How to Control the Sale Without Sounding Pushy | Anthony Firenzi | Ep. 304 (Sell)

Guestie VP of Sales Jonah Mandel is back—and he’s bringing a battle-tested blueprint for leading a 60-person sales org. From onboarding frameworks to emotional pulse checks, this episode is a masterclass in scalable, high-intent leadership. 🎙 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Win the first 30 days or lose the next 300—structure onboarding to build lasting habits. Idiot-proof dashboards so any leader can read them like a story, not a spreadsheet. Track rep engagement by reverse-sorting Slack conversations and checking in every 6 weeks. Use low-stakes "training leads" before letting reps handle high-revenue inbound. JONAH MANDEL’S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB: VP of Global Sales @ Guesty VP of Sales & Customer Success @ Capchase VP of Sales & Partnerships @ Alibaba Sales Manager @ ShopKeep RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Position yourself as a partner, not a decision-maker, during negotiations. Frame your CFO or leadership as the final approver to deflect pressure and control the conversation Use a sliding scale for discounts based on timeline. Offer steeper discounts for faster signatures to create urgency without arbitrary end-of-month pressure Steer discovery and demos toward problems that matter. Don’t get stuck solving small issues—recommend workflows tied to real business impact and executive priorities Drive deal velocity without discounting by pre-scheduling the implementation call. Lock in post-sale steps early to create natural pressure toward closing PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB: Head of Sales, Unified GTM Strategic Accounts, Lattice Enterprise Account Executive, Lattice Mid-Market Account Executive, Lattice Business Development Representative, Lattice RESOURCES DISCUSSED: ⁠Join our weekly newsletter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Things you can steal

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Get Permission to Reframe: Before turning a perceived weakness into a strength, ask for permission to tell the story. This keeps the approach authentic and avoids sounding overly salesy. Anchor High for Multithreading: When requesting additional stakeholders, ask for more than you need. If they say no to six but yes to two, you've still gained ground. Reframe Intentional Limitations: When faced with an objection or missing feature, consider if it’s intentional by design. Reframe it as a benefit aligned with the prospect’s goals. Prep for Large Meetings: Divide the room strategically. Prep with your champion, pre-call each stakeholder, then personalize questions in the meeting to tailor the conversation. DAVID'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Senior Account Executive MM @ LinkedIn Account Executive SMB @ LinkedIn Sales Development Representative @ LinkedIn Creator Manager @ LinkedIn RESOURCES DISCUSSED: ⁠Join our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠Things you can steal⁠

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Schedule Everything: Cold call success starts with structure. Use scheduled power hours, follow-ups, and prospecting blocks to bring order and focus to your SDRs' day. Create Rituals That Boost Energy: Host a weekly kickoff meeting to align the team, recognize wins, and run call reviews. Energy is everything—ritualize it. Hold Reps to Input Standards: 150 dials per day is the expectation. If reps fall short, diagnose whether it’s a skill, will, or workflow issue and address it head-on. Use Your Top Reps as the Spark: Find your believers and get them dialing in public. Team momentum starts with a few people on fire—and then it spreads. COLIN'S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB: SVP of Revenue, Orum VP of Sales, Namely Senior Director of Sales, Namely Sales Manager, Zocdoc Sales Executive, Zocdoc RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

FOUR ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS Assume your buyer has 60 seconds to pitch your product internally. When sending recaps or justification materials, skip the deck send 2–3 crisp bullets that clearly communicate the top reasons to buy. Reset the agenda mid-call if needed. If a buyer jumps straight into content or things go off the rails, pause and suggest how to best use the remaining time. This keeps the call focused and productive. Use a “vibey demo” to open, then do deeper discovery later. Morgan starts with a product overview to spark curiosity, then uses the second call to dig into what resonated and why—leading to richer discovery. Reverse-engineer problems from product interest. When a buyer reacts positively to a feature, follow up with, “People usually want that because they’re struggling with X or Y—what’s going on in your world?” PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB Sales Engineer @ Squint Head of Solutions Architecture @ Pave Field CTO @ Sisense Sales Engineering Manager @ Sisense RESOURCES DISCUSSED Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Set Multiple Agendas: Before showing a high-level demo, re-establish the agenda. Explain what you'll show, present it, then recap by tying it back to the meeting's outcome. Dangle the Carrot: Identify one problem to address in your demo, then ask for two or three more use cases. Use curiosity to uncover additional discovery points before diving into the demo. Anchor to an Outcome: Start the call by setting a clear decision-oriented goal, such as determining if further evaluation is worth their time. Be Blunt About Goals: In rip-and-replace scenarios, state the stakes directly, like weighing the pain of switching versus the potential benefits. This disarming honesty builds trust. MARK'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Commercial Sales Manager @ Procore Sales Manager, Emerging @ Procore Enterprise Account Executive @ Procore Senior Account Executive, Mid-Market @ Procore RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Michelle Cecil Episode

Consensus close rate guide: https://goconsensus.com/checklist/close-rates-demo-automation/ ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Time-Box Your Tools: Avoid checking Slack or email first thing in the morning—protect your focus by starting the day with intention. Buyer Actions > Seller Actions: Sales progress should be measured by what the buyer does, not how many activities the seller logs. Build a Momentum Score: Track 7–10 buyer behaviors (like demo views or EB engagement) to score deal health and predict close rates. Deals Must Survive 3 Rings: Every deal faces three negotiation phases—champion, procurement, and final signer, so plan resources accordingly. REX'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Chief Revenue Officer @ Consensus Senior Vice President of Sales @ Consensus Vice President of Sales @ Consensus Director of Sales @ HireVue RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

Here are our 15 favorite tips from all 300 episodes of the 30 Minutes to Presidents Club Podcast Top 3 Cold Calling Tips Use "The Ledge" to buy yourself a second after objections with a preset line like “This one's totally on me.” Chunk up problems by translating tactical pain into executive-level consequences to earn senior interest. Watch the full ep A Tailored Permission Opener earns attention by referencing a relevant trigger and owning that it’s a cold call. Top 3 Cold Email Tips Run the triple by stacking a call, email, and LinkedIn touch to show you're a real human and boost response rates. Use relevant personalization by connecting a specific trigger to a problem you can solve. Trigger templates let you templatize personalization at scale while keeping it relevant and problem-focused. Top 3 Discovery Tips PPO (Purpose, Plan, Outcome) sets clear call expectations and avoids meandering discovery. Bucket questions steer conversations toward known problem areas while establishing credibility. Humbling disclaimers help you ask hard or sensitive questions without putting the prospect on the defensive. Top 3 Deal Process Tips The champion sandwich uses a prep call, exec meeting, and debrief to drive alignment and control. Test champions by asking how they'll justify the deal internally to reveal their true influence. Popcorn pricing anchors buyers toward larger packages with outsized perceived value. Top 3 Leadership Tips Document the wiggle (WGLL) by showing reps what great looks like with real examples and proof. Practice forward by role-playing for upcoming meetings instead of only reviewing past ones. Invert the hiring funnel by selling top candidates early, then opting them into deeper interviews and testing.

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: SPFs for Short-Term Change: Use SPFs to drive short-term behavior changes. Long-term shifts should align with consistent metrics in your "iron square" framework. Strict Holdover Rules: Allow one quarter for closing open opportunities after a territory change if they’re past stage two. No exceptions ensure fairness and consistency. The Iron Square: Track rep productivity with win rate, AE-sourced pipeline, total pipeline generation, and forecast accuracy, with quota attainment as the central North Star. Customer-First Processes: Avoid letting internal rules disrupt customer experience. Build buffer zones in ROEs and territories to minimize deal handoffs. ELEANOR'S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Head of Sales @ Retool Global Head of Commercial Retention & Regional Director of Commercial Sales @ Segment Global Head of Commercial Renewals and Retention @ Segment Head of Customer Success and Solutions engineering @ Clever Inc RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal

🎁 Save $50 — Get our step-by-step discovery video course for just $249 with code PODCAST https://www.30mpc.com/course/discovery-course -- Master the structure, questions, and flow of high-impact discovery calls ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Keep It Simple with a 3x3 Framework: Break the discovery call into three sections (agenda, meat, next steps), each with three core moves. This keeps reps oriented and avoids overwhelming them with 57-point checklists. Teach What to Get, Not Just What to Ask: Don't just train reps on questions. Teach them the four layers of discovery: situation → operational problem → executive problem → business impact. When they know where they’re going, they can improvise better questions. Use Repetition to Lock It In: Roll out discovery training in small chunks (preferably 2–3 sessions). Reinforce it weekly through tape reviews, roleplays, and pipeline reviews to evolve reps from 101 → 201 → 301 level skills. Discovery Trees Should Evolve Over Time: Start with a few problem trees, then refine them through live calls and team feedback. Your trees get "seasoned" over time—just like cast iron—with real examples, new objections, and better talk tracks.