Kym Martin, MBA’s Post

A Random Walk Down Sales Street…making everyone feel important: In one way or another, just about everyone you meet in the sales cycle is important - whether they are influencers, friends of the EB, coaches, champions, or the buyers themselves - they all have some role to play. Also, just about everyone wants to feel important in their work life - and you can help them get there. Imagine everyone you speak to has a sign on their forehead saying “make me feel important” - just don’t be too obvious / salesy about it. Some phrases you can use to get there: --“I’d really value your perspective on this…” --“Your guidance would be helpful…” --“You’ve been in the trenches and know this better than anyone else, what do you think?” --“That’s a great perspective that I didn’t think of” --“You’re much further along than most we speak to” (referencing their tech stack, data maturity, processes) Other tactics you can use: 1) Make sure nobody goes unspoken - if someone is silent, make sure you call them by name and ask a question or ask for feedback. 2) Mention helpfulness of an individual in a broader group - “Michelle was great, she gave us everything we needed to know the best method for integration”. 3) Talk about their busy calendars, and show it with action (don’t go over the scheduled time). What else have you used to get this across?

Thought this whole #OutboundIsDead movement would be over by now. Sales influencers saying outbound is dead is crazy (to me). But “SaLeS iS dIfFeReNt NoW tHaN iN 2019”. Yeah, no s***. And sales was different in 2019 than 1987. The economy changed, the buyer changed, the competitive landscape changed. Selling features and ROI in a COVID boom WFH software era was 2019. Alleviating pain, focusing on cost of inaction, invoking emotion is 2024. Isn’t it up to us as Outbound Leaders to be mentors - to train and mentor the next generation of lead generators? My team of 12 booked 785 meetings in Q1 and books an average of 240 meetings per month. Outbound isn’t dead, but that playbook is. P.S. - We’re hiring our next class for 8/5. If you want to win with a scrappy team, let’s talk.

Targeting communications and making them actionable are crucial aspects of ensuring a direct sales team can adapt quickly to changes and challenges in the market. 

This weekend, have a think about the top 5 questions you might want answers to if you want to unlock increased sales in your customers. Unlocking your customers from a sales perspective involves understanding their needs, motivations, and pain points. Here are the top five questions I would want to know the answers to - What are yours? ▶️ What are your current challenges or pain points? Understanding the specific challenges or pain points your customers are facing allows you to tailor your sales pitch and offerings to address their needs directly. ▶️ What are your goals or objectives? Knowing your customers' goals or objectives I believe might help me to position the solutions that can help them achieve their desired outcomes. This allows you to align your sales pitch with their priorities and aspirations. ▶️ What are your budget constraints or financial considerations? Understanding your customers' budget constraints or financial considerations helps tailor the offerings to fit within their budgetary constraints. This allows you to provide solutions that offer value while remaining affordable for your customers. ▶️ Who are the key decision-makers and influencers? Identifying the key decision-makers and influencers within the customers' organisations allows you to tailor your sales approach and messaging to resonate with their specific roles and interests. This helps you navigate the decision-making process more effectively and secure buy-in from the relevant stakeholders. ▶️ What are your preferred communication channels and timelines? Understanding your customers' preferred communication channels and timelines allows you to engage with them in a way that is convenient and effective for them. Whether it's through email, phone calls, in-person meetings, or virtual presentations, adapting your communication approach to meet your customers' preferences ensures a smoother sales process. If I can uncover the answers to these questions, I feel I might be able to unlock valuable insights into my customers' needs, preferences, and decision-making processes, allowing me to tailor my approach effectively and help the customer say YES! Sales is all about building confidence and competence in getting to yes. ✅ If you would like some help to develop or refocus your team in asking great questions to unlock insight, then you know where I am. 😜 If the time is not quite right, then please think of me next time. 👍 Remember, there is always… More Than One Answer Good Hunting #worldclass #attitude #skills #knowledge #morethan1answer #winning #strategy #insight #planning #killerquestions

In complex B2B #sales, you will face a host of buyers, decision committees, unseen influencers and a cast of characters that may spontaneously come together like a pop-up shop. A decision maker or advisor you may never meet can have an outsized influence on your ability to #closethedeal. Introducing #TheStealthyBuyer. Randy Illig, the global leader of FranklinCovey's Sales Performance practice, writes in Forbes about how to navigate this reality. Within this dynamic, you need a methodology to discover the various buyers, and their criteria and timing. Navigating hidden influencers and decision committees is a key to success.

I spend a lot of time talking about top of funnel GTM Strategies because of our business, but sales process and deal management are a passion of mine. Regardless of how good you are at getting a prospects attention - your ability to partner with them through a process and convert them to a customer is critical. That process needs to align to their buying process, but also needs to check the internal boxes that you've figured out increases the chances that they will buy. This is not a sleezy sales tactic. The reality is that technology investments change the people, process, and politics of an organization - change is hard, and everybody needs helping getting through it. Your sales process should make that change easier. Additionally, a huge part of your job as a sales pro is your ability to forecast the amount and the timing of a deal. Influencers will give you all the reasons this is just companies being "evil" - it's not and thats an absurd take. Sales is a critical role because it drives revenue. The timing and amount of revenue drives every single important business decision that a company makes. Full stop. I'm excited to talk about the difference between sales process and deal management, and why these are two critical skills for every person who wants to make a career out of sales. Talking to some experts about this next week, and we don't share the same opinions - so this will be a spicy chat. Sign up below. https://lnkd.in/eN3uCJkf #AllGasNoBrakes #DialedIn

Ever felt the sting of a promising lead slipping through your fingers? Don't worry, you're not alone! Identifying and Qualifying B2B decision makers doesn't have to be rocket science. Here are 5 actionable steps to seal the deal: 1️⃣ Know Thy Product: Before diving into pitches, master your product inside out. Understand its nuances, pricing, and most importantly, its impact on the client's organization. Revolutionizing the system? Don't settle for the office manager; aim higher! 2️⃣ Company Insight: Peeking at the website won't cut it. Dive deep into the corporate waters. LinkedIn is your ally; pinpoint influencers, immerse in social media, grasp the corporate culture. The more you know, the better you'll adapt. 3️⃣ Forge Connections: Gatekeepers are your allies, not adversaries. Build rapport with everyone, from the assistant to the decision-maker. Authenticity trumps flattery; they can spot a facade from a mile away. 4️⃣ Pre-suade Strategy: Don't wait for the meeting to make an impact. Preload their minds with your message. Whether through targeted content or subtle ads, ensure they're primed for what's to come. 5️⃣ Personalized Approach: One size fits none. Tailor your communication to their preferences. Snail mail aficionado? Send a letter. Social media maven? Engage meaningfully. Show them you speak their language. Remember, it's about building relationships, not just ticking off boxes. Building trust pays off in the long run, fostering repeat sales and lasting partnerships. Share your go-to strategy for converting customers in the comments below! #followformore #b2bmarketing #saasgrowth #saas #leadconversion #b2bleadgeneration #b2bsales #marketingstrategy #salesstrategy #salesandmarketing

When was the last time you spent €100.000 after just talking to a sales rep 2 to 3 times? The answer is: never. And you never will. Your prospects don't, either. They don't spend €100.000 after JUST talking to your sales reps a couple of times. When DOES your prospect convert after just a couple of conversations? When there's been ±60* meaningful touchpoints with content that is inspirational, educational and speaking to actual Jobs to be Done. After this, the prospects is ready to move onto the MQL stage. After this, there's another ±80* touchpoints needed to move onto SQL into the pipeline. This is spread over at least 3 months up to multiple years. Even then, there are multiple conversations that need to happen. And that's okay, because those customers will love you and love the process! Do the hard work most companies won't do: 👉 Translate your nerdy knowledge into digestible content 👉 Your peers often aren't buyers. They are influencers. 👉 Managers and C-level have other pains and Jobs to be Done. Make sure your marketing and content speaks to that 👉 Invest in branding and awareness without immediate ROI 👉 Build relationships with both champions and decision makers 👉 Conduct customer interviews and adjust your marketing accordingly 👉 Focus on current customers as much as new customers 👉 Free up marketing and education budget without needing IMMEDIATE cash. That's unhealthy pressure. 👉 Better metrics up to 6 months (other than revenue): New opportunity, Pipeline growth, ACV, Pipeline Velocity, Feedback collected during sales calls, Churn, Customer Satisfaction Build a brand. Build sustainable growth. Build a brand based on relationships. That's what converts long term, sustainably. #sales #business #marketing

So our Top 60 SDR Leaders list was published yesterday (https://lnkd.in/dFWqCG5V), and a question came asking, "How did we select these amazing people?" which brings me to my post of the day. Factors to consider before selecting an influencer: Creating Valuable Updates: Individuals must share content beyond mere reposts of company material. Engaging with Content: Participating in the larger community is key, including interacting with content through likes and thoughtful comments. This engagement is essential for fostering a meaningful connection. Connecting with the Audience: The effectiveness of content lies in its resonance with the audience. Assessing whether their audience actively engages with it is essential. The evaluation extends to their interactions with others' content – both on their profiles and in comments. Ensuring Diversity: Ensuring active participation from potential influencers in conversations with a diverse range of people is essential. #influencermarketing #influencerresearch #influencercampaigns _______________________________________ The above knowledge was bestowed upon me by Justin Levy, a fantastic individual currently exploring new job opportunities in social media and influencer marketing. Shoutout to Harry Evans for inspiring this post!

✨Unlock the potential of intelligence to shorten sales cycles and boost revenue growth. Dive into the pivotal role of intelligence in sales cycle management, from leveraging data insights to identifying decision-makers and key influencers. Discover proven strategies and best practices to implement an intelligence-driven approach to enterprise account acquisition and growth. #SalesStrategy #BusinessDevelopment #IntelligenceInSales 🚀 https://lnkd.in/e777W7bY