Jacob Karp’s Post

MEDDICC continues to be one of the most polarizing topics in sales.    Sellers seem to either love it or hate it.    Regardless of how you feel about it personally, the fact is it is widely used by sellers and sales orgs and in my experience it works, when done right.    The biggest mistakes I see sellers make is not understanding it or simply “filling in the blanks” to move ahead in the sales process.   But MEDDICC is not a sales process or sales methodology.    It is a qualification framework that sellers and revenue orgs use to help qualify opportunities, identify gaps in deals, and improve forecasts.    When done right, it creates meaningful conversations with prospects and customers to ensure their needs are being heard and met in a sales cycle, while also setting proper expectations for the path forward on both sides.    But don’t just take my word for it.    Join Ascender this Friday, July 12 at 9 MT to learn best practices for using the MEDDICC deal qualification methodology as part of their "Qualify and Close with MEDDICC" webinar https://lnkd.in/gPXpxywf   What are your thoughts on MEDDICC? #AscenderPartner

I keep the original copy of the biggest W2 of my life on my desk where I can see it daily. Believe it or not, I don't do it to remind myself of the money. I do it to remind myself of all the failure, struggle and self doubt that it took to get there. All the times when I felt like there was no point in continuing in sales. When I could barely believe in myself. When I wanted to give up and disappear. Honestly some of the darkest times of my career and life. But I also do it to remind me how lucky and fortunate I have been and also that it can all change in a year's time, good, bad or otherwise. When I look at it I see a lot of hard work, but I also see a lot of things falling my way, for no reason at all. Not sure I will ever replicate it and while it would be nice, not something I waste my wishes on. Life and careers are not easy. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they don't. Whatever you are dealing with right now, just keep going and believe that you will get to where you want to be. #karpediem

A reminder to go outside this weekend. Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. #karpediem

"Underpromise and overdeliver" is not a phrase I am fond of. Instead, work to be as accurate with the expectations you set and your follow through to them. That's a winning formula in personal and professional relationships, sales cycles, sales forecasts and really just about anything. Transparency around what you are capable of what you will actually deliver on creates credibility. #karpediem

At a macro level you have no control over your company's go-to-market. But at a micro level you have all the control over your personal go-to-market. The best sellers I know have created their own personal go-to-market strategy and process and they run it alongside their companies go-to-market. When done right it is a win-win for both sides. Some ways sellers can own their own personal go-to-market: - How you build and optimize your territory plan - How you stack rank accounts - How you select and prioritize top accounts - Understanding the personas and their problems to create messaging - Multichannel/medium outreach that isn't "spammy" - Providing research based insights and value - Using your ecosystem to bring interesting things to your prospect/customer - How you build relationships built on trust and credibility - How you prep for a meeting - How you follow-up and follow through on commitments - How you treat prospects and customers - Truly caring about prospect/customer outcomes The list can go on and on. The takeaway is that you have ownership of how you go-to-market. Lean into that and make it your own and good things will follow. Check this out for more ideas: https://lnkd.in/g-9abtJ6 #karpediem

I sat down to talk pipeline generation with Liz (Cain) Christo of Stage 2 Capital. Check out our chat on why AE's should be generating a significant amount of their own pipe. https://lnkd.in/gWRbusr7

I assume that C-Suite leaders never look at the "Who's viewed your profile" section here. First off, they don't have time or care. Rightfully so. But also, all they would see is a list of 100+ AE's with a headline that reads "I help organizations to _______" and know that dozens of outbound messages are being aimed at their inbox at that very moment. And that in itself is probably enough of a reason to never look. #karpediem

When I was initially breaking into software sales in late 2017 I wasn’t picky. My only requirements were that it was a software company and my title was Enterprise. I was successful in landing a role, but the lack of due diligence put me in a tough spot and I was ultimately laid off a little over a year later. The second time around I got more selective and upped my requirements. I made a list of 20 companies I wanted to work for that had these characteristics: - Product market fit - a product, solution or service that was in demand - Need to have vs. nice to have - the product needed to be borderline business critical - High Net Revenue Retention - when customers bought they didn’t churn, but instead bought more - Experienced leadership - been there, done that leaders who had scaled orgs and won in enterprise - Growth focused professional development - for me this meant sales skills and a process I could learn and use anywhere to be successful With the help of some mentors and friends I pared that list down to 5 companies and ultimately landed at one. That role changed the trajectory of my life and I owe it all to that process. I have continued to prioritize those things and can't recommend it enough. I hear from sellers daily about the difficulty associated with finding a role and will be the first to acknowledge that the market isn't easy right now. But if you can afford to take your time and be selective, pick your non-negotiables and find a place that includes them. You can research companies with those characteristics here: https://bit.ly/4bi8D0s

Almost halfway through the calendar year. If you are in sales, how are you tracking for the half and year? If you are doing well, where can you optimize your process to find more pipeline, deals and revenue? If you're behind, what foundational tweaks can you make to start the second half strong? Sometimes acting like you are ramping again and going back to the basics can make a big impact. Things like tweaking your pitch, listening to team members calls or re-prioritizing your accounts can pay dividends right away. If you are looking for a plan to setup a great second half, here are 29 steps I recommend: https://lnkd.in/g-9abtJ6 #karpediem

Is you or your teams OOO reply giving away too much internal info? I made a post last week about all of the information I have gathered from people's OOO replies to me over the last month. Cell phones, emails, team member info, reporting structures, list serves/alias's. Seller's loved it. After all, what a great way to grab info for prospecting. Folks on the information security side chimed in to give a different perspective about how OOO replies can actually be giving away way too much sensitive internal data. On the sales side, our life is gathering info and contact details to try and get ahold of people. But on the other side, IT and security teams are tasked with trying to keep their organization safe and therefore caution against info being made available. I get that orgs don't want to have people sharing that info...but if it ends up in my inbox then I see it as free game to be used for prospecting. What do you think? #karpediem