Sales

One skill separates great communicators from average ones: Perspective-taking. The ability to see things from someone else’s point of view. But most people do it wrong. Here’s how to do it right, especially when you’re leading or being led: When you’re the boss, persuading down: You’re trying to convince Maria on your team to do something different. She’s pushing back. Your instinct might be to assert your authority. But that’s a mistake. Here’s why… Research shows: The more powerful you feel, the worse your perspective-taking becomes. More power = less understanding. So if you want to persuade Maria, don’t lean into your title. Do the opposite: dial your power down, just briefly. Try this: Before the next conversation, remind yourself: Maria has power too. I need her buy-in. Maybe she sees something I don’t. Lower your feelings of power to raise your perspective. From that place, ask: → What does she see that I’m missing? → What might be in her way? → What’s a win-win outcome? That shift changes the entire dynamic. Instead of steamrolling, you’re collaborating. And that’s how you earn trust and results. Now flip it. You’re the employee persuading your boss. It’s a high-stakes moment. You’re nervous. So do you appeal to emotion? No. Drop the feelings. Focus on interests. Here’s the key question: “What’s in it for them?” Not how you feel. Not your big dream. → Will it save time? → Improve performance? → Help them hit their goals? Make it about their world, not yours. Why? Because every boss has a mental shortcut: → Does this employee make my life easier or harder? Be the person who brings clarity, ideas, and upside. Not complaints, drama, or friction. In summary: → Persuading down? Dial down your power to see clearer. → Persuading up? Focus on their interests, not your emotions. Perspective-taking is a superpower, if you learn how to use it. Now practice, practice, practice.

Last week, I heard from a super impressive customer who has cracked the code on how to give salespeople something they’ve always wanted: more selling time. Here’s how he transformed their process. This customer runs the full B2B sales motion at an awesome printing business based in the U.S. For years, his team divided their time across six key areas: 1. Task prioritization 2. Meeting prep 3. Customer responses 4. Prospecting 5. Closing deals 6. Sales strategy Like every sales leader I know, he wants his team to spend most of their time on #5 and #6 — closing deals and sales strategy. But together, those only made up about 30% of their week. (Hearing this gave me flashbacks to my time in sales…and all that admin tasks 😱) Now, his team uses AI across the sales process to compress the amount of time spent on #1-4: 1. Task prioritization → AI scores leads and organizes daily tasks 2. Meeting prep → AI surfaces insights from calls and contact records before meetings 3. Customer responses → Breeze Customer Agent instantly answers customer questions 4. Prospecting → Breeze Prospecting Agent automatically researches accounts and books meetings The result? Higher quantity of AI-powered work: More prospecting. More pipeline.  Higher quality of human-led work: More thoughtful conversations. Sharper strategy. This COO's story made my week. It's a reminder of just how big a shift we're going through – and why it’s such an exciting time to be in go-to-market right now.

My first SaaS job, I made $36,000 a year as an SDR. 10 years and six promotions later, I pulled in $1.63M. Here’s 7 things I learned to grow your SaaS sales career to $1M: 1. You have to sell enterprise deals. At least, if you want to make seven-figures. That’s not to say enterprise is “better” than SMB or mid market. But it’s simple economics. Close seven-figure deals? Make six-figure commission checks. Close four-figure deals? Make three-figure commission checks. Simple. You can make multiple six figures selling to SMBs. But probably not seven-figures. 2. Your market matters more than your product. Most salespeople don’t “get” this. As a business, it’s better to have a “starving crowd” than it is to have a “delicious burger.” Hungry markets buy. Passionate markets buy. Indifferent markets, don’t. No matter how great the product. 3. “Who” matters more than “what” or “how.” Get in front of: A) the right people, at B) the right accounts If you do that, you’ll double your success. If you’re in front of the right “who,” even mediocre selling technique wins. If you’re in front of the wrong “who,” even great selling technique loses. 4. Your boss dictates your success. At least, a lot of it. And more than you would like to know (or admit to). Bad boss? Tough to have a great career. Great boss? Tough to have a bad career. Choose your boss wisely. Make sure they are someone you aspire to emulate. 5. People buy to relieve pain (more than any other reason). Write this down: “Money follows pain.” Big pain? Big dollars. Big checks. Little pain? Little dollars. Little checks. Uncover the business pain. Build the business pain. Quantify the business pain And watch your commission checks soar. 6. Business acumen sells. Repeat after me: “I am not a salesperson. I am a business person who happens to sell.” Say that a few times. If you’re going to close big deals, you have to: - talk to executives. - talk to senior leaders. - talk to decision makers. Want to know who those people WANT to talk to? People with business acumen. Want to know who those people DON’T want to talk to? Clueless salespeople that ask:  “sO hOw doEs tHat iMpAct yoU pErsOnAlLy?” 7. Become a “learning machine.” The best advice I ever got? “The average American spends 4 hours a day on mindless web surfing. “Take an hour of that four hours every day. “And spend that hour reading and learning. “Do that for a few years, and you’ll never have to worry about money again. “In five years, you’ll wake up to a completely different life.” I took that to heart. In 10 years, I read over 500 books. Want to know the dividends that paid? Untold. I'm still doing that today. P.S. During that time, I listened to over 3,000 SaaS discovery call recordings in Gong. Here's 39 "best of the best" questions that sell I compiled: https://go.pclub.io/list

For my first 16 years in tech sales, I averaged 240K/year W2 income. In my last 4 years, I averaged 720K/year. In order to triple my income, I had to change my sales approach entirely. Here's what I changed: I started using a new approach that I now call Yo-yo selling: 🪀 Yo-yo selling emphasizes starting at the executive level, conducting thorough discovery within the organization, and then returning to the executive with a tailored business case. Like holding a yo-yo, you are constantly in communication with the Executive Sponsor and updating them as you collect information and conduct deep discovery lower down in their organization. You are literally going up and down the organization, but always taking everything back to the Executive Sponsor to surface your findings along the way. Here's a breakdown of the framework: 🎯 𝐈𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐤’𝐬 “𝐘𝐨-𝐘𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 This strategy involves a three-step process: 1. Start at the Top (Executive Engagement) Initiate contact with a senior executive to understand their most pressing challenges, the reasons behind the need for change, and the consequences of inaction. If your solution aligns with their needs, secure their sponsorship for further discovery within their organization. To secure the Executive Meetings, it's essential to create a tailored POV (point of view) on where you think you may be able to help them based on your initial research of their highest level goals and priorities. Chat GPT has made this research a LOT faster now. 2. Conduct In-Depth Discovery (Middle Management) Engage with department heads and key stakeholders to uncover the day-to-day challenges they face. Focus on understanding their processes, pain points, and the implications of current inefficiencies. Gather direct quotes and insights to build a comprehensive view of the organization's needs. 3. Return to the Executive (Present Findings) Compile the insights gathered into an executive summary and business case. Present this to the executive sponsor, highlighting how your solution addresses the identified challenges. Tailor your demonstration to focus solely on relevant aspects that solve their specific problems. 🚀 Why It Works 1. Accelerates Sales Cycles: Engaging executives early ensures alignment and expedites decision-making. 2. Builds Credibility: Demonstrates a deep understanding of the organization's challenges and showcases a tailored solution. 3. Facilitates Internal Buy-In: By involving various stakeholders, you ensure that the solution meets the needs of all parties, increasing the likelihood of adoption. I'm pleased to share that that Yo-yo selling was recently awarded as a Top 15 Sales Tactic of All Time by 30 Minutes to President's Club, and I received a cool plaque for entering the 30MPC Hall of Fame. Since I have no chance of entering the Hall of Fame for my baseball or golf game, this is a nice consolation prize 😁

This is the most underrated way to use Claude: (and it has nothing to do with writing or coding) It's competitive intelligence. Using data that's free, public, and updated every single week. Here's my extract step by step guide: Step 1. Go to claude .ai. Step 2. Select the new Claude "Opus 4.6." Step 3. Turn on "Extended Thinking." Step 4. Pick a competitor. Go to their careers page. Step 5. Copy every open job listing into one doc. (Title. Team name. Location. Full description) Step 6. Save it as one .txt or .docx file. Step 7. Search the company at EDGAR (sec .gov) Step 8. Download its recent 10-K or 10-Q filing. (Official strategy, risks, and financials - all public.) Step 9. Upload both files to Claude Opus 4.6. Step 10. Paste this exact prompt: "You are a competitive intelligence analyst at a rival company. I've uploaded [Company]'s complete current job listings and their most recent SEC filing. Perform a strategic intelligence analysis: → Cluster these roles by what they suggest is being built. Don't use the team names they've listed. Infer the actual product initiatives from the skills, tools, and responsibilities described. → Identify capabilities or teams that appear entirely new — not mentioned anywhere in the SEC filing. These are unreleased bets. → Find roles where seniority is disproportionately high for a new team. This signals executive-level priority. → Cross-reference the SEC filing's Risk Factors and Strategy sections with hiring patterns. Where are they investing against a stated risk? Where did they flag a risk but have zero hiring to address it? → Predict 3 product launches or strategic moves this company will make in the next 6-12 months. State your confidence level and cite specific job titles and filing sections as evidence. Format this as a 1-page competitive intelligence briefing for a CMO." What you'll find: → Products that don't exist yet but will in 6 months. → Priorities that contradict what the CEO said. → Risks they told the SEC but aren't addressing. This is what consulting firms charge $200K for. It took me 10 minutes. I used the new Claude 'Opus 4.6' for a reason: ✦ It read 60 job listing & a 200-page filing together.  ✦ And connects dots across both. ✦ It is superior in thinking and context retrieval. That's why I didn't use ChatGPT for this.

My client fired their entire SDR team on Tuesday By Friday, their pipeline had grown by 60% This sounds impossible It's not After auditing 50 B2B sales organizations over 10 years, I've uncovered the most expensive myth in modern selling: → The belief that MORE activity at the TOP of your funnel will fix conversion problems at the BOTTOM Let me share what actually happened: This mid-market software company was spending $350,000 annually on their 4-person SDR team - 100+ cold calls per rep daily - 17 meetings booked weekly - "Incredible metrics" according to leadership - But their close rate? A devastating 1.2% The VP of Sales was convinced they needed MORE outreach, MORE automation, MORE top-of-funnel I suggested something different: pause all prospecting for 7 days Instead, we had their account executives do something radical - engage with the 215 prospects already in their pipeline who'd gone cold after initial meetings Using a framework we developed: - 65 prospects responded within 24 hours - 41 booked follow-up meetings - 23 re-entered active buying cycles - 6 closed within 14 days (total value: $212K) The shocking revelation? - Their pipeline wasn't empty - It was overflowing with neglected opportunity. This company didn't have a lead generation problem. They had a lead nurturing catastrophe. By reallocating resources from mindless prospecting to strategic engagement, they've now: - Reduced CAC by 60% - Shortened sales cycles by 30% - 2x their close rate The counterintuitive truth: Sometimes the fastest path to growth is to stop chasing new opportunities and start converting the ones you've already earned. What percentage of your marketing and sales budget is focused on prospects who've already shown interest vs those who haven't? That ratio reveals everything about your future growth trajectory P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

Everyone talks about what is changing in sales that I think it's important to remember what will NEVER change in sales... 👇 Yes, AI is important. Yes, technology advances. Yes, buyers change. BUT there are a lot of things in sales that will never change: 1 - Sales will ALWAYS be about solving problems and helping people. ↳ People can tell when someone is only interested in selling something. ↳ The focus should always be on the problem you solve, not the product. 2 - Listen always has been, and always will be, more important than talking. ↳ The best salespeople listen 2-3X more than they talk. ↳ They ask the right questions and give their customers time to answer. ↳ The encourage their customers to elaborate and go deeper. 3 - People buy from people they TRUST. ↳ In an AI dominated world, trust has never been more valuable. ↳ If they don't trust you, they'll find a salesperson they do trust. 4 - Never sell something to someone who doesn't NEED it. ↳ You might win a sale, but chances are it will get cancelled. ↳ There's also the risk they tell others about their bad experience. 5 - Lying is NEVER acceptable in sales. ↳ If you lie to win a sale, chances are it won't last. ↳ No good salesperson will ever need to lie to win a sale. 6 - Sales success will always be based on hard and smart work. ↳ Hard work is important, but hard smart work will always win. ↳ Quality and quantity come hand in hand in sales. 7 - Salespeople need to be RESILIENT to win at sales. ↳ You'll face a lot of rejection, objection and challenge. ↳ The best in sales walk through it and know how to deal with it. 8 - The most important sales skill is the ability to ADAPT. ↳ Adapting to new tech, new platforms, new tools and new processes. ↳ Adapting to each individual prospect and customer. I'll be the first to embrace new things in sales. But I'll always follow the basics. And after 20+ years in sales I can tell you one thing... The basics will always win. Always.

Here's how to simplify your pitch and 10x your sales: 1. Talk less, sell more. Short sentences = more sales. Hemingway once bet he could write a story in 6 words that'd make you feel something: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Your pitch should pack the same punch. 2. Complexity is for people who want to feel smart, not be effective. The worst salespeople make simple things sound complicated. The best make the complex simple. 3. Complexity says, "I want to feel needed." Simplicity limits to only what is needed. 4. Read your pitch out loud. I remember when I'd asked my COO to read the manuscript of my book. He chose to do it aloud. All 258 pages. Ears catch what eyes miss. The final version reads like butter. 5. "Be good, be seen, be gone." This was the best sales advice I ever got. - Good: Deliver value - Seen: Make an impression - Gone: Don't overstay your welcome People buy from those they remember, not those who linger. 7. Speak like your customer, not a textbook. We like to sound sophisticated. "We create impactful bottom-line solutions." But we like to listen to simple. "We help small businesses explode their sales." Which one would you buy? 8. Every word earns its place. Your pitch should be lean and mean. - Be specific - Avoid cliches - Check for redundancy - If it doesn't add value, cut it out 9. Abstract concepts bore. Concrete examples excite. ❌ "We'll increase your efficiency." ✅ "We'll save you 10 hours a week." Paint a picture. 10. People buy on emotion & justify with logic So tap into their feelings: - Fear of missing out - Desire for success - Need for security Then back it up with facts. 11. The "Grandma Test" never fails. If your grandma wouldn't get your pitch, simplify it. No jargon. No buzzwords. Just plain English. 12. Benefits > features. Dreams > benefits. ❌ "Our group hosts 10+ events per year." ✅ "Our program helps you close deals." 🚀 "Let's take back Main Street through ownership." 13. Use power words: - You - Free - Because - Instantly - New These words grab attention and drive action. Two final things to keep in mind... Simplicity isn't just for sales. Apply these principles to: - your business operations - your thinking processes - your next investment - your relationships - your to do list Sales isn't just for car dealerships. You pitch when you: - Negotiate a raise - Interview for a job - Post on social media - Hire someone for a job - Talk to an owner about buying their biz If you found this useful, feel free to share for others ♻️

Demand Capture 101. This is actual data from a $60MM ARR SaaS company. Let’s break it down 👇   How a lead/account enters your pipeline is the biggest predictor of sales velocity metrics - win rates, sales cycle lengths, even ACVs.    Because how they enter your pipeline is a surrogate for buying intent & indicator of how far they are complete in the buying process.    Here’s how to measure it & use it to drive your revenue strategy:   1. Measure the Opportunity Source in Salesforce on the opportunity record.    Campaign Source = What campaign type did they convert on to move this opportunity into pipeline? (e.g. demo request, e-book download, cold call, trade show, etc.)   Source / Channel = What source or channel did they come from in order to convert? (e.g. LinkedIn ad, organic search, account intent data, ZoomInfo, etc.)    Using both of these data points combined will literally guide your strategy.    This shows you the optimal paths to *capture demand* and is easily measurable using software-based attribution.   2. Separate conversion sources between *Declared Intent* and *Low Intent*.    Declared Intent = The buyer declares intent to buy from you (e.g. Demo Request, Contact Sales) Low Intent = You assume the buyer has intent based on their digital behavior (e.g. ebook download, webinar attendee, trade show badge scan, intent data, etc.)    3. Calculate core sales analytics between the two sources.    Calculate conversion rates, lead-to-win rate, net new ARR, sales velocity, and more.    4. Visualize how much conversion intent matters to sales velocity and sales productivity.    149X higher lead-to-win rates for declared intent conversions   Declared intent = 26 “leads” to win 1 deal for $54k ARR Low Intent = 3,868 “leads” to win 1 deal for $130k ARR   18X greater sales velocity for declared intent conversions   Declared intent = $14.2MM annual sales velocity Low intent = $781k annual sales velocity 5. Recognize not all MQLs are created equal Measuring on MQLs incentivizes teams to get the most volume of MQLs for the lowest cost (low intent conversions), which is entirely misaligned with sales productivity and sales goals. Separate these into two Pipeline Sources (Declared Intent, Low Intent). Plan and build your goals for these two sources separately.   __   Now you know exactly HOW you want buyers to enter pipeline (capture demand) for maximum sales velocity & sales team efficiency. You also know exactly WHY buyers choose to take those paths to enter pipeline & WHAT triggers / channels / tactics move them to conversion. And with all of these insights, you can re-architect your strategy that optimizes for REVENUE. #revenue #sales #marketing #b2b #gtm p.s. Every SaaS company’s data looks like this, because it’s universal to how buyers buy. Most just don’t take the 3 hours of time to analyze their own data and see it for themselves.

10 D2C predictions for FY26. I do this every year. What did I miss? 1. Quick commerce only brands will be born. Qcomm GMV is growing ~70% annually i.e. founders will start building products for the platform itself. The effect is simple: limited SKUs, impulse-led pricing (₹50–₹150), and packaging designed for a thumbnail scroll will win. Go Zero and Let's Try do >10 cr pm each on qcomm. They are the start of something… 2. Mid market price points will find it harder At the bottom, price + convenience wins (q-comm, private labels).  At the top, identity + quality wins (premium brands). The middle/slightly better products (where a lot of legacy brands sit) may struggle 3. India is finally ready for premium. India’s per capita income is ~$2,500 and rising . That’s enough to sustain ₹2K–₹20K products at scale. Brands like Mokobara, Comet, Andamen and Gully Labs Labs have started this wave. More will come. 4. More Celebrity-led brands will come. All won’t succeed. One bucket will scale massively where a real operator sits behind the celebrity (PALMONAS scaling ~40x, SuperYou hitting ₹200Cr ARR). Those without a good operator will die - a celeb isn’t enough. 5. Offline expansion might still be an expensive mistake. D2C brands are rushing offline because leaders are doing it (SNITCH, The Souled Store Store etc). But offline isn’t a channel, it’s a different business. Most founders underestimate rentals, inventory sync, staff, shrinkage. The effect: we’ll see a wave of silent store closures by 2027. 6. Transparency will become the strongest moat in consumer. 73% of Indian consumers now read ingredient labels. It’ll expand beyond food, health and BPC. You’ll see many “whole truths of…” 7. Customers want to remember home - demand for hyper-regional products. Sweet Karam Coffee grew ~4x in a year and is crossing ₹100Cr+ by serving the South Indian diaspora globally. Moms made is off to a good start with Bihari snacks. Startups that build with cultural depth will scale faster. 8. “Built in India for the world” will become a real category. Korea did it. India can do it with Ayurveda, textiles, and food. But the bar is global quality, not Indian differentiation. Founders who get this right will build outsized companies. 9. Niche > scale in beauty, wellness, and food. The “build for everyone” playbook is over. The consumer is now informed and specific. The next winners will be built around use-cases: menopausal skincare, textured hair, clinical bodycare. This shift reduces TAM on paper but increases conversion and retention in reality. 10. Subscription businesses will finally work in India. Platforms like Kuku FM have already scaled to 10M+ paid users with ~90% via autopay through UPI. This unlocks predictable revenue in categories like pet care, supplements, coffee, and baby products. Keen to hear where you agree or disagree!