Zachary McBeain

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 😑

49

3 Comments

A fat pipeline is the path to quota right? (wrong!) A QUALIFIED pipeline is. What if you looked at the perspective of qualified pipeline... and applied it to your LIFE? --- Business Impact --- Travel the World --- Serve Customers --- Have Date Nights --- Create Experiences If you were writing the plot to your book or movie. What does GOOD look like? With your.... --- Health --- Family --- Finances --- Spirituality --- Experiences --- Job and Career --- Learning and Creativity Let's "Build our Life Resumes" (shout out to Jesse Itzler for preaching this) MORE... --- Passion --- Alignment --- Fulfillment --- Deep Work --- Intentionality LESS... --- Busyness --- Perfection --- Overthinking --- Expectations --- Promises for Tomorrow "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain." ~Vivian Greene Follow #leadwithmeaning for more content like this. #mindset #coach #psychology #growthmindset #philosophy Seeking clarity, purpose or alignment? 📌DM me to connect 🔔Follow me and learn more ♻️Found this helpful, repost for others

9

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.....

1

5 Comments

SDR success typically boils down to one simple question: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁? This job is a relentless grind. It will test your: → Patience → Fortitude → Discipline → Resilience → Persistence Those who succeed aren't necessarily the smartest. They're the ones who want it the most. They embrace the grind, stay focused and refuse to give up when things get tough. If you're ready to put in the work, your effort will pay off. (and I promise you it will be worth it) But if you're half-hearted about it? The SDR role will chew you up and spit you out. So... how much do you want it? Happy Monday.

46

3 Comments

B2B Sales Leader: Multi-threading is really important. But also: → Doesn't train reps on mapping accounts → Doesn't give reps talk tracks → Doesn't give reps budget to get external help Then they wonder why → Reps only have 1 person involved in their deals → Deals stall and land in Closed Lost → Deals slip to next quarter Stop wasting money on buying more sales tools. Reps don't have a tool problem. They have a skill problem. Give them the skills they need to go wide and deep. If you're a rep reading this, this image is something I call Multi-Threading Compass Concept 📌 Me and Andy Aveyard, Head of MM Sales at Zoom discussed it Watch the interview here: https://lnkd.in/e-Cp4M7Q Most reps are in a rush to get to power [North] → But they're not ready → They don't have a clear business case Instead, focus on going East and West → To find and build more Champions → Gain wider consensus Then go South → To win over power users → Create raving fans Then, take your business case to the Economic Buyer. It might take longer. But you'll win more deals. Let me know what you think about the interview above!

37

24 Comments

Feeling hesitant about making that next sales call? Cold calling can be tough, I get it. Questions like “What if I mess up my pitch?” or “What if they get upset?” are common. Remember, practice makes perfect. Keep calling, and you'll improve. Eventually, you'll connect with someone who says yes! Don't let fear hold you back from starting a conversation. Not taking action leads to no results, which should be the ultimate fear in sales. Don't let the fear of the unknown prevent you from trying something new and potentially achieving success!

19

1 Comment

Math. Every SDR needs it. I'm not talking calculus. I'm talking funnel metrics. Inputs, Conversions, Outputs. Use math for "what if?" scenarios. What if I increase X conversion by Y? Use math for more controllable quotas. How many inputs do I need to achieve X? And use math for continuous improvement. Where are there bottle-necks in my funnel? Every activity we do in sales is measurable. The best SDRs use that to their advantage.

55

10 Comments

Salesforce State of #Sales report is finally out and DAMNNNN the proof is in the pudding folks!!!! Conclusive data showing the shocking truth about the state of the sales profession... Company revenue is WILDLY UP and quota attainment is still WILDLY DOWN... 🤬 The full report is like +30 pages but I'm here to give ya some of the highlights. I CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH TO READ THIS! Salesforce is one of the few companies with enough data to actually pinpoint what's going on in the sales profession. What was most shocking to you? - Growth is back - Quota attainment is now that bad - How many reps actually get 1:1s - Reps are finally getting paid fairly - #1 reason why reps are jumping ship Or something else entirely? Lemme know in the comments! #deathtofluff ☠️ --- Get your hands on the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dFGrQRSU

87

29 Comments

SDRs – before you cold call, remember: → Prospects are humans just like you → They have problems you can solve → Your next call could be your best call → You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose → A “no” now could turn into a “yes” later → Every call could unlock $$ commission → Win/lose every call is a chance to learn → Each dial gets you 1 step closer to quota → You’ll likely never meet them face-to-face Happy hunting this week.

131

16 Comments

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

61

10 Comments

A good reminder for any AEs and SDRs figuring out how to get in front of that senior leader at your ’must win’ account. To get the interest of executives you need to show them a risk, opportunity or threat to their business they weren’t aware of, And often it’s the people doing the work that can help you formulate that unique perspective.

3

This is absolute creative gold! Calling on ALL Sales Leaders, BDR Leaders, and sales reps to take a look at this video. 6sense can help you. #Salesintelligence #accountdata #salesai #predictive #accountprioritization #outboundsales https://lnkd.in/gEc_cv5Q

3

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.

30

7 Comments

You can't scale a sales team without this. A document that tells reps exactly how to create new opportunities, run demos, and close new customers. Call it a script, playbook, or whatever you want to call it. Your team needs one. I put off creating playbook for too long. It felt like busy-work. Empty calories. Something that you do to pretend that you are being productive. Salespeople should be selling, not documenting their processes. Similarly, sales leadership should be leading and coaching, not writing things down. Right? Wrong. The naive and inexperienced version of me thought that hiring good people was enough. I felt like if I could just get the right salespeople on my team, then they will figure out how to sell and the revenue will go up. So I ran an intense interview process and sought out the best sales talent that I could find. After failing to onboard a few hires that should have been all-star salespeople, I realized that I was the problem. Or rather, my lack of a documented sales process was the problem. New sales hires were learning on the fly, which slowed their progress and made it harder to make money. I wasn’t doing enough to show them how to be successful in their role. Then one day while I was sitting on the sales floor, I heard something that made the hair stand up on my neck. Three different sales demos happening at the same time from three different reps. Each salesperson was using a different version of our sales deck. Each salesperson had a different way of explaining who we are and what we do. Each salesperson had a different method of ending the demo and setting clear next steps. And these were three of our tenured, successful reps! How could we possibly scale a sales team with such a mix of sales execution?! I decided to make a change. I rushed back into my office and started a word document: “How to Run A Demo”. This document outlined the exact steps for running a Levelset demo, in excruciating detail. I was done assuming that salespeople would know how to do things the right way. Leave nothing to chance. If they know, they will do it well. If they don’t know, then at least I have it written down. I included things like: - how to set up your zoom so your video stream looks professional - the ideal structure for a product demo - email templates to make sure your prospect shows up to the demo - what questions to ask your prospect to kick off the demo - key objections and how to overcome them - how to use the sales deck to drive conversation - how to set clear next steps For most experienced reps, it was too detailed but it reminded them of the fundamentals of generating new business. For new reps, it was like I gave them a magical compass. It was a blueprint for success. You can do the same for your team. Start with one page. It will grow into something that you can use for every new person on your team.

34

5 Comments

5 strategies to automatically increase your win rate 👇🏼 Very interesting and accionable from Gong 1. Double down on backup 2. Give buyers time to think 3. Make sure reps talk money 4. Require next steps 5. Emphasize value, not features

4

The path from $1m - $50m ARR is a graveyard for sales leaders. The average tenure for CRO / VP of Sales is under 18 months. You almost never hear of the same sales leader leading a company from $1m to $50m+. Why is it so rare for sales leaders to level up as the company scales? The "$0 - $1m" sales leader struggles to get to $10m. The "$1m - $10m" sales leader struggles to get to $50m. And so on. You see so many examples of this across the B2B SaaS industry. Working in an early stage company is kinda like playing jazz. Everyone member of a jazz band has their speciality, but the music comes from how they improvise and push each other to play. As you scale, the company looks more like an orchestra than a jazz band. Each section of an orchestra is highly specialized. The music is structured to blend each section together to make a sound - a symphony. Sure, a jazz player can learn to play in an orchestra. But it is rare. In the same way, the $0-1m sales leader can learn to be the $10m or $50m leader. But this kind of personal growth is uncommon. It requires a level of self-awareness and a commitment to learning that most people don't have. I've heard this trait called "dynamic range" - the ability for a leader to improve their skills to match the stage of the company. When you have a leader on your team who shows dynamic range, invest in them. Give them the opportunity to learn how to play in an orchestra.

97

12 Comments

Average Contract Value by segment: Strat - $278K ENT - $180K MM - $57K Direct correlation with your expected payouts? Yes. Average OTE by segment: Strat AE - $280K See more: https://lnkd.in/gEqj9YQz ENT AE - $255K See more: https://lnkd.in/gb7GeWzW MM AE - $165k See more: https://lnkd.in/gDkDDg5w The larger the deals you're selling, the more earning potential. The more earnings potential, the higher the expectations. All open SaaS roles here: https://lnkd.in/ggz4efaD Any of these surprise you? 🦙

121

44 Comments

Why wait for a quarterly or monthly review to tell an SDR they’ve been barking up the wrong tree? Continuous feedback is like a GPS for sales—it reroutes you before you drive off a cliff! 😂 Instead of a surprise "Gotcha!" every few months, let’s keep the feedback flowing. That way, our SDRs can adjust on the fly, close more deals, and save the drama for the office coffee machine. In sales, course correction should be instant, not a quarterly plot twist! #SalesLeadership #RealTimeFeedback #NoSurprises #SDR #BDR

47

8 Comments

There’s a sales skill less than 6% of sellers learn: It’s called Visual Leverage. Here’s what it is and how to do it: Visual Leverage: Using visuals to convey ideas & simplify complexity. The payoff? A more engaged audience and better message retention. • The brain processes images 60k times faster • Visuals can improve retention by 400% • 2/3 of the brain is dedicated to vision • 65% of people are visual learners So, when to use Visual Leverage? Here are 3 common use cases: 1. Whiteboard Discovery sessions 2. Process map outlines 3. Customer stories 1/ Whiteboard Discovery sessions Start with a simple Quadrant format: Top left = Company priorities Top right = Project priorities Bottom left = Current challenges Bottom right = Solution ideas Ask questions as you normally would, but, document using simple icons and short-form writing. The result? Better engagement and agreement of your understanding. 2/ Process map outlines Seeing is believing and nothing screams “broken” like visually seeing a process. Basic shapes, arrows, and 3 colors are all you need. Use Red for manual or redundant steps Green for automated or opportunity Black for basic icons The result? Increased urgency and desire to change or improve the current state. 3/ Customer stories Pitches cause buyers to put their guard up. Stories cause them to lean in. Learn to whiteboard stories using basic story shapes like: - Man in a hole - From Bad to worse - Rags to Riches - Hero’s Journey Learn more about story shapes at worldbuilders[.]ai The result? Visuals + Stories = Steroids for your memory This is only scratching the surface - I share more weekly at tips[.]keithweightman[.]me

126

30 Comments