Direct Selling Techniques

I almost fired our best SDR last year. It wasn’t personal. He was a good guy, worked hard, and always showed up on time. But month after month, his numbers weren’t improving. Emails went unanswered. Calls never connected. Demos? Non-existent. We were both frustrated. I started to wonder if he was the problem. Maybe sales wasn’t his thing? Then one afternoon, we grabbed coffee. Instead of talking numbers, we talked openly. I asked him straight-up: “Why isn’t it working?” He took a deep breath and replied: “I’m following our playbook. I send hundreds of emails, but honestly, I’m just guessing. I don’t really know who’s ready to talk, so I try everyone.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. We’d built a system based on volume and hope, not precision. It wasn’t him. it was us. We’d given him the wrong tools, the wrong strategy. So instead of letting him go, we completely changed how we did outbound. We stopped guessing. We started paying attention to signals: Who’s visiting our LinkedIn profiles? (Tracked via Teamfluence™) Who’s engaging silently with our posts? (Tracked via Clay) Who’s spending serious time on our website? (Tracked via RB2B) Suddenly, our SDR wasn’t sending cold messages. He was following signals that said, “Hey, I’m interested. Talk to me.” Within a month, his reply rate doubled. In two months, he became our top performer. Today, he leads our outbound team. It wasn’t about effort. It was about timing and having a system that showed him exactly when to reach out and who to reach out to. Outbound isn’t about sending more messages. It’s about knowing exactly when and how to engage. If your SDRs are struggling, ask yourself: Are they failing you or are you failing them? It might change your perspective. It certainly changed ours. #Outbound #SalesLeadership #SDRlife #RevOps #LinkedInSales #SalesLessons #GTMStrategy #B2BSaaS #SmartSelling #GTMEngineering #AIOutbound #Teamfluence #Clay

In 27 months, we grew Retention.com from $1M-$13M ARR with only 1 salesperson (me) doing 1,000's of sales calls. Here are my 10 biggest pieces of advice for any startup who wants to book and close more sales calls: 1. Ask for 15 mins, but book 30 When booking a meeting outbound, you have a better shot at getting a meeting by asking for 15 mins than 30. You may have piqued their interest but with a busy schedule, they are going to weigh learning about your business vs their time. Ask for 15 but send a meeting invite for 30.  If they can’t do the full 30, they will let you know, but from my experience, this rarely happens. 2. Tell your story People remember a story more than a product  Figure out your short story that you can tell prior to getting into the product pitch. How does your story connect to your business / product? 3. 5X5 Pitch Keep your product deck for your initial call to 5 slides / 5 minutes and make sure you answer any of the common questions you get from prospects. You can always book a follow up call to share more detail once you hook their interest. 4. Always Be Pitching Take control of the call and the sales cycle. You will only learn what does and doesn’t work by actually pitching.  5. Tell a customer story Again, people remember stories more than they do stats. Tell a story of a customer before implementing your product and the business outcome after implementing it. Don’t just talk numbers. Talk about how people felt, what they said, etc. 6. Create Urgency Attach an incentive if the deal is done by the end of the week or month.  (Example: 20% more credits or a 15% discount)  This also sets you up well for follow up as it now makes them feel like you are on their team to try and help them get the deal in for their benefit. 7. Land and expand We all want to close the big ACV deals, but the truth is most buyers don’t want to make a big commitment without seeing how your product works. Find a way to get them on for a small $ amount, with the plan to expand if the product meets their expectations. 8. Opt-Out Period Reduce buyer friction by offering a 90 day opt out period if you are trying to close 12 month agreements. It shows confidence that your product will drive the results you say it will. 9. Deck Recap Create a 1-2 pager highlighting the most important parts of your sales deck that you can send via email after every call (even if they don’t ask for it). The prospect won’t remember all details from the call, so this gives them something to look back on and will help sell internally if other stakeholders are involved. 10. Video for FAQs Create short form talking head video answering all FAQs. This will add value in your follow up, show you listened to the questions they had and that you care about making sure they understand the answers. It also helps internally as others will likely have the same questions as the person on the phone. Have questions about how to book/close more calls? AMA anything 👇

Your customers should be writing your outbound messaging. I had a bit of an epiphany last week. It’s something that all the best outbound sales people do but I’ve never really been able to break it down this simply in a single sentence before: People that are great at outbound are very good at finding the *repeatable phrases* that prospects use to describe a problem and use those exact words to describe the problem to other similar prospects in their outreach. Example: When we were selling RFP Response Software at Loopio in the early days, sales leaders would consistently talk about how they: 1. "Already answered this question in the past but it was lost in a Google Doc somewhere and impossible to find again" 2. "Had to Ctrl + F in a word doc, copy the answer and paste it into the RFP over and over again" We heard these phrases like clockwork. Hundreds of times... -------- So here's how you use those repeatable phrases in an email to resonate: Hi Mindy, It looks like the team is looking to go up-market with the new job posting up for an Enterprise AE. Going up-market usually means responding to more RFPs. Most enterprise sellers I talk to consistently mention how annoying it is to spend HOURS having to go back to an old RFP, Ctrl + F to find an answer and copy/paste back in...for hundreds of questions. Loopio could help you answer all those questions with one click so you can focus on selling. Sound interesting? ---------- This type of email got us hundreds of meetings because it clicked with everybody that responded to RFPs. So the question becomes.... what are your repeatable phrases? #sales #outbound #prospecting

"We have budget for $199,000," the procurement manager spat at me. I had a $325,000 deal forecasted, and we had 7 days left to close it. That was June, 2020. End of quarter. Egg about to be smeared all over my face. I paced around my house while my family swam at the pool. Cursing under my breath. Back then, I knew every negotiation tactic in the book. But that was the problem: My negotiation "strategy" was actually what I now call "random acts of tactics." A question here. A label there. Throw in a 'give to get.' There was no system. No process. Just grasping. Since then, I now follow a step by step process for every negotiation. Here's the first 4: 1. Summarize and Pass the Torch. Key negotiation mistake. Letting your buyer negotiate with nothing but price on their mind. Instead: Start the negotiation with this: “As we get started, I thought I’d spend the first few minutes summarizing the key elements of our partnership so we’re all on the same page. Fair?” Then spend the next 3-4 min summarizing: - the customer's problem - your (unique) solution - the proposal That cements the business value. Reminds your counterpart what's at stake. They might not admit it: But it's now twice as hard for them to be price sensitive. After summarizing, pass the torch: "How do you think we land this plane from here?" Asking questions puts you in control. Now the onus is on them. But you know what they're going to say next. 2. Get ALL Their Asks On the Table Do this before RESPONDING to any "ask" individually. When you 'summarize and pass the torch,' usually they're going to make an ask. "Discount 20% more and we land this plane!" Some asks, you might want to agree to immediately. Don't. Get EVERY one of their asks on the table: You need to see the forest for the trees. “Let’s say we [found a way to resolve that]. In addition to that, what else is still standing in our way of moving forward?” Repeat until their answer is: "Nothing. We'd sign." Then confirm: “So if we found a way to [agree on X, Y, Z], there is nothing else stopping us from moving forward together?" 3. Stack Rank They probably just threw 3-4 asks at you. Now say: "How would you stack rank these from most important to least important?” Force them to prioritize. Now for the killer: 4. Uncover the Underlying Need(s) Ignore what they're asking for. Uncover WHY they're asking for it. If you don't, you can't NEGOTIATE. You can only BARTER. You might be able to address the UNDERLYING need in a different, better way than what they're asking for. After summarizing all of their 'requests,' say this: “What’s going on in your world that’s driving you to need that?” Do that for each one. Problem-solve from there. P.S. These 7 sales skills will help you add an extra $53K to your income in the next 6 months (or less) without working more hours, more stress, or outdated “high-pressure” tactics. Go here: https://lnkd.in/ggYuTdtf

What's the most effective way to prospect into the C-suite at Large companies? One of my clients received a very positive, encouraging email from the CEO of a 4,000 employee Hospital which she had been contacting for several months. He responded after her 8th email. Each email was unique and added value, expanding on her initial point of view. Most sellers give up after 1 or 2 outreach attempts. When on average it takes 8 to book a meeting. Rather than sending a few generic emails to 100s of people, here’s what the elite performers are doing: 1. They identify a few top prospects that would be their “dream clients” 2. They identify 3-5 Senior Executives at those companies who would be most impacted by the outcomes which their products and services offer 3. They research those individuals to understand their top goals, challenges and priorities. 4. They develop a tailored, personalized point of view on how they can help these executives achieve their stated goals or solve top challenges with direct LINKAGE to what their company offers 5. Rather than using canned, generic sequences, they develop a series of personalized follow up messages which expand upon their initial point of view. These could include white papers, relevant customer stories, ROI studies, and additional details on how they can support the client with their most ambitious goals. So if you are working 10 "dream client" accounts with 5 executives prospects in each account, and each executive gets a series of 8 emails and calls, that’s 400 touch points to just 10 top accounts. This is the same volume as touching 100 smaller accounts 4 times, but will yield much greater results. Personalization and targeting works wonders. It’s the 80/20 rule in full effect. Win just a couple of these larger deals and you can blow out your number for the entire year, rather than grinding it out on a ton of smaller deals to barely reach quota. This is how the top performers in the Enterprise space are prospecting, and it’s working much better than sending out garbage to tons of people. Please note this is for large, A tiered prospects only. A healthy mix of hyper-personalized prospecting for A accounts, combined with semi-personalized prospecting for B accounts is best. But don't treat the A prospects like everybody else. And don't treat the Senior Executives at these companies like everybody else. Or you will get the same results as everybody else.

In the high-stakes arena of #B2BSales, particularly when engaging the C-suite and Boards, "back of napkin math" is more than just a display of acumen – it's a potent catalyst for building #trust. Imagine a conversation where a senior leader articulates a critical business challenge, perhaps around CAC payback or share of wallet. The seller who can immediately and fluently grasp the underlying financial equation and articulate the potential impact of their solution, without missing a beat, speaks a language that resonates deeply. This isn't about complex modeling done offline; it's the agility to understand core drivers of their success and perform quick, insightful calculations within the flow of the conversation. For instance, if a Chief Revenue Officer (#CRO) mentions a goal of reducing customer churn, a seller with this skill can instantly frame the value of their solution in terms of retained revenue and lifetime customer value, demonstrating a tangible understanding of the CRO's priorities. This competence signals the seller not only listened - but also deeply comprehends which levers to use to solve the client problem. Why is this so crucial for building trust? Because it showcases several key elements that senior leaders value: Deep Understanding: The ability to perform this kind of rapid analysis demonstrates you've done your homework and truly understand their business model, challenges, and objectives. It moves you beyond being a mere vendor to a knowledge partner. #CustomerUnderstanding Intellectual Horsepower: It signals a sharp mind and the capacity to think strategically about their business. This builds confidence in your ability to deliver real value. #StrategicThinking Efficiency and Respect for Time: Senior executives are time-constrained. A seller who quickly gets to the heart of the financial implications respects this constraint and demonstrates a focus on outcomes. #TimeEfficiency Transparency: By engaging in these on-the-spot calculations, you reveal your underlying assumptions and logic, fostering a more transparent discussion. #TransparentCommunication Credibility: It elevates your status from a product peddler to a trusted advisor who speaks the language of business results. #TrustedAdvisor Think about it: when a seller can seamlessly weave in relevant financial implications – the potential ROI, payback period, impact on key KPIs – it’s not just data; it demonstrates commitment to the customer's success. It shows you're thinking beyond the product/service features and instead - are focusing on their strategic outcomes. To be clear - "Back of napkin math" isn't about being precisely accurate in real-time. It's about demonstrating a strong intuitive grasp of financial levers that matter to the customer and the ability to articulate value in their terms, instantly. This fluency builds a bridge of trust, making conversations more meaningful and impactful. #Gartner

New SaaStr podcast + video with CRO Rippling Matt Plank + Sam Blond: "Rippling's Top 3 Tactics for Driving Revenue at Scale" 1️⃣ Outbound Sales Evolution: Rippling's outbound sales began with a programmatic approach led by marketing, transitioning to a dedicated outbound SDR team of 150, significantly increasing demo conversion rates from 1% to 3-7%. 2️⃣ Importance of Cold Calling: Despite the rise of AI and automated outreach, 50% of outbound demos are still booked via cold calls, highlighting the effectiveness of personal engagement in sales. 3️⃣ Compound Startup Model: Rippling's approach to growth involves launching multiple products (30+), necessitating a shift in sales structure to include dedicated product account executives alongside new logo reps and account managers. 4️⃣ Criteria for Dedicated Sales Teams: When launching new products, consider the buyer persona, unit economics, and whether the product can be sold independently to determine if a dedicated sales team is needed. 5️⃣ Customer Success Management Transition: Initially, Rippling used CSMs focused on empathy and retention, but evolved to account managers with revenue quotas who also own retention, improving customer experience and reducing churn. 6️⃣ Incentives Drive Behavior: Tying retention metrics to account managers' compensation led to immediate improvements in customer engagement and reduced churn rates, emphasizing the importance of aligning incentives with desired outcomes. 7️⃣ Sales and Customer Success Integration: The integration of account managers into the sales organization fosters collaboration, allowing them to focus on cross-selling while leveraging product specialists for upselling, enhancing overall customer service. Links in Comments!

This cold email has a 90% positive response rate. Most cold emails sound the same. “Opposed to taking peek?” “Worth exploring? “Quick call?” “15 minutes on your calendar?” The problem? Most people aren’t in buy mode when you reach out so they don’t want to see a demo. Here’s an unconventional cold email that tips the odds in your favor for getting a positive response. The Cold Email: “Hi Amanda, I host a show about B2B sales. I’m looking to interview people about what they’ve learned scaling sales teams. Since you’ve had a successful 12-year career as a VP of Sales, I thought people would enjoy your take. Do you ever do interviews?” I’ve had a nearly 90% positive response rate with this email. Why does this work? It flips the script. People love sharing their story and expertise. It establishes status. “Host a show” positions you differently than “random seller.” You become a peer, not a pitch. It lowers resistance “Do you ever do interviews?” is light, non-pushy, and invites engagement without pressure. But here’s the objection I always hear: “I don’t have a show.” If you have Zoom, congrats, you have a show. Record the conversation. Post a clip. Write up takeaways on LinkedIn. You don’t need lights, cameras, or a podcast feed. It’s not about the production. It’s about giving people a stage to share what they know.

I warmed up a prospect for 3 months on LinkedIn before our first call. They signed a £75K deal in 3 days. Modern selling demands a new approach: cold outreach fails, warm relationships win. Think about it... That prospect had consumed 47 of my posts. Watched my videos. Read my articles. Engaged with my content. By the time we jumped on that first call? They already trusted me. They already knew my approach. They already understood the value. I didn't have to sell them. They'd already sold themselves. Here's my framework for turning content into closed deals: 👇 1. Build trust at scale BEFORE the pitch Stop spraying and praying with cold messages. Start building relationships through value. Each post builds trust. Your insights mark credibility. Stories create connection. Your content is doing the heavy lifting while you sleep. 2. Let buyers self-educate on THEIR timeline Modern buyers don't want to be sold to. They want to discover solutions themselves. ↳ 70% of the buying journey happens before they talk to sales ↳ They're researching you before you even know they exist ↳ Your content is either attracting or repelling them Give them what they need to make informed decisions. 3. Recognize the REAL buying signals Forget MQLs and SQLs. Think about PQLs (product qualified leads) Here's what actually matters: - Multiple engagements across different posts - Bringing colleagues into the conversation - Asking specific, detailed questions - Moving from public comments to private messages These aren't leads. These are pre-qualified buyers. 4. Keep momentum BETWEEN meetings Here's where most deals die: The 167 hours between your calls. While you're chasing other prospects, your buyer is: ↳ Getting cold feet ↳ Talking to competitors ↳ Forgetting why they were excited Smart sellers stay present even when they're not there. This is where tools like Consensus come in. They let buyers explore demos on their own time. Answer their questions at 10 PM. Share materials with their team. Stay engaged between touchpoints. It's how you keep social selling momentum right through the demo stage. https://lnkd.in/ePVWw-Bi 5. Close with confidence, not pressure When trust is already built? When value is already proven? When buyers are already educated? Closing feels natural, not like a battle. The best deals I've ever closed felt inevitable. Because the relationship started months before the opportunity. Here's what this approach delivers (in my experience): ✓ Significantly faster sales cycles ✓ Much higher close rates ✓ Bigger deal sizes (pre-sold = less negotiation) ✓ Happier customers (they chose you, not the other way around) Stop thinking of social selling as "nice to have." Start treating it as your primary sales strategy. Your next big deal isn't in your CRM. They're scrolling LinkedIn right now. What content are you creating to catch them? #ConsensusPartner

The answer to your outbound problems isn't: ⛔️ AI ⛔️ More volume ⛔️ SDR agents ⛔️ More relevance ⛔️ Dialers It's your OFFER. Let me explain... Most reps reach out with something like: “Just want to introduce myself and our company…” “Let’s do a quick call so you know your options when budgeting season comes around...” The problem? You have NOTHING to offer. If there’s no immediate need, there's zero reason to take a meeting with you. So you need a way to entice buyers to meet when they have a problem, but are not actively shopping. Here are three types of offers you can use to entice buyers to meet with you: ✅ Offer #1: Good - Pitch The Blind Date Position who the buyer will be meeting with. Hype up the AE, sales engineer, or yourself. Show them that meeting with you will be worth their while. Example: A client of ours sells an automated welding solution. The manufacturing industry is facing a massive shortage of welding talent. Their SDRs pitched it like this: “I’d love to introduce you to Eric. He’s worked with a dozen manufacturers like Caterpillar, Karavan, and more, who are all facing similar challenges. He’ll walk you through how they’re automating the most difficult welds and dealing with the labor shortage. Even if nothing comes of it, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of how the industry is solving this.” Even if the buyer isn’t shopping, they gain value from the conversation itself. ✅ Offer #2: Better - 1:Many Offers These are high-quality, reusable insights that still feel tailored. Think: competitive benchmarks, industry research, or best practice guides. Example: We have a client that sells to ecomm brands. They conducted a mystery shop of 400 competitors to analyze response times, customer service channels, etc. Their reps used those insights to open cold calls with: “Hey Katie, I submitted a ticket on your site, and it took about 48 hours to get a response. It was about 3x longer than folks like Patagonia and the North Face. Again, it’s Jason. Mind if I share more about why I’m calling?” That’s an offer that feels immediately relevant and valuable. It gets a conversation started immediately. ✅ Offer #3: Best - 1:1 Offers These are custom-tailored experiences or resources created specifically for the prospect. It’s you and your organization putting in serious effort to customize the offer. This works best at the enterprise & strategic levels. Examples: - A cyber risk analysis - A benchmarking analysis - A workshop - A personalized audit of a website checkout flow. - Visiting and experiencing the brand firsthand, then sharing insights. - Offering free data, licenses, or pilots. These take more work, but they convert like crazy. ~~~ Which one's most applicable for you?