Data Speaks
Using data to help us lead, organize, and drive better results in sales
Data drives decisions…
Excited to serve up some content I’ve had waiting in the wings for a few weeks.
I personally got a lot of insight and help from the articles, podcasts, and posts I chose to feature this week, and hope they’ll do the same for you.
In this week’s edition of Stretch Weekly -
Data-Driven Sales w/ Clari CRO Kevin Knieriem and Joubin Mirzadegan
10 Types of Sales Data Growing Sales Teams Need to Track
The 90 Day Sales Success Plan For New Sales Leaders
But wait…there’s more! Don’t miss this week’s snippets from pros to help guide, educate and train you and your team to success.
THANKS for reading!!
-Grant
And lastly - as always, if you find this newsletter valuable- subscribe or share it with someone who might as well 👊.
STRETCH SHARES
Data-Driven Sales w/ Clari CRO Kevin Knieriem
I think I mentioned this before, but Go To Market Grit with Joubin Mirzadegan is one of my new favorite podcasts. If you haven’t added this one to your queue, check this ep episode with Kevin Knieriem, Clari CRO, about his journey in sales and leadership philosophies. Highlights for me include:
How Kevin approached the interview process at Clari and what he discovered about how well the business’ leadership team works together. (8:07)
‘The reverse pyramid’: A look at the leadership values Kevin brings to Clari and how the business’ didn’t hire any external recruiters when building its go-to-market machine. (13:00)
What Kevin looks for in new hires and how selling has changed in recent years. (27:51)
Why Kevin believes that the single most important number to any company are sales forecasts and how Clari helps visualize business data for improved decision making. (35:46)
How AI is changing sales and why Kevin believes it’s still important for leaders to pay attention to their gut instincts. (43:07)
How Kevin defines grit. (46:45)
10 Types of Sales Data Growing Sales Teams Need to Track
Chorus gives us this helpful cheat sheet with definitions of their top 10 recommended KPIs to measure as a sales leader in SaaS. Read this write up and compare, contrast or add to your mix.
Sales Growth = [(current month sales-prior month sales)/prior month sales] x 100
Sales Targets (quotas and measurable activities)
Sales Funnel (stages and stalling points)
Pipeline Velocity = (Qualified Opptys x Win Rate x Deal Size) / Length of Sales Cycle
Lead Data (generation & conversion rates)
Annual Contract Value (ACV)
Product Performance (Customer Adoption)
Competitive Data (market and competitive intel)
Selling Time (actual time selling per deal)
Team Performance (leaderboards with key measurables)
The 90 Day Sales Success Plan For New Sales Leaders
What’s the most important strategic advice you’d give to help sales managers make transformative changes within 90 days?”
RingDNA spoke to 20 top sales trainers, executives, and thought leaders and compiled their responses.
Check this PDF out with some great advice to start or tweak your sales leadership game plan.
STRETCH SNIPPETS
⌚️Did you know using "Did I catch you at a bad time" makes you 40% less likely to book a meeting, while asking "How are you?" increases your likelihood of booking a meeting by 3.4X. Via Doug Landis
🛍 Unaware -> Aware -> Consideration -> Evaluation -> Decision. Belal Batrawy points out clear differences between a prospect and a buyer.
🏹 Owen Richards argues that Cold calling and not getting hold of decision-makers can actually increase your inbound leads. I think I agree with him. You?
🤔 Kyle Porter releases his list of 35 factors that make up SalesLoft’s Deal Engagement Score. Steal this list to help you gauge which deals are likely to close.
📞 The secret to scheduling a meeting? — Longer Cold Calls says Chorus. Plus, tips to hold more engaging conversations with Nancy Nardin.
↩️ Let’s make a deal! It takes an average of 18 touches to get a response from a prospect says Sales Hacker. (I’m curious to see out/inbound stats differ)
👻 When Over 50% of Your Prospects Go Quiet — Here’s How to Get Them Talking Again. Mark Kosoglow sheds some light on ghosting.
🧠 Mindset
Thanks for reading!
My hope is if you find this valuable, consider sharing it with friends (or signing up if you haven’t already).
— Grant 👋
About stretch vp: confessions, learnings, and insights from sales leaders in SaaS
Compiled and aggregated from a network of sales leaders in SaaS, Stretch VP showcases learnings, insights, and experiences as well as best practices to overcome common hurdles, obstacles, and setbacks in your quest for excellence as a sales leader in SaaS.
Are you a VP, Director, thought leader, or content producer in the SaaS space? We’d love to have you contribute. Contact Me HERE.
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