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Top articles, podcasts shared so far this year
Hey friends -
Considering today is election day in the U.S. (hey- this is a global newsletter now 😉), I thought it’d be a appropriate to compile the top pieces of content as voted on by you (with your clicks and shares) so far this year.
So see what you may have missed or refresh your memory with this year’s top content shared.
And keep an eye open for some new things in the works (crosses fingers) in the coming weeks…
In this week’s edition of Stretch Weekly -
TOP NEWSLETTERS THIS YEAR
Discovery! Part Deux
Sell the Whales!
Sam Jacobs talks with Author Brent Adamson on what makes the Challenger Seller AND the Challenger Customer work.
Revenue.io gives us an excellent cheat sheet with the top 5 ways to have dramatically better sales discovery calls.
And the most popular snippets as shared, clicked by you!
THANKS for reading!!
-Grant
And lastly - as always, if you find this newsletter valuable- subscribe or share it with someone who might as well 👊.
TOP NEWSLETTERS THIS YEAR
TOP STRETCH SHARES THIS YEAR
The Fundamentals of Challenger Selling
I really enjoyed this podcast from Sales Hacker host Sam Jacobs as he talks with Author Brent Adamson on what makes the Challenger Seller AND the Challenger Customer work.
Your job is to understand the life and mental model of your customer to help them change.
In summary:
The status quo is not working. Teach them something they don’t know about THEIR company.
Find a mobilizer within each org to effectively challenge the internal status quo and build your business case. Mobilizers consist of: Teacher, Go Getter, Skeptic
It's hard for me to summarize this podcast as there are so many good nuggets here. If you’re interested in learning more or rolling out a Challenger mentality within your sales org - this one is a must listen.
5 Ways to Have Dramatically Better Sales Discovery Calls
For great reps, discovery is an ongoing process that often continues throughout the entire sales process.
Revenue.io gives us an excellent cheat sheet with the top 5 ways to have dramatically better sales discovery calls.
Dive deep into these bullets:
Goldilocks principle. Don’t over-or under prepare for your first discovery call as there are some things you shouldn’t know prior to the call.
Use questions that help you understand your prospect as deeply as possible. Practice reflective listening. “In every deal, there’s a most important person (whoever has the final say — sometimes this is the CEO, sometimes not), and they have something that they care about above all else.”
Don’t accept answers at face value. Practice TED questions (Tell, Explain, Describe).
Focus on conversational patterns that drive results. Listen/watch calls and look for patterns that recur on deals that close.
Learn to coach yourself. Take your craft seriously and review, coach yourself regularly.
TOP STRETCH SNIPPETS THIS YEAR
👑 The Discovery King of LinkedIn, Charles Muhlbauer finally gives us his long awaited 11-step Discovery Roadmap. Memorize this. Bookmark it. Print it out. Write it on your hand. Do whatever you need to adopt this.
🙌 Q4 is HERE - so no better time than now to feature these 15 ways to help your sales team in 2022 from Jason Lemkin. Love this list - even if it was originally addressed to CEOs, the lessons still apply to sales leaders.
🎬 Kyle Coleman says there is no “best way” for everyone to start a cold call. It depends on you – your style, personality, sense of humor, approach. Check out this 5 min video with top tips and openers from Belal Batrawy, Sam McKenna, Morgan Ingram, Jason Bay and more!
🔟 Rachel Williams gives us her 10 best sales discovery call questions - and why you should use them.
🗣 Jeremey Donovan posts an excerpt from John McMahon’s book The Qualified Sales Leader: "My preference is for a sales leader to be in every Economic Buyer (EB) meeting to help the sales rep during the meeting and build a relationship with the EB and Champion.”
🧠 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. Just reply to this email and I’ll be in touch.
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