Hamish Stephenson 🦘

If you want to hit $100M ARR (and position your company for true scale), you must master enterprise sales. Here are the 11 critical skills your team needs to consistently close 6, 7 and 8 figure deals: 1. Understanding fundamental differences between transactional selling and enterprise sales 2. Developing the right pricing strategies to align with your customer 3. True multi-stakeholder and multi-threaded sales processes 4. High impact account-based marketing strategies including dedicated virtual programming 5. Field sales support and in-person program development 6. Territory design and comp planning 7. Building the team including pre-sale architects, reps, and customer success 8. Aligning the organization and staffing new functions 9. Building out services to ensure your customers solve their problems 10. Mutual action planning built around client outcomes 11. Deal management at the Board level These are all fundamental skills Pavilion taught previously but the scope and intensity are different when it comes to true Enterprise sales. That’s why Enterprise GTM School is so important and it’s become a foundation of our educational curriculum. We’ll teach you the entire enterprise playbook, give you the workbooks, tools, and processes, and prepare you to hit true scale. The course is included FREE with Executive Membership. It's an absolute can’t miss! And it starts TOMORROW Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ezspvCZe P.S. Not a member yet? DM me to get 10% off Enterprise GTM School

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Your GTM strategy may need an overhaul… What’s the warning sign? Revenue is declining and you are continuously replacing sales people. News Flash- Not even the best sales people can overcome a poor GTM strategy. The remedy? Hire a fractional CRO that can help you craft a well defined GTM strategy. Once a repeatable and scalable strategy is in place, you will be in a much better position to hire sales people that will actually sell.  It’s really that simple. If you can arm them with the tools for success, they may just succeed.

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OUTBOUND IS DEAD - They shouted and fired the OB team. Then the reality check - How was your OB process setup? You used a tool to round-robin call 1000's of prospects, if they pick up the phone - SDR is on the call. Seems quite efficient - you manage to get the person on a call! No personalisation, no focus, no context. You may as well be selling mortgages or insurance slips or Dead Sea products the same way. Now you got you title (what's the actual role??) on the call. What do you say? They will automatically start with "not interested" and if you can't pinpoint the exact value and pain in the first breath of the call - it's all done and lost. So who killed outbound? You just did, by spamming your buyer on their personal phone without any context. Context is still king:) #isdead #sdr #abm #outbound #marketing #gtm

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Do you know one of the main reasons salespeople leave their companies? Because the company they work for has little to no clarity around their GTM and sales strategy. Need more proof? Last week, I spoke to 11 VPs of Sales. All of them had recently joined a Series A or B startup within the past six months. Now, they’re looking to leave. The reason? Founders who change their GTM and sales approach, leading to uncertainty, ambiguity, and a general feeling that "they don't know what they are doing." If you don't have a clear GTM plan locked down, rest assured: good talent won't stick around while you "work it out on the fly" 💡

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Be honest with why you need experience for your SDR/BDR role? You could be saving yourself huge amounts of money for the same results by going with an entry level hire. Legit reasons for needing experience - Complex sell with a tough buyer profile (CISO, CTO, CRO etc) - You don't have an outbound process or manager who can train. Non legit reasons - You're too lazy to train - You think hiring with experience improves your retention (it's the opposite) Analyse your SDR culture, could you be going with no experience?? #sdrjobs #sdrteam #salesjobs

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If you’re struggling to build and properly scale your RevOps team, this post is for you! CRM + RevOps Tech + Strategy = RevOps Success

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SDRs or full cycle AEs? I’ve seen full cycle work best for companies that have: Low ACV / SMB / <30 day selling cycles Products with low complexity, built for 1-2 personas  Very early stage companies with low GTM experience No proven outbound motion currently in place My observation is that it’s hard to make SDR work in these situations. What have you seen? #sdr #bdr #leadership

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What we were promised: a unified ops function for all GTM teams. 😎 What we got: a new name for sales ops. 😔 The labels aren’t really the issue here. It’s the fact that alignment across functional ops teams still seems elusive in many companies. These are some common objections to creating a unified RevOps function: 😰 Functional leaders are worried about their ops teams becoming less responsive 😰 MOPS and CS Ops worry about getting swallowed up by Sales Ops and losing autonomy  😰 Marketing and CS worry their needs won’t be prioritized if RevOps reports to a sales leader These concerns are legitimate and need to be addressed. But they don’t change one simple reality: a lack of alignment among operational teams is usually just a mirror of the lack of alignment among the GTM functions. And these silos harm business performance. Instead of focusing on the challenges, let’s look at what a business can GAIN when ops teams are strongly aligned or unified: 🗺️ A holistic view across the entire revenue process ⚖️ Initiatives prioritized by business impact rather than executive fiat 🥰  A more unified and seamless customer experience 💰 More efficient tech spend with fewer redundant tools 🤝 All revenue teams rowing in the same direction 🤗 Pooled ops resources and mutual support 💪 A stronger ops function that can manage performance rather than just close tickets These teams DO exist, and this week on RevOps FM, I spoke with Julia Kim, who leads one of them at Electric. Julia leads a very mature RevOps function that supports marketing, sales, CS, and partnerships. Not only does this org structure work—her team is a driving force behind the business, which wasn’t at all the case when ops teams were embedded in their functions. In this episode, Julia shares: • The scope and structure of her team • How they plan and prioritize • How they balance running the business as usual with innovation and strategy • How RevOps can have different objectives at different stages of maturity • How she finds efficiencies across the tech stack • And much more Episode link in the comments 👇 —--- P.S. a unified function is one way to achieve alignment, but I don’t suggest it’s the only way. At my company, for example, my team supports marketing and BDR Ops and reports into marketing, while all other ops teams are centralized. This still works very well because a) The marketing leader also reports to the COO, ensuring consistent priorities b) Marketing ops still works closely with other ops teams, has regular cadences, shared OKRs, etc. So the key factors here are a centralized reporting structure and close collaboration. P.P.S. I feel like I've seen the meme I used before somewhere. If you created it first please raise your hand and I'll gladly give credit 😊

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SDRs who deserve to be AEs... ✅ Help coach other SDRs ❌ Are in it for themselves ✅ Hit quota every month ❌ Sometimes smash it ✅ Build amazing internal relationships ❌ Moan about their AE and Manager ✅ Prioritise the team winning ❌ Think they're an individual contributor ✅ Train every single day ❌ Believe they know it all ✅ Compete against themselves ❌ Compete against others in the team ✅ Are genuinely happy when others win ❌ Get bitter when others are successful 99% of success is in WHO you are. And HOW you do things. Embrace being different. Embrace being better. What am I missing? ---- PS. My SDR to AE bootcamp closes tomorrow. 5 seats left; https://lnkd.in/ejFQERRF

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Hey SDRs, 👋 How many of your cold emails get opened? Only 23.9% Why? Because your emails don’t appear in the prospect’s inbox. Reason ➡ Poor Email deliverability! Make email deliverability your top priority, as relevant emails become worthless if they end up in spam. Here’s a checklist to ensure your emails get seen: ⬇⬇⬇ Check out our newsletter to learn more about the checklist - https://bit.ly/4csV0xo #emaildeliverability #emailtips #salestips #sdr #outboundsales

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Breakups are tough—whether in relationships or sales. For SDRs and marketers, investing hours into a prospect only to hit a dead end can be painful. Here's How to Write a Sales Breakup Email in 3 Simple Steps: 🎯 Crafting the ultimate breakup subject line 🎯 Be positive with your email body 🎯 CTA that acknowledges the situation Feeling inspired? Ready to write a break-up mail? Read our latest blog for: ✔ The best sales breakup email templates ✔ When it is the RIGHT time to write the breakup email ✔ Common language & errors to avoid These tips will help you craft a respectful and efficient sales breakup email, maintaining professionalism while keeping future opportunities open. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/df9f6TVG #smartleadforsuccess #smartlead #smartleadai #breakupmail #emailmarketing #growth

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Statement 1 is obvious Jason Bay tech tools when chosen to suit/solve the needs launch their sales… but invest for real and give them the tools they need. Is this really what you are observing? Initially, each solution is created to solve a specific need... even in the same category: sales enablements. They evolve vertically or horizontally.  I say: "Pick to solve not to standardize". Even a CRM can be a luxury… it comes back to: what are you trying to solve? again... pick to solve not to standardize! AI can be the solution or... not. Spot on for your 4th statement: Human nature is not changing just by implementing a CRM or a new sales pipeline strategy! Use tech to promote and support the desired behaviour. This should be one of the criteria of your tech selection process. 

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Is manual dialling stopping you from scaling your sales pipeline? 😓 Not anymore! JustCall X Apollo.io have joined hands to help you — find leads, auto-dial, close deals in a matter of seconds. Here’s how this integration helps your sales team: SDRs & BDRs: 🤖 Auto dial qualified leads: Find perfect leads with Apollo, then dial them instantly with JustCall. 📝 Log calls & details automatically: Find time for what matters - selling! ✍🏻 Personalize your pitch: Use Apollo's rich data to tailor your pitches and connect with leads on a deeper level. 📅 Never miss a follow-up: Automate workflows to ensure timely follow-ups. Sales Ops & Rev Ops: 🔀 Unify your data: JustCall & Apollo sync seamlessly with your CRM, creating a single source of truth. 📊 Create smarter reports: Get a clear picture of your entire sales funnel with consolidated data from all platforms. 📺 Marketing and sales: Leverage data insights from Apollo.io & Sales Dialer analytics to personalize marketing campaigns and target high-quality leads. ⏳ Find time for strategic work: With automated workflows and minimal setup time, you get more time to focus. Managers & Business Owners: 🚀 Boost team efficiency: Streamline workflows to empower your reps to sell smarter, not harder. 👀 Get real-time visibility into sales: Track individual & team performance with clear, consolidated data. 🧑‍🏫 Easier coaching: Use call recordings & AI insights to give personalized feedback and improve your team's performance. ⛹🏻‍♂️ Reduce workload on your team: Let generate AI call summaries and free your to team for what they do best — selling. 🌱 Scale your pipeline with confidence: Be sharp in optimization, know what’s working and what’s not. If this excites you and you’re ready to crush your quota, click this link to get started: https://lnkd.in/g_pM7fAU

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Why is 60-70% of SDRs missing quota? It's because their leadership is failing them. I had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Storm on the SDR Hire Podcast - a tenured SDR and Revenue leader with multiple successful teams behind her, countless lectures and trainings delivered. Sara has a very unique, no BS approach to sales and SDR leadership. In this episode she shared: • What's the current state of the SDR/BDR role • Why sales leaders are failing their sales teams AND their customers • How can SDRs take ownership of their careers?! • Should you even be in an SDR role? • How she used to close 7/10 cold calls she'd make Here's the full episode: https://lnkd.in/eCANhKGu Sara thank you for sharing your expertise and holding sales leaders everywhere accountable! Hope you all enjoy and subscribe! #sdr #bdr #salesdevelopment #techsales #career

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Are you looking to hire SaaS AE's? We have what you need! (USA) - Finding good AE's is a minefield 💣 - Not to mention a massive drain on time ⏳ So let's save you a boatload of time and reduce your risk of hiring the wrong AE Here are 10 experienced highly successful AE's being EXCLUSIVELY REPRESENTED by Hire With Jarvis. 1. Laura: 6 years in SaaS sales, specializing in #HealthTech for Mid-Market & Enterprise segments. 4 years with her current company, consistently exceeding quota by 130% annually. Twice awarded the President's Club accolade. 2. Michael: 8 years SaaS experience focusing on #FinTech solutions for Enterprise clients. Currently 6 years at his present firm, achieving top AE status for the past 5 years with quarterly achievements often surpassing 140% of goals. 3. Sophie: 3 years in SaaS sales, rapidly advancing from SMB to Mid-Market in #EdTech. Currently top-performing AE at her company for 2 consecutive years, reaching 160% of quota last year. 4. Derek: 9 years SaaS sales expertise, primarily in #Cybersecurity for large enterprises. 7 years spent at his current company, leading as a top AE annually and a member of the President’s Club four times. 5. Hannah: 4 years in SaaS sales, with a focus on #RetailTech for SMBs to Mid-Market. At her present company for 3 years, she’s been a top performer each year, achieving 145% of quota last fiscal year. 6. Raj: 10 years in SaaS sales, with deep expertise in #CloudSolutions across various markets. Maintaining a record of 120% quota fulfillment annually, he’s been with his current employer for 5 years and is a four-time President’s Club winner. 7. Isabella: 5 years dedicated to SaaS sales in the #HRTech space, servicing both Mid-Market and Enterprise clients. Top performer at her current company for the past 4 years, and a notable 150% over quota last year. 8. Chris: 7 years in SaaS sales, specializing in #DataAnalytics for Mid-Market companies. With his current firm for 6 years, he has topped sales charts each year and joined the President’s Club twice. 9. Anita: 4 years in SaaS sales, focusing on #MarketingAutomation tools for Enterprises. In her current role for 3 years, she has consistently exceeded her annual targets by at least 130% and was the top AE last year. 10. Tom: 6 years in SaaS sales with a focus on #EnterpriseResourcePlanning (ERP) for large corporations. Employed at his current company for 4 years, he's consistently been a top performer, achieving 140% of quota annually and securing a spot in the President's Club x 3. 👉 If you want to interview them ping me a message or drop a comment. Again all 10 are currently employed and exclusively working with us so you will not have access to these heavy-hitting A Players anywhere else! #Hiring #SaaS #AE #AccountExecutive #APlayers

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Outbound Sequences can do more harm than good for SDRs. (I think when used appropriately, they can be a massive help, but most teams use & abuse them -- completely missing the point of them & wonder why they can't land in the primary inbox & get no responses) I think the days of the traditional 27 day sequence are over. We need change. Most tasks get long overdue anyway and end up not being completed. Here's the issue with them: Often, SDRs are reactive to their sequences/cadences... When in reality, you should be pro-active. Let me explain: Imagine you send your first initial email and it gets opened 5+ times. Or you send a LI connect request and they accept it + look at your profile. Most SDRs will move onto their next task and ignore the intent signal. Instead, use prospect engagement as a way to be more pro-active. IE: do not wait 3 days from the day you sent your first email if there's a ton of engagement. Try calling them same day, bumping your email the next day and throwing a connect request on LI. You should try and switch your messaging up based on prospect engagement, too. IE: your cold call opener should be different for someone who has accepted your LI request + looked at your profile / opened your email a bunch vs someone who hasn't engaged at all. Be the quarterback of your sequences.. Don't let them control you! Second issue: most sequences end up piling up overdue tasks.. This is because sequences have way too many steps. If you liked this, I share 1 free outbound prospecting tip that 4200+ SDRs and AEs read every week. https://lnkd.in/e2cJkJqr

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Wondering about the advantages of having a fractional SDR? Here you go: ✔ Saves costs of recruiting and hiring full-time SDRs: The expense of a full-time SDR can be tough for startups and small businesses. Hiring a fractional SDR minimizes recruitment costs, saving on salaries, benefits, and more. A 'plug-and-play' solution for high-quality sales support at a fraction of the cost. ✔ SaaS sales expertise: Fractional SDRs bring invaluable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) sales know-how to the table. Their expertise is a competitive edge for tech companies, guiding you through the best sales strategies. ✔ Targeted outreach for market expansion: Fractional SDRs facilitate more personalized and targeted outreach, benefiting companies expanding their market reach. Align sales strategies with market segments for better success. ✔ Flexible sales support on-demand: Scale sales efforts as needed without a full-time team. Ideal for startups, allowing efficient resource use during peak seasons or product launches. ✔ Minimizes employee turnover: Avoid disruptive recruitment cycles with fractional SDRs. Smooth transitions if they move on, protecting against sales department volatility. ✔ Improve sales funnel efficiency: Increase the efficiency of your sales funnel with a fractional SDR model. Distribute the workload for better lead quality and smoother interactions. #saassales #sdr #fractionalsdr

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SDRs should go from Cold to Warm: (here are 7 tips to do it) 1. Identify *relevant* signals Focus on signals that indicate genuine interest or intent to buy. This helps narrow your list down to potential buyers. 2. Prioritize timing over personalization Instead of mass personalization, prioritize reaching out at the right time. Timing can make or break your outreach efforts. 3. Approach with learning, not selling Your first outreach should aim to understand the prospect's needs. This builds trust and helps you gauge if they're in the 10% ready-to-buy group. 4. Use data to refine your list Analyze past interactions and past behaviors to refine your list. This ensures you're targeting the most promising leads. 5. Build quality relationships Focus on building genuine relationships with prospects. Quality interactions lead to better conversions. 6. Educate your prospects Provide valuable insights and information. This positions you as a helpful resource rather than just another salesperson. 7. Monitor and adjust Regularly review and adjust your strategies based on results. Continuous improvement keeps your outreach efforts effective. - I am Noam, posting daily content about B2B Sales. Follow me to go from Cold to Warm. PS: NDR stands for "Network Development Representative". PS2: You can learn more about it in the NDR playbook. Link in the comment 👀

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Replace 41 SDRs, Generate 1.2M in ARR, Get a 2000x ROI That is the power of outbound and automation with Smartlead Each time I get messages like this, all the difficulties dissolve away Getting to see people build the business of their dreams on top of ours is incredible to see This is one of the 100s of people who have created million dollar businesses on top of Smartlead with more doing this each day So yes - your choice, adapt to the new age or get left behind 1. Find intent-based leads using Clay or ListKit 2. Automate your outbound using Smartlead 3. Book meetings using our AI engine 4. Close deals and build pipeline Lets get it!

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