Why Buyers HATE Your Sales Process | Jake Dunlap | Ep. 288 (Sell)

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Understand Rep Motivation: Identify what drives each rep—money, career growth, or exploration—then get their permission to push them toward that goal, laying the foundation for future coaching. Call Out the Situation First: Before changing a rep’s behavior, acknowledge the dynamic at play so both parties are aligned. This prevents resistance and confusion. Leverage Top Performers: Coach high performers by challenging them to reach the next level and putting them in the spotlight to lead trainings, reinforcing best practices for the team. Coach in Buckets: Break down calls into sections and ensure reps get the fundamentals right before refining their style, making feedback more structured and actionable. ALEX'S PATH TO PRESIDENT'S CLUB: Founder & CEO @ Alluviance Director of Sales Commercial @ Outreach Director of Sales Corporate @ Outreach Territory Account Executive @ Microsoft RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Understand the VEX Scale: Classify prospects as Vetted (using a competitor), Educated (familiar but undecided), Cold (new to the space), or Self-Service. Tailor your approach accordingly. Ask About Their Journey: Send an email upfront asking where they are in their learning process. This helps you position the conversation at the right level. Skip Basic Discovery for Vetted Prospects: If they already use a competitor, focus on their current solution’s gaps and ideal outcomes instead of re-explaining the category. Avoid Restarting Discovery: When new stakeholders join later calls, recap prior findings first, then ask how those problems impact their specific role. JAKE'S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB CEO @ Skaled Consulting VP Sales @ Nowait, Inc. (acquired by Yelp) Head of Sales & Customer Success @ Chartbeat Vice President of Sales, Success, and Sales Operations @ Glassdoor RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Identify Strategic Initiatives: Focus on big company bets that are close to revenue, such as IPOs, international expansions, or mergers and acquisitions. Double Personalize Outreach: Combine company-specific observations with industry trends to create messaging that feels hyper-relevant. Build a Strategic Research Framework: Create a table to map key initiatives (e.g., IPO readiness) on one side and sources of information (e.g., 10-K reports, CEO interviews, press releases) on the other. Leverage AI for Efficiency: Use tools like ChatGPT or Copy AI to analyze information from sources like job postings, financial documents, or industry trends. KYLE'S PATH TO PRESIDENT'S CLUB: CMO @ Copy.ai CMO @ Clari VP, Revenue Growth & Enablement @ Clari Director Sales Development & Enablement @ Clari Sr. Director Sales Development & Optimization @ Looker RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Interview Kits for Prep: Send candidates an interview kit outlining expectations, key questions, and details on interviewers. Poor answers indicate lack of prep or poor fit. Evidence-Based Questions Only: Avoid hypotheticals. Ask for proof of past performance (P.O.P.) to assess real experience and capabilities. Screening Videos Save Time: Require a three-minute video on a key trait (e.g., perseverance). Evaluate clarity, instructions-following, and presentation skills before a live interview. Live Deal Review Test: Have candidates walk through a real deal they closed. Assess how they sourced, ran discovery, demoed, and closed, treating it like an actual deal review. KD'S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB CRO @ Finally SVP of Sales and Partnerships @ Bench Accounting Practice Lead, Revenue Leadership @ Winning by Design VP of Inside Sales @ PatientPop Inc. Head of Sales Enablement & Development @ ServiceTitan VP of Sales @ SnackNation RESOURCES DISCUSSED Read: Join our weekly newsletter Steal: Templates, drips, scripts

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS ChatGPT Research Triangle: Before outreach, prompt ChatGPT with the industry (including sub-industry), job title, and your product’s value. This ensures messaging aligns with trends relevant to the prospect. Use Industry Jargon: Ask ChatGPT for insider terminology that VPs in specific industries use. This makes your messaging sound more credible and tailored to their world. Refine Email Sequences: Provide ChatGPT with your email templates and ask it to integrate industry-specific revenue drivers. This keeps messaging structured while adding personalization. Smarter Discovery Questions: Use ChatGPT insights to refine questions that demonstrate expertise. Instead of generic asks, tailor them to industry trends and job-specific challenges. PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB CEO @ Skaled Consulting VP Sales @ Nowait, Inc. (acquired by Yelp) Head of Sales & Customer Success @ Chartbeat Vice President of Sales, Success, and Sales Operations @ Glassdoor RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Signal Prioritization: Categorize signals (e.g., high-intent, time-based) with different response SLAs to ensure timely outreach. Call Blitz Culture: Multiple weekly call blitzes with a virtual sales floor create a high-energy, team-building cold calling environment. Effective Personalization: Don’t rely on signals alone; combine them with company insights to craft personalized, compelling outreach. 80/20 Email Framework: Provide reps with an 80% completed template (signal, company insight, ideal state, light CTA), letting them personalize the final 20%. FLORIN'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Head of Sales Development @ Common Room Director of Sales @ Barley Senior Manager, Sales Development @ Loopio Manager, Sales Development @ Loopio RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Focus on High-Impact Problems: Prioritize fixing widespread issues over the loudest complaints. High-volume problems drive more meaningful change than squeaky-wheel issues. Leverage 2x Multipliers: Target improvements that can double key metrics rather than marginal gains. Align leadership early so they understand why other issues aren’t top priority. Weekly Wiggle Wednesdays: Hold a one-hour leadership meeting to refine sales tactics. Use the four D’s: define, document, demonstrate, and deliberately practice new strategies. Transparent 1:1 Tracking: Link manager-rep 1:1 docs to the director’s 1:1 doc. Track each rep’s key metric, issue diagnosis, and growth plan for better coaching visibility. KD'S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB CRO @ Finally SVP of Sales and Partnerships @ Bench Accounting Practice Lead, Revenue Leadership @ Winning by Design VP of Inside Sales @ PatientPop Inc. Head of Sales Enablement & Development @ ServiceTitan VP of Sales @ SnackNation RESOURCES DISCUSSED Read: Join our weekly newsletter Steal: Templates, drips, scripts

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Permission-Based Introduction: Identify an executive, then request an intro to their top lieutenant by tying outreach to an executive-level metric they care about. Funding Intent Matters: Don’t just track funding announcements—dig into how the company plans to use the money and align outreach to support that goal. AE & SDR Account Strategy: AEs select accounts, build a POV, and own outreach to execs, while SDRs focus on below-the-line contacts with AE guidance. Account Tiering System: Rank accounts as green (30-50), yellow (130), or red (30-50) based on deal size and buying likelihood to prioritize outreach effectively. MADDY'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Account Executive @ Webflow Account Executive @ SafeGraph Account Executive @ Procore Technologies Account Executive @ Procore Technologies Senior Business Development Rep @ Procore RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Know Competitors' Fiscal Periods: Be aware of when your competitors’ fiscal periods end to anticipate price drops and position yourself better. Phased Approach: When price matters, propose only the essentials for day one to make your quote smaller and easier to accept. Timeline Stack: Identify key timeline drivers, like contract end dates or business seasonality, to create urgency. Turn Want into Why: During discovery, dig deeper to find the real business problem behind a customer’s desire for change. JOHNNY'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB Commercial Account Executive @ Talkdesk Enterprise Sales Development Manager @Talkdesk Team Lead, Enterprise Sales Development @ Mimeo Enterprise SDR @ Mimeo RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

Nick, Armand, and Mark Kosoglow talk through how and when you should make different sales hires as your sales team grows. ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Hire Builders First: Early sales hires should create processes, while later hires follow them. CEO Sales Involvement: Founders should sell until they define the product and process, then transition to AEs. Scaling Key Roles: Maintain a 1:1 AE to SDR ratio early, shifting to 2:1 later. Hire RevOps early; SE and enablement depend on need. Manager & Director Timing: Keep managers at 8 reps max, stretching to 10-12 if needed. Delay director hires until managing at least three managers. RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Stages of Sales Leader Episode Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal