The Future of Sales
The Future of Sales
Adapting to the future of sales with better systems, processes, and more
Hello friends -
I keep seeing this little sales newsletter grow and can’t thank you enough for trusting me with your inbox each Wednesday morning.
Have some feedback? Reply to this email - I read them all, and I’ll do my best to make it happen.
Now -
Getting back to some really great content for sales leaders this week as we take a look at the future of sales and how we can systematize our sales process.
In this week’s edition of Stretch Weekly -
Insightful podcast from Will Barron outlining his 9-step sales process for systematic selling.
Mark Roberge and John Barrows discuss the future of sales, product-led growth, and how to adapt as a sales rep and leader.
And of course, more snippets to share as we adapt as sales leaders in SaaS.
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
9 Step Systematic Sales Process
Really enjoyed this quick 14-minute podcast from Will Barron outlining his 9-step sales process for systematic selling. Summarized it for you here:
Uncover ICP (Ideal Customer Persona)
Look at past customer wins. Find where more of those customers are. Test and iterate. Double down.
Generate an Impact Message
Create tension in your message. Buyers will feel “obligated” to respond.
Close the first meeting.
Micro-close: “Does it make sense to jump on a call next week?”
Uncover the rules of the game.
What’s the buying process? Who needs to be involved? (MEDDICC for the win)
Uncover the reality gap.
Current vs. Future reality. Help prospects paint that picture for you.
Close the agreement.
Micro-close: Zone of agreement - Everyone agrees to solve CORE issues at XYZ - then the deal will happen.
Beat the status quo.
Get ahead of "pre-buyers remorse” where more deals stall than anywhere else. Remove emotion and make things logical.
Present to consensus.
Find the decision-makers and get in front of them to sell against the status quo.
Close the entire sale.
Ask for the business. This should be easy after a series of micro-closes throughout the sales process. “Does it make sense to move forward with this right now?” (and listen to feedback to help you see where you are at)
Adapting to the Future of Sales
You can’t go wrong with insight from Mark Roberge, so of course, I’m excited to feature this podcast with him and John Barrows as they talk about the future of sales, product-led growth, and how to adapt as a sales rep and leader.
Highlights for me:
Science of Scaling
Is the Predictable Revenue model, ie. segmented sales roles (SDR, AE, etc.) a thing of the past? Mark says - depends. (love this answer)
Rethinking productivity and the future as a sales rep with Zoom and other remote collaboration tools…
Where Product Led Growth is taking sales today and tomorrow. (Adopt before Buy)
The blurry line between Customer Success and Sales
Mark’s advice for new reps and where to look for future opportunities
STRETCH SNIPPETS
🚦Amy Volas says: "If you’re in sales, learn to love the conversation. Slow down, let go of the need to sell, take an interest, and be curious. You'll thank me later for it."
🎯 Learn from Amber Armstrong - CMO at LivePerson and 3 other women leaders on how they are keeping their remote teams motivated.
🤔 Any Questions?
Armand Farrokh says “Any Questions?” is not a real question. Instead 1) Continue the discovery 2) Validate past problems 3) Envision the rollout.
Mor Assouline tells us not to confuse “Any Questions” with engaging a prospect on a demo. Use open-ended questions about their business, not just the feature.
✅ Josh Roth advises to follow up with pleasant persistence. 71% of prospects say the earlier the better - during the information-gathering stage of a new project. “It is also clearly far better to be too early in your follow-up than too late.”
🧠 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.
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