Michael Sharp

Frontline sales management is the toughest job in the company. The most successful frontline leaders have a disciplined approach and consistent operating cadence. In the latest Building Elite Sales Teams episode, Dana Smith,Sr. shares why consistency is critical as a sales leader: Dana also discusses the importance of hiring well, being a genuine leader who can admit when you're wrong, and not 'watering the weeds' by moving on quickly from reps who aren't working out. Check out the full episode for more of Dana's advice on developing as a leader and building high-performing sales teams.

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I’ve helped 12+ AEs and SDRs transition into SE/SC roles. There’s no doubt that you can earn a lot as an AE. AEs can make $1,000,000+ in a good year - a very lucrative career path. But the reality is most AEs don’t get there. It takes an exceptional AE to earn consistently at high levels, year in and year out. (I personally would be a terrible AE 😅) A big reason why folks pivot to Sales Engineering is because the earning potential is solid and much more consistent. That’s what the data in the image shows: 36% avg quota attainment for AEs vs... 74% for SE from this same company, with similar OTE’s As an SE, you don’t always have the extreme upside* that your AE counterpart will, but your income is more stable. (*there are some companies that pay SEs similar to AEs, with SEs able to clear $1M+ in a great year, though this is more of the exception than the rule) As an SE, there’s also less pressure to hit quota, quarter after quarter. The roles are different, with different responsibilities and varying degrees of risk (and upside). Both paths can provide tremendous opportunities depending on your strengths and the type of work you enjoy. Hope this provides some perspective for those who are considering SE or AE career paths. #sales #presales #compensation (source: RepVue)

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Every AE ever - "I cannot find the information I need, and I need it now!" Sales Leaders, is it a common complaint from your teams that they cannot find the answers? They cannot find competitor information, that latest deck, or that marketing snippet. Do they lose time searching Salesforce, Sharepoint or name your company's resource of choice to find the information? We have the Answer! #Qlik Answers is a stand-alone GenAI (RAG) solution sitting over your unstructured data, every PowerPoint, PDF, email, and text field in your CRM, and so on. Allowing your team to ask a question and get the answer immediately. Demand your teams get the one tool they need!

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👋 Are your sales reps consistently missing quota targets? The solution may not lie in more training, but in revamping your coaching approach. 🎯 Numerous studies highlight a direct link between excellent sales coaching and top-performing teams that crush their numbers quarter after quarter. In this great discussion with Kevin Mulrane, you'll uncover the secrets to elevating your coaching game through high-impact activities like roleplay, simulated practice, and individualized development plans. Discover the proven framework elite sales managers use to rapidly upskill reps and ingrain quota-busting habits that drive sustained success. Gain access to the full webinar: https://lnkd.in/e-5DtHky #SalesCoaching #QuotaAttainment #SalesPerformance #SalesLeadership #salestable #sales #salestips

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Long sales cycles can test even the most seasoned salespeople. As sales leaders these are some key strategies to keep your reps focused & deals moving forward. Content is the key: Targeted content that addresses the prospect's specific challenges throughout the cycle keeps them engaged and positions your reps as thought leaders.  Nurture your champions with relevant material and keep them engaged. Personalization at all touch points: Pay close attention to your team’s messages & what they share. Make sure they are all based on the use case & interests of the prospect. This attention to detail shows attentiveness to their role, personal interests, plus respect for their position. Stage-Specific Outreach: Tailor outreach based on their progress in the buying journey, offering valuable insights and resources.  Examples are, timely business case material before reviewing a proposal or engaging with customer success and an overview of the implementation process before sending out the contract are all good practices. Don't just use email, combine email with social media interactions, personalized video messages, and even handwritten notes to show genuine interest. Leverage Multiple Sponsors: Engage multiple business leaders from your side to keep the conversation fresh and multifaceted. This diversification not only enriches the dialogue but also shows a deep commitment from your team towards the prospect’s success. Not just exec to exec, MarketingOps to MarketingOps, IT to IT, etc... Direct Engagement: As leaders, your direct involvement can signal to the prospect the importance of the partnership. Personal emails, strategic meetings, or even a simple check-in call can make a significant impact. Sales leaders can add immense value by joining calls at crucial junctures, demonstrating high-level commitment and providing insights from their experience. Calibration Meetings: Regularly assess the sales cycle & identify opportunities for leadership intervention. This could involve crafting a compelling message for a specific stakeholder or navigating a potential roadblock. Balance is Key: Leaders must avoid micromanaging, but also recognize when additional firepower is needed to reinvigorate a prolonged sales cycle. Finding the balance between being persistent and being a nuisance is crucial. Focus on Outcomes, Not Outputs: Don't measure success solely on the number of calls made. Track the value delivered through each interaction, ensuring content and conversations are relevant. Enable and equip your reps:  Provide fresh insights into industry trends, competitive analysis, and personalized content that they can use to speak directly to the prospect's business pain points. By implementing these strategies, you can empower your sales reps to navigate long sales cycles effectively, fostering valuable relationships that convert into long-term wins. In what ways have you adapted your strategies to manage longer sales cycles? #SalesLeadership

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Here is the real impact that value selling is having for revenue teams: Tom Pisello David Yockelson 🔑48% improvement in winrate 🔑35% increase in deal size 🔑25% reduction in sales cycle time BUT...... ⛔️ only 19% of reps and 19% of pipeline is using value selling today. BIGGGG opportunity here...!

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People don’t realize what “closing skills” are in sales, and they’re not “is persuasive.” Reps with closing skills CONSISTENTLY know, can choreograph and advise on how the deal gets signed and returned. And their forecast accuracy reflects those skills.

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Turning the table on the buyer seller dynamic is imperative for sales success 💪 Yes 👍 The customer buys the solution with money 💰 BUT 🥊 You as an AE “buy” the belief in the deal closing based on many signals 💡 The rationale the customer provides ✅ Their engagement on calls ✅ The breadth of stakeholder involvement ✅ SO 🥊 Ensure you’re not getting swindled 😉

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Any thoughts on the AI compliance webinar for sales? The session will explore how Dialpad Ai meets compliance and regulations to the highest standards while boosting rep performance - in fact, we’ve seen a $9.7M boost in savings due to higher agent productivity. We’ll cover using the AI platform to keep agents on script, compliant with regulatory requirements, up-skilled, efficient with time and on brand. It’s on 8 May 2024. Would you like to join? Six & Flow

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The best salespeople are those who can go "off script" when it is needed Here is an example Let's look on the talk track at the beginning of a discovery call Me: "What is your main reason you are taking the time to talk to me today?" (➡️ Always ask that question first in any outbound or inbound generated meeting) Client: "We are processing invoices still manually today and I really want to digitise that now. We have been looking into a few of your competitors so that we can do a thorough evaluation which one is the best tool for us" Two options you can take from here: 1️⃣ Dig into the ROI / process they have today: "Did you calculate an ROI around what the processing of invoices cost you today?" "What exactly of your process do you want to automate?" Or 2️⃣ Ask about their opinion of the competitors: "What are the aspects you really liked from our competitors and what are the aspects you did not like at all?" I advice to take route no. 2️⃣ Why so? Because that is where the buyer is emotionally They already compare and have preferences You want to nail those preferences and potentially put yourself into a good position by showing a solution for the weaknesses of the competitors The ROI is secondary right now The decision criteria are a priority You need to nail those first And potentially add criteria that you know you can fulfil and your competitors cannot How so? Ask them questions around your strong features: "Is it important to process bills in other currencies such as Poland and Sweden?" Then: "Should we add that on your list of important features?" That is how you win deals with competitors in the game Focus on what matters most

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Poor territory management sinks even the best sales reps. Here are my three rules to help you get territory management right: 1) Ongoing, not static Reps should have smaller territories so they can focus attention. Then, when AEs uncover details that make an assigned account a poor fit, replace it with another high-potential account. If a territory is too big, AEs will be pulled thin. If it's too static, AEs will spin their wheels in poor-fit accounts. I've found focused but evolving territories most effective for all but strategic account segments. 2) Accounts belong to the company, not the rep High-potential accounts with unengaged reps are a massive waste of territory. If a rep doesn't give an account the attention it deserves, leaders should move it to a rep who will. I've seen "stagnant" accounts turn into six-figure wins by moving an account to a rep willing to do the work. 3) Balance propensity and TAM A territory full of potential whales is a slog - reps may work for quarters without closing a deal and getting paid. A territory full of small transactions is a drain—reps will be on a hamster wheel, unable to focus on significant revenue opportunities. Great territory build requires understanding what drives TAM for your product (hint: it's not just revenue and the number of employees) and using tools like Common Room to uncover propensity to buy via mentions, signals, multi-threading, etc., across different sources. Accurate TAM projections + understanding buying propensity = balanced and scalable territory management. Any other territory management rules you have seen drive success?

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A huge waste of effort for many sales reps is trying to figure out “How should I position [uncomfortable topic] with this prospect?” Here’s the thing… Of the few things entirely in your control, few matter more for your success than whether or not your prospect trusts you. And every time you spend effort trying to spin or hide or minimize something inconvenient, several things are happening: 🔻 You’re creating an opportunity for your prospect to lose trust, where none existed before 🔻 You’re NOT spending effort on how to thoughtfully address or resolve the real issue is (the one you’re trying to minimize) 🔻 You’re missing out on an opportunity to build trust by demonstrating that you’ll err on the side of transparency and candor This is all self-defeating. Totally understandable given how humans are wired and what fear does to our brains. But also still totally self-defeating. Next time you find yourself wondering or asking your manager some version of “How should I spin…”, “How should I position…”, etc, here’s a thought exercise: 💡 What would happen if you started the conversation being transparent? 🤝 How might you turn that into a conversation that builds trust and confidence instead of causing the issue you’re afraid of? Transparency and trust work.

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📣Calling all SDRs, BDRs and AEs📣 Time to Leverage the 4Ps of PIPELINE to Drive Revenue Tune in on 📅 Wednesday, July 17 🕑 2pm EST. Load your pipeline and drive forecasted revenue: 👉 Define your sales process: Streamline the decision-making process at every stage. 👉 Progress through the stages: Identify ideal prospects based on data-driven evidence. 👉 Prune for growth: Optimize your pipeline by removing dead-end deals. 👉 Prospect consistently: Develop a system to ensure your pipeline is always brimming with qualified leads. REGISTER HERE: https://hubs.li/Q02FpwMs0 #SandlerMiami #pipeline #sales #salespeople #prospecting

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📣Calling all SDRs, BDRs and AEs📣 Time to Leverage the 4Ps of PIPELINE to Drive Revenue Tune in on 📅 Wednesday, July 17 🕑 2pm EST. Load your pipeline and drive forecasted revenue: 👉 Define your sales process: Streamline the decision-making process at every stage. 👉 Progress through the stages: Identify ideal prospects based on data-driven evidence. 👉 Prune for growth: Optimize your pipeline by removing dead-end deals. 👉 Prospect consistently: Develop a system to ensure your pipeline is always brimming with qualified leads. REGISTER HERE: https://hubs.li/Q02FpyDX0 #SandlerMiami #pipeline #sales #salespeople #prospecting

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It should not be so hard to empower your sales teams. But, in 2023: 📉 53% of CROs struggled to increase sales velocity and rep productivity 📉 72% of salespeople spent time not selling 📉 28% of sales reps expected to attain quota This year, learn how to leverage the power of sales enablement 🚀 https://lnkd.in/eHDKVJ_J #salesenablement #change #saas

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Want to elevate your sales game and win over C-suite executives? 📈 Learn from the best with ZoomInfo's top sales tips, including insights from our CEO and Founder, Henry Schuck!  Discover the definitive guide to selling to the C-suite in 2024: bit.ly/4aSCL3i

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The state of sales today... 👇🏻 Flowla 🌊 just launched a new report, Bridging the Buyer-Seller gap. There are things in here, salespeople, that we need to address... 36,5% of buyers say that the overall poor buying experience (lack of clarity, information, handholding) and communication issues were their main dealbreakers. Main dealbreaker. Bad delivery from salespeople. Like, how bad are we at teaching our salespeople? 🤔 What do you think we are missing the ball on? Ping me in the comment if you want the report.

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Most Sales Leaders I speak with each week, tell me that poor discovery is the biggest reason their team aren’t closing enough deals. Here’s four things you can coach your reps to do, to make them more effective at discovery: 1. Start calls by asking your prospect “What was it about [insert problem you fix] that made you intrigued to talk with me today?” If the prospect struggles to give a reason, then create the demand… “In recent weeks, I’ve heard a lot from other Sales Leaders that they are struggling to hit their numbers, and they point to weak discovery as a key reason as to why they aren’t being more successful. Others share that they simply are lacking the bandwidth to improve selling skills in their team. Which of those resonates in your world?” Get into problems quickly. 2. Get your sellers to practice summarising back to the prospect. It’s a great way of getting them to process what they’ve heard, and to invite a prospect to share more: “So just to clarify what I’ve heard there. You mentioned your big goal this year is to achieve 20% growth in revenue, and that ultimately this is key to unlocking Series B. You did mention though that your team’s win rate has dropped since the start of the year and this is starting to become a bit of a concern in achieving that big goal. You also mentioned you had invested in some external sales training for MEDDICC last year but it hasn’t had the desired effect. What did I miss there and is there anything else that would be useful for me to know?” Summarising makes prospects feel heard. This tactic also almost ALWAYS ends up with them sharing more. 3. Get your sellers to go beyond the surface level pain, by using seven magic words ‘typically when I hear that it means…’ “You mentioned that you’ve observed on sales calls, that your team aren’t asking relevant questions to prospects. Typically when I hear that it means they end up with stuck deals that don’t progress or losing deals they should be winning. Whats happening in your world?” This is a great way to get prospects to take you to big business problems, and away from surface level issues. 4. Get your sales team to share the alternative way of solving the prospect’s problem and why it MIGHT be a better solution in some situations, rather than spending money with you. “One way you could solve this problem is by doing the coaching through your Sales Enablement function. This might be a good solution if they can dedicate at least 2/3 of their time to coaching 1:1, that they are highly skilled at coaching, and that they can separate skills development from things like product training. Is this a feasible option for you?” Get your prospect to validate whether another solution is an option, whilst altenratively getting them to see that it’s likely not going to cut the mustard. Bottom line is - finding the time to do all of the above regularly is tough as a Sales Leader. That’s why MySalesCoach exists.

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Halfway There: Revamp Your Sales Pipeline for 2024 and Beyond. June, and H1, may be in the rearview mirror, but for sales teams, the year is far from over. It's time to take stock of your first half performance and not just shift focus to the remaining months, but strategically build your pipeline for 2025, especially if your sales cycles are longer. Here's why: Analyze First Half Trends: Look at what worked and what didn't. Were there specific lead sources that yielded better results? Did certain product features resonate more with customers? Understanding these trends will inform your approach in the second half. Refine Your Pipeline: Evaluate the health of your current pipeline. Are there deals stuck that need a nudge? Are there promising leads that haven't been nurtured enough? Revamp your pipeline to prioritize high-potential opportunities. Start Building for 2025: For companies with lengthy sales cycles, a six-month window might not be enough.Identify potential long-term clients now and initiate conversations. Plant the seeds early to reap the benefits next year. Action Steps: Revisit Sales Goals: Are your initial targets still realistic? Adjust them based on first-half performance and market conditions. Double Down on What's Working: Replicate successful strategies and tactics from the first half. Invest in Long-Term Relationships: Start nurturing leads for future sales cycles, building trust and brand awareness. By taking a proactive approach, you can ensure a strong finish to 2024 and set the stage for a prosperous 2025.Remember, a well-stocked pipeline today is the foundation for a successful tomorrow.

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