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

RVP, Sales @ Bullhorn - I talk about creating systems for sellers to scale your impact, not your hours

3 years ago, I was drowning...

As an RVP at a fast-growing tech company, my life had become an endless stream of:

• "Urgent" emails
• Back-to-back meetings
• And constant fire-fighting

Waking up early and working late into the night.

My phone was always buzzing with notifications.

To make matters worse, it was taking a toll on my family.

The breaking point:

Missing my son's jujitsu belt test.

Something I'd promised I wouldn't do.

That night, seeing the disappointment in his eyes, I knew something had to change.

I spent the next year obsessively learning, developing & testing different productivity systems that would allow me to:

• Still perform at a high level
• Stop feeling perpetually overwhelmed
• End working nights/weekends just to keep up

I started creating what I called "mini-systems"

Small changes that had a compounding effect.

What began as a quest to regain control of my calendar...

Evolved into an operating system that helped me recover 10+ hours every week.

More importantly, spend more time w/ family. 

I've started documenting my learnings & "mini-systems" and now share them with others through my content and weekly newsletter The Systematic Sales Leader.

My goal is to help as many sales leaders as possible avoid the same burnout I and so many others experience through tested and proven systems.

If you're curious to learn more, check my "featured section" for a few free resources.

Keith Weightman

John Candy passed away in 1994 at just 43 years old.
 
(The age I turn this year...)
 
I just finished the documentary "I Like Me" and now I know why people are still talking about him 31 years later.
 
It wasn't his movies. It wasn't his fame.
 
It was how he treated people when nobody was watching.
 
Here are 3 things I learned about John:
  
𝟭. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱
 
Everyone who knew him, from Bill Murray to the kid actors, says the same thing:
 
"He made me feel heard."
 
Not just listened to.
 
𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥.
 
He made you feel like you were the only person in the room.
 
That's not a skill. 
That's a choice.

----- 
 
𝟮. "𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲" 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
 
The documentary's title comes from Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
 
Steve Martin's character calls Candy annoying.
 
Candy's response?
 
"I like me. My wife likes me. My customers like me. 'Cause I'm the real article. What you see is what you get."
  
Be the real article.

----- 
  
𝟯.  𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲
 
He spent the majority of his life making millions of people laugh.

Meanwhile, he was dealing with:

→ Crippling anxiety
→ Unprocessed grief
→ Fear of letting people down 
→ Pressure to always be "on"

Then died at 43.
 
Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
 
Approach people with kindness. 
Not because they deserve it. 
Because 𝘺𝘰𝘶 do.

-----
  
The world doesn't need more successful people. 

It needs more good ones. (now more than ever)
  
Who in your life needs to feel heard today?
 
Go make them feel it.

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The Battle

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Keith Weightman

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