In today's edition of Sales Players, I'll be sharing some of my favorite high-leverage activities to execute as an Enterprise seller in an early-stage startup.
I think of high-leverage activities as similar to revenue-generating activities, but on crack...
These activities have the potential to drastically improve your results (pipeline, bookings, attainment, etc.) while also helping you excel in your career and put more $$$ in your pocket.
Here we go:
1. Find a well-connected Executive leader in your company (CEO, VP, Founder) and do a deep dive into their professional network. Use LinkedIn, ask this Exec to reach out to any relevant contacts, or ask permission to reach out and drop their name. I once closed a $180K/yr deal when we learned my Founder was close with the CTO at the target company.
2. Call your Champion from a deal you closed last quarter and ask if they know anyone who might be interested in evaluating your product. Offer a referral fee.
3. Text your old VP of Sales to check in. They might be aware of a potential lead for you or even a new career opportunity (this is how I got my current role).
4. Build a list of the main contacts at all closed-lost opportunities from the last year or two. Ask if timing is better to re-evaluate your offering. (I have an amazing email template for this, reply here if you want it).
5. Pull a report of everyone who has requested a demo of your product in the last 24 months. Send a note asking if they would like to revisit (assuming they aren't already customers).
6. Send an email to your Champion at a late-stage deal and ask "What would it take to move forward this month?"
7. If you work for a pre-IPO company, connect with your Lead Investors on LinkedIn and schedule a time to meet. Ask them for leads!
8. Build a deck with 5-7 slides with YOUR narrative for how your company solves your Buyer's pain. Start with the Why... Why does your company exist? Why You? Why Now? Have a slide that acts as a "line in the sand." Either the Prospect agrees to see things from your point of view, or you disqualify them and end the call. Don't waste time with Prospects that won't buy anyway (Reach out if you'd like help building this).
9. Jot down 2-3 Customer Success Stories and then commit them to memory. Reference these in cold calls, emails and discovery conversations.
10. Tell your Sales Leader you have a goal to attend at least one trade show or conference this year. You'll get to meet your Prospects in person and get a pulse for what's top of mind for them.
11. Take Recruiter calls at least once per quarter. This will keep you sharp and give you an idea of what your value is in the market.
12. (With permission) Launch a Slack channel for Prospects. Add members of your Solutions or Product team to engage and answer questions for Prospects.
13. Ask your Champion at the end of your 3rd or 4th call if you can have their cell number. Tell them it will help you streamline communication on the project and better align resources for them.
14. (With permission) Offer prospects a Contract Buyout. Let's say they are under contract with a competitor; you could offer to discount or waive your costs for the remainder of their agreement term, allowing them to begin implementing your solution now. (Just be sure to get a multi-year contract in place as part of the offer!)
15. Offer to connect your VP with your buyer's VP for a brief intro and status update on the project at hand (Executive Peering)
16. If possible with your product, offer a Proof of Concept (PoC) or even better a Proof of Value (PoV), give your buyer a chance to try and prove business value before making a long-term commitment. When well executed you'll double your win rate.
17. Add a Business Case/ROI slide to your proposal, keep it short, and know it will likely be forwarded to the company's CFO.
18. Build relationships with Channel Partners and set a reminder on your calendar to touch base with them every few weeks (this is how I ended up closing a deal with Clorox).
19. Call your prospects and leave them a 30-second voicemail with your name, company, and summary of what you do. Speak slowly. Then email them a short recap with the subject line: I just left you a voicemail.
20. Spend time every week getting organized and documenting your process. This will make it easier to manage expectations internally and externally, and will set you up to be a consistent producer.
Let me know which of these resonated most.
This is by no means a complete list of high-leverage sales activities, but a great resource if you find yourself looking for more ways to move the needle.
Until next week.
-Jesse