Samantha McKenna

Founder @ #samsales l Sales + Cadences + Executive Branding on LinkedIn l Ex-LinkedIn l Keynote Speaker l 13 Sales Records l Early Stage Investor l Overly Enthusiastic l Swiss Dual Citizen l Creator, Show Me You Know Me®

I had my first exposure to competitive "sales" in sixth grade when my school raised money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  Knocking door to door and delivering a pitch was the start of my education; I still have the portable TV that I won for second place, which fuels my competitive spirit.

I’ve spent my career in sales doing a few things – breaking records, putting others first, creating global sales programs, educating through peer interaction, and going to great lengths to make people feel valued.  I’ve launched new verticals, overseen the GTM strategy for some of the most successful initiatives in company history, and put in processes across businesses that redefine how each company works and succeeds.

As the founder of #samsales, I oversee an all-women team of 14 who believe in a manners-first and buyer-first approach. We:

•	Run sales trainings that cover prospecting via your likely under-utilized LI Sales Nav licenses, how to write great email copy, Show Me You Know Me™, perfect discovery calls, etc. all while being sales methodology agnostic

•	Speak at 100+ annual events - keynoting for SKOs, international conferences, and podcasts alike re: sales, social selling, and women in tech/sales/leadership

•	Write the content you have in Outreach.io, etc using our proprietary techniques + the most up-to-date data on what works to drive opens + replies

•	Teach social selling - as an LI influencer, ambassador of Sales Navigator, and former LI leader, I understand how to use the ecosystem to truly SELL. I've personally trained tens of thousands on the platform, ranging from 10-person teams to Fortune 500 brands. 

•	Build brands for C-Suites on LinkedIn.  If you want to build a brand on LI but don't know what to write, don't understand the algorithm, and don't have the time to manage, our full-service strategy will manage it exclusively like we do for some of the most prominent/highly visible execs you see on LI.

As a founder, I have one goal - to make as much positive impact as we can.  Since our inception, we’ve raised over 120K via personal donations + our annual charity events for incredible causes, and have given away hundreds of our trainings to the military and transitioning teachers, free of charge.

When you hire us, you're not just hiring a team, but rather investing in one who constantly puts good into the world.

Who am I, otherwise - 

Philanthropist, investor, dog lover, die hard competitor, writer, former Nickelodeon game show contestant, extrovert, expert in self-deprecating humor, and willing to walk through fire to make you laugh.

Limited Partner

Sign up for our newsletters, webinars, and all our content here www.samsalesconsulting.com 

Phyllis: Thanks for your email! I'm not the right person, Rebecca Taylor is.
Rep: Hi Rebecca, Phyllis suggested I reach out to you...
😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑

A few ways to level up your replies to these kinds of referrals:

A. Always reply to these emails. This person did the unthinkably kind thing - they replied AND gave you the name of the contact. Gratitude FTW.

B. In the email, ask, "I'll send her a note in just a minute - do you mind if I reference your name or would you prefer I not?"

"in just a minute..." signals your hope for a quick reply

C. Change your subject line 

"Training Inquiry - Referred by Phyllis Nefler" (with permission)

"Training Inquiry - Referred by a colleague" (without permission)

Bonus points if you add a little Show Me You Know Me here and really make an effort.

D. Don't bury the lede 

The reason you want to change the subject line is that you worked to get the most powerful thing: a piece of information that will exponentially up the odds of an open, but also a reply. 

I most often see this info pop up in the body or in a PS, which robs us of using that really great piece of data right in the subject line.

E. "Suggested" isn't exactly truthful, right? 

Be super careful with language as "suggested" ...well, suggests...that the person thought it was a good idea for you to reach out when, in fact, they simply gave you the correct name.

Imagine if Rebecca asks Phyllis who says, "I didn't suggest anything, I simply pointed them in the right direction", and now we've lost trust, and potentially the reply/meeting.

Bonus?

Connect with all parties on LinkedIn, especially Phyllis. Just because she wasn't the buyer this time, doesn't mean she won't be down the line.

This and about 12 other plays for proactive and reactive referrals is part of our Show Me You Know Me masterclass, and with 91% of buyers willing to offer referrals, one of the easiest ways you can set your pipeline on fire for 2026. 

#samsales

85% of sellers use spreadsheets to manage their books and deals. I know because...I'm one of them. What? Who said that? 

But, I can tell you why: because it's maddening to not have a single pane view of all our deals, next steps, contacts, client data, etc. 

As a seller, moving between countless tabs and products to remind myself of status and next steps, was inefficient, so I built something that made sense for how I think...the ever-so-modern-Google spreadsheet 💁‍♀️

If you're like me, what ZoomInfo launched with their GTM Workspaces solution should stop you in your tracks. 

One home for complete buyer context and even a way to help scale your Show Me You Know Me with automated research, making it even easier for you to stand out with your buyers. 

We know that sellers still spend more time admin'ing than selling, but I don't think we consider as much how the inefficiencies of running through all these different tabs and platforms costs us in pipe and deal progression. 

This product happens to be one step in the very right direction. https://lnkd.in/eQP9g3ee

#samsales

Helping high performing founders, coaches, consultants and SMBs win premium B2B/B2C clients with buyer-led selling, high trust closing and AI | Top 100 Sales DemandBase | Social Selling for Teams

Imagine a business that grows with ease, because your sales system actually fits you.

Clients you’re excited to work with.
Content that sparks real conversations.
Offers you can confidently sell without pressure
And consistent revenue that doesn’t depend on hustle or hacks.

That’s what I help coaches, consultants, fractionals and founders build, with The Elegant Sales System™ method.

Telling your business' story through right content 
Driving engagement that results in interest, engagement, messages and requests
Market in a way that warms an audience and places you at the front of mind
Keeping ROI in mind with a focus on conversion rather than views

→ You’re posting, but not converting
→ Getting DMs—but not decisions
→ Sales calls stall out or ghost
→ Your offer isn’t landing like it should
→ Leads feel random or hard to qualify

It’s not that you’re mediocre at sales.
You just don’t have a system built around how real people buy.

That’s what we fix inside The Client Acquisition Club.
I teach a no-pressure, sales process that combines:

✔️ Warm outbound
✔️ Buyer-led conversations
✔️ Follow-up flows that don’t drop the ball
✔️ AI to speed things up, not water them down
✔️ Real messaging that speaks to your client’s actual pain points
✔️ Scaling your business beyond $10K a month so you can focus your energy on what matters

Even if you're a consultant with big B2B cycles that are complex, we help you navigate the buyer matrix.

- Generate more leads, clients, and business without relying only on referrals or networking
- Create different income streams with courses, speaking + brand deals
- Magnetize your brand & build trust with premium buyers
- Consistently hit $20K+ months without working harder
- Shift from 1:1 to scalable hybrid group programs
- Sell with confidence & sell as you

I also work 1:1 with consultants and coaches who want deeper support and accountability as they grow into consistent 5-figure months (and beyond).

If you’re ready to build a sales process that finally matches your skill set and values…

I open 5 spots a month for a client acquisition audit: 

📩 DM me “CLUB” to get started or book a call here: 
https://calendly.com/charlotte-lloyd-sales/client-acquisition-club-introductory-call

🎧 Listen in or catch interviews here: https://linktr.ee/charlottelloyd

Charlotte Lloyd

I am the opposite of what success is 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 to look like in my industry.
 
I didn’t start young. I started at 43.
 
I didn’t go to Oxford or Cambridge. (Leeds uni in fact)
I don’t have an MBA.  
I didn’t follow a neat, linear path.
 
And I still built an internationally recognised business.
People were generous with their advice:
 
“You’re too late for this.”  
“This industry doesn’t work online.”
I even tried to do it the “right” way.
 
I tried building a fashion business on Instagram.  
It failed. (Yes you can laugh!)
I've rebuilt it now though. (after growing here)
 
I didn't lack effort or want of trying.
The platform rewarded aesthetics over substance.
 
It pushed me to perform instead of think.  
To simplify instead of explain.  
To sell a vibe instead of value.
 
So I stopped forcing it and moved to LinkedIn instead.
With zero expectations on how it would go.
That’s where things changed.
 
Nope, I didn't crack the algorithm 
My experience finally counted for something.
 
I stopped borrowing other people’s narratives and wrote my own.
 
I used age as leverage, not a liability.  
I trusted lived experience over credentials.  

I built in public where clarity mattered more than charisma.  

I modernised an industry that preferred tradition over progress.

Most limits aren’t real. They’re inherited.
 
You can wait for people to buy into your vision.
 
Or you can build it so clearly that opting out feels irrational.
 
I chose the second.
 
What’s the rule you’ve been following that no longer deserves your loyalty?

PS. If you want to follow me on instagram for more behind the scenes, here you go
https://lnkd.in/eBpBrsBG

📸 From the IG days pre LinkedIn.

I’m deliberately making my business harder to run this year.

More spend. (Less tax though!)
More payroll. (Hurts but worth it)
More decisions that don’t come with certainty. (Risk)

And no it's not recklessness. It’s leadership.

I’m launching TWO new offers:

• one is a 2.0 evolution of what already works
• one moves me into a completely different tier 
  
And I’ve already hired two people . 
We’re now a team of four.

That means commitment before comfort. 
Responsibility before guarantees.

Don’t avoid the part most people avoid.

If your business only grows when everything feels safe, 
It’s already capped.

Doubling doesn’t come from optimisation.
It comes from capacity.

So I’m funding the version of:

• The business I want to be running next year.
• Not protecting the one that got me here.

Same results require protection. 

Different results require backing yourself earlier than feels reasonable.

If that makes you uneasy, good. That’s usually the edge.

♻️Share if you’re making uncomfortable moves this year.

Most people get commitment wrong.

They think the options are: 
• never quit 
• or never really commit

Both lose.
On one end, you drift. You dabble. 
You keep options open so nothing ever really moves.

On the other, you cling. 
You keep going long after the signal has changed. 
You confuse persistence with wisdom.

The goal isn’t blind commitment. 
Nor quitting early.
It’s knowing when to deepen and when to walk away.

That’s the part most advice skips.
Real progress lives in the middle: 

When you commit long enough to get real data, 
But stay flexible enough to change course when the evidence is clear.

Not every setback is a sign to quit. 
Not every struggle is proof you should “push harder.”

Some things need patience. 
Some things need pruning. 
Some things need to be let go so better ones can grow.

The strongest leaders aren’t the ones who never quit. 
They’re the ones who adjust without ego.
They don’t ask: “Can I tough this out?”

They ask: 
“Is this still the right thing to be committed to?”
That’s not weakness. That’s judgment.

Judgment is what increases your odds of success.

Post inspo + image from Adam Grant.

Grab my insights into building a business + selling: 
https://lnkd.in/e_Tkkq4E

The “safe path” only feels safe until you realise who controls your time.
 
Someone took a risk.  
Built something.  
And now pays other people to protect it.
 
That’s the trade most people never question.
 
You either:
 
• take responsibility for uncertainty
• or get paid to absorb someone else’s risk
 
Both cost you something.
 
Risk is uncomfortable.  
So is waking up years later realising your life ran on someone else’s calendar.
 
You don’t need to leap.  
You don’t need to quit tomorrow.
 
But you do need to start choosing 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 over comfort.
 
The biggest risk isn’t failing.
It’s staying put and calling it stability.

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The Battle

Samantha McKenna

Charlotte Lloyd

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taplio

The Battle

Samantha McKenna

Charlotte Lloyd

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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);}Samantha McKenna's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCharlotte Lloyd's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreSamantha McKenna's LinkedIn Performance