AGRI-SEARCH’s Post

Ask your candidates if they can take you through a winning sales strategy and playbook they have put together for another company. Most CEOs think that they will hire a sales leader that will deliver this critical plan for them.  But most sales leaders don’t have the experience or patience to design a winning sales strategy and playbook… they want to come in and make money right away. The best sales leaders identify companies that already have this completed and ask for it in the interview. The reality is, it’s your job to design and publish a winning sales strategy and play book but most CEOs don’t have that DNA … so get some help, get it done and then go hire a sales leader.

LinkedIn penalizes reposts with thoughts, but I’ll just shout into the void then. This is one of the realest posts I’ve seen on LinkedIn in some time. Shout out to Hannah Ajikawo for sharing the unpopular opinion. I started out as what was effectively a super BDR. I’m now a CRO. When people ask me how I did it, or for career advice, my answer is always a simple one. Don’t believe anyone that tells you there’s some shortcut or magic way forward, the path to career advancement in this line of work is simple: 1. Care about what you do. 2. Work harder than your peers are willing to. 3. Make sure your goals are known to those that hold the keys. That’s really it. If you care about what you do and your reputation, and are willing to outwork everyone else, you’re already probably better than 90% of the people in your role. Continue to invest in your own growth and the world is your oyster. If you want a straight 9-5, to roll out of bed right before meetings, look down on hustle culture, you WILL NOT make it in sales. It’s just not for you. Sales is great because, in almost every case, you get out what you put in. Figure out who you want to be sooner than later, you’ll be much happier for it.

Founder BDR and AE roles appear to be popping up all over the place. If you’re not a founder and you’re in sales, just call yourself a salesperson. For years I’ve seen sales people call themselves different things other than their real title. This tends to be because: 1️⃣ Reps aren’t comfortable with the fact they are in sales 2️⃣ Leaders believe job titles will attract and retain talent 3️⃣ Companies think calling someone in sales a “founder” or a “consultant” makes them more important Here’s the truth… There’s a certain type of person that wants to join a startup and be the first sales hire. If you’ve found the right person to be your first sales hire your goal should be to develop them and reward them for their service as you grow. You don’t need to call them anything fancy otherwise you might be luring the wrong people in. Titles don’t matter to those who have true grit and just want to win. People don’t care about titles as much as they used to. They align with your purpose and want to know how you will make them successful and be happy in their role. Buyers can see through the “consultant” title of your AEs or BDRs. Train reps to be great at being sellers and buyer-centric and the title doesn’t matter. Buyers would actually rather transparency as it creates trust. I am proud to be in sales. I didn’t used to be as I thought it was beneath me and I fell into sales by accident. Call yourself a salesperson if you’re in sales. #sales

I am so glad I now have a sales position. 🔥 The skill i’m learning is invaluable as it can be applied to all aspects of life. You just provide value. Success in sales isn't just about closing deals; it's about creating meaningful connections and providing value that lasts beyond the transaction. Of course, close the sales! But be of value and of service to those you work with 🚀 #sales #phoenixjob #growthmindset

Looking to hire Path for Growth's first full-time salesperson. Not in a rush to fill this position. Looking for the right person. "Business Development Manager" Here's what winning looks like for this role... 1. Weekly sales activity goals are set and in alignment with acquisition goals. 2. Sales plans and activities are documented and made visible. 3. Assigned prospects are managed from MQL-to-Close. 4. Product knowledge and familiarity are neither a hindrance nor a blocker. Completely open to having a sales leader come into this role, develop a vision for this team, and bring new talent into the organization. 2024's growth is outpacing 2023's growth by ~5x. We have a lot of work to do. And a whole bunch of impact-driven leaders to serve. Who do I need to talk to? Who has the right connections? Lmk in the comments!

The secret to being a great VP Sales. It's not your sales process It's not your playbooks It's not your sequences It's not your tech stack acumen It's your recruiting, hiring, and coaching skills. Hire a great sales team and all that other stuff will take care of itself. Remember, all those things may be part of the role, but you don't keep your job by being great at that other stuff. You keep your job by driving revenue, and unless you're doing all the selling, your success is all based on the success of your team.

Unpopular reality for some. Sales is hard. Hard roles come with harder downstream impacts. Sometimes you gotta lean in more Stay late Miss the lunch Skip dinner Cancel weekend plans Break non-negotiables. Have pressure from leadership This isn't everyday. It's sometimes. Because a successful career in sales will change your life. Change the life you create for your loved ones Open up opportunities that you could barely imagine That's why....sometimes, you need to go all out. We all preach about boundaries, no late nights, no this and that when in reality, those of us in sales know that at times you gotta GO IN! We didnt choose sales because we wanted to be average, we chose sales because we heard it could change our lives and accelerate our careers faster than most other professions. Let's keep it real sometimes. Sales is NOT for everyone. That is ok. Just make sure you know what you signed up for.

As a hiring sales manager, most (90%) of applicants make it a point to tell me they are a "closer" or their biggest strength is closing deals. This is completely voluntary and not brought up on my end, but something they think is important to bring up. I appreciate that they consider themselves a closer, but I also expect that a salesperson be able to close a deal. It's the basis of the role to bring additional business to the company. I am more interested in how you get your sales, how do you prospect new business, and what is your plan to build a network or market for the position you are applying for. Don't get me wrong, closing sales is the name of the game, but getting those opportunities to close a sale is the most important factor in your success as a salesperson in my opinion. Let's talk more about that.

Day 10/21: Building a winning sales team Channel Account Managers - It’s a bit of a misnomer, right? You're managing accounts, sure, but the primary goal in any start-up/scale-up is growing them. Think about it: it's not just about keeping clients happy (that’s important, don't get me wrong), but really digging in to find new opportunities within these accounts. You need reps who are as good at hunting as they are at farming – someone who’s got an eye for spotting growth potential, not just maintaining the status quo and growing the book MRR by 5% YoY. So, when you’re staffing up, don’t just look for great relationship builders. Seek out the skills that you’d be looking for when hiring a hunter/BDM.

I don’t need or want a big sales team. There is no denying the impact a great sales team can have on a start-up but doesn’t mean it needs to be big. Having been a VP of Sales and having driven companies revenues from zero to a combined hundredes of millions, I've come to value the role of a dedicated, persistent, and goal-oriented sales team in the overall growth strategy. In a start-up environment, every sale counts. It is not just about closing a deal but also about establishing long-term relationships with clients that foster loyalty and repeat business. This is where hiring the right talent comes into play. Having the right individuals onboard who are not only skilled at selling but also understand your product/service well, can effectively communicate its unique selling points to prospects and are committed to your company's growth can make all the difference. As we race towards another year of opportunities and challenges, let's remember to invest in hiring quality over quantity. After all, it's not about how many people are on your sales team; it's about how well they can sell.