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Welcome back to The Weekly Pitch! Today, we have a special issue and lean on eight leaders from sales to customer success to CEO.
In our Feature Story, they answer the question – what advice would you give your younger self? Later in The Closer, we list 12 negotiation tips when we get the ubiquitous discount request.
First, let's look at our chart of the week.
According to research from ValueSelling Associates, keeping the sales pipeline full is a constant challenge — with 69% of business-to-business (B2B) salespeople reporting that they do not have enough leads to make quota.
The company states only 18% of sales reps spend nine hours or more on weekly prospecting, so aim for two hours daily or ten per week to develop a pipeline that results in quota attainment.
The key is to stay consistent. By never going more than five business days between touches, we’ll remain top-of-mind and significantly increase our odds of connection — but we have to be prepared to put in the work. A typical sales prospecting cadence may involve 15 to 17 touches across 20 to 24 business days.
Prospecting tools like SalesLoft, Vidyard, Sendoso, and LinkedIn Navigator can automate and optimize our success.
Heather Stone
Senior Manager of Sales Development, SalesLoft
Everything is "figureoutable." At the beginning of my career, I often made mountains out of molehills and spent so much energy focusing on what went wrong versus how to fix it. Energy is a precious tool – learn how to use it effectively, and you can persevere through anything. :)
Beau Brooks
VP of Sales, Factorial
Recognize your strengths early, and lean into them. Those are your superpowers! It's important to acknowledge your weaknesses and hire people around you who complement your gaps. But don't waste so much time on improving your weaknesses. Get really, REALLY good at doing what you are good at and what you enjoy. Life will be so much more fulfilling!
Zak Hemraj
CEO, Loopio
Don’t be so afraid of routine. Consistency is a very powerful thing over the course of decades.
Michelle Pietsch
VP of Revenue, Dooly
Don't get too stressed and worked up over things you can't control. It's not worth the anxiety, and it will always get better.
Kayla Rehmeier
Manager of Sales Development, Remesh
It's okay to give yourself a break. Not everything has to be done before you shut your laptop. You can step away from work, and it will be OK!
Andrew Hahn
Chief Revenue Officer, FormAssembly
Learn more from you losses than your wins, make your weaknesses your strengths, and practice empathy as likability is as important as talent.
Anthony Edwards
VP of Customer Success, TiLT
External validation is overrated. Spend your time and energy figuring out what gives you joy. Then develop your skills around that thing, trusting that when the right role emerges, you'll be ready. Because chances are it's something you might not even know exists, so just keep training.
Melissa Murray Bailey
Chief Revenue Officer, Hootsuite
I would tell my younger self to have confidence. It’s important to share what I think and feel confident about that—not second-guessing, not worrying about what other people will think or how they might judge me.
Negotiation Tips for the Next Discount Request
Perhaps nothing can be more stomach-churning than working a deal for several months, getting to the finish line, and then hearing our potential customer say, "your price is too high, so can we get a discount?"
Here are a few tactics to try to eliminate or minimize discounting:
Discount requests are a given in sales. But celebrate! The customer is implicitly admitting they see value in our solution at this stage. It's our job as sellers to amplify that value and point them to the business impact.
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