Sales

For my first 16 years in tech sales, I averaged 240K/year. In my last 4 years, I averaged 720K/year. I did this by using an approach I call Yo-yo selling: 🪀 It’s how you win large, complex enterprise deals by building credibility with senior executives at the beginning of a sales cycle. This will save you months of spending time with mid or lower level Directors on a deal cycle, only to have your deal stall because it's not a priority for Executives. Here’s the concept: You start at the top, get senior level sponsorship for a deep discovery, drop down into the business, then bounce back up with a report of findings. This is the process I've used for nearly every 7-figure deal I've ever closed. Step 0: Research before outreach Before asking for time, I do deep strategic research. Earnings calls. Investor decks. Press releases. Executive interviews. I also spend time talking to their team to see if the problem that I solve exists in their company. Using that research, I build a Point of View that connects their top business goals to real execution gaps. This earns executive time. Today, AI tools like ChatGPT make this easier than ever. What used to take hours now takes minutes. If you skip this step, you lose your edge. Step 1: Prospect to the top and gain their sponsorship to engage Lead with your POV. The key is to teach them something new about their business which they aren't already aware of, and show them how it's putting their highest level goals at risk. If they lean in, offer up a deep discovery with your team and their team. Lock in a date to come back for a readout. Have them assign a project manager to help you coordinate Step 2: Drop down Once you have executive sponsorship, meet with their team. The key is to have the Exec sponsor send out a note to their team explaining what it's for. This will keep the assessment moving forward. Study workflows. Capture friction. Collect quotes. Do not pitch. Just listen. Step 3: Bounce back up Bring it all together in an executive summary. Show how their vision connects directly to what’s broken below. Present a focused business case. Build a custom demo. Create a roadmap and implementation plan. That’s where deals close. Real example from my career At Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, we were told “no” on a point solution. Instead of walking away, I stepped back and asked what the company really needed. After deep research, I re-engaged the COO with a transformation POV centered on the experience of 50,000+ agents. The result was one of the largest new logo deals in Salesforce history. But Yo-yo selling alone isn’t enough. Because it's hard to execute and takes patience. Top performers also master their mindset, habits, and discipline. That’s why I put together a free masterclass for sellers who want to break into the top 1 percent. 👉 Watch the free training here: https://lnkd.in/eWD8mTqH If you’re serious about enterprise sales, this will change how you sell.

Last week, I heard from a super impressive customer who has cracked the code on how to give salespeople something they’ve always wanted: more selling time. Here’s how he transformed their process. This customer runs the full B2B sales motion at an awesome printing business based in the U.S. For years, his team divided their time across six key areas: 1. Task prioritization 2. Meeting prep 3. Customer responses 4. Prospecting 5. Closing deals 6. Sales strategy Like every sales leader I know, he wants his team to spend most of their time on #5 and #6 — closing deals and sales strategy. But together, those only made up about 30% of their week. (Hearing this gave me flashbacks to my time in sales…and all that admin tasks 😱) Now, his team uses AI across the sales process to compress the amount of time spent on #1-4: 1. Task prioritization → AI scores leads and organizes daily tasks 2. Meeting prep → AI surfaces insights from calls and contact records before meetings 3. Customer responses → Breeze Customer Agent instantly answers customer questions 4. Prospecting → Breeze Prospecting Agent automatically researches accounts and books meetings The result? Higher quantity of AI-powered work: More prospecting. More pipeline.  Higher quality of human-led work: More thoughtful conversations. Sharper strategy. This COO's story made my week. It's a reminder of just how big a shift we're going through – and why it’s such an exciting time to be in go-to-market right now.

Here's how to simplify your pitch and 10x your sales: 1. Talk less, sell more. Short sentences = more sales. Hemingway once bet he could write a story in 6 words that'd make you feel something: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Your pitch should pack the same punch. 2. Complexity is for people who want to feel smart, not be effective. The worst salespeople make simple things sound complicated. The best make the complex simple. 3. Complexity says, "I want to feel needed." Simplicity limits to only what is needed. 4. Read your pitch out loud. I remember when I'd asked my COO to read the manuscript of my book. He chose to do it aloud. All 258 pages. Ears catch what eyes miss. The final version reads like butter. 5. "Be good, be seen, be gone." This was the best sales advice I ever got. - Good: Deliver value - Seen: Make an impression - Gone: Don't overstay your welcome People buy from those they remember, not those who linger. 7. Speak like your customer, not a textbook. We like to sound sophisticated. "We create impactful bottom-line solutions." But we like to listen to simple. "We help small businesses explode their sales." Which one would you buy? 8. Every word earns its place. Your pitch should be lean and mean. - Be specific - Avoid cliches - Check for redundancy - If it doesn't add value, cut it out 9. Abstract concepts bore. Concrete examples excite. ❌ "We'll increase your efficiency." ✅ "We'll save you 10 hours a week." Paint a picture. 10. People buy on emotion & justify with logic So tap into their feelings: - Fear of missing out - Desire for success - Need for security Then back it up with facts. 11. The "Grandma Test" never fails. If your grandma wouldn't get your pitch, simplify it. No jargon. No buzzwords. Just plain English. 12. Benefits > features. Dreams > benefits. ❌ "Our group hosts 10+ events per year." ✅ "Our program helps you close deals." 🚀 "Let's take back Main Street through ownership." 13. Use power words: - You - Free - Because - Instantly - New These words grab attention and drive action. Two final things to keep in mind... Simplicity isn't just for sales. Apply these principles to: - your business operations - your thinking processes - your next investment - your relationships - your to do list Sales isn't just for car dealerships. You pitch when you: - Negotiate a raise - Interview for a job - Post on social media - Hire someone for a job - Talk to an owner about buying their biz If you found this useful, feel free to share for others ♻️

I watched a CEO fire his entire sales team last month "They're not hitting numbers. We need fresh blood" Six months earlier, I had warned him this would happen The real problem wasn't his sales team It was his onboarding process New customers were churning within 90 days because they never properly implemented the product The sales team kept filling a leaky bucket But he wanted "closers" not "customer success strategies" Here's what most companies get catastrophically wrong about sales growth: - They obsess over acquisition while neglecting retention - They celebrate closed deals but ignore customer lifetime value - They hire more salespeople instead of fixing broken systems I've spent 10 years rescuing companies from this exact death spiral. The pattern is always the same: - Sales targets increase - Quality of customers decreases - Churn accelerates - Desperate discounting begins - Margins collapse - Team gets blamed and replaced - Repeat until bankruptcy The solution isn't mysterious, but it requires courage: - Stop chasing new logos for 90 days - Audit your entire customer journey - Ask departing customers uncomfortable questions - Fix the leaks before adding more water That CEO who fired his team? His replacement team is now struggling with the exact same issues Meanwhile, his competitor grew 100% last year with a smaller sales team but a robust customer success program Revenue isn't just about closing deals It's about creating sustainable value that customers can't imagine living without Fix the system, not the symptoms P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

A market map with 10,000 companies is impossible to prioritize. These are the 300 to know. I was a VP of Product in sales tech. And I was frustrated with the maps I found. So I've been studying the space and speaking with experts. Here's the players you need to know: — ONE - Core: Revenue Operating System This is your CRM, your system of record - where your sales operation begins. I break this into 3 segments: Enterprise Platforms → Built for large organizations with complex workflows and high-volume deals → Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP Growth-Stage Solutions → Designed for growing businesses that need scalable tools but with flexibility to adapt → HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, SugarCRM Modern CRMs → Startups and fast-scaling companies looking to move fast without rigid systems rely on modern CRMs. → Attio, Affinity, Close.io, Copper, Freshsales. — LAYER TWO - Engagement & Intelligence These tools power outbound outreach, automate sequences, and provide real-time data on prospects: → Outreach, Salesloft, VanillaSoft, Groove Engagement tools ensure your team hits the right prospect at the right time. — LAYER THREE - Revenue Acceleration These platforms shorten deal cycles: → Gong, Salesloft, Chorus.ai, Ebsta With real-time feedback and actionable insights... — LAYER FOUR - Data & Enrichment Your outreach is only as good as the data backing it. These platforms ensure you’re reaching out to right prospects. → ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, Clearbit, Lusha, Hunter io, Cognism — SATELLITE CLUSTERS - Modern GTM Stack These tools enhance parts of the GTM journey. AI-Enhanced Tools → Automate and personalize content creation at scale. → Writer, Grammarly, CopyAI, Jasper Product-Led Motion → Identify sales-ready leads through product engagement. → Pocus, Intercom, Breyta Sales Enablement → Equip sales teams with training, resources, and playbooks to perform at their best. → Seismic, Spekit, Allego Conversational GTM → Convert prospects directly through real-time chat. → Drift (now part of Salesloft) — SATELLITE CLUSTERS- Emerging Categories These are adjacent categories sales teams often still use. Product Analytics → Track user behaviors post-sale for better upsell and retention opportunities. → Amplitude, Mixpanel Customer Success → Ensure long-term customer retention and success beyond the initial sale. → Gainsight, Catalyst, Totango Workspace Integration → Enable seamless collaboration across sales and operations. → Notion, Slack, Airtable, monday.com Revenue Orchestration → Connect workflows across different systems to streamline revenue operations. → NektarAI, Tray.io, Workato, Boomi — This took a lot of time. Reshare ♻️ if you loved this post. What tools would you add?

The best negotiator I know is completely silent 70% of the time. Last year she closed $400M in deals saying almost nothing. In high-stakes negotiations, the person who truly understands human psychology wins. Not the loudest voice. Not the biggest title. The one who reads the room. FBI negotiator Chris Voss spent decades getting terrorists to release hostages. Now he teaches business leaders the same principles. And here's what surprised me most: These aren't secret tactics. They're learnable skills. Anyone can become a skilled negotiator. You just need to understand how humans actually make decisions. These 7 techniques are a great starting point. They've worked in life-or-death situations and multi-billion-dollar deals. 1. Strategic Silence teaches patience. Most of us rush to fill quiet moments. But silence creates space for better offers. Practice counting to 10 before responding. It feels eternal. It works. 2. "How" over "Why" shifts dynamics. One word change. Completely different conversation. Try it in your next meeting. Watch defensiveness disappear. 3. Addressing Fears builds trust fast. Name what they're worried about before they do. It shows you understand their position, not just your own. 4. Mirroring is almost unconscious. Repeat their words. They elaborate without realizing it. Simple technique. Profound results. 5. Getting to "No" seems counterintuitive. But "no" creates boundaries. Boundaries create honest dialogue. Real deals happen after "no," not before. 6. Confirming Concerns creates momentum. Summarize their position accurately. They feel heard. Feeling heard leads to flexibility. 7. Listing Objections removes their power. Say their doubts out loud first. They can't weaponize what you've already acknowledged. Every CEO needs this skill. Every leader benefits from understanding it. Every professional can learn it. The question isn't whether you need these skills. It's when you'll start developing them. P.S. Want a PDF of my Negotiation Skills Cheat Sheet? Get it free: https://lnkd.in/dDxE5v3B ♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network. Follow Eric Partaker for more negotiation insights.

My favorite AI-native GTM play via brendan short: Continuous closed-lost deal re-engagement. ~80% of B2B deals are closed-lost (source: me). Most of these are *no decision* deals, meaning they could still be in play within the next 12 months. This is pipeline gold that's easily overlooked. Last year the SOTA play was to set up a CRM automation that flagged opportunities closed-lost 9 months ago. Reps would review the notification & write their own re-engagement email. This was a solid play, but it had issues. The timing was arbitrary. The engagement itself was pretty manual. Overall $ impact was fairly small. Here's the updated, AI-native version with Claude: 1. An agent monitors closed-lost pipeline continuously (via CRM) 2. The agent tracks a cluster of re-engagement signals at the account: leadership change, new funding, job posting for a relevant role, champion who killed the deal left the company. 3. When enough signals stack, the agent pulls the call transcript from the last conversation and identifies the specific objection that kill the deal. 4. Then the agent drafts an email that references the objection and what's changed. 5. For Tier 1 accounts, the email routes to a rep for review. For Tier 2 and below, it sends automatically. --- I love this GTM play because (a) it's something only *you* can run based on your own first-party CRM data, (b) outreach is signal-based rather than calendar-based, and (c) the outreach actually feels *relevant* to the buyer. Automation doesn't have to mean spray-and-pray AI slop. It *can* mean the highly relevant, precise targeting of ABX combined with the efficiency gains from AI. In other words, we can recreate what the best SDRs are already doing and scale it with AI. See more AI-native plays & how to run them in the full post: https://lnkd.in/gC8aNHKb

In the U.S., you can grab coffee with a CEO in two weeks. In Europe, it might take two years to get that meeting. I ’ve spent years building relationships across both U.S. and European markets, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: networking looks completely different depending on where you are. The way people connect, build trust, and create opportunities is shaped by culture-and if you don’t adapt your approach, you’ll hit walls fast. So, if you're an executive expanding globally, a leader hiring across regions, or a professional trying to break into a new market-this post is for you. The U.S.: Fast, Open, and High-Volume Americans love to network. Connections are made quickly, introductions flow freely, and saying "let's grab coffee" isn’t just polite—it’s expected. - Cold outreach is normal—you can message a top executive on LinkedIn, and they just might say yes. - Speed matters. Business moves fast, so meetings, interviews, and hiring decisions happen quickly. But here’s the catch: Just because you had a great chat doesn’t mean you’ve built a deep relationship. Trust takes follow-ups, consistency, and results. I’ve seen European executives struggle with this—mistaking initial enthusiasm for long-term commitment. In the U.S., networking is about momentum—you have to keep showing up, adding value, and staying top of mind. In Europe, networking is a long game. If you don’t have an introduction, it’s much harder to get in the door. - Warm introductions matter. Cold outreach? Much tougher. Senior leaders prefer to meet through trusted referrals—someone who can vouch for you. - Fewer, deeper relationships. Once trust is built, it’s strong and lasting—but it takes time to get there. - Decisions take longer. Whether it’s hiring, partnerships, or leadership moves, things don’t happen overnight—expect a longer courtship period. I’ve seen U.S. executives enter the European market and get frustrated fast—wondering why it’s taking months (or years!) to break into leadership circles. But that’s how the market works. The key to winning in Europe? Patience, credibility, and long-term thinking. So, What Does This Mean for Global Leaders? If you’re an American executive expanding into Europe… 📌 Be patient. One meeting won’t seal the deal—you have to earn trust over time. 📌 Get introductions. A warm referral is worth more than 100 cold emails. 📌 Don’t push too hard. European business culture favors depth over speed—respect the process. If you’re a European leader entering the U.S. market… 📌 Don’t wait for permission—reach out. People expect direct outreach and initiative. 📌 Follow up fast. If you’re slow to respond, the opportunity moves on without you. 📌 Be ready to show value quickly. Americans won’t wait months to see if you’re a fit. Networking isn’t just about who you know—it’s about how you build relationships. #Networking #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #CareerGrowth #GlobalBusiness #US #Europe

We analyzed 4 million recruiting emails sent through Gem. Most get opened. But only 22.6% get replies. Half those replies are "thanks, but no thanks." We dug into what actually works. Here are 8 factors that drive REAL responses: 1. Strategic timing beats everything else - 8am gets 68% open rates. 4pm hits 67.3%. 10am lands at 67% - Most recruiters blast at 9am when inboxes are flooded - Avoiding peak times alone can boost your opens by 7-10% 2. Weekend outreach is criminally underused - Saturday/Sunday emails get ≥66% open rates consistently - Why? Empty inboxes. Zero competition. Candidates actually have time - Yet few recruiters send on weekends. Their loss is your gain 3. Keep messages between 101-150 words - Shorter feels spammy. Longer gets skimmed - You need exactly 10 sentences to nail the essentials - Every word beyond 150 drops performance 4. Generic templates kill response rates - Generic templates: 22% reply rate - Personalized outreach: 47% increased response rate - Even adding name + company to subject lines boosts opens by 5% 5. Subject lines need 3-9 words - Include company name + job title for highest opens - "Senior Engineer Role at [Company]" beats clever wordplay - 11+ words can work if genuinely intriguing, but why risk it? 6. The 4-stage sequence is optimal - One-off emails are dead. Send exactly 4 follow-up messages - You'll see 68% higher "interested" rates with proper sequencing - After stage 4, engagement completely flatlines. Stop there 7. Get the hiring manager involved - Having the hiring manager send ONE follow-up boosts reply rates by 50%+ - Yet most recruiters don't use this tactic - Weekend advantage: Minimal competition for attention 8. Leadership involvement is a cheat code - Role-specific timing (tech vs non-tech) matters - Technical roles: 3 of 4 best send times are weekends - Engineers check email differently than salespeople. Adjust accordingly TAKEAWAY: These aren't opinions. This is what 4 million emails tell us. Most recruiting teams are stuck in 2019 playbooks wondering why their reply rates won't budge. Meanwhile, recruiters who implement these 8 factors see dramatically better results. The data is right there. The patterns are clear. The only question is: will you actually change how you operate? Or will you keep sending the same tired emails at 9am on Tuesday? Your call.

I always get in trouble for these types of posts, but age or arrogance, I do not care anymore. I have interviewed 100 of the best sales leaders over the past 5 years. None has impressed me as much as Carles Reina at ElevenLabs. He scaled their GTM from $0 to $330M in ARR in just 3 years. Today I released our episode with him and have gone over it to condense my biggest lessons from the discussion. 🚀 8 Lessons on Building a $330M+ Revenue Machine 1. The "20x" Quota Rule Forget the standard SaaS 6x–8x multiple. At ElevenLabs, the rule is simple: you must bring in 20 times your base salary in revenue. If your base is $100k, your quota is $2M. It sounds aggressive, but it sets a high-performance bar where over 80% of the team hits their targets. 2. Hire "Hunters," Not Just Product Experts A common mistake is hiring for product knowledge and hoping to "train" the sales muscle. Carles learned the hard way: you need people with a natural "hunter" mentality who are hungry, driven, and passionate. You can teach the tech, but you can’t teach the hustle. 3. Be "Ruthless" with Pipeline Reviews Carles holds monthly pipeline reviews where he drills into every detail in front of the entire team. If you aren’t doing your job, you get called out publicly. This transparency ensures everyone learns from each other's mistakes and keeps the team on their toes. 4. Salespeople Belong on the Road If the sales team is in the office for multiple days, Carles starts getting worried. A remote culture works if it’s a "road" culture. Sellers need to be out talking to customers face-to-face, not just hiding behind virtual meetings. 5. Land Small, Expand Fast Don't get bogged down waiting months for a six-figure enterprise deal. Land with a $12k contract to bypass layers of approval. Once the MSA is signed, the "land" is over, and the "outbound" mission begins to capture every other team in the organization. 6. Forecast with Brutal Negativity Optimism kills sales organizations. Carles advises being as negative as possible when forecasting. If a deal is worth $500k, forecast it at $24k. This prevents "inflated" pipelines and forces the team to work twice as hard to ensure the real targets are hit. 7. The 72-Hour "First Contract" Goal Onboarding at ElevenLabs isn't about weeks of reading manuals. New hires join calls immediately. The target? Sign your first contract within your first two weeks. Some have even closed enterprise deals within 72 hours of joining. 8. Treat Customers as a Community, Not a Transaction Transactional selling leads to churn. Building a community—where you give customers your WhatsApp, interact constantly, and do what's right for them even if it costs you money—is how you retain them forever. Huge thanks to Mati Staniszewski and Luke Harries for helping to make this one happen. (link in comments) #founder #funding #business #investing #vc #venturecapital #entrepreneur #startup