I started my career on the phones. I logged 75,000 cold calls before I ever moved into leadership.

The lesson that followed me out of that cubicle was simple: Volume creates activity. It doesn’t create influence.

For 15 years across Revenue.io, Inside Real Estate, and BoomTown, I watched the same pattern play out. We optimized for coverage. We treated "The Account" like a single entity. But buyers punished us for sounding like everyone else.

The market has shifted. You can no longer spam your way to a number.Real buying decisions happen in a messy group.

• The CFO feels the problem in budget bleed.
• The Ops lead feels it in the workaround eating their Tuesday.
• The VP feels it when the board asks why the number is off.

If you treat them all the same, you lose.

My work sits where Sales Development, Ops, and Enablement meet. I build systems that stop reps from guessing and start helping them shape consensus.

That is why I am at Influ2.

It is the first time I’ve seen a way to shape the narrative for the specific humans inside a buying group, before the cold call even happens. We don't wait for demand; we build the context that creates it.

The results of shifting from "spray" to "shape":

• 376% pipeline per rep growth
• 55% of new ARR from signal-based outbound
• 48% faster ramp

Based in Charleston, SC. Toddler mom x2. Terrible at unmuting on Zoom. Great at destroying waste ($, effort, time). 

Curious how contact-level signals can help your ABM motion? Happy to share what we're seeing! 

💌m.bross@influ2.com

Maria Bross

📣 It’s official: you can now find me at Influ2!

The exact problem I’ve been duct-taping solutions for over 15 years finally has a real home.

Our CRM said “Meta has engaged.”
Our reps: Sweet...what do I do with this?

The "signal" never told me or my team who to call.
What the human who engaged actually cared about.
And why us contacting was relevant to them.

So we compensated....

I rebuilt outbound plays.
I rewrote MQL criteria with marketing.
I built signal-based sequences that drove 376% more pipeline per rep.
I built 19 sequences that sourced 55% of new ARR.
I built a custom GPT because “engaged” didn’t mean “ready,” and reps were wasting good leads.

It worked.

But it required constant stitching across Salesforce, Outreach, intent tools, call data, and enablement. And burnt me out. 

And the core mismatch stayed the same:

We organized around accounts.
Buyers made decisions as individuals.
Most research happened before we were invited in.
Most of it never showed up as a click.

If we waited for visible intent, we were ghosted. 

Influ2 works at the level the decision actually happens...the human level. 

You can see which named individual was exposed to what.
You can see influence even if they never filled out a form.
You can see buying-group coverage, not just logo activity.

That matters because I care about two things as an enablement leader:
Reps walking into conversations prepared.
Buyers feeling understood instead of chased.

The culture sealed it.

In interviews, I pushed back directly on a few assumptions. I’ve learned that not every company actually wants that. S/O den kozlov 🇺🇦 for being the real deal - seeing this as a feature not a bug. 

💓 Katie Penner for making the intro and supporting me throughout. 

🤍 Hamish Stephenson 🦘for taking my call in the uber ride to meet my future leader. 

Sean Frazer for teaching me so much in such a short amount of time. ("Girl dad" energy meets AI business acumen.) 

If you’ve ever rebuilt your outbound motion because “account engagement” wasn’t enough, we should talk.

My DMs are open.

PS: Olympic Ice Technician, Mark Keown is my supporting role inspo in this new chapter (Making the sheet perfect for GTM teams with a "little rizz and a little style") 😂

Influ2 Enablement + RevOps | Destroyer of GTM waste| Toddler mom x2

"Employee Appreciation Day" got me thinking.

Past roles? Might as well have been National Grilled Cheese Day.

Pre-Influ2, I'd either miss it or spot some sappy LinkedIn post about it. 

(Like this one.) 

But a month in at Influ2? Different story.

Katie Penner (VP) is proactively Slacking me + Carlie Vollert for ideas on appreciating our SDR team.

Unreal.

Not because SDRs don't deserve it - they 10000% do.

But this level of intention by a leader to see the humans keeping lights on? 

Rare as hell.

Okay, now to the real MVPs of this post. 

Influ2 SDRs, I See You. 

You're: 
✅ asking for feedback
✅ roleplaying with zero ego
✅ testing out new approaches in live calls 
✅ building on your already impressive knowledge 

Wins/Rejection, y'all come back every day with professionalism, a growth-mindset and positivity. 

 I have so much respect for what you all do because it's flipping tough. But the ROI? Bigger than a commission check. 

The skills you build subtly trickle into real life: 

- Negotiating with your toddler at bed time
- Making a spouse sharing a concern feel heard 
- Prepping for an interview in a completely different industry and role 
- Working backwards from running a marathon 

 I'm pumped to be your teammate, a coach and appreciate each of you!

PS: Marketing/ABM leaders: If you're at all focused on influencing real *full cycle* revenue, efficiency metrics... and proving it at the named contact level. 
We should talk precision. (and possibly get my team a win today!)

Bout to hit the phones and fingers crossed land this group some meetings toward March target. 

Expecting to eat giant slice of humble pie 👀 . Wish me luck. 

Haven't cold called in ~6 months... what's the biggest change I should expect?

Most deals I've lost came down to one mistake: 

single-threading.

You find one champion. Hand them the pitch. Cross your fingers they'll sell it internally.  

(Greener reps do this all the time.)

Marketing tries to fix it in the opposite way...

Overnights Yeti tumblers to the entire building because the *account* "showed intent."  

Turns out, just an intern checking where their Bumble date worked.  

Only revenue Marketing can prove they influenced? Yeti's 

Sales takes unnecessary risk.  
Marketing burns budget across an account. 

Neither one matches how real buying groups make decisions.  

It's never one person.  
It's six, eight, sometimes ten.  
Some are deep in the research.  
Some are focused on risk, budget, or technical fit.  
One has final approval.  

Problem is that opinions start forming long before you ever join the conversation...

Group threads. Hallway chats. Shared docs.  

By the time your champion brings you in, half the group has already decided. 

That's when deals are lost.  
Not because your champion failed.  
But because no one else ever heard of you until it was too late.  

Doug Madey and Ed VanderBush from LiveRamp are unpacking this at #B2BMX next week:  

"Orchestrate Your ABM Around the Main Characters, Not the Extras."

March 9th  2:30 PM.  

I won't be there, but I'm living this every day.  

Happy to share my notes on what our brilliant customers (like Ed) are building 💪

Who will be in town?? Katie Penner is hosting what looks like the most fun happy hour in walking distance

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

Sales Platoon - “TECH SALES BOOT CAMP” - BY: JOHN RENKEN

Sales Platoon is in the business of changing and shaping lives. The work we do at our Veterans' Organization is aimed at providing a holistic approach to solving your organization's biggest challenge: finding, training and retaining high-quality sales talent. We make sure our partners are empowered by creating opportunities for individuals and communities.

Interested companies pre-certify with Sales Platoon and can either direct hire or apply to receive our graduates for sales apprenticeships. This provides a ‘try before you buy’ experience for sales leaders, de-risking critical hires and providing year-round access to high-quality, certified pre-onboarded sales reps.

Right Team, Right Talent
Leveraging our deep connections within the military community, we source high-potential candidates using our proprietary core selection criteria. This rigorous process only accepts 1 of 5 applicants. 

Prior to placement with an organization, we utilize our proprietary sales inspection process, to identify the specific type of rep that our organization needs - and then design our pre-onboarding accordingly.

Business Development Specialist

US Army

• Precisely managed and updated personal and service records for soldiers, impacting over 1,000+ service members' careers by ensuring accurate documentation from enlistment through all career milestones leading to 2nd, overall customer satisfaction in the organization.

• Oversaw and processed 300+ promotion packets annually, playing a crucial role in the timely career advancement of soldiers leading to a 10% increase in the speed of promotions contributing to the organization's placing in the top five across installation for retention.

• Handled and maintained accurate financial records for 1,000+ soldiers, ensuring correct pay and benefits allocation, and addressing any discrepancies promptly ensuring the section became 1st overall in organization in metrics.

• Coordinated the smooth rotation and deployment of 2,000+ soldiers annually, directly contributing to the operational success of various missions.

• In sensitive circumstances, meticulously managed and reported casualties with both precision and empathy, involving over 20+ cases, providing essential support in times of need.

• Maintained and secured HR databases for 2,000+ personnel records, safeguarding crucial information and ensuring swift data retrieval for operational efficacy, contributing to an organization being a top support company in terms of organizational readiness across the United States. 

• Demonstrated exceptional adaptability by maintaining high administrative standards in diverse environments, from state-of-the-art U.S. offices to temporary setups in conflict zones, impacting the efficiency of over 500 personnel.

• As an HR Specialist (42A), significantly contributed to the administrative strength of the U.S. Army, playing a key role in streamlining operations and personnel management, positively affecting thousands of soldiers and numerous military operations.

Human Resources Specialist

• Conducted over 75+ detailed inspections of military mail facilities, ensuring strict adherence to regulations and successfully preventing incidents of mail theft, fraud, and contraband.

• Led and resolved 75+ cases involving mail tampering or suspicious packages through meticulous investigations.

• Engaged in 50+ collaborative efforts with military and civilian law enforcement agencies, contributing to comprehensive and efficient investigations.

• Delivered 30+ training sessions to postal workers, focusing on best practices, safety protocols, and preventive measures, leading to a 40% decrease in mail-handling errors.

• Consistently monitored and upheld mail handling standards across multiple facilities, achieving a 95% compliance rate with regulations and procedures.

• Detected and seized 100+ unauthorized items, playing a key role in thwarting illegal contraband transport.

• Collaborated on 100+ occasions with military units to ensure meticulous completion and regulatory compliance of paperwork.

• Conducted 40+ educational briefings for military personnel on customs regulations, enhancing compliance rates by 50%.

• Worked closely with local customs authorities on 60+ occasions to rectify discrepancies and strengthen collaborative relationships.

Postal Inspector

• Rapidly acquired expertise in the newly launched SaaS-based HR system, surpassing peers in operational proficiency. Utilized comprehensive understanding of cloud solutions to articulate key benefits to over 50 senior personnel, accelerating adoption by 5% compared to other teams. This success highlights strengths in SaaS sales strategies, client onboarding, cloud computing, customer success management, and digital transformation advocacy."

• Effectively managed and maintained up-to-date personnel records for over 500 soldiers at Fort Cavazos, ensuring accurate and timely information was always available.

• Orchestrated and oversaw 45+ training and development sessions, boosting communication and operational efficiency among multiple departments.

• Served as a pivotal communication link, resolving numerous interpersonal and departmental issues, which significantly strengthened unit cohesion.

• Initiated and led in-depth workshops focusing on interpersonal dynamics, conflict resolution, and teamwork strategies, substantially improving team performance.

• Consistently participated in performance evaluation sessions, delivering constructive feedback and directing army personnel toward fulfilling their career goals.

Human Resources Clerk

Women’s Center of Jacksonville

Computer Literacy Instructor

SDR/BDR | Cold Calling 📞 | Prospecting Guru | Pipeline Generator 👨🏾‍💻 | I Help Vets Get Their First High-Paying Sales Role With My Robust Network👥💸

Greetings and Welcome ...

Inspired by my father's success in tech sales, I embarked on my own journey in the industry, driven by a passion for connecting individuals with innovative technologies. 

As a Business Development Specialist at Sales Platoon, a veterans' organization dedicated to empowering former military personnel, I leverage my HR expertise and military discipline to foster strategic partnerships, nurture a robust sales pipeline, and achieve mutually beneficial outcomes through effective prospecting, lead generation, cold calling, relationship building, negotiations, and objection handling.

My extensive background in HR, honed during my time in the military, has equipped me with the ability to manage and update records for over 1,000 soldiers, ensuring operational excellence and readiness. This experience, coupled with my proven ability to provide key data analyses to senior leadership, has enabled me to play a critical role in over 20 high-impact projects, influencing strategic decisions and contributing to the success of numerous initiatives.

Currently pursuing a degree in Sociology at Central Texas College, I am further broadening my understanding of human behavior, diversity, and inclusion. This knowledge, combined with my military, HR, and sales experience, positions me to make a significant impact in the tech sales domain. My unwavering ambition is to empower veterans, like myself, to harness their unique skills and experiences to achieve fulfilling careers in the tech industry, while simultaneously enhancing corporate success.

Thanks for stopping by ... 😁

taplio

The Battle

Maria Bross

Kayode Okewusi🪖🦕

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The Battle

Maria Bross

Kayode Okewusi🪖🦕

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Maria Bross's LinkedIn Performance

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