Enterprise Execution
Spotting trends and following playbooks to execute in the Enterprise
116?
We’re back at it again this week with my 116th consecutive weekly newsletter geared toward current, or aspiring sales leaders in SaaS.
Typical weeks cover a myriad of topics, and some weeks are a bit more broad, but they all seemingly have one thing in common - they all feature pertinent and timely content that for whatever reason seem to resonate with me in my role as an enterprise sales leader in SaaS.
I’ve used past newsletters as reference points, and even as an online library of sorts in discussion with fellow sales leaders or colleagues.
This one is no different. How do we execute better in Enterprise Selling? Hopefully today’s content helps you as much as it did me.
In this week’s edition of Stretch Weekly -
Whitepaper from Outreach on the “Sales Execution Gap”. What it is, how to identify and size it, and the benefits of closing the gap to drive predictable, efficient growth.
Nate Nasralla shares his Enterprise Playbook and talks about making the shift to “buyer enablement” for complex sales
Plus timely snippets to share with your team to help you execute excellence in the Enterprise.
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
The Sales Execution Gap
Found this really good whitepaper from Outreach on the “Sales Execution Gap”. What it is, how to identify and size it, and the benefits of closing the gap to drive predictable, efficient growth.
Some key takeaways:
86% of buyers prefer engaging with sellers via a “Virtual Demonstration” over other methods (phone was next at 80%, followed by in person, then email)
60% of buyers visit the sellers website before accepting a sales meeting invite, with more than half (52%) doing their own research prior as well.
70% of respondents said they expected their budgets to increase to reflect the growing role sales tech plays in successfully executing the sales strategy
Only 23% of sales reps have enough pipeline to meet their quotas.
SDRs and full-cycle reps can spend roughly 77% of their time on non-core selling activities!
Buyers demand immediate answers to their questions in sales meetings. This increases confidence in seller/vendor.
The Enterprise Sales Playbook
Nate Nasralla is someone I just started following in LinkedIn, and he’s such a great follow for sales leaders and sellers in SaaS. Nate founded a company specifically helping sellers find, develop, and utilize Champions in enterprise selling.
Check out this packed Enterprise Playbook as he talks about making the shift to “buyer enablement” for complex sales.
It's the process of finding and framing a problem. Then, aligning, on average, ten different people with conflicting opinions about the right way to solve that problem.
Highlights:
The Deal Champion Job Description.
What to watch for, and the role champions play.Creating a Committed Champion.
Champions aren’t found. They’re created. You’ll learn how disciplined discovery, tactful testing, and forward-worthy follow-ups develop deal champions.Enabling Your Champion.
Once you “close” your champion, you’ll use the inputs you’ve collected along the way to build a compelling business case. This is the art of crafting internal narratives.
STRETCH SNIPPETS
💥 Gong shares their 5 Habits of High-Performing Sales Leaders and how these motivate reps, break records and maximize results. 5 Habits: 1. Elevate the conversation. 2. Share data-driven insights. 3. Remove Obstacles. 4. Create a culture of collaboration. 5. Maximize Trust.
🤔 Most sales are made during discovery, NOT at the closing stage of a sales cycle, says Ian Koniak. Learn from Ian how to pitch a discovery process successfully to get prospects to open up their doors to you.
📧 Steal Belal Batrawy’s 3 email subject line formulas for a 57%+ open rate. Remember: Word plays, Number plays, Negatives.
🗣 Armand Farrokh gives us his 2x4 recap email template.
100% about the prospect's problems to solve.
Explicitly clear about the next steps (all at the top)
Very short.
✅ Check out this quick read on how humble leadership really works from Dan Cable: 1. Ask how you can help employees do their own jobs better — then listen. 2. Create low-risk spaces for employees to think of new ideas.
🧠 Mindset
“If you want to know anything, you will have to do something”
-Becky Craven
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. Just reply to this email and I’ll be in touch.
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