The Risk? - They go dark, and your deal goes with them. - Your internal champion leaves the company. - Your one person struggles to gain consensus. What happens next? Your deal stalls, leaving you chasing for updates. What you should 𝗡𝗢𝗧 do: Don’t wait until you lose momentum. → Start connecting with multiple stakeholders. If you’re relying on one point of contact, you’re making your deal fragile. What you 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 do: From the beginning, make an effort to multi-thread. → Engage with people across typical departments. Build a network of advocates. 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: ↳Strengthens your deal ↳Mitigates risk ↳Gives you a full view of the customer’s needs. Don’t leave your deal in the hands of just one person. Make sure you’re connected to the entire buying group. - -------------------------------------- 🔔 Follow me James Bissell for more on sales ♻ Repost & share to help reps that don't get training

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I just crushed the Frictionless Sales exam! Aced it with a 51 out of 60, and I'm officially certified. That curriculum was definitely worth it. Speaking of friction, that got me thinking... What if we could identify the things slowing down our sales team? You know, those roadblocks that make closing deals a struggle. Imagine if we could free them up to spend more time actually selling! Here's a thought: what if we aligned our sales team even closer with our ideal buyer? By truly understanding their needs and pain points, our team could become trusted advisors, not just salespeople. And let's not forget the power of learning! By fostering a culture of continuous learning, we can keep our sales team sharp, informed, and adaptable. This way, they'll be equipped to handle anything that comes their way. Thank You Team HubSpot Academy (HubSpot)

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