Destiny 💲 Brandt’s Post

I had multiple conversations last week with #founders struggling to "manage" the performance of salespeople, relative to their expectations. These are early stage companies with no sales leader in place yet - and the stakes couldn't be higher. Both conversations reminded me of how important human relationships are to sales productivity. For your first sales reps to thrive, it's really critical to abandon the traditional employer-employee dynamic, and replace that with a partnership mindset - that's up to the leader to set the tone. Instead of every conversation being solely about KPI's, how many calls they've made, etc., ask for their feedback about the product. Ask how the job is working out for them personally. Ask their opinion on important business decisions. Listen. Make them feel like they're part of the founding team, even if they are not. This cadence leads to more candid dialogue around actual sales challenges - the objections that are circulating about, what-if scenarios, alternative pricing ideas, whatever. Include them in the strategy, treat them like a peer, and watch them raise their sales game. This starts in the interview process. If your selection process is too traditional in scope, which essentially means "employer grills candidate" for 45 minutes, you shouldn't be surprised at the lack of candid dialogue that follows. A better way is to proactively create an environment where candidates (and ultimately employees) feel comfortable showing vulnerability and speaking openly, without fear of consequences. You'll make better hires, but more importantly, they're far more likely to evolve and grow alongside you and your company. That's a win all around. #Startup #SalesJobs #StartupJobs #FoundingAE #SalesManagement #SalesLeadership #SalesCoaching #SalesHiring #TechSales

Over the last few months I have had the pleasure of interviewing with some of the most amazing companies in the startup world in Series A/B/C and companies looking to IPO soon and I noticed a trend… The leaders I met with did these things consistently: Casual conversation - there were no blanket “what are you strengths and weaknesses” questions. You can tell a lot more about a person by talking like a friend. Asking for examples - they wanted to know how my wins came about and if I myself knew how to identify them (early on I had no idea) Looked to promote from within - their best talent and most efficient way to fill a new role. I wanted to join a company more if I saw previous hires promoted into roles I wanted. Weren’t concerned about activity numbers. None of the “you’re supposed to be making x calls/day and keep x amount of people in sequences/cadences”. My advice to anyone interviewing for sales roles: Be yourself…good leaders can see through your bullshit Document your wins and know why it worked Express your desire to grow Focus on how much pipeline you can generate/convert. Not how many meetings you set. #sales #salesdevelopment #bdr #sdr #businessdevelopment #interviewtips #jobhunt #techsales #coldcalling

What is keeping you from double digit growth? Barbara Spector and I discuss that question this week as we talk about strategies for developing a growth mindset. Barbara and I talk about how to hire, develop and retain top talent, specifically in the sales world. Barbara also offers some tips to attract and keep top performers on your team. Link in the comments below 👇 #businessgrowth #businessadvice #sales #hiring

I have supported many Early/Growth Stage Companies 3 Things were consistently holding them back 1. They hired the wrong people too fast 2. They didn't onboard them correctly 3. They didn't put them into the right process and system This led to some very predictable outcomes: -Turnover was high and they could never get ahead -Ramping people took 6-12 months, slowing speed to revenue -Nothing was repeatable, which caused operational headaches -Everyone did something different, there was no consistent "best practice" The premise here is simple: Without good people, in the right seats, onboarded correctly, and developed over time, you can't create sustainable growth You can get away without doing these things...until you can't You will flatline at a point of growth without them You need to: 1. Hire the right people, and hire for Will, Beliefs, Skills (Sales DNA) 2. Document your sales process (ICP, Persona, Scripts, Steps, etc...) 3. Onboard them in a repeatable way that quickens speed to revenue 4. Coach and develop them over time where each person needs it Otherwise, you are wasting money, resources, and time You need to build the right foundation Castles made of sand and all... #SalesSuccess #SalesCoaching #SalesTeam #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #SalesLeadership #SalesTraining #SalesProcess #Onboarding #HiringRight #SalesDevelopment #TeamBuilding #SustainableGrowth #SalesTips #BusinessDevelopment #LeadGeneration #SalesPerformance #SalesManagement #StartupSuccess #GrowthHacking

Quick success in a new position is difficult. Even as an expert, it is easy to get overwhelmed by all the new information and the pressure of proving you were the right hire. While leadership surely wants to see you succeed & get reassurance that they made the right choice, it shouldn't (and generally doesn't) mean that they expect you to fix everything in a few weeks. Normally they hire you because they know you've got the necessary skillset. The best way to prove your worth is to understand the company's current operations as deeply as possible as soon as possible. That is exactly how Sam Kuehnle explained to me his start at Loxo 👇 #b2bmarketing #saasmarketing #b2bstrategy

I have worked with dozens of CEOs of mid-sized companies in the last 15+ years, and here are the most common problems they face: → Aggressive sales targets → Lack of a sales organization → A jammed-up production team → Lack of clarity around when to hire more people For the last 6 months, I have been working with the CEO of a traditional company facing similar challenges. I helped them optimize for growth: ✅ The Problem: A pivotal revelation emerged upon closer analysis of their client mix by revenue. The business relied heavily on one major client ("the whale") and numerous smaller clients ("the minnows"). ✅ Strategy Planning: Upon this revelation, the CEO swiftly took action. ✅ Sales: They revamped their sales strategy to attract medium to high-ticket clients. Refined compensation plans to align with their new focus. Built an inside sales function and automated the delivery of small-sized deals. ✅ Production: Aligned revenue goals with production capabilities. Created a team that pushes small, non-custom deals through more efficient processes. - Talent Planning: By forecasting hiring needs based on revenue projections, the CEO ensured optimal resource allocation, minimized costs, and avoided unnecessary layoffs. ✅ Key Takeaways: → By shifting just 20% of their deals to higher revenue categories, this leader accelerated goal achievement. → Effective hiring and compensation strategies are crucial for shaping desired behaviors. → Establishing clear hiring criteria helps in strategic planning. → Strategic thinking involves embracing complementary strategies. Instead of discarding lower-end deals, this leader automated them to focus on high-value, custom projects. Are you facing similar challenges in your business? If yes, what's the most frustrating challenge for you?

Looking to add top performing team members to your #b2bsales, #businessdevelopment and #negotiation efforts? Here’s a 90-second combo breaker that’ll help any #founder, VP Sales or #BDR leadership weed out the frauds while short listing. The tactic is simple: We all have a certain level of “status” in a room when there’s other people present. Status sits in our subconscious psychology. You could use the words “pecking order” and you wouldn’t be far off. When commercial conversations are going well, which occurs during an interview - sellers can get happy ears and start saying whatever they think you want to hear. It’s at this stage, they feel like they’ve taken the higher status position in the interview and start transitioning into trying to close you on next steps (which they damn well AT LEAST try to do). This is how you shatter their frame, break their momentum, and get to the botttom of the “real self”. The closer THEIR response is to insulting your taste, or knowledge without being disrespectful - the higher chances you’ve got a top performer.

🏆 How to Build A Winning Sales Team 🏆 90% of startups crash and burn. 🔥🔥🔥 And 10% of them shutter their doors within the first year. (Embroker) Building a sales organization from scratch can be daunting and, quite frankly, terrifying. Assembling a team of crack executives and hungry SDRs is your first step to success… But it’s often also the most difficult. Fortunately, we’ve got 3 tips to help form a sales team you can build your company around: ✅ Start With Bookers - Load your starting team with reps who can fill your calendar with appointments. ✅ Scale by Specialization - After building your initial reps, find people who are experts in specific fields/skills. ✅ Hone Your Hiring Profile - Bring in people with characteristics that can add value to your team. Some invaluable attributes include: ➡️ Smarts ➡️ Resourcefulness ➡️ Competitiveness ➡️ Coachability ➡️ Likeability and Leadership ➡️ Attention to Detail ➡️ Positivity ➡️ Persistence ➡️ Teamwork Building the right team is what separates successful startups from failures.💡 #leadership #sales #management #growthhacking