Joshua Adragna’s Post

Are you a tech founder struggling with sales? I might have the ultimate solution for you! I'm validating an idea for a productized service and would love your feedback. . . . . . . . . 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: Technical founders need to generate sales and don't have the marketing/sales background and skills. Short on time, short on money, but mostly short on bandwidth for execution. 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀: A short sprint with a go-to-market swiss army knife (like me) can get your basic marketing and sales setup sorted. . . . . . . . . What do you think? Feedback? Know someone I should talk to for idea validation?

If you are a sales leader, what are the things you are putting extra focus and effort into in 2024? There's a lot of talk about efficiency and reducing the cost to acquire customers, as well as the changing technology landscape that all sales teams will have to embrace. What are the things you are concerned about or focusing on and why? ✅ Embracing emerging technologies? ✅ Virtual selling? ✅ Improving sales enablement? ✅ Empowering and motivating your team?  ✅ Customer experience and personalisation? ❗ One of the areas that's going to be more important than ever is ethical selling and trust building. Emphasising ethical selling practices, transparency, and authenticity in interactions with customers will be essential in building long-term relationships and enabling sustainable sales success. ✳ As we head further into the world of AI, and the potential for much of the workflow to be automated or “non-human”, building relationships of integrity and trust will rise in importance. #salesleaders #saassales #saasgrowth #nzsaas

Brian G. Burns talked with Michael Currie of Nexa3D about curiosity and its role in sales. Here are some key takeaways: 👉 He used to be hesitant and shy and now he’s killing it. Your personality is not permanent, and that you can turn weaknesses into strengths. He had a growth mindset rather than a fixed one. 👉 Michael talks about “active listening”- listen for clues and keywords and then use those to ask your next questions. 👉 Celebrate your wins but don’t take them too seriously. Jocko Willink’s attitude towards everything is, ‘good.’ The point is that you want to keep your attitude and disposition stable. 👉Be competitive and want to win. Be better than yesterday and be better than who you used to be. Set new PR’s and set new standards. 👉 What Michael looks for be excited about the product and potential; be curious; be persistent; listen well; ask questions; understand industry trends; show empathy. 👉 Michael talks about the “arch of salesman”- the growth and development of a salesman from SDR making 100 cold calls a day to AE, to C-suite. 👉 show interest in the prospect and his company, then show curiosity, and then present. Quotes: “The SDR model has become robotic.” This is especially true in the age of AI. It makes me question whether SDR’s will be needed in the age of AI “Ask yourself if you move fast.” Speed of implementation is crucial in business, sales, and life. “Curiosity is the precursor to empathy.” Books: How to win friends and influence people- Dale Carnegie | Link to Michael's LinkedIn page: https://lnkd.in/gTPzSWk8

One of my biggest regrets: not doing this 1 exercise in the first week as an SDR or Account Executive. Something I did not do early my career. Which cost me dearly. Ditching the Product. Embracing the Problem. ✅ Persona: who am I targeting? What are does their day-to-day look like ✅ Problems: what do they have to deal with on the daily? What problems and obstacles do they face Ensure I know the difference between capabilities and problems "we help centralize your disparate customer data" [capability] 😐 "customer data is scattered across different systems which is difficult to access" [problem] 🙂 ✅ Impact: what is the impact on them, team and org e.g. impact on productivity, customer experience, product launch dates ✅ Metric / KPI What are they accountable for? e.g. conversion rates, c-sat, retention, etc... how are those metrics affected by the problems they're facing? ➡ put this all on a chart or spreadsheet and print it out have in on your desk and use it as a foundation for your - cold outreach - discovery - demo You'll see a significant change in your conversations with prospects. Because you'll be speaking their language. Problem enablement > Product enablement

You know what has proven true time and time again in my 2 years as a sales leader? I see this over and over and over again. And I’ve found no exceptions. ➡️ Those who ruthlessly manage their MIND and their TIME always win in the end. It’s not the “smartest” reps or those with the most experience. Or those with a great territory or an awesome SDR. It’s those who understand that sales, and life, is largely a self-management game. They eliminate distractions. They limit who has immediate access to them and their time. They’ve realized that intelligence might spark ideas, but the real magic lies in harnessing the power of a focused mind and an unwavering will to win.

Many companies invest heavily in sales technology without seeing a return. Why is this? Oftentimes it's because they lack sales operations expertise to implement efficient processes. As a sales leader, I've seen countless organizations make this mistake. They purchase CRMs, dialers, and other tools without auditing their sales process, historical metrics & outcomes, or mapping technology to proven best practices. The result? Wasted budgets. To drive ROI on your tech spend, focus first on developing efficient processes. Document them. Automate them. Then layer on technology to optimize productivity. With the right operational framework, your tools will pay dividends. #salesoperations #salestech #audits #processes

Why are disruptive technologies often failing ? Initially sales take off, all seems well then it's crash and bust. 😱 "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore was first published in 1991 (!) but is still very much relevant today as it was then ! New product adoption follow a classic progression from "innovators" to "early adopters" then "early majority", "late majority" and finally "laggard". Early majority is the biggest segment of all but is equality risk averse: businesses in this cohort will adopt proven technology from well established companies. So how do you break this conundrum if you are a new entrant with breakthrough technology ? Focus, focus, focus. Define a micro-segment of the market then surround your disruptive core product with a whole product that solves for the target customer’s problem end to end. Become the leader of this micro-segment then move the the next adjacent segment. Repeat. 💡 What seems so obvious is very hard to put in practice. Why do we think that is ?

Critical Thinking is Dead........ Okay, Critical thinking isn’t actually dead, but it’s declining. Our world and algorithms often gives us information that confirms our views, limiting diverse perspectives. In sales, this translates to relying on outdated talk tracks and generic emails no one reads. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze information objectively, evaluate different perspectives, and make reasoned judgments. In sales, this means slowing down to understand and research your customers. Analyze what their competitors are doing and craft messages that truly add value. The era of mass generic emails is over; it’s time to personalize each outreach. Here’s how to bring critical thinking back to sales: - Seek Different Perspectives: Engage with your team and peers for new ideas. - Ask Questions: Understand your customer's needs and challenges. - Listen: Truly hear your customers to address their pain points. - Research: Know your customer's industry and competitors. - Adapt and Innovate: Be ready to change your strategy with new information. Embrace thoughtful sales strategies and make a real impact. Your customers deserve it.

The Future of Sales! (This is 2024) And I’m SO excited to celebrate it. Because, here’s the thing. No matter what the world tries to tell us: ↳ The future of sales is bright. But it isn’t just about closing deals. → Nah. It’s about building relationships. So, no matter if you are here to: - Land a client - Close a deal - Build a pipeline The more you focus on relationships, The more your success will grow — exponentially. Because, if I’ve learned anything in my years in sales, it’s this: The future is always changing. But those who adapt, → Those who innovate, Will always find success. So, Here are 5 ways to prepare for the future of sales: 1. Embrace AI and automation. 2. Personalize every interaction. 3. Leverage data insights. 4. Invest in continuous learning 5. Foster a growth mindset Because the future of sales isn’t just about transactions. → It’s about transformation. In the way we connect. The way we engage. In the way we sell. The way we succeed. Reflect on your approach. → Innovate your processes. And watch your sales soar! So, what’s your next step to future-proof your sales strategy? #sales #socialselling #personalbranding #relationships #community

Timing the inception of a sales team requires precision. Procrastinate, and the market slips away; rush in, and you risk stagnant revenue and dwindling cash flow. Mark Leslie's Sales Learning Curve offers founders an essential guide for this pivotal decision—it's the North Star leading to an impactful sales force. The journey necessitates a profound grasp of your core audience—knowing how to effectively market and sell to them, all while ensuring your product is ready for scale. Founders must authenticate product-market-fit, cultivating repeatable use cases before building a robust sales force. This isn't a mere timing exercise; it's about preparedness. Are your products and services geared for expansion? Does the market clamor for your growth? Only when these prerequisites are met can founders confidently embark upon successfully scaling a sales org.