Hunter Deskin’s Post

“Thank you for the demo. We will speak internally and get back to you…” …. Follow up…waiting… 2nd follow up…waiting… “Break up” email… Ghosted again…👻 I know I’m not the only one… This is a sign something was missed during the sales cycle… Early on as an AE I wasted so much time with follow up on prospects that actually werent ready… Here are a few ways to lessen your chance of being ghosted and to have clarity around your pipeline… 1. Having next steps determined: I once heard Julia Carter say something like, “if you don’t have next steps just kill the deal.” I couldn’t agree more. If there are no next steps the likelihood of that deal progressing is very minimal. It is crucial to establish next steps at each step of the sales cycle. This will require good discovery to know how to map out each next step. 2. Asking the right questions up front: I would often have a killer discovery call and demo and then when it came to discuss timeframe and budget I’d realize we weren’t even in the same ball park. It is so important to ask the right questions up front. Some of those questions can be: -Do you have an idea of when you want to deploy a new solution? -Do you have budget in mind for a new solution? -Are you looking into any other vendors at this time? Get as much clarity up front. It will help save you so much time. Next steps and clarity… It’s that simple… What would you add? You got this! 👊

SDRs - here are the top 3 areas new AEs struggle 1. Managing the full sales cycle Two steps you can take now: (1) Shadow top reps. If you set the intro meeting, ask if you can be a fly on the wall for the rest of the cycle. (2) If you have a recording tool, watch one deal cycle all the way through. Take notes. Ask questions. Jot down questions or stories you like and put them in your own words. 2. Closing and negotiation skills The biggest thing you can do is start working on it now. Take a LinkedIn sales course. Know MEDDIC. Start learning different sales methodologies like Challenger, Sandler, Miller-Heiman. 3. Time management Your biggest priority as an AE is closing business. So focus on the bottom of the funnel and use the 80/20 principle. Priorities in order: 1. Advance pipeline 2. Create pipeline Early on you will be building pipeline so naturally you will spending a lot of time on top of funnel activities. As you build pipeline you should find yourself more focused on -multi-threading -getting to power -utilizing internal resources to move deals along -creating business cases and proposals Focus on advancing deals daily, ask others for help, and learn as you go. Save this for later and DM if you have questions! 🔔 #sdr #accountexecutive

Prospect: I want 100 demos every month. Can you do it? Me: Not sure. But if you can help with some info, I can try figuring out. Prospect: Does your LinkedIn profile say you can get 50-250 meetings a month. And I need 100. Me: Yes. I do that. But, first we need to assess if my process is fit for your company, and if this is the right time. Prospect was disarmed by now. Because I didnt want to explain my services. I wanted to assess their situation. Most of my own sales calls are about assessing. Without assessing, you cannot figure out the right solution. If I say I can solve every problem in SaaS sales, I’m wrong. It is very important for both me and my customer to first conclude if this partnership is right one and the time is right. Did I just shared a simple secret to closing more deals and retaining more? Simple question. Simple assessment. Simple way to relationship building. A prospect who said NO to me in September last year, comes back this time. More prepared. Sales is about solving. Not pushing. Because if you solve, your customers will pull you.

Enterprise selling challenges? You’re not alone. No matter how long you've worked in sales, the landscape is always shifting. • Old value propositions might not cut it anymore. • Operational capabilities evolve, necessitating changes in sales and marketing. • Rising costs demand us to demonstrate (and prove!) more value. Let's not forget THE ART of speaking to someone at the right time when they are in the ‘right’ stages of the buying cycle! The solution? LinkedIn isn’t a ‘cure all’ but Laura's video discusses the 'Feast or Famine' of sales and how LinkedIn can be utilised to consistently nurture new leads and existing pipeline. Have you experienced the ‘feast & famine’? How were you able to level out your pipeline?

Absolutely spot-on! The hustle is real, and it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of calls, demos, and meetings. Maintaining a healthy pipeline is a constant juggling act. I've navigated this challenge firsthand, particularly during my tenure when I was committed to cold calling 100-300 prospects daily. It's not just about the quantity but the quality—ensuring each interaction is a meaningful step toward a potential deal. A strategic cold-calling campaign helped me not only fill the pipeline but also qualify prospects effectively, making every call count. It's a dynamic balance, and prospecting remains the heartbeat of sustained success. Thanks for highlighting this critical aspect! #SalesHustle #ProspectingMatters

Morgan J Ingram is here with us in Arizona at the Great Day in Sales meetup and he’s giving an absolute masterclass. He instructed us on using the reverse voicemail: 1. No need to call me back - removes friction instantly. 2. Tell them you’ll follow up with an email in 5 minutes. They have probably read your voicemail transcript. Tell them to proactively look forward to see something. You’ll see a 2.5-3X conversion right there. 3. 80% of responses will come in your first 5 touches. Try email, voicemail, LinkedIn etc in the same day. 4. Finish with your name at the end. And repeat it, twice. He finished by encouraging us all to use LinkedIn’s audio message. You have to be first contacts, but it’s time to be unique. Send blank connection requests instead of hyper personalized ones. Once connected, use the 10/30/10 method for a 35-40% success rate. 10: start with the reason and use a signal 30: value proposition and say it out loud 10: CTA: interest, demo, deeper dive etc. Thanks for sharing your wisdom my friend!

Let's settle the debate once and for all! When are the best times to prospect? Over a 23 year career in sales, I can honestly say that these are my top 5! 1. About 9 months ago! -> Building pipeline compounds, the sooner you start, the quicker it grows -> Be consistent and do a little (at the minimum) every day 2. Right now! -> If you’re ever in doubt what to do next, prospect -> A few calls, a handful of emails, it’s never a wasted activity 3. When you’ve just won a deal -> Send the DocuSign and then have a power hour of prospecting -> Your natural high will shine through in the work you do, and if you have a rough time on the phone, you’ve still got that deal that you’ve just won 4. When you’ve just lost a deal -> You’ll need to replace that pipeline, so may as well take action now -> Spend a set amount of time re-building your pipeline, and then you can go and sulk 5. Before 9am and after 5pm -> Especially when going above the power line -> I can also highly recommend emails that go on a Saturday morning or a Sunday evening And a bonus time to try and avoid… Between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm -> This time is a bit like driving during rush hour, you often have to do it, but you’ll me stuck with everyone else -> It’s a good time to create cadence’s and set emails to be delivered at times that are more likely to get seen What have missed? P.S. I’ve set myself a goal to help 100 SDRs get promoted to AE in 2024. If you want to be part of that cohort, please DM me or follow the link in my bio for free training! __________ I’m a 20+ year sales practitioner who trains and coaches sales skills. I’ve sold to all kinds of businesses, from IBM to Stringfellows Angel’s. Dedicated to selling the right way, leading with value, and creating lasting relationships. Passionate about coaching for performance and growth. #methodengine #valueselling #coachingforperformanceandgrowth

Turn prospects into lifetime customers with Carew's Positional Prospecting™ training program. The Positional Prospecting™ training program enables sales professionals with the skills, process, and confidence to build strong pipelines of high-quality prospects. Learn contemporary best practices for identifying, reaching, qualifying, and engaging with potential customers. Identify when to transition from prospecting to opportunity pursuit with more involved selling efforts and discover how to craft compelling value messages that advance the customer relationship. Learn more here > https://hubs.ly/Q02qgr1j0

The number 1 mistake among Account Executives: They forget to prospect. Why? - They're busy running discovery calls - They're busy preparing demos - They're busy multithreading - They're in forecast meetings - They're in pricing meetings - They're negotiating - They're in 1:1s But here's the inevitable consequence: ↳ Eventually their pipeline runs dry. → No more discovery calls to run. → No more demos to prepare. → No more deals to negotiate. They run dry like a fish on land. Game over. No matter how busy you are... No matter how many deals you have in the pipeline... • You MUST prospect. • You MUST keep opening doors. • You MUST keep up momentum. How to do that with limited time in your day? Learn that here: www.christiankrause.com PS: Repost ♻️ to remind your AEs to prospect!