Chris Orlob

Director, Product Marketing

pclub.io

pclub.io is the #1 sales learning platform and online course library for salespeople in the world. We work with the top 0.01% of sales earners, practitioners, and leaders to create top-rated online courses that help you grow your sales skills to life-altering levels. Instead of spending years mastering sales through trial and error or going through stodgy ‘one size fits all’ sales training, you’ll get to the steal the playbooks, frameworks, and skills of the top 0.01% sales earners on the planet, accelerating your mastery curve, income, and revenue to unrecognizable levels.

Co-Founder & CEO

Demostack

Advisor

Gong

In our quest to grow Gong to $1B in ARR, I'll be:
- Transitioning Gong from a single-product to a multi-product company
- Launching and growing multiple streams of ARR into (eventual) $100M+ product lines
- Responsible for the revenue growth of all new products

Head of Sales & Go-To-Market - New Products

- Attained 141% annual net new ARR targets (highest performing US sales segment at Gong)
- $60M total ARR responsibility (largest among segment leaders at Gong)
- Hired to transition growth sales motion from "farming" to "hunting"
- Grew org from 0 to 30 AEs, 3 frontline managers, ops, and enablement.
- Grew net dollar retention (NDR) to 149% (top 10% of all SaaS companies).
- Grew six-figure customer count by 21x.
- President's Club auto-qualifier

Head of Sales - Growth Segment

- Created the #1 SaaS startup marketing program on the planet
- Catapulted Gong from obscurity to a white-hot SaaS brand
- Generated the demand that fueled Gong's legendary ARR growth

Conversature

- Secured first customers in the revenue intelligence category
- Built outsized market presence through thought leadership marketing
- Joined forces with Gong.io at $200k ARR.

InsideSales.com

Regional Sales Manager - New Business

- Consistently top 1-3 producer on a 30+ person AE team

Account Executive - New Business

- #1 producer on mid-market SDR team (outbound)
- Promoted in three months

Sales Development Representative (Outbound - Mid-Market)

- #1 producer on inbound SDR team
- Promoted in 5 months

Sales Development Representative (Inbound)

Grew Gong from $200k to $200M+ | Online Courses for SaaS Sellers (pclub.io) | Solving Revenue Hiring (QuotaSignal)

Serial sales tech entrepreneur. Grew Gong from $200k to $200M ARR and a $7.2B valuation in five years. Employee number.... 13? Something like that. Created and built 'Gong Labs' (arguably the most successful SaaS marketing program ever), built and led the growth segment of the sales organization, and transitioned Gong from single product to multi-product company by leading the GTM launch of new products.

Entrepreneur turned SaaS executive turned entrepreneur again. Currently on a mission to build an ecosystem of companies that collectively make the biggest contribution to global sales success of any company on the planet by changing how sales organizations Hire, Ramp, Develop, and Retain their salespeople.

I recently ran a discovery call w/a VP Sales. At first she was cold. Hesitant to answer questions. By the end? We had the best call I've had in a while. Here's what we both said:


Me: "Should we talk about the agenda?"

Her: "Sure"

Me: "There's plenty I want to learn about your sales org.

But I was the one who reached out to you.

My guess is you'd rather hear about what we do before we pass the torch to you."

Her: [relieved] "That's right."

Me: "Here's what I'd suggest:

Let's spend 7-8 minutes walking you through the typical challenges we solve. I'll share what I'm hearing in the market at large. We can get you up to speed on that.

"Then, I'll pass the torch to you. We'll talk about what resonated, and what challenges are showing up in your world.

"Sound fair?"

Her: "Yes, let's do it that way."

I spent a few minutes walking her through a 3-slide deck.

It didn't talk about our products.

Instead it talked about:
- trends we're seeing in sales orgs
- challenges sales leaders are struggling with
- skill gaps most sales orgs have today

I paused often.

Asked questions.

Stopped sharing my screen a few times.

Then passed the torch:

"Enough about what we solve. Help me understand YOUR unique challenges in these areas."

The next 20 minutes were a rich discussion.

There was trust.

There was credibility.

She shared everything.

No trace of "discovery fatigue."

No resistance to questions at all.

THREE TAKEAWAYS:


1. For outbound deals, you have to 'earn the right.'

If you interrogate buyers?

They'll kick you in the teeth.

Discovery is critical.

But you have to "earn the right" to it.


2. Set expectations to avoid friction.

Notice how I setup the call.

I called out the elephant in the room:

That she'd be annoyed if I interrogated her.

So I got ahead of it.

Told her I'm first going to provide value.

Only then do I have the right to ask about her.

She agreed.

Imagine if I didn't do that.


3. Pain narratives "thaw" cold buyers.

I didn't pitch my product.

I didn't pitch my company.

I didn't talk about us.

I walked her through a "problem" deck.

One that told the story of the challenges in today's market.

One that she could "see herself" in.

Then I asked:

"Enough about what we solve. Tell me about YOU."

Here's the deal:

When your pain narrative "captures" their pain well?

They'll open up.

They'll trust you.

Try it and watch what happens.

P.S. Here's a (free) list of 39 questions that sell (I use these daily, along with 50k other B2B sellers):  https://go.pclub.io/list

99% of salespeople can't sell to the C-Suite. It shows: Only 10% of C-Suite executives say sales calls were valuable enough to schedule a follow up. You can fix this. Here’s 4 tips to sell to the C-Suite like the top 1% of sellers:


1. Don't make the C-Suite your first meeting.

You’ll be tempted to go after the CXO first.

Don’t.

Unless you already have inside info:

Do your homework first.

The worst thing you can do?

Show up to the C-Suite empty-handed.

Do a few “rounds” first.

If you sell to CTOs, talk to the engineers.

If you sell to CROs, talk to the AEs.

If you sell to CHROs, talk to the recruiters.

Pay your dues.



2. Start the meeting with a “What I Know” slide.

Most CXOs expect sales meetings to be a waste.

They rarely agree to them.

When they do, they do it reluctantly.

But.

If you SHOW up like this:

“Ok. I’ve talked to three people in your org, read your 10K, and talked to a customer in your industry. Maybe we can start with a summary of what I’ve learned to get your perspective.”

INSTANT CREDIBILITY.

They will sigh with relief:

“Wow, the first time a sales call isn’t a waste,” they’ll think.

The rest is yours to lose.



3. RESEARCH-BASED Discovery Only

This is not the time for typical discovery.

You should have done that by now.

That doesn’t mean you can’t ask questions.

But.

They better be informed.

They better be targeted.

They better share observations.

BAD EXAMPLE:

“Tell me about your function's biggest challenges.”

*EYE ROLL*

GOOD EXAMPLE:

“When I talked to John, he mentioned the company was struggling to recruit engineers to get new features to market fast enough. 

"His concern was hitting deadlines, but I have to imagine you have a broader view of why this issue matters. 

"Assuming this is a top-of-mind issue, how about we start by getting your take on that?”

Do that.

That's how you get them listening.



4. Lean on your champion for TACTICAL next steps.

This may come as a shock:

Don't try to “lock in next steps” with the CXO.

They start their day at 7am.

They end their day at 7pm.

Back to back meetings all day.

They are not looking forward to more.

Yes, you want to talk again.

But use your champion for 'tactical' next steps.

Reserve C-Suite next steps for strategic meetings:

“I think Lisa and I can take next steps from here. 

"I’ll keep you in the loop. The one meeting I do think we should have next will be in three weeks from now where we debrief the business case. 

"Between now and then you’re off the hook, but mind if I go through your EA so that you, me, and Lisa can review this a few weeks out?”

“This person gets it,” they’ll think.

—-

Ok.

That’s four tips.

They won't transform your life.

But they will level you up a notch.

P.S. After watching 3,000+ discovery call recordings, I picked out the best 39 questions that sell (among 1,000+). Here’s the list for free: https://go.pclub.io/list

Salespeople: Five years ago, I went to dinner with the CEO of a $7.2 billion company (at the time). Just me and him having pizza in SF, drinking wine. I asked him a sophomoric question:

"What's the most important key to building a billion dollar business?"

His answer?

"Build a product so good a weak go-to-market team could sell it. Then build a go-to-market team so good they could sell a weak product. Do both, and you have a unicorn in the making."
-CEO of Gong

Mic drop.

What does that have to do with SaaS sales?

SaaS sales success comes down to the same thing:

Join a company that has a product that's SO good, you could sell it even if you were a weak seller. 

Then BECOME SO GOOD at selling, you could sell a weak product if you had to.

Do both, and you're on track for some very large bank deposits.

- Great product + weak skills = short-lived success
- Weak product + great skills = moderate success
- Great product + great skills = massive success

P.S. If you're struggling to convert your discovery calls into paying customers,  here's 39 free questions that sell to bump up your win rates: https://go.pclub.io/list

Yesterday I bombed a demo like I haven't in a while. Key influencer for a six figure deal I'm working. And honestly, I might lose it because of this one call. Here's three things that went wrong (and what I should have done instead):


1. Did not push back against a productivity-killing time-constraint.

He jumped on the call.

I could tell he didn't want to be there.

Said he had 20 minutes.

I took the bait and it went downhill.

Lost control trying to accommodate a time-window that wasn't going to set us up for success.

What I should have done?

"Sounds like you're short on time. For this time to be productive, it's going to need your full attention and 30 minutes. Do you have that now or should we reschedule?"



2. Took the bait on 'show me what you have'

In the first two minutes, he made it clear:

I started summarizing what I had learned to this point.

Challenges, root causes, etc.

He stopped me:

"Like I said, I have 20 minutes - show me what you've got in the product."

I'm not sure what got into me.

But I capitulated.

Showing a demo wasn't the mistake.

Being tugged around and losing my 'equal status,' was.

What I should have done:

"It sounds like you're eager to see this, but I haven't yet brought you up to speed on the challenge we're solving. I have full intention to walk you through the product, but it feels like we're trying to breeze through this. Is there a better time for us to chat where you won't be pressed for time?"

Again.

Some people will think that's too aggressive of a talk track for someone who's trying to sell something to someone.

It's certainly not "nice."

But keep this mind:

I sell to senior sales leaders.

You HAVE to keep equal footing with them.

I didn't here. And the meeting went downhill.


3. Feature-dumped.

This was a byproduct of losing control and getting flustered.

Stumbled and bumbled the entire time.

Meeting ended in 19 minutes.

And I have a meeting with their CRO tomorrow.

We shall see how that goes.

TAKEAWAY

Upon reflection, here's one of the reasons this didn't go well:

This wasn't a brand new demo that had nothing riding on it, that I could just disqualify and move on. 

I'm already WELL into this opportunity. I have the CRO bought in. It's six-figures and we're within 30 days of closing.

As a result, I was far less "fearless" on this call.

Less willing to pushback.

Less willing to screw it up (how ironic).

As a result, more willing to cater to a call dynamic that was destined for failure.

Anyway.

Hopefully someone out there ran a better demo than I did yesterday!

P.S. I've watched 3,000 discovery call recordings in my career. Here's 39 of the best discovery questions that sell (free): https://go.pclub.io/list

If you close $50,000 deals (or more), I have news: Sales is not a numbers game. Sales is a skills game. Here's 7 sales skills that grow your income without burning out playing the volume game:


1. Finding 'the need behind the need.'

Great salespeople dig under the surface.

When buyers share their problems, they listen.

But then they follow up with:

"What's going on in your business that's driving that to be a priority?"

THAT gets to the true priority.


2. Quantifying customer pain.

No measurement, no money.

Quantifying pain does three things:

a) justifies the spend

b) creates urgency

c) helps your customer appreciate the magnitude of the problem.

Try asking:

"What metric is suffering as a result of these challenges?"


3. Creating champions.

A great champion runs through brick walls to get the deal done.

They sell your product internally when you're not in the room.

Indeed:

Salespeople don't close deals.

Champions do.

A league of champions is like a magnetic force for closing deals.


4. Business acumen.

The best sellers in the world are actually businesspeople that happen to know how to sell.

Don't just improve your SALES acumen.

Improve your BUSINESS acumen.

Senior execs will respect you 10x more than reps who only know the latest sales techniques.


5. Executive conversations

You can close five-figure deals without this skill.

But if you want to close six, seven, and eight figure deals?

You better have gravitas when it comes to 'facing off' with senior execs.

They're direct.

They use plain language.

They're efficient.


6. Negotiation.

Negotiation is a 'threshold' skill.

That means it makes almost all of your other skills more valuable.

Becoming a great negotiator will pay dividends the rest of your life.

Dig in and master it.


7. Writing.

Clear writing indicates clear thinking.

Sloppy writing indicates sloppy thinking.

Your job as a seller is to persuade and communicate.

Become a master of every medium that involves:
- sales calls
- written word
- group presentations


What skills would you add?

P.S. Here's 39 proven discovery questions that sell (based on watching 3,000 discovery call recordings): https://go.pclub.io/list

If I could only ask 4 discovery questions to build pain (the kind that money follows), here they are (the exact order matters):


1. Tell me about your biggest challenges when it comes to X?

Easy enough.

Just enough to kickstart the conversation in the right direction.

And get to the 'heart of the matter' fast.

But not enough by itself.

Customers will (almost) always give surface level answers to the first question.


2. What's going on in the business that's driving [what they shared] to be a priority.

Ask this, and your customers will CHUCKLE half the time.

Why?

Because you are striking a CHORD when you ask that.

You're getting to the 'need behind the need.'

That's where big money lives.


3. What metric is suffering most as a result of that?

Here's where most sellers struggle:

Quantifying pain.

You walk into a different world when you go from expressed pain to quantified pain.

Your customer's urgency ramps up.

And spending money to solve the problem begins to look REAL good.


4. What's driving you to solve all this now rather than later?

Ask this too early?

And the answers will be weak.

BUT...

If you ask this AFTER those first three questions...

Your customer now has the FULL CONTEXT of the problem top-of-mind.

And now... their answers to THIS question will be far, FAR richer.

Give those 4 questions (in order) a try.

Let me know how it goes?

P.S. Here's 30 frameworks and scripts for repeatable SaaS sales success (discovery scripts, demo scripts, and closing scripts): https://lnkd.in/gZcrmSWE

Being an account executive is better than getting an MBA.

You will become better at:
- Sales
- Writing
- Finance
- Leadership
- Negotiation
- Business acumen
- Time management
- Managing difficult people

It's truly a real-world MBA.

The problem?

Most salespeople "fell into" sales.

They don't take it seriously.

So they squander the learning opportunities.

And instead use their commissions to live a drunken existence on the weekends.

But if you lean in and master your role?

You can write your own check.

Here are a few fundamentals to get you started.

30 SaaS sales frameworks for repeatable success. 

I tried my best here.

But I'm not perfect.

Give them a read here: https://lnkd.in/gZcrmSWE

Let me know how I did.
 
Agree? Disagree? 
Reshare if I got it right.

If you're making $100,000 a year in sales: You're not going to get to $300,000 a year (or more) with your $100,000 a year skills.

You'll need new skills to get to the next level. You'll need $300,000 a year skills.

Believing you can dramatically improve your income with skill development as only a trivial afterthought is like thinking a football player can win the super bowl just by practicing and playing pick-up football on the weekends.

No chance.

In every case, the "unlock" to the next level is always a) skills and b) belief systems. 

6 cold calling tips that work like a charm in 2024 (and why):


1. State your full name.

"Hi this is Chris Orlob calling from pclub.io..."

You might think 'no one cares who you are!'

Wrong.

Powerful people state their full name when they introduce themselves. You want that unspoken aura of authority.


2. State your company name.

Why?

If you don't, they'll ask.

If they ask, they're in control of the conversation. You're back-pedaling now.


3. State the reason for the call.

Same logic as above.

"Hi this is Chris Orlob with pclub.io. Reason I'm calling is..."

You're in control (without being 'controlling' - big difference).



4. Describe their problem better than they can.

Life tip:

If you can describe your customer's problem better than they can themselves....

They'll automatically assume you have the best solution.

This should feel like you're peering into their soul a little bit.

Or reading a page from their journal.

"One of the challenges I hear from VPs of Sales in this climate is despite the fact that they're hyperfocused on growing revenue *efficiently*... most are struggling to do that. 

This new environment has surface selling skill gaps reps simply didn't need to close two years ago, and now only a third of reps make quota. Curious how that's showing up in your world?"


5. Sell the meeting. Not the product.

Your job is to sell time at this point. Not your product.

"If we meet, I'm happy to share how other Series B VPs of Sales in a similar spot are handling this. At best, we continue pursuing something together. At worst, you hear a few peer best practices."


6. Assume the close.

Assumptive selling doesn't work on big ticket items.

But you're not selling a big ticket item (yet).

You're just selling the meeting.

End your talk track and ask with "Got your calendar handy?"

Give these a try.

What cold calling tips would you add?

P.S. Live Masterclass: Master every aspect of SaaS sales from pipeline generation to closed-won from these five SaaS sales experts: https://lnkd.in/gnptPsMb

2023 and 2024 have been the hardest years to sell in a long time. I've spent 18 months selling every day through it. Here's 11 tips I've learned about selling in bad economic conditions: 
 
1. Building a business case is more powerful when you measure the cost of the status quo than when you measure the ROI of your product.
 
 
2. Understand the “need behind the need.” Keep peeling back the onion until you get to its core. The first few things customers share are always surface-level.
 
 
3. Agonize over how you phrase questions. “What are the ripple effects of X challenge on your business?” is far more powerful (and less salesy) than “how does that impact you?”
 
 
4. You can gain access to power by asking “who else is impacted by this challenge?” When your buyer answers, request that they be involved. This has a high hit-rate.
 
 
5. Test your champions. Do they get things done? If so, they’re not a champion. Give them “homework.”
 
 
6. Things are always changing. If you don’t stay on top of them, you’ll lose the deal. Start every call with “what’s changed since we last spoke?”
 
 
7. Social proof is so much more powerful when the customers you’re showing off are part of your buyer’s “tribe.”
 
 
8. You can’t treat discovery calls with inbound deals and outbound deals the same. You have to “earn the right” to discovery with outbound deals.
 
 
9. Sell the hell out of next steps. Don’t assume your buyer will show up just because they showed up to the first call. Sell the WHAT, the WHO, and the WHY of the next step you’re proposing.
 
 
10. If you’re having trouble quantifying a problem, try asking “what metric would solving this most improve?” Bingo.
 
 
11. The best questions you’ll ever ask aren’t pre-planned. They’re based on whatever the buyer just said. LISTEN.
 
What would you add?

P.S. I've watched over 3,000 discovery call recordings in the last six years. Here's a free list of 39 of the best questions that sell: https://go.pclub.io/list

Most salespeople struggle to "sell to the C-Suite." They get stuck with mid level buyers who don't have authority. Or they try to go around them, only to get shut down. Here's 3 techniques to get access to the C-Suite:

1. "who-based" impact questions

As you uncover a business problem during discovery, ask this:

"Who else is impacted by this challenge, and how?"

Get the buyer to explain who else is impacted.

Once you've done that, it's hard for them to disagree with this:

"Based on the extent they're impacted, does it feel fair to include them in the next [specific step]?"

Hard to disagree.


2. Set a 'social contract' a 1-2 calls in advance.

This is not your typical upfront contract.

This is making a 'deal' that your buyer will sponsor a meeting with power if you achieve agreed upon outcomes in the next call (or two).

Try this:

"Here's what I think we should do next: a 1-1 call where you and I walk through a demo. My goal of that demo is to get you so fired up about how we can solve your issue, that you're willing to sponsor a meeting between me, you, and your CXO. Is that a fair ask?"

Many times they'll agree.

Sometimes, they won't. But you have some leverage (you haven't taken the next step).

Just don't be obnoxious about that.

If they push back, say something like:

"We're about to make a solid investment in you by taking X-next step. I'm happy to make that investment so long as it's reciprocated in the form of [meeting you requested]. That out of the question?"


3. Simply call it out.

If you've already have a few calls and someone still isn't willing to sponsor a meeting with power, call that out.

"I've helped a lot of people buy and deploy this solution. I can tell you from experience that when CXO isn't involved, you and I will spend a ton of time on this but it won't go anywhere. There are probably one of two reasons you're hesitant to take that step:

a) you don't think I have enough credibility -- I won't be offended if that's the case, but let's talk about that.

b) you simply don't think they need to be involved.

c) they simply refuse to be involved.

Which of those three is the case?"

Based on their answer, start problem-solving.

Hope these help.

P.S. Here's 30 SaaS sales frameworks and scripts to achieve repeatable sales success and avoid income "peaks and valleys": https://lnkd.in/gZcrmSWE

For "early career" salespeople only: I started my tech sales career making $36k/year. 10 years later I earned my first 7-figure paycheck despite:

- a lower-class ($30k/year) upbringing
- light on education by Silicon Valley standards
- panic attacks so bad I was hospitalized... twice
- watching my dad's car towed for missed payment

I have a long way to go. But here are a few things I swear by:


1. Read every damn day.

People try to argue with me on this one all the time.

"I know a lot of successful people who don't read," they say.

So do I.

But there's one person I've NEVER seen:

The person who reads a lot and hasn't achieved significant success.

Reading books does three things
- improves your sales acumen
- improves your business acumen
- makes you an incredible communicator

You're exposed to TONS of words when you read a lot.

That seeps into how you communicate.


2. Save (and invest) your cash.

Not for retirement.

But because having a solid nest egg allows you to act on opportunity.

I started my first business -- full time -- in my mid twenties.

All because I managed to save $60,000 and live off $3,000 a month.

That business failed.

But led me to joining Gong.

No cash. No business. No amazing journey with Gong.

Save your 'freedom fighters.'


3. Lean into your obsessive edge.

My guess if you're reading this?

You've got a bit of an obsessive edge.

Many people will tell you that's not good.

To calm down.

To seek more balance.

Sure, don't let your obsession ruin your life.

But recognize it for what it is:

An incredible blessing you can use to ascend to amazing heights.

Keep it in check. But USE it. Don't be ashamed of it.


4. Manage your time like billionaire's do.

Few billionaires are available for:
- ad hoc calls
- ad hoc meetings
- quick interruptions

Schedule everything.

You don't have to be working all the time.

But if you're going to take free time, schedule it.

A couple times a year, I track how I spend my time in 15 min increments.

I eliminate and delegate the low-value tasks.

And double-down on those that help me grow my business.


5. Invest in your own self-education.

"Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune."

That has exactly been my experience.

I get bummed out when I hear sales reps say:

"My company just doesn't invest in developing me."

Ok?

So are you just going to accept that then?

Are you going to let someone else's lack of action dictate YOUR success?

Of course not.

Take it into your own hands.

--
I hope these help someone out there.

These worked in my experience.

What worked in yours?

P.S. 

I've watched over 3,000 discovery call recordings. Here's the 39 best discovery questions that sell (free): https://go.pclub.io/list

The best salespeople in the world aren't just great at selling. They're masters of time and energy management. Here's three incredible benefits of mastering both:

- Work fewer hours
- Make more money
- Advanced your career faster

Time & energy management get you those.

5 productivity tips to turbocharge your time and energy management:


1. Start your day with the highest-value activity for 90 minutes.

If you take nothing else from this post but this?

Your life will be transformed.

Once you start your work day:
- close Slack
- turn off your phone
- put email off to the side

Focus on THE most important task.

For 90 minutes. 

Uninterrupted. 

No distraction.

It's easy to get to the end of the day, and think:

"What did I get done today?"

You get sucked into the vortex of distractions.

You do 2,000 shallow things.

Without moving forward.

But.

If you get one productive thing done FIRST?

Doesn't matter what happens the rest of the day.

You'll make progress.


2. Work in 90 min sprints, followed by 30 min breaks.

Humans are meant to be rhythmic.

Not continuous.

If you force yourself to work uninterrupted for 12 hours?

All that means is you did 12 hours of shallow work.

You didn't build value. 

You just "administered."

Instead, follow the ultradian rhythm:

- 90 minutes of focused deep work
- 30 minutes of a disengaged break

Repeat.


3. Build "recovery" periods into your day.

Humans are designed to cycle between:

- expenditure of energy
- renewal of energy

But most salespeople live in a blurry grey zone.

Never 100% engaged.

Never 100% disengaged.

Recovery drives performance in weight training.

Recovery also drives performance in stressful jobs.

Plan three recovery periods
- Morning
- Lunch
- Afternoon

Step away.

Eat a snack.

Go for a run or walk. Do something physical.

(I play the drums or walk during mine).

You'll get your best ideas during these.

Where DON'T you get your best ideas?

Right:

In front of your laptop.

Give your brain the space it needs to bring flashes of insight.


4. Build one new habit at a time.

It's New Year's. 

Most of us go HAM on new habits.

We try to build many at once.

Don't. 

Build new behaviors serially.

It takes 30 days to build a new habit.

Do one at a time.

In a year, you'll have 12 new habits.

But if you try to do 12 at once? 

You'll end up with zero.

Will power is limited.

We are not creatures of will.

We are creatures of habit.


5. Sleep 8 hours.

Want to take a drug that has:
- zero side effects
- makes you live longer
- makes you feel better
- makes you perform better

Sleep.

Sleep is one of the last things you should sacrifice.

It's inspiring to hear sayings like "early mornings, late nights."

Doesn't work in practice.

Sleep more. 

Succeed more.

Feel amazing more.

P.S. I've watched 3,000 sales call recordings in my career. I created a list of the 39 most successful questions that sell. Grab them free here: https://go.pclub.io/list

The worst sales demos end with a whimper. The best sales demos end with a THUD. Here's 5 tips to end your demos with a bang and close more deals:


1. End on a high note (before it's comfortable).

End earlier than you want to.

When a demo is going well?

You'll be inclined to keep going.

Don't.

Stop while you're on an upward swing. 

Pivot into a 'debrief' with your buyer. 

You'll use that momentum later.



2. Summarize what you've covered:

Say this:

"Let's recap what we've covered today."

That phrase pulls your buyers attention.

Their ears perk back up.

Recap their problem.

Recap your top few features.

Recap their desired outcome.

3. Pivot to discussion.

After the recap, ask this:

"What excited you MOST today?"

I've tested dozens of questions.

This one works best for ending demos.

Buyers talk about their hot buttons.

Spend a minute unpacking those.


4. Dig in on the buying process.

Don't end a demo without doing this.

It's a wasted opportunity.

"If I'm reading you right, it feels like this resonates. What steps do those involved need to take from here to make a confident yes or no decision on this?"

Let them pour it all out. 

If you have time, follow up with:

- Who would be involved in each of those steps?
- What's driving the timeline to take those steps?
- How do you think you'd fund a project like this?


5. Recommend firm (but flexible) next steps.

Selling is an act of leadership. 

Weak salespeople look to the buyer. 

But you run this sales cycle all the time. 

And this is THEIR first time.

YOU should lead THEM.

Try this: 

"Based on what you've told me, I'd recommend we __________________."

Now suggest:
- WHAT the next steps should be
- WHO should be involved
- WHY that step.

Ok.

Do those five things at the end of each demo.

Watch what happens.

P.S. Here's 30 SaaS sales demo scripts you can swipe, steal, and copy to run demos that sell: https://lnkd.in/gZcrmSWE

Here's a 5-step cold email template I've used thousands of times. in the last few years (plus, why it works):


Step 1: Lead with a relevant observation.

Lead with a personalized, relevant observation that will matter to them.

Language matters.

Don't use the word "I," as in "I noticed..."

It's not about you.

Sub that out for "Looks like you..."

That keeps the focus on them.



Step 2: Introduce the goal and Conflict.

This is what makes this email template work.

Every buyer is trying to achieve a desired outcome.

But every desired outcome comes with a sacrifice.

Articulate that.



Step 3: Spell out the pain in the sacrifice.

Capture the pain your buyer feels from that "conflict/sacrifice" better than they can themselves.

"It's a lose-lose. You either get X without Y, or Y without X."



Step 4: Sell the desired outcome with social proof.

Don't say a word about your product.

Leave out the "how."

Simply how you've helped others (that look like them) achieve a desired outcome that matters to them.


Step 5: Make it easy to say "yes"

Don't lead with "Got 30 minutes?"

You buyer: "No, I don't, dude. I'm on zoom calls from sun up to sun down."

When you bring their limitation top of mind (their time), then that's the lens through which they'll make the decision.

The answer will be "no."

Instead, "up for a chat?" doesn't make the time investment explicit.

Much easier to say yes to.

The hard part of this template?

Knowing your buyer enough to make the "fill in the blanks" resonate.

But if you can pull it off, you've got a winner.

Give it a try.

P.S. I've watched 3,000 discovery call recordings in the last five years. Here's 39 of the best questions that sell: https://go.pclub.io/list

Kevin Dorsey is the master of cold calling. He's scaled three companies from $0 to $100M ARR. Taught 100s of reps his cold calling method. Here's 10 lessons I learned about cold calling from the master:

1. Don't pitch benefits. 

Cold buyers can't relate to benefits.

They are problem-aware.

Not benefit-aware.

Sell the problem first.

Get to the solution later. 


2. Interview your customers.

- Why did you buy?
- What was your problem?
- What were you afraid of before buying?
- What's your favorite part of the product?
- What's changed the most since using it?
- How would you describe what we do?

Write a script without knowing these?

Fail.

Write a script and you DO know these?

Flame-thrower in a stick fight.


3. Use the "3 C's" of cold call tonality.

Avoid being too formal.

Avoid being too professional.

Talk to your buyer like you'd talk to a friend.

Shoot for the three C's of great tonality
- calm
- confident
- curious


4. Use a script.

Scripts get a bad rap.

Most people read them like a robot.

But guess what?

If you repeat the same talk track from call to call?

You're using a script whether you admit it or not.

So get intentional about it.

Then master your script (don't let it master you).

Learn it until it's natural.

Cold calls are predicable.

Take advantage of that.


5. "Hey [Name], this is [your name] from [your company]."

Start your cold calls with that sentence.

If you don't?

Buyers will ask:
- who are you
- what company are you with

You've lost control.


6. Give a reason for the call.

If you don't state the reason at the beginning?

You'll hear "why are you calling me?"

Humans crave reasons.

So give them one.


7.  State the problem in three buckets.

Fill in the blanks:

"I talk to [CMOs] all day. They all seam to be struggling with [content creation], [lead generation], or [conversion rates]. Does that sound like your world at all, or are you drowning in pipeline?"

Here's the point:

Pick the top three problems you solve.

Fill in the blanks.

Then ask your prospect about them.

Get them to bucket their pain.


8. Follow up with an impact question

"How are you [optimizing your landing pages] so that you aren't [losing leads]?"

Fill in the blanks for your product and problem.

"How are you [accomplishing a task your product does] so that you aren't [negative impact of the problem]?"


9. Book the meeting with "it might make sense"

Try this talk track:

"I think this might make sense. You're dealing with [bucket problem] which is causing [negative impact] and you don't have a way to [product task]. It might make sense to have a conversation. How do Thur or Fri look?"

Melts sales resistance.


10. Confirm the invite.

Get them to accept the invite.

If you don't?

They're less likely to show up.

"Great. I’m going to send you a calendar invite. Can you accept that for me so we don’t get double booked?

P.S. Click here for a free a list of the 39 best sales questions that sell: https://go.pclub.io/list

I was a sales leader at Gong during the growth up to the $7.2 billion valuation. As great as it was, I made a ton of mistakes. Here's th top 8 mistakes I made as a sales leader (so you can avoid them):


1. Took too long to build strong cross-functional relationships.

I was too relentless about making my team successful.

We became a silo. Only after a few painful mistakes did I wise up and realize I have two teams:

My people, and my peers.


2. Under-communicated with my boss.

Again, so relentlessly focused on making my people successful, I forget to take a step back and communicate.

“No news is good news” does not apply in leadership.

Boss’s hate surprises.

It’s your job to keep them informed.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

When in doubt, over-communicate.



3. Coached in the heat of the moment.

If your rep just got shot down in flames, the last thing they want to hear is feedback.

Even the coachable ones.

Give them time to cool off.

Come back to it later when they’re in a good headspace.


4. Took over sales calls too often.

When you join sales calls, your role is to support, not to lead.

Let your rep play first fiddle. You play second.

Let them make mistakes.

Only take over during “code red” situations.


5. Assumed new reps would ramp faster than they did.

Even with a great enablement team, you "really" have to lean in with your new people.

Spend more time than you think is necessary with them.



6. Eased up on tough interview questions when I "liked" someone.

Likable mis-hires happen all the time.

Don't let people pass through the gates until you've asked what you need to ask.


7. Took too long to invest in ops and enablement.

Not much to say here, except that I wish I could go back in time and hire for these partner roles a full year before I did.


8. Eased up on recruiting when I was ahead of plan.

You should always have a warm bench of talented sellers ready to draw from.

Going from "ahead of plan" to "behind plan" can happen very fast.

Be ready.

Always be recruiting.

What are yours?

P.S. Here's 14 questions every sales leader should ask in every deal review to full-proof your pipeline: https://lnkd.in/grHP3BXT

Here's the TOP problem I see in sales today: Low "early stage" deal conversion.
"We're struggling to convert our stage 1 deals to stage 2."

I've heard this 30x from sales leaders in the last few quarters.

There are four reasons your 'early stage' deals aren't converting:

1. you aren't finding/building pain
2. you're talking to the wrong person
3. you don't control the sales process
4. they are not qualified, plan and simple

I can't help you with the last one.

But let's *start* to tackle the first three.


1. You aren't finding/building pain.

If this is happening, there are three things you need to get right:
- find pain
- build pain
- quantify pain

Those are related, but different tasks.

Try asking your buyer these questions:

FIND PAIN:

"What's going on in your business that's driving this to be a priority?"

BUILD PAIN:

"What are the ripple effects and ramifications this challenge is having throughout the business?"

QUANTIFY PAIN:

"What metric is suffering most as a result of these challenges, and what would you estimate that to be worth?"

Grab more questions here if you need 'em: https://go.pclub.io/list



2. You're talking to the wrong person.

No need to give up just because it's the wrong person.

Work with them to get to the right person.

Try what I call asking "who-based impact questions":

"Who else is affected by these challenges and how?"

[Let them explain]

"Given how they're impacted, does it feel fair to them that we include them a few steps from now, assuming I've earned the right to ask for that with you?"

That's a good start.


3. You don't control the sales process.

The key is to know the buying process so you can align (and control) your sales process.

Ask these:

"What steps do you and your company need to take to have a confident evaluation of this?"

"In addition to you, who is involved in each of those steps and how?"

"What time pressures are driving you to take these steps?"

Then 'co-create' the answers into a mutual success plan.

Ok.

That's all for now.


90% of SaaS reps struggle to access to power. They're stuck with a mid level buyer who can't get a deal done. Here's five tips to get access to power and close bigger deals:

1. Before the 1st call, have your boss ping others.

A mid level buyer came inbound. Your call is in a few days. The best thing you can do is identify other influencers: People you'll WANT to get access to. Have your boss comment on their posts. Reach out and say: "Hey Sam, no action needed on your part. Just wanted to let you know that John asked for a demo of our solution and one of my reps is talking to him Thursday. Will keep you in the loop."


2. Preempt getting "boxed in."

When the meeting with the mid level buyer starts, say something like this: "I'm glad you reached out. I'm not sure if you knew this, but our organizations are talking to each other. We're in contact with Sam. But no need for me and you to do anything with that right now. We can just keep this conversation me and you for now."

This does two things:

First, it's hard for them to say "don't talk to anyone else" when you got ahead of it. Prevention > cure.

Second, you took the pressure off by saying "We can just keep this conversation me and you for now." 


3. Ask "who else does this impact, and how?"

As you explore challenges, pop that question. Call out some of the specific executives you want access to. Ask how the challenges impact them. Get your buyer to SELL you on how those other execs are impacted. Naming specific names carries even more power.


4. Ask for access.

AFTER your buyer has expanded on HOW those execs are impacted... make your ask. "Given that Sam is concerned about CAC, it feels like it'd be unproductive if we didn't include her on the next demo to show her how this can reduce CAC. Is that an unreasonable ask?"

You'll still get rejected here sometimes. But far less often than if you didn't follow this process.


5. If they block access, "negotiate" access to power.

If you followed all the above steps and they STILL block access, say this. "Ok. Fair enough. Let's do this then. Let's schedule a [demo] just you and me. My goal with that meeting is to get you SO fired up about what we do, that you then see getting Sam involved as your best interest. So my ask is that if this blows you away - and only if it blows you away - we can then make that introduction."

This is like setting an "upfront contract" a full call in advance.  And it's easy to objection handle if they still disagree:

"I'm torn on what to do here. I'm eager to walk you through our platform. But that's a non trivial investment in time and effort. I'm more than happy to make that investment, so long as that investment is reciprocated from you."

Alright.

I'm out of room, so that's all for now.

Any thoughts you'd add on accessing power?

P.S. After watching 3,000+ discovery call recordings, I picked out the best 39 questions that sell (among 1,000+). Here’s the list for free: https://go.pclub.io/list

25 sales leadership tips I learned the hard way:


1. Your job is to get things done through your people. Not do it yourself.

2. Get out in the field. Spend 50% of your time w/your people.

3. Your reps should be able to write down your sales process in unanimous agreement.

4. Focus more of your time managing inputs than you do outputs.

5. When you're a rep, prioritize tasks. When you're a manager, prioritize people.

6. Become a master of time management. You'll need it.

7. When you set standards and expectations with your team, don't use "minimum acceptable." Define greatness.

8. Your current lowest producer is the de facto minimum acceptable standard you have set for your team. Do not tolerate mediocrity. Address it swiftly.

9. The power of taking full responsibility for the entire company’s results cannot be overstated. If you are the sales manager, you get the blame when things go wrong.

10. Be the thermostat, not the thermometer. A leader enters an environment, and people adjust to his or her presence, rather than him or her just telling what the temperature is.

11. Your people know when you are in it for yourself or when you genuinely care about them.

12. The results of your actions and decisions three to six months ago are coming to fruition today.

13. When you’re behind on your numbers, force yourself to think through “how.” You have no hope of making your sales numbers if you hold on to the reasons why you can’t.

14. Take responsibility for arming your team with what they need to win

15. If there is no sales process, putting one in place should be your highest priority.

16. Stay the course with your initiatives. Don’t roll out something major unless you’re committed to it.

17. The real work begins when the rollout ends; organizational habits take 1-2 years to take hold.

18. Become the person at the company who knows the customers better than anyone else.

19. With a few exceptions, never talk about comp, quota, or account issues during team meetings. Save these topics for 1:1 discussions.

20. When you’re driven by the process, you’re managing the future. When you’re driven by results, you’re managing the past.

21. The leader's role is to reach inside each rep and release his or her unique talents into sales performance.

22. Great people leadership demands a willingness to individualize and treat each person differently.

23. Make very few promises to your people, and keep them all. Since you never know what leadership might spring on you next, you might not be in a position to follow through if you make too many promises. And that will erode trust from your team.

24. As a manager, you’ve got to remember that you are on stage every day. Your people are watching you.

25. When salespeople bring problems to you, the goal should be to help that person figure out a way to deal with the problem on their own.


P.S. Here's exactly how to go from "struggling manager" to "future CRO" - https://lnkd.in/gafJysE4

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