John (Jack) Nolan’s Post

🔥How to repel top saas sales talent🔥 Part 1: ICP A clear Ideal Customer Profile is crucial. An ICP defines your perfect customer. The customers your product solves problems for best. Without a strong ICP? Sales hiring gets way harder. Why? Top salespeople want to win. An unclear ICP means... ❎Chasing bad-fit prospects that won't buy ❎Wasting time on crappy leads ❎Low close rates and commission checks No clarity on who to sell to? Top reps will bail for better opportunities. But with a tight ICP? Salespeople know exactly who to pursue. Pitches improve. Closes get easier. Reps earn more. A solid product with a tight vision and ICP will have a much easier time attracting and retaining talent then a company throwing sh*t against a wall hoping it sticks.

5 Types of Sales Reps Most Businesses Overlook (... this could 10x your revenue) Think sales reps are just for cold calling or closing deals? You’re wrong. Here are 5 game-changing sales roles you're probably neglecting: 1️⃣ Lead Generators — The classic SDRs who fill your pipeline with fresh prospects. They're the foundation, but not the whole story. 2️⃣ Closers — Your experienced reps who turn leads into customers. Essential, but limited if they're your only focus. 3️⃣Partnership Developers — These reps forge strategic alliances, opening up new markets and resources. They're your ticket to exponential growth. 4️⃣ Referral Specialists — Experts at turning happy customers into a steady stream of warm leads. They leverage your success for more success. 5️⃣ Business Development Reps (BDRs) — The visionaries who create entirely new acquisition channels. They're your secret weapon for market expansion. Most businesses only focus on #1 and #2, missing out on massive growth opportunities. Here's why diversifying your sales team matters: ➡️ Broader reach: Tap into markets you never knew existed ➡️ Increased efficiency: Each role specialises in what they do best ➡️ Sustainable growth: Build a sales ecosystem, not just a pipeline I've seen companies double their revenue in months by adding just one of these overlooked roles. - PS, Frustrated with the expensive and time-consuming recruitment process for high-quality sales reps? Our platform gives you access to a Netflix-style library of the world’s best. Hire a rockstar closer in as little as 7 days - visit our website and get started.

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!

Heard a founder say that they have SDRs and AEs because it is too hard to prospect and close Asked him if he had ever seen a successful full cycle seller before He said no I grew up in the world of full cycle selling Back then, it was called sales SDR role had not been created yet Many people we listen to on LinkedIn today were successful full cycle sellers ❔ How can someone hire for a role they don’t believe is possible? ❔How can someone build a strategy if they don’t understand the roles to execute it ❔How can someone onboard, train and set expectations for a role they have never seen done before? The SDR and AE role separated make logical sense on the surface One does top of funnel, one closes… simple Until your metrics are whack Deals don’t close There is a ton of noise in the system You point blame at the wrong people Frustration boils and wild decisions are made The SDR <> AE does work Not for every company, in any industry, selling any type of product There are plenty of situations where it doesn’t Have a conversation with someone who understands the right models for the right businesses Someone who has seen what works in many models Full cycle selling is not back… it never left Same as wide leg jeans and chain wallets Takeaways: 1. Get a sales audit done when you aren’t sure of the sales model 2. Hiring is tough, bring in a former operator who has done it successfully and can help with training/onboarding to ensure the people, team, process, etc are set up to succeed

When you hire sales professionals based on who they know . . . Watch your results implode. You hire reps based on skills, not who they know. Networks are important, but they are WAY over-rated! If you want to build a company with sustainable sales results, Focus on: 1. Getting the product right - No sales rep can fix a sh*tty product 2. Founder led sales - If you are early stage, the first sales rep needs to be the founder. 3. Building a repeatable and replicable sales process - See #2 . . . if the founder can't sell it, nobody else can. 4. THEN hire sales talent with the right skills. F*ck the network. If you do the 4 things above, the network will build itself. Okay, rant done. If you made it this far, thanks.

Feeling stuck in FMCG sales? Here’s the story of Chris Vandoros' transition from sales at Lion to the software industry at Foundry. -- ⚙️How did you get started in tech sales? Weirdly enough I started working at a brewery in their customer service and up-selling department. I was then lucky enough to have interviewed at a company, where I originally did not get an SDR role, but they approached me 1 year later and offered me a BDM role. From there, through my connections at Uni, I found myself working where I am today selling media, data and services to the top tech accounts in the world. 🚩What was the #1 misconception you had about tech sales when first starting out? Face to face meetings are thing of the past and everyone wants to meet online. This is partly true, however, face to face meetings are one of, if not, the most powerful type of meeting there is. Any time you have the chance to book a meeting, always offer a face to face first, because the relationship building and insights into your prospect are second to none. 🎯For current tech sales reps, what's your #1 sales tip? Calling is still the most powerful tool in your arsenal. If you're stuck for meetings and don't have enough pipeline, pick up the phone and have a conversation! The next and equally as powerful, is to agree to next steps on the current call and to book in the follow up meeting. - ⭐️ Keen to share your story, or know a top performing SDR or AE that we should feature next? Shoot Ryan Van a message on LinkedIn!

Hot take: SDR is not the hardest job in sales. Mid Market AE is. Here’s why: Mid market is in an awkward middle between enterprise and SMB. These AEs often need mastery over not one, but two distinct sales motions: 1. High velocity selling 2. Enterprise selling Enterprise reps have the “luxury” (said tongue in cheek) of exclusively running enterprise motions, even if the initial land is small. SMB reps have the luxury of exclusively running high velocity, faster cycles. Mid Market reps are in the unenvious position of needing to know both. They don’t have the luxury of hyper-specialization. Companies between, say, 250 and 1500 employees have wildly different buying processes and speed. It is not uncommon for the mid market segment to struggle the most. I see this all the time. I see you, mid market reps. P.S. Here's 39 sales questions you can use to crush mid market selling: https://go.pclub.io/list

Time for your first sales hire. But as a Technical Founder you've got no experience in hiring or managing a sales rep. In this article we explore the six fundamental questions to ask yourself before making that hire. 1.      Is now the right time to hire our first sales rep? 2.      What type of sales rep do we hire? 3.      Where do we find good sales reps? 4.      How do we interview sales reps? 5.      How do we onboard sales reps? 6.      How do we manage sales reps? Read on and reach out if you need help answering any of the questions. https://lnkd.in/gS_pJMdB

Building a winning sales team requires bringing together the right mix of personalities and skills for your specific needs. It's about putting the right people in the right roles. At the top of the funnel, you need hunters - those relentless prospectors who thrive on outbound activities like cold calling and email campaigns. Give them a target list and quotas, and they'll pound the phones tirelessly to set up qualified meetings. However, these same hardchargers may struggle in longer cycle sales where nurturing leads over time is required. For complex sales cycles, you want savvy closers running point. These are your seasoned negotiators comfortable in high stakes meetings, able to guide deals through all the twists and turns en route to a signed contract. With credibility and deep product knowledge, they instill confidence in buyers. But don't necessarily expect them to ramp up your SQLs through cold outreach. If you sell into enterprises, gravitas matters. You'll need senior-level sales executives who can engage C-suite decision makers as peers and trusted advisors. With years of experience and industry expertise, they aren't just sales reps - they are strategic partners managing multimillion dollar deals. The most successful sales orgs staff a diverse array of hunter, farmer, and enterprise-level closer profiles based on their go-to-market strategy and sales cycle. There is no one-size-fits-all salesperson. It's about assembling complementary talents into a cohesive team. An Oscar-worthy performance requires casting the right actors and roles. #salesmentor #salesrecruitment #recruitment #saassales

Trying to find a SaaS sales job?? Apply a sales methodology to it. Recognize that it is a numbers game- you need a blend of both quantity and quality. You’ve applied at 5 companies? Your pipeline isn’t big enough. I’d be contacting at least 5 new companies a day. You’ve applied to 5,000 companies? You haven’t identified your ICP (Ideal Company Profile). Spend some time defining where you’d be happy and could bring value. Personalize and tailor your messaging for those type of companies. I guarantee that will put you ahead of a lot of other candidates. I receive way too many generic and non-targeted reach outs from applicants. I almost never respond or engage with those. I wager (I’m still in Vegas) that most execs are the same. Good luck and happy hunting!