Sparkbound

We exist to unlock the potential of people to do more good, better.

Sparkbound is a leadership development academy disguised as a medical sales organization and medical device distributor. We are focused on going beyond transactions and enriching the lives of our people, partners, and practitioners.

Founder & Principal

Enovis

Sr. Salesperson building Sparkbound ❇️

Arthrex

Agency Sales Manager

Arthrex Extremity & Trauma Lead & Territory Manager

Upper Extremity Sales lead

Arthrex Clinical Specialist

Arthrex Technology Consultant | Sales Professional 

Empire Medical

Executive Sales Manager

P4L Fitness & Torque Sports Performance

Director of Sports Performance

Hospital for Special Surgery

Worked independently for Dr. Adele Boskey’s laboratory. Dr. Boskey is 	interested in tissue mineralization; the ultimate goal in the lab was to improve bone quality by providing insight needed for new 	therapies and tissue engineered products. My specific research project was focused on the role of proteoglycans in the bone mineralization process. More specifically, I looked at the effect of 	the interaction between the large proteoglycan, aggrecan, and aggrecanase (ADAMTS) and aggrecanase inhibitors (TIMP) on hydroxyapatite formation in a gel system. My work was paralleled 	with identical studies performed in this laboratory in a cell culture 	system.

Research Assistant

Weill Cornell Medical College

Presented and participated in weekly journal clubs. Partook in a Lab Techniques Workshop and Clinical Skills Workshop. Scrubbed into surgeries at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Gave an oral 	presentation at Leadership Alliance National Symposium and written and poster presentation of my research at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Intern

I help salespeople become sales leaders w/ the Salesblazer Method™️ | Executive Sales Leader

Over the last decade, I helped build multiple multi-million dollar medical device territories by developing new markets and strategic sales teams. I also helped customer-partners build their personal brands and land consulting contracts, which led to developing new products/techniques and enhanced patient outcomes.

Then, in 2023, I hit a fork in the road. Do I continue building someone else's company at the expense of my convictions, or do I risk my comfortable life to gain personal agency, take complete ownership over my future, and craft something worth telling a story about?

Building something on my terms and diversifying my income would be the best pathway towards control over my calendar, autonomy over the work I get to do, and the direct impact I can have.

While this pathway has not been easy, the results have been remarkable.

Since leaving a sales executive role with a great brand, I have been able to replace my income by working for myself with less effort (working smart).

I have launched Sparkbound, a medical sales & marketing organization that goes beyond the transaction and seeks to enrich the lives of others.

Sparkbound not only helps our people build influential careers, increase our partners' influence, or improve our practitioners' patient outcomes, but we also want to help aspiring difference makers become the change they wish they could make... and then help them make positive change happen.

My mission is to help you see that you're not stuck. You don't have to labor and live as others expect you to. My mission is to help you challenge the status quo, lead by design, and choose the impact you wish to have.

I love writing about leadership, specifically leadership without titles, about how high-impact professionals can earn personal agency, purposeful productivity (doing more good, better), and meaningful work.

Francisco Martinez

Most people wait for the perfect opportunity to start leading.

The perfect promotion.
The right work/life balance. 
The sales kickoff meeting.
A bigger team.

But here’s what I’ve learned after building sales teams:

There is no perfect opportunity.

The promotion won't make you a leader.
There is no such thing as work/life balance in sales leadership.
Leadership happens before the title. 

The people who get promoted don't wait. 

They start.
They lead anybody.
Create opportunities to serve.  
They find solutions that everyone has been aching for. 

Because they understand something most people ignore:

You don’t build influence by a title. 
You earn it by leading. 

Serving builds trust.
Solving problems makes you indispensable.

That’s exactly how I've gone from a sales demotion to now running my own sales organization.

Not with a perfect plan.

But by showing up every day seeking to enrich the lives of others.

What about you?

Making Leaders Remarkable | Follow for systems & strategies for effortless leadership & remarkable work | Founder & Principal building an 8-figure sales agency from scratch

Character is king. 

Character > Competency.
Character > Credentials. 
Character > Commissions. 

Character lasts forever.

The best leaders aren't the smartest in the room. 

More knowledge won't get you promoted. Try this instead:

Acquire wisdom. 

Here's why:

🧠 Knowledge is about knowing more. 
🦉 Wisdom is about knowing you don't know enough. 

🧠 Knowledge says, "I know the answer." 
🦉 Wisdom asks, "What's the right question?"

🧠 Knowledge recites best practices. 
🦉 Wisdom knows when to break them.

🧠 Knowledge speaks first in meetings. 
🦉 Wisdom listens, then synthesizes what others missed.

🧠 Knowledge focuses on being right. 
🦉 Wisdom focuses on being useful.

🧠 Knowledge collects information. 
🦉 Wisdom connects the dots others can't see.

The leaders who get promoted aren't the ones with the most certifications or the biggest vocabulary.

They're the ones who can navigate complexity, read between the lines, and make decisions when the data is incomplete.

They turn information into insight. Problems into opportunities. Chaos into clarity.

Stop collecting knowledge. Start cultivating wisdom.

Your career will thank you.

What's one moment when wisdom mattered more than knowledge in your career? Share below 👇

-- 
♻️ Repost to help others lead with wisdom
➕ Like and follow Francisco Martinez for more insights

The best medical sales reps don't sell. They serve.

After 13 years in medical sales, I've watched too many reps crash and burn trying to be the smartest person in the room.

Here's what actually works:

Stop trying to impress doctors.
Start trying to improve patient outcomes.

This mindset changes everything.

Here are the non-negotiables for high-performing medical sales reps: 

✅ Lead with patient impact, not product features
✅ Create opportunities to serve your customers. 
✅ Play the long game and build trust as you build your pipeline.
✅ Educate, educate, educate. 
✅ Don't knock the competition. 

Here's the interesting truth:

When you stop selling and start serving, your numbers go up.

In medical sales, we don't just move products.
We're integral to someone's healing.

Act like it.

What's the most important lesson you've learned about putting people before profit?

♻️ Repost if this resonates
➕ Follow for more on character-driven sales leadership

The wrong path looks promising. 

Until you are replaced. 

I used to think success came from putting in the most hours.

→ First in. Last one out.
→ Say yes to every opportunity.
→ Take work off your boss’s plate. 

The formula they sold us:
Be everywhere → Pay your dues → Trust the process

But here’s the problem:

Budget cuts happen.
Burnout persists.
And no one is looking after your career. 
One bad performance can make you replaceable. 

Now I focus on building what can’t be replaced:

1. Your Attitude
You can’t control every outcome.
But you can control whether people want you in the room when things get tough.

2. Your Wisdom
Thanks to ChatGPT, Knowledge is cheap these days.
But applying that knowledge? That’s hard-earned. 
Wisdom only comes from personal experience plus reflection.

3. Your EQ Skills
Tools change. Markets shift.
But people don’t. The ability to communicate and win with people will outlast AI. 

4. Your Character
Character can’t be bought. 
It is developed and tested over time. 
While others focus on competencies and credentials, build the foundation that no one else is. 

5. Your Discipline
Motivation can pack a punch, but has a short fuse. 
Discipline keeps your butt in the chair no matter how you feel. 


6. Your Leadership
Leadership isn’t a title.
It’s creating opportunities to initiate acts of service.

7. Your Point of View
A unique, well-reasoned perspective is a moat.
It sets you apart in a world drowning in copycats.

These 7 things made me indispensable.
No org chart. No market shift. No competitor can take them away.

You don’t need to protect yourself.
You need to build value that no one can replace.

♻️ Repost to help your tribe become indispensable
➕ Follow to learn how to become the one your company can't live without

Don't just pray for a great culture.

Be the answer to your prayer.

It's easy to hope for a healthy workplace—one where you feel safe, valued, and seen.

But culture isn't something you stumble upon.

It's something you help create.

Culture is not:

- Pizza, ping pong, or even pickleball
- Unlimited PTO or remote work
- A profitable business unit
- A mission statement
- HR department
- Core values
- The CEO

The success or attitude of individual contributors is not the measure of culture. 
But is measured by:

- Low burnout
- Employee referrals
- High retention rates
- People celebrate each other
- Alignment of all people and parts
- The way employees feel on Sunday night

Yet, no culture is perfect. Even great workplaces will disappoint at times.
And that's okay.

That's why what matters is how you carry yourself and champion the culture you wish you had.

You bring attitude, habits, and values everywhere you go.

The best cultures aren't found. Courageous people cultivate them.

So yes, pray for a great team, a mission you can stand behind, and a culture that breathes life.

But don't stop there.
Be the person who:

- Gives credit
- Has a bias for action
- Chooses to lead without a title.
- Praises the efforts and success of others.
- Isn't waiting to be asked to serve but creates opportunities to serve.

You're not just a recipient of great culture.
You're crafting it—every day.

How else can someone be the solution to a better culture?

If you want to work remotely, that's great.

If you want a hybrid workplace, that's awesome.

If you want to return to the office to be present with people, wonderful.

If you want to quit and work for a remote company, go for it.

If you want to bring everybody back from their home offices, own up to it.

If you want to go to a 4-day work week, that's also cool.

So many people are trying to fortune-tell the future of work.

Many are trying to push their version of success on others.

They pretend that one way of working is better or superior to the other.

Stop believing everyone's opinions.

You live in the digital revolution, which provides many options.

Determine the direction of your life and what works best for you this season.
Then get after it!

Be faithful no matter where you work.
That's true success.

99% of people overcomplicate career moves.

So, in 2023, I simplified the riskiest career decision of my life. 

What they won't teach you in school or corporate America is that all you need is:

1. Direction - where do you want to go in life? 
2. Anti-goals - what are you not willing to give up?
3. Convictions - Why and what must you do no matter what?
4. People - whom do you have as your personal board of advisors?

Things you don't need:

1. To listen to your heart.
2. 5 & 10-year plans.
3. Large network.

The key is to decide on your career before you need to choose. 

And no matter what, be excellent and intentional. 

Because none of this matters if you suck at your work.

What would you add to this career decision framework?

The best sales leaders don't obsess over numbers. 

They obsess over people (and their growth). 

Here's a simple playbook for developing your people: 

> Invest in everyone, not just top performers.
> Be the leader you wished you had.
> Know your people's strengths & weaknesses (personal SWOT).
Create an actionable development plan that drives better paychecks.
> Become a broken record with the company's mission, values, and vision.
Connect people's "why" to the company's purpose.
> Coach, don't command.
> Delegate to grow people, not just clear your plate.
> Lead from the trenches with daily rep face time.
> Make 1:1s sacred (& follow through).
> Celebrate effort, not just results.

The math is simple:
Better people = better culture = better results. 

Choose people over profit because people matter more. The byproduct? They generate profit. 

Do you agree?

After 13 years in medical sales (17 total in sales), I've had to reinvent my career several times. 

I have been demoted, stuck, and promoted. 

I have represented large brands and startups. 

Every time, it has come down to these basic but powerful habits. 

Here are the 17 powerful habits of high-impact salespeople:

1. Focus on what you can control: your attitude & actions
2. Learn to say, "I don't know, but let me find out." 
3" Give, don't take. Give away your time, expertise, & self. 
4. The day starts the night before. Wake up to execute. 
5. Practice patience, not passivity. Growth takes time. 
6. Like navy seals, train with a pod of peers. 
7. Sundays are for strategy. Plan an ideal week.
8. Get aligned every quarter with your values and mission
9. Always be checking in on your character. 
10. Do what you say you will do, even if it costs you. 
11. First impressions are for impact, not to impress. 
12. Time block high revenue activities. Ruthlessly stick to it
13. Send a weekly highlight report to your boss. 
14. Send a weekly lessons learned report to your team. 
15. End each day with a self-assessment review of yourself.
16. Solve big problems instead of reacting to fire drills.  
17. Go beyond the transaction and seek to enrich lives. 

Medical sales, and all sales, is more than hitting quota. 

It's about becoming the person you would rave about doing business with. 

What did I miss? 

--
♻️ Repost to help your network become a high-impact salesperson
➕ Follow for more tips on how to grow your sales career

Character is king. 

You can't fake true character. 

The truth of one's character is revealed in time.

Trust me when I say:

- mastering influence
- excelling in your role
- crafting solutions as a niche
- teaching others to create success

And above all, being worthy of remark...

Will make it 100x easier to get promoted.

Waiting for an opportunity isn’t reliable. Go create a demand for your skills.

The sales boss who kills careers obsesses over numbers. 

Instead of the growth of their people. 

This is especially true in medical device sales, where companies want market share at the expense of people.  

That's why they obsess over acquiring managers and not leaders. 

Leaders help people grow. 

Sales leadership needs to stop:

❌ Managing spreadsheets
❌ Celebrating ONLY the quota achievers
❌ Compromising culture for short-term wins
❌ Measuring success by one bad quarter report

Instead leaders do the following:

✅ Help their salespeople make SMARTER goals
✅ Help align their goals with the company's purpose and goals
✅ Have clear expectations and stop micromanaging
✅ Recognize growth moments that build character
✅ Invest in their potential even when it costs you today
✅ Measure success by their consistency and direction

The leaders who get this right are the ones who:

↳ Ask more questions of their people (they care about them)
↳ Spend more time coaching and practicing
↳ See potential in people before they see it in themselves
↳ Build careers, not just quarterly results

I've watched this play out over and over.

When you care about the people you care for more than just their numbers. 

You want people not just to hit their targets because they have to. 
You want them to crust it because they want to, and they are bought in. 

What's the most impactful way a leader has invested in your growth?

♻️ Repost if you believe in people-first leadership
➕ Follow for more insights on better sales leadership

Caring isn't a strategy you implement. 

It is a lifestyle you embody daily.

So stop acting like you care. Start actually caring. 

❌ Don't perform empathy for your team 
✅ Genuinely invest in their growth

❌ Don't fake interest in customers
 ✅ Detach from profit and connect as humans

❌ Don't care for the applause 
✅ Care because it's a person you can impact

If you feel you are acting, tell yourself to care genuinely.

Do the work to make an impact, not just to impress.

What's one way to embody authentic care?

♻️ Repost to create a more caring world
➕ Follow and like for more unconventional musings

The most dangerous attitude in sales?

"I already know that" or "I don't need help."

I've seen sales careers, especially med sales, crash and burn with that attitude.

Earlier in my career, I saw my own ego get me demoted because of words like that.  

I've seen the most talented salespeople miss opportunities because of that attitude. 

Here's what I've learned about success in sales:

The moment you think you know it all or don't need help, you've already lost.

The top performers who succeed in the long run are the ones who:

↳ Still walk through their checklist before time with a customer
↳ Invite teammates to review your performance
↳ Ask "what would you have done differently?" after every encounter
↳ Read and learn daily
↳ Do not defend against correction from leadership

You only learn from every conversation in the field if you have a humble attitude.

An attitude that wants to improve. 
Craves to learn. 
Never comfortable. 
Is teachable. 

Being humble means:
- You haven't arrived (& never will)
- You can't get there without others

It's not about being weak.
It's about being wise.

Sales is hard and competitive. 

But if you stay teachable and humble
You'll overcome.

Choose a leader instead of a job. 

The wrong manager can hold your career back for years. 

The right managers see your potential, help you unlock your potential, and champion your promotion. 

The best leaders are agnostic to the logo they represent. 
They are believers in the people they are responsible for. 

The best managers prioritize people first, then profit. 

I've worked for great leaders. 

- They believed I had potential.
- They asked about my wife & children. 
- They invested in me even when I deserved to be fired. 
- They designed comp plans around revenue goals, not quota.
- They created roles to solve problems that fit my passion and strengths. 
- They listened - and did not turn on me - when I considered outside offers.

I once struggled because I wasn't sure I wanted to be in this industry. 
My leaders noticed my decreasing excitement, put their arms around me, and said, "Where do you want to be? We'll help you get there." 

They are why I stayed when I was offered better financial offers. 
They are the reason I haven't quit the medical device industry.

Ultimately, their leadership has produced several promotions for me, bigger paychecks, and once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities. 

Choose leaders who want to see you grow today. 

Agree? Let me know your thoughts👇

The best ideas don't come from dreadful meetings. 

More brainstorming on a whiteboard won't move your business forward. 

Ideas matter.
All great things started with an idea. 
That was executed. Iterated. Reshipped. 

Whether ideas to improve the workplace.
Or ideas for new products or companies. 

Ideas accelerated my career. 

I went from being demoted to an accelerated promotion track due to the high-impact ideas I brought to the table and executed. 

But if you never make time to break away to generate ideas, you'll never make time to execute them. 

Here's my Idea OS:

1) Get outside
> Find a happy place. 
> Schedule it during the best time. 
> For me, it's sunrise mornings in the hills and trails behind my house. 

2) Have a plan
> Have an exercise plan: you can walk, ruck, or run
> Have a thinking plan: what are you listening to? Podcast? Music? Audio book?
> For me, it's whatever I am working on or wanting to create. 

3) Come prepared
> I get to my happy place and set time with juices already flowing.
> This means I have already read, prayed, and prepared my heart. 
> Getting out and moving takes it to the next level. 
> Bring the right tools: notepad & pen, notes app, podcast app, etc. 

4) Capture
> When an idea or thought arrives that I want to capture, I pause. 
> I use Ali Abdaal's Voicepal app to record and transcribe all my thoughts. 

5) Create
> Don't just waste this session by doing nothing after the fact. 
> When resolve is high, take action. 
> Make a plan to outline the next steps of the best and most crucial idea you had. 
> Take a step to execute the first thing in that idea. 
> Schedule the following steps. 

Commit to a place and time to get outside and move. 
Chart a course for your time there. 
Capture what matters most. 
Commit to execution. 
Craft a plan around the most essential idea. 
Create and execute. 

For me, not one week goes by without me getting out there at least once. 

What are your favorite ways to get your creative juices flowing? 

♻️ Repost to help your tribe ditch meetings and be more creative. 

Follow Francisco Martinez for more insights like this.

Don't quit. Don't give up. Turn that frustration around. 

Success is not a corner office, a title, or a bigger role. 

Thinking vanity metrics measured success almost destroyed my career. 

Thinking I could impact lives if I had that bigger role hindered my effort. 

I realized that it wasn't my managers keeping me from bigger and better things. 
It was me. 

Once I chose to be a salesblazer, making positive change happen right where I was and leading without a title, my career blossomed. 

Here's the mindset that finds success with or without titles:

- You make change happen for the sake of others. 
- You initiate solving common problems your way. 
- You think beyond your role. Create a rising tide. 
- You are willing to ask for help from your tribe.
- You are faithful with what you've been given.
- You detach from outcomes. Create systems. 
- You know what makes you unique. 
- You don't hate small beginnings.
- You adopt the 12-week year. 
- You aim to work hard. 
- You excel. 

The result? 

You build an impactful and successful career.

The most impactful leaders are the ones who serve. 

Leadership is not a license to do less but a responsibility to serve. 

But everyone gets servant leadership wrong.

It's not about being willing to serve.

But initiating acts of service.

Change from this:

- "If there is any way I can help you let me know."
- "I love helping and serving others."
- "Tell me how I can help."
- "Do you need any help?"

Initiate service this way:

- "I see the best way I can help you is by option a or option b. Which one is it?"
- "You have a lot going on. I am going to take this off your plate."
- "I knew you would say you didn't need help, but I showed up anyway and am ready for you to put me to work."

Most people will not ask for help or say they need it, even if you ask.

Servant-leaders know this and create ways to serve and surprise others.

How will you create opportunities to serve others next week?

Chris Cicconi

Chris Cicconi Inc

Fraction sales, leadership and business development.

Helping founders and early stage sales orgs build repeatable and scalable processes.

Powered by Gap Selling

Founder & Head of Sales

ARC Roasters

We make speciality coffee fun and accessible.

Co-Founder & Chief Caffeination Officer 

Unicrn

Founding Team Member & Jr Partner
Unicrn is a hand-selected collective of the best freelance sales, marketing, revenue operations, and enablement professionals from the world’s fastest growing companies.

Our mission is to quickly and seamlessly connect growing businesses with the right fractional talent to help everyone get farther, faster. Our GTM Pod system matches business needs with proven industry experts who strategize, document, and execute the GTM motion.

Head of Business Development

983 Media Productions, LLC

Working with 983 Media's founder to build partnerships with both potential clients, as well as other vendors, venues etc in an effort to deliver an exceptional eSports experience to all game developers and players.
Taking a leading role in helping 983 launch it's publishing arm - 983 Interactive. 
On air experience:
Host of "The Frontline" The Official Kards Podcast as well as all Official eSports events (a game by 1939 Games)
Gwent Qualifier Caster and Gwent Partner (a game by CD Projekt RED)
Production assistant for the Parallel World Championships

VP of Partnerships

Replicant

Led a team of 7 business development representatives selling an AI powered contact center automation tool to 5 core industries.
Generated over $48M in pipeline so far this fiscal year.
Promoted 2 BDRs to AE roles

Director of Business Development

Visier Inc.

Implemented a "Pipeline Acceleration Plan" to dig out of a pipeline deficit to meet the $59m OKR for the year, 3 months early.
This included growing the team from 6 to 12 BDRs and 2 BDR leads while implementing improved onboarding & framework to help them see success quickly.
The team set a record for the most pipeline generated in the 10+ year history of the company in July.

Senior Manager, Business Development

HRWize

Within this role, I not only handled the full sales cycle, but also hired, trained, developed and lead the full cycle sales team. HRWize is an HRIS system focus on small and medium size businesses of any industry, mainly within Canada, but with no limit to partner globally.

Sales Manager

Aerotek

While continuing to partner with my clients to deliver the highest quality of talent and service, I also manage our Professional Services division in Montreal. This entails both building out strategy and managing, coaching and developing our team of 10 account managers and recruiters to assure that we provide access to the quality candidates you need to support your business.

Continued to grow the divison to over $13M in revenue

Practice Lead - Professional Services

I became the first Account Executive for Aerotek's Professional Services Division in Canada. 
My role entailed business development and management of the fulfillment team for the Professional Services division. 
Lead a team of up to 6 individuals (recruiters & account managers) and grew the division from scratch to over $8M in revenue.
Archived 5 "President's Clubs" and multiple "Million Dollar Clubs".
Won the Director's Award in 2017

Account Executive - Professional Services

I specialized in technical staffing through Aerotek CE® (contract engineering), a division of Aerotek.

Technical Recruiter

Aerotek® Inc. is a leading provider of technical, professional and industrial recruiting and staffing services. We are part of Allegis Group® Inc., the second largest staffing company in the United States.

Sourcing Specialist

Sports Experts

I was responsible for training employees on the technical aspects of products, supervise them, open and close the store and register.

Keyholder

Paying it Forward 👉 One Day at a Time

Salesperson 💸 --> Coach ✍️ --> Leader 🙋‍♂️
Sometimes a content creator 🎥 - always a goofball 【ツ】

I love building things, but not physical things.

I have a passion for building teams, networks, processes, procedures and revenue but most importantly people. 

This had led me to helping founders pivot from founder led sales to a sustainable and scalable sales engine.

Hit me up if you want to talk sales, fractional leadership, 👟or ☕️.
--------------------
I was once given an opportunity that has allowed me to build my wonderful career.
I want to make sure others have the same chance.
#payitforward

Content Creator

Host of "The War Room: The Kards Pre-Game Show" by 983 Media (a game by 1939 games)
Host for all Kards Official eSports events, including the World Championship Series
Host of "The Frontline" The Official Kards Podcast by 983 Media
Gwent Qualifier Caster and Gwent Partner (a game by CD Projekt RED)

Chris 🦄 Cicconi

I lost 150lbs this year! 

What a ride it has been.

Except I didn't, but AI can make the pounds melt away in 30 seconds or less.

LinkedIn is already filled with enough smoke and mirrors
The "8 figure playbooks" (only $99!)
The made up close rates (seriously, I close at 108%)
The engagement bait "Comment 'clown shoes' to unlock my sales secrets"

Now that we can fake physical reality too....It's getting harder to separate reality from fiction. 

Social media is already a mental health minefield, and it will only get worse when AI can fake fitness, success, and bank accounts. 

Critical thinking isn't just a soft skill anymore, it's a survival skill. 

So don't believe everything you read (or see) on here 🙃

Building Sales @ KnowledgeNow | Still Fixing GTM. Still Roasting Bad Takes.

Imagine getting outed for liking your own post...

By a cold email where they mention you liked "Chris Cicconi's post"

Folks, the bar is so low you can walk over it without even noticing....

I should respond that "Chris Cicconi is an absolute 🤡 " and you probably shouldn't quote him in your cold email.

Cold calling is just as much what you say as how you say it.

You can have the perfect script, but if you don’t believe you’re talking to the right person, your tone gives you away.

You hesitate.
You sound uncertain.
You accidentally ask the CEO “uh….is Bob there?” 

Giulio nails it in this video.
Don’t waste time confirming, just dive into the message.

The problem? 
Most reps don’t trust their data enough to do that.

We’ve been conditioned to double-check because we’ve spent YEARS calling the wrong people.

Back when everything went through a receptionist (yes, I’m old), you always knew who you were getting.

Now? It’s all mobile dialing and half the numbers are wrong.

That’s why I use FullEnrich
Their coverage and accuracy gives me the confidence that I’m actually speaking to the right person. So when I dial, I’m not guessing. 

For a proper cold call, what you say has to match how you say it.
Having the right data is what makes it possible. 

Anybody had success with confirming who you're speaking to?
Or do you traditionally jump right into the message and assume you have the right person on the horn?

Brand partnership • Building Sales @ KnowledgeNow | Still Fixing GTM. Still Roasting Bad Takes.

Thanks for proving my point LinkedIn.

I posted on Friday about how I lost 150lbs this year complete with a before and after selfie.

Except that I didn't, the selfie was AI and all I wanted to highlight was how good AI has become.

And my comments were filled with wonderful people supporting this massive life changing event. 

Not sure if it speaks more to AI being credible or people only reading the hook of LinkedIn posts, but my point was still proven.

Don't believe everything you see, read or hear.

Thanks for proving my point

Warning: Boomer take incoming 

I'm happy I started my sales career with minimal technology.

I had Salesforce and old school LinkedIn and that was about it...

Why? 
I had to enter my own notes into Salesforce (and Siebel before that 🤮 )
I had to dial by hand - punching all 10 numbers in with my fat fingers
I had to learn how to write a proper email
I had to learn how to ask prospects and clients for their cell phone numbers

And I could go on and on, but I truly believe that it has allowed me to learn the fundamentals and appreciate all the new tech.

I can power dial, find mobile numbers with the click of a button and have something automate my CRM notes 🤣 

...I still write my emails by hand because AI ain't it. 

What process or technology dates you as a professional?

In honour of US Thanksgiving, I have a hot take.

Stuffing is the superior side.

It doesn't need to be cooked in the turkey.
It can even be with a base of boxed Stove Top.
Spruce it up and it can't be beat.

Gravy makes it better.
Putting olives in it ruins it.

And you will not be able to convince me otherwise.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.
We need more excuses to eat stuffing.

You're allowed your opinion.
That doesn't mean I have to share that opinion.
And I'm not wrong for disagreeing.

Vicki here doesn't like being on the receiving end of permission based openers.
That's cool, not everybody does.
But it works for some people.

Should those people stop because one person cried about it on the internet? Absolutely not. 

I do agree with her last point though, be natural, be kind, be yourself and if you deliver a PBO really well, do that too.

My pet peeve?

Meeting somebody for a virtual coffee chat.

A couple days go by and all of a sudden my inbox welcomes their newsletter to it.

Just because you have my email from a calendar invite doesn't mean I want to read your newsletter.

In fact, after spending 30 minutes with you, it's probably the opposite.





...I know I saw my pet peeve as me opening line, maybe I should have written "one of my pet peeves" 🤷

I don't believe in gatekeeping coffee.

...or sales for that matter.

What do I mean?

Sure, I roast my own coffee.
Yes, I prefer a single origin Ethiopian prepared with a V60

But when somebody orders a "Double, double" (look it up, it's a 🇨🇦 thing) from Tim Hortons and looks at me expecting a disapproving look, they won't get it.

It's your coffee, you do what you want with it, you're the one drinking it.

It's the same in sales. 
I like leaving voicemails when I cold call.
I might even use a PBO every now and again.

So when somebody posts that they don't believe in leaving voicemails? 
That's cool, I believe you're leaving money on the table, but it's not my money. 

Where I draw the line? 
When you tell people how they should act.

You might not leave voicemails but don't go running around saying other people shouldn't either.

Just like I won't tell you that Starbucks coffee is basically roasted beyond death and tastes like cigarette butts to me. 

Because they still serve 10 million customers a day and I'm one person with my own preferences.

So Qwilr messaged me the other day and said...
"Hey Chris, we have this Super Mario inspired - "

And that's where I stopped them. 
Because anybody who has seen the giant Lego Bowser and Lego NES in the background of my Zoom calls knows that jumping on this was a no brainer.

I got to relive the highlights (...and lowlights) of my career in all the glory of 8 bit, music included. 

While I'm not entirely sure if Bowser roasts on BBQ night - I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

This was a blast and I love the creativity they put into everything they do.

Check out the link in the comments to play through your own career! 
For better or worse 🤣

I mentioned inheriting a CRM graveyard at KnowledgeNow.
So naturally… I went looking for ghosts 👻

Aka closed lost deals
The lowest of low hanging fruit

The problem? B2B data decays around 22.5% a year
(yes, I Googled that so I could sound smart 🤓)

So I pulled 117 closed-lost deals & their contacts from Hubspot and ran the list through FullEnrich
🚪 29 had left their roles
👋 Found new roles for 21 of them (new companies are good news!)
✅ 88 were still valid targets

Then the fun part.

I sent personalized messages to each one, highlighting why we had a deal running in the first place. 

From the list of 109, I booked 14 meetings and reopened 3 deals in under two weeks.

All from “dead” deals.
I ain't 'fraid of no ghost!

Sh!t's simple.

Human's just like to overcomplicate things.

Yes, this is both about sales and not about sales.

I've lost a good amount of weight this year and people have asked
"How did you do it"
Simple --> Calories Out>Calories In.
Hard Part --> Cookies are delicious

The same applies to money, want more savings?
Simple --> Money In > Money Out 
Hard Part --> Getting more money and life being expensive AF

Want to do well at sales?
Simple --> Don't be a 🤡 
Hard part --> The primal desire to say things like "I hope this email finds you well" and "Just following up on this" 

In all seriousness, we want to complicate things with crazy supplements, something called the Smith Manuever (it's a 🇨🇦 money thing and I don't even know that I understand it)  or creating a 47 step automated outbound sequence. 

And we don't even have the basics down yet.

We all want to feel special, or that we're further ahead than we are.
Take a step back, check your ego and focus on the fundamentals.

The bar has become so low sales folks.

And this isn't a knock against this dude giving his talk.

The crazy part about it is that he had to say:
"Prep 1-2 questions for your meetings" 

I can't understand what that isn't just understood. 
To be honest 1-2 questions is still underprepared in my books.

Your prospects have limited time and you have even less time with them, if you can't be bothered to prepare for your meeting, maybe it's best to cancel and save everybody some time...

Can we stop "vibing" with AI please?

Why can't we just, do the thing? 

Actually, Vibe Coding is pretty cool, because I am zero technical.

But Vibe Selling? 
Can't we just sell?

Nothing AI has spit out, thus far, has been worthy of being put in front of another human being in a sales environment. 

Vibe Selling. Vibe Marketing. Vibe Investing. Vibe Product Management (yes I've actually seen this). Vibe Snacking (to be fair, THIS is my forte). 

It's become a buzzword worse than companies slapping "AI" on their product just for stock price bump. 

Yes, AI has plenty of uses in the sales world and in the world in general, but can we stop labeling it "just because"?

I usually hate the whole discounting process in sales. 

Ironically, the end of year discount is something I can support.

Why?

Because you're actually getting something out of it. 

The biggest problem with discounts is reps are handing them out like candy in an effort to close the deal, without rhyme or reason. 

But sales is a negotiation and pricing should be too. I'll happily give a client a discount if that means they can:
-Start earlier
-Start later
-Skip some steps in the approval process
-Pay sooner 
etc.

I give you a discount and I get something in return.

At the end of the year, getting revenue in to hit your number/company number is totally fine in my books (especially in my world of working with small companies)

Because you are trading off a discount with a contract being signed and/or payment being made before the end of the year.

The only caveat? Stick to your guns. If it doesn't happen and it gets pushed into the new year, the discount has to come off.

Reps who ask the tough questions close more deals, faster. 

The sad part? The questions aren't even that tough.

I was on a call this week with a client we were presenting a proposal to for an additional project.

Everything seemed to line up budget, scope etc

They're good clients, we've worked with them for years, so the presenter leaves it off with:
🗣️ "So let us know once you talk to your boss to get approval and we'll be ready to go"

Me, having PTSD from being ghosted forever and always jumps in
🔊  "Could we set up a time to follow up next week once you talk to your boss?"

The response? 
🤑 "Why don't we just go ahead and schedule the kick off call and if something goes sideways, we'll regroup"

We wait from waiting to hear back to scheduling the kickoff call. 

No, not every deal will close that easily, but you better believe next time I'm just going to ask to schedule the kick off call proactively 🤣

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