Lukas Götting & Robin Engelbrecht haben 60+ Sales Expert:innen interviewed in Ihrem Sales Circle Podcast.
Hier sind 5 “Nuggets” aus unserem Dialog im Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast.
1️⃣ Konsistenz ist König #1
“Attitude kannst Du nicht fixen”.
Nur wer beständig ist und bleibt wird früher oder später erfolgreich.
Dies gilt auch für eine hohe Eigeninitiative, beständig besser zu werden.
2️⃣ Kultur ist König #2
Lukas & Robin haben viel in die Team-Kultur investiert.
Bis heute gibt es morgens einen gemeinsamen Start in den Tag.
Beide haben früh Aufgabenpakete für z.B. Kaltkakquise abgegeben.
3️⃣ Trefft Euer Team persönlich
Du bist die Summe der Menschen, mit denen Du Dich umgibt.
Gerade im Aufbau von Sales Teams ist es wichtig, präsent zu sein.
Nur Video Calls ersetzen den physischen Austausch zusammen nicht.
4️⃣Mikromanagement bringt nichts, Kennzahlen schon
Qualität und Konsistenz vor Quantität.
Deal Coaching vor “Lass mich mal machen”.
“Wie nahe ist die Person am Kunden?” vor “Telefonier mal mehr.”
5️⃣Nicht erfolgreiche Verkäufer:innen = Nicht erfolgreiche Sales Leader:innen
“Welche Rolle nehmen New Hires im eigenen Team ein?”
Sales Reps für Misserfolge verantwortlich zu machen greift zu kurz.
Wenn Verkäufer:innen nicht performen liegt dies auch an der Führungskraft.
#salessuccess #podcast #startupsales #startup #salesplaybook #b2bsaas
I personally hate tenders / RfPs / RfIs, with a passion.
Because they often lead nowhere if you are out of control.
Patrick interviewed 200+ companies on that after experiencing similar pain over 20+ years, which is why he co-founded Sequesto.
Here is a great 5 point tender checklist that emerged from our podcast:
1️⃣ Can I even win?
Many tenders are written for your competitors and already pre-decided.
(Why) Did you (not) know about a tender before receiving a request.
2️⃣ Would this contribute to my core business?
Answering tenders is often cumbersome and therefore costly.
You don’t want to involve your team for non-core business activities.
3️⃣ (How) Am I uniquely positioned to win?
You should be crystal clear why a customer should select you.
If you cannot make that argument, how should a buyer?
4️⃣ Is the timeline aligned with my internal capabilities?
Tendering is not a “let’s quickly do this game”.
Large companies have a dedicated team for this for a reason.
If you need to rely on external resources already here, be cautious.
5️⃣Is the tender stating the customer’s pain specifically enough?
If the problem is not framed clearly, you cannot craft a specific solution.
In this case strive to better understand before asking to being understood.
#salessuccess #podcast #startupsales #startup #salesplaybook #b2bsaas
Nadja helped lemlist scale 1->10M+ ARR quickly as 1st sales hire.
Taking ownership of her career was a game changer for her.
Nadja Komnenic grew up in Serbia, where sales is not a respected career path.
Here are the 5 key take aways from Nadja’s sales journey on our podcast:
1️⃣ Don’t wait for others to make you successful
This allowed her to move quickly in a hyper-growth company.
Instead, she learnt sales from podcasts, interviews, blogs etc.
Nadja did not wait for Guillaume Moubeche for guidance to execute.
2️⃣ Be adamant with your time management
Nadja worked all day, every day early in her career.
At one point, she realised that taking a step back is highly useful.
She prefers to be adamant with her time management vs time blockers.
3️⃣ Imagine if you had 0 tech in sales.
Doing things 100% manually has huge value.
Go “customer first”, imagine a day in the life of your buyer.
Only once validated move to scale and automate sales motion.
4️⃣ Make peers successful to spark action.
Great coaching & training is technically useful.
But reps will only take relentless action once peers succeed.
Even initially resistant reps will adopt new practices once they see success.
5️⃣ Focus on what you can control - on average.
Set your own goals for activities to be successful.
Ask yourself regularly “What could I have done better?”
If you do what you & your leader expected from you…
…but the outcome is not there - let’s analyse it together.
#salessuccess #podcast #startupsales #startup #salesplaybook #b2bsaas
Raphael is "playing host" for a dialogue on Manuel's perspective on "RevOps" with a focus on Customer Success & subscription management to discuss
“Vertrieb spielt sich fast immer gleich ab”.
Inwiefern dies wirklich so ist durfte ich mit Patrick Utz besprechen.
👉 Hier sind 5 Top 1% Sales Nuggets von unserem Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast diskutiert
1️⃣ Geschäftsführer:innen sind “tolle natürliche SDRs”
Auch als Geschäftsleitungsmitglied bei Campari hat Patrick konsistent “Türen geöffnet” für die Firma, auch um glaubwürdig gegenüber dem eigenen Verkaufsteam zu bleiben. (“Ich bin nicht CEO und mein Titel funktioniert nicht in der Kaltakquise” zählt nicht.)
2️⃣ Akquise-Zeitfenster auf Zielkund:innen ausrichten
CEOs von Industrieunternehmen sind oft gut 07:00-08:00 oder 12:00-13:00 erreichbar.
Es geht im Sales darum, den KUNDEN erfolgreich zu machen.
Nicht um möglichst in der eigenen Komfortzone zu bleiben.
3️⃣ Hürden aufbrechen “im Rudel” mit Call Sessions - mit Live-Calls
Patrick macht nie fiktive Calls - immer direkt mit realen Kunden, gemeinsam.
Verkäufer:innen das richtige “Werkzeug” dafür zu geben essenziell.
4️⃣ Qualifikation professionell durchführen VOR dem Outreach
Relevanz ist wichtiger als Volumen - für die Person, nicht nur das Unternehmen.
Es gibt kaum etwas Frustrierendes als Verkauf ohne die Möglichkeit, erfolgreich zu sein.
5️⃣ C-Level direkt ansprechen lohnt sich
Geschäftsführer:innen haben eine wertvolle “übergeordnete” Sicht auf Herausforderungen.
Klar wird es dann operativer in der Zusammenarbeit - aber an den richtigen Themen.
Spielt sich Vertrieb nun fast immer gleich ab Patrick?
Technisch ja, inhaltlich weitgehend.
Branchen-Referenzen helfen aber definitiv in der Kundenakquise.
Spannenderweise kommt dieses Bedenken kaum noch auf CxO-Ebene.
There is a huge difference between selling and truly understanding the pains of a customer. Sascha Meier brings up amazing and insightful examples of his own career that illustrate this difference and help you change to become more curious and change from selling to "helping your customers buy". This can make a huge difference in your career. Happy listening!
Nicole started her sales career at SAP back in 2007. Now she is leading a team of Account Managers as well as Account Executives as CSO at the CRM company BSI. Have you heard of an outside-in vs. inside-out approach? I did not. Nicole explains what she means by that and how you can apply it in your company.
Dave started as Sales no. 1 with Osso VR around 4 years ago. Now, they employ more than 215 people remotely. No offices. Dave learned what it needs to build a strong connection between team members so that the fluctuation is not going through the roof and he shares those tactical learnings in this episode. Obviously, they are also using VR for that. Listen in and learn how.
The fragmented B2B SaaS SDR/AE/CSM model slows down learning.
Promoting SDRs too fast might be setting them up to fail.
John Barrows is a Top 0.001% Sales Legend “door-to-door printer full-cycle sales graduate”, playing the infinite game and enjoying the journey.
👉 Here are 5 Top 1% Tactical Sales Nuggets from him on our Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast (1st comment).
1️⃣ Get commitment for a “follow-up on the follow-up”
When asked for a follow-up email, commit indeed.
Send 5-7 bullets on priority, timing and impact.
Realise senior people reply much more often.
Aim for a 25-30% rate.
Close 90% of them.
2️⃣ Replace the subject line 2x
After 2-3 emails, change the subject to “Still Interested?”
“Either way, I don’t want to unnecessarily email you”.
If unsuccessful, change again to “Did I lose you?”
3️⃣ Focus on quality before quantity
Do NOT over-automate your outreach for quantity’s sake.
Focus instead on how to integrate your touches.
Impact people in different ways.
Be a “mini-marketer” yourself.
The “Social” matters.
4️⃣ Relevance trumps Personalisation all day
People do not care about personalisation.
They care about relevance.
Stop fake personalisation.
Be relevant.
5️⃣ Hire for attitude instead of skills
You can technically develop B- to A- players.
You can teach skills, technique & methods.
But you cannot teach attitude.
Be consistent. For years.
Ignore competition.
Play the infinite game. 🚀🚀🚀
We know that people only care about themselves. As a salesperson, you should listen a lot more than you talk. The ability to be in silence is one of the most difficult and valuable skills you can develop as a salesperson. And listening is not easy. We talk about what is needed to really develop that muscle, and how you can answer to some of the most difficult objections. Have fun and happy learning.
Have you heard of the challenger sales approach? Most salespeople have heard of it, but do not know how to actually use it. Manuel Marquine explains exactly how he is using that effective sales methodology....and much more. Listen in and learn!
Firaas is sharing all he knows about keeping customers in your SaaS business. What do you need to understand from a customer perspective? Furthermore, he is answering the question of how he thinks CSM and Sales should be working together to grow an account effectively. Listen in and learn!
Sales is about people. BtoB is BtoI. Every sales process is business to individual and much of what matters are the people you are talking to. Who they are, what they are interested in, and how they react. You need to adjust your approach and your talking to the individual. That is what Daniel and Patrick talk about in this episode. For a lot of tactical advice, tune in and learn
Money is not the answer to sales hiring.
Embrace consistency & focus.
Enter Maximilian Karpf.
👉 Here are 5 insights from him on how to qualify more & better
with Max Karpf on our Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast (1st comment).
1️⃣ Never miss 1:1s with your team
It is so important to stay close to your sales reps.
Therefore also pick up the phone, make some cold calls.
This way, you retain empathy & respect for your team & customers.
2️⃣ Doing “everything sales” alone is hard, but fun.
“Filling the sales funnel” is NOT an entry-level position!
Max is now an SDR again for himself - and loves 1st calls.
Because that’s where you can make the biggest difference.
3️⃣ Let’s give SDRs more love.
SDRs do so much more than executing sequences.
Work towards helping your SDRs explain what they do in 1 sentence.
If they can’t, give them more responsibility, empower them & understand “the why”.
4️⃣ Consider “The 1 Tab Agreement”.
Stay consistent & focused on what works.
That’s why Max agreed with his sales reps to keep only 1 tab open at a time.
For 6 hours a day, every day. For the other 2 hours, explore & run experiments.
5️⃣ Money is not the solution to sales hiring.
“With great money comes great pressure to deliver”.
Offering 6-figure base salaries will not fix the talent acquisition problem.
Max expects the supply-demand balance to shift early 2023…stay tuned… :)
Thanks so much for your contribution to helping sales leaders step up their game!
Andreas shares his two best tips on how to not f*ck up the first meetings with your customer. And this applies as much to Europe as it probably does to any other region.
Volker Hein is the Master of the pitch. All said. Volker brought two questions (not tips this time), which will change the way how you think about deals and pitches. Have fun and happy learning.
Nobody Regrets Qualifying Out. But so few people do it enough.
Andy Whyte has a few thoughts here on value, stakeholders & process.
👉 Here are 5 Insights from him on how to qualify more & better
with Andy Whyte on our Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast (1st comment).
1️⃣ Focus on value instead of your pipeline.
Very few sales people qualify “hard” enough.
They focus primarily on if they can add a deal to their pipeline.
Instead focus on if you, your company & your offering adds enough value.
2️⃣ Trust is built upon value & respect.
Trust is hugely underdiscussed in sales.
Lead with social proof from customer case studies.
Have an open conversation, identify pains, rank them.
Then implicate & quantify pains & how you can help solve them.
3️⃣ “Transfer pain” by being prepared.
Don’t prepare your demo “talking about all your bells & whistles.
Instead invest into preparing insights on why buyers take action.
Then leverage those to share why other companies took action already.
4️⃣ MEDDICC is NOT a retrospective after-action review tool.
Adding 7 fields to Salesforce will not make reps more successful.
Because sales people hate admin work, but love actionable insights.
Therefore use MEDDICC starting in your preparation before even the 1st call.
5️⃣MEDDICC is “like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) for qualification”.
BJJ isn't the only 'framework' in MMA for “groundwork”.
Champions have used Judo, Sambo, Wrestling among others.
But simply no other framework has the quantity of Champions as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu..
Thanks so much for your contribution to making qualification so much better!
#podcast #startupsales #b2bsaassales #startup #salesplaybook #qualification
Cosuno is a success story from Germany. Michael started at Cosuno in November 2020 when they were 8 people. Today, the company employs almost 200, out of which 60 are in sales. How can you find and hire the right talent so quickly in the current "war for talent"? Michael shares a few answers to that question.
Pricing is part science, part art. And huge for profitability.
Jeffrey Tjiok worked with 25+ B2B Tech companies, many of them VC-backed unicorns.
👉 Here are 5 Insights from him on how to make pricing a game changer for you
with Jeffrey Tjiok on our Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast (1st comment).
1️⃣ Master your pricing toolbox to defend value
Many startups immediately rush into discounting.
Instead find out WHY the offered price seems too high.
Then offer value-add, low-cost items sequentially in the process.
2️⃣ Embrace long-term quid pro quo
Ask what you get in return instead of giving in to incumbents “kicking tires”.
Steer the discussion away from price towards focusing fully on value.
Frame concessions with a clear (time) limit, e.g. 1st-year discounts.
3️⃣ “Everyone’s responsible for pricing”
Pricing is one of the most cross-functional disciplines.
Product marketing has to tell a compelling story around the offering.
Sales needs clear pricing guidelines to close profitable, attractive deals.
This requires close alignment of the company’s leadership (CRO x CFO x CMO).
4️⃣ Your pricing needs to follow your business objectives
One of Jeffrey’s clients moved from volume- to revenue-focus and is now valued at $10B.
You need to decide first if growth, profitability, retention or win rates are most important.
As you scale quickly, getting pricing right is crucial to build a sustainable business.
5️⃣ Pricing can have a huge impact on profitability
Many Silicon Valley companies follow a “reach first, rich second” model.
If you’re a VC-backed, hypergrowth scaleup, that’s great.
Martin Giese is a B2B Startup Sales legend that interviewed many hypergrowth scaleups such as Personio, SAP Hybris, LeanIX & many more for "Fast Forward: Accelerating B2B sales for startups".
👉 Here are 3 Insights from him on how to scale 0-100(!) million ARR quickly on our Europe’s B2B SaaS Sales Podcast (1st comment)
1️⃣ Increase your prices with confidence
Go to your pricing page and increase prices by 20%.
You could charge (way) more without losing deals.
Most startups don’t price aggressively enough.
2️⃣ Emphasise NRR - Net Revenue Retention
Achieving negative churn starts with your mindset that closing a deal is only the start.
How the revenue from your existing customers evolves is quintessential in SaaS.
Aim for 100%, if you have >200% Martin would like to get involved, so write him.
3️⃣ Scaling 10->100M ARR is also a mindset
Personio’s founder Hanno Renner decided to raise his 2019 VC round in the US.
Because no VC in DACH had the track record & ambition to think this big.
Why not hire 10x the people you do today if you believe it works?
4️⃣ You can’t afford to not fix your bottlenecks - like churn
If churn is not under control, you will reach stagnation mode sooner or later.
Fixing 1% of churn is equal to fix 10% of your sales performance.
This also means getting the fundamentals & more right.
5️⃣ If in analysis-paralysis, validate hypotheses quickly
You cannot afford NOT to take decisions regularly on an ongoing basis.
If unsure, look for ways how to assess your past data “experiments”.
Then define inexpensive, fast hypotheses to validate for the future.