Driving Revenue
Using partners, podcasts and data to drive more revenue
Hello friends!
Last week’s email was the most lengthy to date. So to keep you on your toes - this one will be short and sweet.
Certain weeks I’ve curated content over several months on one specific topic (like last week).
Others are filled with insights and findings that seemed to resonate with me during that particular week. And THAT is what you’re getting here.
In this week’s edition of Stretch Weekly -
Partners should drive revenue. How?
41 Sales Podcasts for 2020
How/Why to Build Rapport
Plus…snippets to help sharpen those edges as a sales leader to drive revenue. Enjoy!
-Grant
*One more thing. If you find this newsletter valuable- consider sharing it with someone who might as well 👊.
STRETCH SHARES
Partners Should Drive Revenue. How?
I loved this Revenue Intelligence episode on leveraging partners to grow sales.
Maybe its because I've lived and breathed this before. I definitely relate to many of the thoughts (and misgivings) shared. But from my experience AND actual data shows - that working with partners does in fact increase deal flow, closing % and ARR booked. So how do you best work with partners?
Learn from Sarah Branfman on scaling the partnerships team to a revenue driving engine and what you need to do to effectively identify and incentivize partners so you can crush your quota...
The 41 Best Sales Podcasts for 2020
As you know I'm a big fan of podcasts. So naturally - checked out this list from Close on the 41 best sales podcasts. Even includes top episode recommendations for each podcast. Killer!
The more you learn, the more you earn.” - Warren Buffett
Now -Besides leaving out 30 Min to Presidents Club like I recommended HERE - this seems like a pretty exhaustive list. I even found a few more to add to my queue including:
Next Level Sales Leadership - for new and aspiring sales managers
B2B Sales Show (merged with B2B Growth)- dedicated to helping B2B sales pros become more effective sellers
Sales Leadership Podcast (this is a must listen if you are in a sales leadership role - and frankly one that is in my current rotation so I probably need to add this to my list above)
The Salesman podcast - This podcast claims to be the most downloaded B2B sales and selling podcast in the world, and dives into almost all aspects of selling, personal development, motivation, and business for sales professionals.
Check out the Top 41 Podcasts HERE
3 Powerful Tactics to Build Rapport
Devin Reed brings yet again more solid data and insight in this enlightening post about building relationships and rapport in 2020.
Why its beneficial and HOW to successfully do it. A few takeaways:
Don’t give me that"small talk"! Build a genuine relationship around a shared interest, over multiple interactions. And Devin has the data to back this up -Top performers discuss small talk 17% Less than under-performers.
Use Video. Deals are 127% more likely to close when video is used during any point in the sales process. Why wouldn't you turn video on?
Delight Buyers with the unexpected. Gifts, nice gestures etc. People are 3x more likely to comply with a substantial request when the law of reciprocity was involved.
STRETCH SNIPPETS
👨🎤 Sam Nelson talks about how awesome the SDR role is - and how it makes magic happen for you and your career.
👷♀️Convinced you need to ditch the small talk and build better rapport? Check out this 7 Habits of Master Rapport Builders cheat sheet.
📱Doug Landis sheds some light on two things he's noticed from some large Enterprise deals that closed last quarter. Deals had: 1. A scheduled touch-base every other week and 2: Asked and given a mobilizer’s (different from a champion) cell phone number.
💼 65% of us would prefer to work remotely full-time post-pandemic, while 31% would like a combination of remote and in-office work. Carol Cochran outlines how to recruit remote workers effectively.
👾 Dave Kennett says sales reps who know their competition inside-out close more deals than those who don't. Don't let the sales rep you are competing against one-up you..
🤔Today’s customers don’t need sales reps in the same way as in the past — customers now wait until they are 57% through the purchase process before contacting a rep. Buyers do independent research and set their own purchase criteria, all before the first seller interaction.
↔️ Mor Assouline - VP Sales at Okendo gives us a few ways you can keep your demo as a 2-way conversation.
🧠 Mindset Matters
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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