Nick Bontrager

Prospect says I'm not interested Average SDR response: "Why?" 👎 "I haven't shown you anything yet for you to not be interested" 👎 Top SDR response: "Sounds like you've tried something like this before?" ✅ PAUSE "Understood. I know I called out of the blue. Usually when I hear someone isn't interested it's because they've tried this before and it didn't work" ✅ PAUSE Your prospect will correct you☝ So why is saying "why" bad? Your prospect will get defensive. It comes off as too aggressive and you haven't necessarily earned the right to ask why. You sound like you're about to fight the prospect... Seek to understand by being understanding - not by being aggressive and annoyed 🧘‍♂️ #coldcalling #SDR #sales

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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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From a Buddhist perspective, this statement highlights the profound influence of relationships on our well-being. Our interactions with others, including our managers, shape our mind and heart. A good boss fosters a supportive, compassionate environment, reducing stress and promoting mental peace—much like the Buddha taught about harmonious relationships. However, true peace comes from within. While external factors, like a kind manager, can uplift us, our ultimate mental health depends on our ability to cultivate mindfulness, detachment, and equanimity. We should seek balance both internally and externally. #Mindfulness #CompassionateLeadership #InnerPeace #WorkplaceWellbeing

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Why is 60-70% of SDRs missing quota? It's because their leadership is failing them. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Storm on the SDR Hire Podcast - a tenured SDR and Revenue leader with multiple successful teams behind her, countless lectures and trainings delivered. Sara has a very unique, no BS approach to sales and SDR leadership. In this episode she shared: • What's the current state of the SDR/BDR role • Why sales leaders are failing their sales teams AND their customers • How can SDRs take ownership of their careers?! • Should you even be in an SDR role? • How she used to close 7/10 cold calls she'd make Here's the full episode: https://lnkd.in/eCANhKGu Sara thank you for sharing your expertise and holding sales leaders everywhere accountable! Hope you all enjoy and subscribe! #sdr #bdr #salesdevelopment #techsales #career

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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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Sales folks especially SDRs and AEs I will tell you a hack about how to achieve more in less time ↓ "Start blocking your calendar thoughtfully and strategically every single day" Working out of whims & fancies and adhocism will not get you the desired result you aspire to achieve. You need to have a plan for your day even before starting the day. Every time you block your calendar make sure you block it for a single activity and you define what output you want to achieve out of this activity. Have a time block for at least Prospecting, Identifying new accounts, and Follow-ups on a daily basis, the rest you can block based on your roles and KRAs. Remember: "You cannot control time but you can surely control how you want to spend the time"

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The best SDRs have a short-term memory… 👉 You face lots of rejection as an SDR. More than any other role. - Tough cold calls. - Unsubscribe emails. - Demo no-shows. Constant rejection sucks. But, we can fix that. Adopt a short-term memory. - View it as a learning moment rather than a rejection. - Expect only 10% of your accounts are going to buy. - Understand that rejection is a normal. - Celebrate small wins. - Have a call buddy. You don’t want: - One bad call effect the day. - One bad day to affect your week. - One bad week to affect a quarter. - One bad quarter to affect a year. So… Keep improving your skillset. Become resilient. Win in the long term. ➡️ What do you do to get over rejection fast? Subscribe to my newsletter - Sales Synergy - 👉 Link in bio.

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SDRs - Want to sound more confident on your cold calls? Here's a simple way... Remove phrases like "I think" or "I believe" These phrases are weak and make you sound less confident. before: "I think that we can help solve XYZ" after: "we solve XYZ" You're already giving your opinion, you don't need to say it again. Speak with power. People trust confident people. P.S. we share actionable and tactical tips each week in our newsletter. Super example-heavy. Check it out! Worst case scenario you simply unsubscribe :)

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Same s***, different day… We all know the drill: SDRs think AEs are slow to close, and AEs think SDRs are passing weak non qualified leads. But the truth is, when both sides align, most companies will see a 30% increase in account penetration! Its simple: -Communicate regularly – Don’t wait for weekly meetings. Share quick feedback throughout the day to stay in sync. - Define lead criteria together – Align on what makes a qualified lead. It saves time and eliminates finger-pointing. - Quick deal huddles – Hold short, tactical check-ins to discuss hot accounts. - Debrief wins & losses – Celebrate what worked and break down what didn’t to improve for next time. - Support the hand-off– SDRs should warm up intros, they after all have that initial relationship with the prospect. Collaboration is key!

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The average SDR is making $85,000 The average SMB AE is making $130,000 a year. The average MM AE is making $165,000 a year. If you crush it as an SDR, are at a company that actually promotes top talent, and continue to perform as an AE you can literally double your income in just a few years. How cool is that? I teamed up with RepVue and put together a few resources with some more details on salaries based on roles... check it out. SDR salaries & a list of high paying SDR Roles: https://lnkd.in/gqfUbnqR SMB AE salaries & a list of high paying SMB Roles: https://lnkd.in/gcpnQ_Xt Mid-Market AE salaries & a list of high paying MM Roles: https://lnkd.in/gPd-RHCb Ent AE salaries & a list of high paying Ent Roles: https://lnkd.in/gibqD9Gv

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Hey SDRs and SDR Leaders. important update of skills you must have Software Defined Radio Sustainability Disclosure Requirement keep an eye here for more tounge and cheek hints.

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Most SDRs are wasting their 1:1s with their managers. Instead of: - Focusing on only activity numbers - How close your are to quota - Number of prospects adding into a sequence Focus on: - Actively seek coaching to improve your approach - Analyse your data and outcomes to spot trends - Identify what’s working and what isn’t in your outreach - Set personal goals, beyond just hitting the quota 1:1s are a chance to get better, not just report numbers. The reps who grow the fastest are the ones who focus on coaching and improvement, not just activity counts. 💡Want more tips? Sign up to my free newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eX-dytM4

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Should you outsource SDRs or build a team internally? Depends... Building internally pros: 📈 You'll build a pipeline of future sellers made for your business. 📓 You'll own all the messaging, call talk tracks, playbooks, etc. that you'll utilize repeatedly beyond your SDR organization 📊 Control over metrics, data, KPIs, process, etc. ✅ Reduced risk around brand reputation + more control and visibility into the day to day 💡 Most of the benefit is about control and posterity for your business. Building internally cons: ❌ Doing it "wrong" Many business make the mistake of setting unrealistic expectations and create a broken SDR organization based on bad info or a lack of it. 💳 Cost You'll pay a premium to build your team internally. Health and other benefits can cost upwards of 15-20% of annual salaries. You (should) hire an SDR manager, sales ops support, etc. build your SDR function which can be costly for some teams Purchasing an SDR tech stack isn't cheap 🤑 Outsourcing benefits: 💰 Huge savings You don't pay for health benefits, hardware, etc. which can cost upwards of 15-20% of their annual salary You won't have to hire an SDR manager $100k+ You won't need to purchase as much tech to get the job done ⏰ Time savings You won't need to manage the day to day of an early career SDR who needs coaching regularly, not to mention you might have no idea how to coach an SDR and when to pivot 🙅‍♂️ Reduced risk You can outsource all or some of the recruiting efforts, training and the management process of the SDR team giving you time back and reducing burden on management. 🤓 You'll learn SDR best practices, i.e. what does and doesn't work Outsourcing cons: 🤒 Picking the wrong team to outsource can hurt A lot of teams opt for overseas SDRs. You could hurt your brand with poor messaging and a negative customer experience. Too many of these companies are still using the spray and pray mass messaging model 🎮 Less control over your sales process There are massive benefits to either model ✅ Unsure which is right for your team? Ask me 📥 #SDR

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HIRING NOW: ENTERPRISE & COMMERCIAL AE - SaaS - Automation - $ALES & MARKETING account signals and insights SaaS tool 💸 Commercial Account Executive: $125k base 50/50 split - $1m quota 💸 Enterprise Account Executive: $150k base 50/50 split- $1.2m quota Actual inbound leads - $20k - $500k deal sizes - 6 months sales cycle You keep account in your book of business for upsells while CSMs are responsible for renewal #seriesbstartup, working under one of our longer term #vpofsales who JUST started - you must have experience - at an earlier stage org of less than 200 employees - selling a complex solution - ideal experience selling into #gtm #salesleaders or desire to Selling into other SaaS orgs! work with clients like GitLab Notion MongoDB and MORE - providing insights on how their #gtm can do more with less, and make more $$ In a world of tech, where everything is connected it is more possible than ever before to build connections between your current clients, and your ideal prospects This solution combines Sales, Marketing, Community and Operations and uses AI to enrich, score and analyze intent - $ignals are one of the most important aspects of monitoring what is working, and the best way to target, support and optimize every account. An ideal rep understands sales strategies including #productledgrowth and #productledsales MUST BE HUNGRY, LOVE BUILDING PROCESSES and have experience working in a startup get on my schedule! 206 747 9724 #accountexecutive #commercialaccountexecutive #enterpriseaccountexecutive #gtmsaas #gtmsales #salesjobs #salescareers #bestfootforward #softwaresales #saassales #salesdevelopment

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SALES, SALES, SALES - Let's meet & work together for the rest of your sales career - Account Executive Opening$ 💘 Revenue Tool - SaaS Series B $125- $150k base $1m- $1.2m quota $7k- $500k deal size selling into #saas #sales #gtm teams actual inbound $$ growing their sales team from 5-12 SDR support (one on one for now) for #startup rep$ only 💘 Direct to Healthcare Tool - SaaS Series B $900k quota Some SDR support ideal candidate has worked with #insurance and has #saas background 💘 Manufacturing ERP Account Executive & Implementation Consulting org $95-$110k base. $200k++ OTE $200k+ deal size Must MUST MUST have sold #erp to manufacturing companies this is NOT a platform, or a RESELLER, this is a CONSULTING ORG that sources, refines fit and works with the customer throughout a very long up to 2 year implementation process - you will be the #csm #am NO COLD CALLING OR SALES EMAILS you will work DIRECT with JUST the founder open to seeing #sdrs who have sold #erp to manufacturers who want to get out of software, and into consulting - SDR Opening$$ 💘 Direct to Healthcare Tool - SaaS Series B 10+ qualified attended meeting a month selling into #hr mostly within #nonprofits and #homehealthcare $55-$65k base, up to $200+ per qualified, attended meeting do not contact me if you aren't going to take my coaching seriously :) cold call me 10x in a row text me send me a blind invite do what you got to do <3 #sales #salesrecruiter #gtmsales #founderledsales #saleshiring #salesjobs

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🚀 SDR Leaders: It's Not Just About Activity—It's About Targeting the Right Prospects! Many leaders focus heavily on activity metrics—calls, emails, social touches, video outreach, etc. We set ambitious weekly and monthly goals, but how often do we step back and ask: Are we targeting the right prospects? If you invest more time coaching your team on who to prospect, you'll see better results without increasing effort. 📈 When I first started focusing on this, I was shocked by how much effort was wasted on leads that were never going to convert. A little guidance on prospect selection led to skyrocketing conversion rates. ✅ Have solid prospecting personas. ✅ Regularly review who your team is targeting. ✅ Coach them on selecting the best individuals. The right focus can transform your team’s success! #SalesLeadership #Prospecting #SDR #BDR #Coaching #LeadGeneration

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SDRs pursuing AE promotion: Don't be disheartened if you don't get it. Promoting to AE has never been harder: 𝟭. 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝘄 & 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 ↳ Meaning they're more far competitive. 𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗯𝗮𝗱) ↳ Meaning experience has more value. Truth is, it might take you 2 or 3 times. (and that would be totally normal) Just focus on: ✅ Actioning interview feedback ✅ Bolstering your internal brand ✅ Continuing to deliver your quota ✅ Mentoring from top-performing AEs ✅ Owning your development like a CEO Your time will come.

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If you want to get promoted to AE, You need to have AE skills. And, unfortunately, most SDRs don't have them. Why? Because the SDR role and the AE role are very very different. If you just focus on developing your skills as an SDR and expect to get promoted to AE, You're kidding yourself. You'll get better as an SDR (which is table stakes for promotion), But you won't show you're ready for the next step. So how do you develop AE skills? By doing AE work. This means running calls. And it doesn't have to be customer calls right off the bat. Here's a strategy that worked for me: Schedule a mock call with a different person internally every week. There are 3 big advantages of this: 1️⃣ You get experience running calls and then get quick feedback on where you can improve 2️⃣ You get to work with different personalities and get different perspectives on how to best run a call 3️⃣ Word will get around internally that you're working on your AE skills, which will improve your internal personal brand This is how you take control of your own development. There are a lot of competition for these spots, So you need to make your promotion a no-brainer. There's no better way to do that than to do the job before you actually get it. #sdr #bdr #ae #sales #growth

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Cold calling tips if your key prospect is not picking up: 🕥call at different times/days ⏳call during the last 10mins of the hour 🌤️always warm up a cold call 👋leave voicemails 👯‍♂️call into their reporting line 😀be prepared when they pick up 💃use a multi-channel approach (they may never pick up their phone) #sdr #salesdevelopment #coldcalling

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