Alex Portin’s Post

"Let me get back to you..." Ah, the eternal sales limbo. It’s not that we’re impatient—we’re just on our 5th cup of coffee, refreshing our inbox like it’s a slot machine, and naming the office plants while we wait. In sales, we have two speeds: closing fast or waiting so long we start contemplating a second career in stand-up comedy. Honestly, we’ve seen sloths move faster than some of these decision-makers. But we know, one day they'll call us back. Until then, we’ll just wait and probably name our kids after them… maybe after the month they promised to “circle back.” "Oh, Hello! This is our son... 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟶𝟮𝟶." 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: At 3D Sales, we're not just chasing leads for you, we're also shortening your sales cycle to save your sanity! #SalesLife #LongSalesCycle #StillWaiting #3DSales #SalesCycle #LeadGeneration #WaitingGame #SalesChallenges #B2BSales #SalesStruggles #DecisionMakers #SalesTruth #PatienceInSales

#7. Focus on how to tell your story, your story is your ultimate sales tool <> Amen, Awomen. #branding #copywriting #CompanyPositioning

Yesterday's post got us thinking about the "why" behind sales incentives. But what makes a plan truly stick and keep your team fired up?  *Spoiler alert: it's not always just about the cash!* Think beyond the paycheck: Turns out, a little public recognition can go a long way, especially for the younger crew hitting the sales floor. A shoutout from the boss, a chance to lead a project, or even a simple "attaboy" can do wonders for motivation and team spirit. Seriously, have you ever felt more pumped by a high five and a "great job!" than a commission bump? Publicly celebrating wins creates a sense of community and makes everyone feel valued. Let's chat in the comments! What are your thoughts on the power of recognition in sales incentives? #SalesMotivation #SalesCulture

10 things I wish someone had told me when I was building my company, that all early-stage founders should know: 1. You are more capable than you think you are 2. The more you realise you don’t know, the more you will learn 3. It’s not all work no play, have fun along the way 4. Give away everything you learn, it’ll come back ten-fold 5. Weird is cool, be your weird self 6. No email after work is so urgent it can’t wait until tomorrow - make time for family 7. Focus on how to tell your story, your story is your ultimate sales tool  8. Say yes to the opportunities that scare you, you never know where they might lead 9. Figure out what your personal values are and stick to them 10. With great power comes great responsibility, use it wisely What would you add to the list? Let me know. 👇

Strategies and tactics don't work equally across industries, markets and products. I spent most of my career in Martech selling pipeline generating software to GTM leaders. Moving into a role where I'm working with CS/Support folks has been an eye opening experience. They are different people and care about drastically different things: Marketers/GTM folks - care about upside and potential payoff - are willing to take risks - respond well to outbound (especially highly personalized) - are willing to be a bulldog champion internally CS and Support folks: - care about stability and process - risk averse and need to do very thorough testing - need a quorum to move forward - play less games around pricing/negotiation Understanding what the buyer that you're working with cares about and aligning your process to them is the key to figuring out what will work for your role, your team, your industry. 🫡

Let's talk about the magic of OpSuite and how it can transform your business, starting with recruiting the perfect team members! ✨ Did you know? We're not just about operations—we're also your secret weapon in sourcing and interviewing agents to find the best fit for your team. Exciting news! We recently placed two amazing Inside Sales Associates on Tyree Tobler's team, and we couldn't be happier to be part of their success journey. 🌟 If you're ready to elevate your team and bring in top talent, let's connect! Click the link in our bio to learn more about OpSuite and start a conversation. Your dream team awaits! 💼💬

A fun story about when I tried to poach someone over a slice of pizza. When I’m hiring for the sales team, the #1 trait I look for is a chip on the shoulder. #2 is hair-on-fire urgency. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I was looking for a new office space for Revv. We’re a much bigger team now and need more space. This one account executive was showing me offices all over NY. Throughout the process, I really liked how persistent he was and how good he was at his job. We had a 20 minute break between viewings one day and ended up grabbing a slice of pizza together. I couldn’t tell you what the name of the place was or even what pizza I ate – because my entire focus was on trying to aggressively poach him. It didn’t work. He was way too loyal to his company. (Which made me like him so much more). Instead, he gave me referrals to 2 other AEs that he said were rock stars, and now they’re a part of Revv and performing extremely well. Lesson: you can’t always poach the best talent. But you don’t become the best by surrounding yourself with bad company. If there’s someone you admire but can’t hire, they’ll almost always know other people who fit the bill.

5 boxes sales reps need checked to avoid burnout and perform better. – Every missing box increases the likelihood of quitting and/or low performance by 20% 1. Relatively happy with recent performance and/or future outlook. 2. Not hate the work they do. 3. Feel they are receiving something meaningful TO THEM by being at the company. Whether for the company or themselves. This will vary from rep to rep. (Skills, extra savings, autonomy, flexibility, lifestyle, career, growth, etc.) 4. Feel well compensated by the company. 💰 5. Feel like they have the ability to live a life outside the office they enjoy. Essentially that their universe doesn’t begin and end with their job. There's a reason I use the word "FEEL" so many times in that list. It is summed up in a great quote I saw from golf's GOAT: There is a difference between feel and real. – Tiger Woods 🐐 If 1, 3, or 5 aren’t checked, stay tuned for my next post this week on how to fix them! 💡 Have a thought to share?? 📣 Let's hear it.

Now *this* is some esteemed company! 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁...𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄... Ralph Barsi - Been learning from him for...longer than I'd like to admit. Wrote the book and a genuine, kind human to boot. Gabrielle “GB” Blackwell - If you're not subscribed to her newsletter...what are you doing?!? Lori Richardson - What else can I say about Lori I haven't already said a million times...she's a legend. Tactical but caring. Experienced and creative. Eloquent but not afraid to give you the much-needed wakeup call. I wouldn't be where I am without her support - especially early on!! Cynthia H. - Newer face but she is building something AMAZING at Simera and doing it in public. Pay attention here to how the next generation builds excellence - especially with multi-national/ #multilingual  teams!! Kyle Coleman - Built the entire GTM motion at Clari, now at Copy.ai  (coup of the century for them IMHO) - can't wait to see what he does there!! 🏄♂️ Scott Leese - Always has killer advice and the original #realtalk guy here on Linkedin. Looking for sanity in this insane career? He's your guy. Rosalyn Santa Elena - My ops brain has been fangirling over her content for YEARS. If you're interested in #RevOps or want to uplevel...start here! Morgan J Ingram - Yeah he's brilliant and funny and talented. Don't tell him I said so. Can't let his head get bigger ;) Thanks The Sales Collective for including us!

🚀 Hiring Account Executives in new regions isn't easy. 💡 Here's what Andy Baillie would look for if he was recruiting the first AE on the ground in the UK 🇬🇧 🎥 Growing Pains is a new video series where fitness meets software sales! 🎤 I interview some of most successful sales leaders in the tech industry about their career journeys and how they've built high performing sales teams. 👇 Follow the link in the comments to watch Episode One! 🍿