After accumulating the experience of literally hundreds of 1:1 meetings and deal reviews with Account Executives over the years as a sales leader, I think I have finally figured out the single most important predictor of success – Knowing exactly what is going to be done in order to close a deal. I know this sounds like a [...]
Your startup is series seed or series A/B and looking to build out your sales org – No sales effectiveness/training function in place; just you. You are moving up to mid-market or enterprise and you have just had a bad case of sticker shock… These damned reps who bring in $750k-$1.5M are really expensive! What to do? The most [...]
Let me start by saying that if done right, hiring over the top of an existing head of sales should be a VERY positive thing for both the business and the incumbent. This post tells you when to do it and how to do it: Do it before your head of sales loses their shine The [...]
A core function of front line sales management is to amplify the results of the team. Due to rapid promotions to management and a lack of core skills development in reps, I am seeing a recurring trend that is killing the leverage we should be getting from managers. If you are leading an AE team and [...]
In 2008 I was running an enterprise team for Salesforce.com and had a dilemma with process integrity and CRM data - Enterprise reps were doing a great job in managing their big deal process and following the methodology, but for the smaller, higher velocity deals it was quite the opposite - The rigorous data reporting and [...]
Have you ever wondered why your head of sales is struggling to give you an accurate view of next month’s forecast, or why the slick new reps that you brought in from a high flying SaaS company aren’t selling already? If so, you are probably ready for sales operations (sales ops). Below is your step by step [...]
This post originally appeared on Saastr.com. Managing a sales leader for the first time can be quite a challenge for any CEO – This article is intended as a basic guide for ensuring that your sales dragon doesn’t use their powers of persuasion to obfuscate your reality. Whether your head of sales is a seasoned veteran [...]
Horses for courses, as they say and I want to share with you a framework for thinking about sales talent profiles and when you should/shouldn't use them. There are a lot of different ways you can profile sales reps, however I find these three the most simple and effective. Artists These are the charismatic charmers who can [...]