Matt Parkin, CAPM®

Yesterday, I ran the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon 🏃‍♂️ Here are some commonalities between running and sales ⬇️ 1. It's a (half) marathon, not a sprint. 2. Discipline is key. 3. Your training program will set you up for success. 4. Sometimes you will not want to wake up early and go for a run or hit the phones on a cold call block. Both are important and necessary for success. 5. Time management is critical. 6. The hardest part is starting your journey. 7. Hard work WILL pay off.

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Join Avalara´s upcoming live webinar with Shopify, Understanding tax compliance for Shopify users. 8th August @ 4:00 PM BST, to learn insights and solutions specifically tailored for Shopify users. They´ll show you how you can handle sales tax without the headache. Register now to save your seat! https://lnkd.in/eEzr-7tw #Shopify #Avalara #TaxCompliance

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🚀 Ready to tackle your SDR challenges like a pro? 📈 "Overcoming Top SDR Challenges: A Strategic Guide" is here to turn those hurdles into stepping stones for success! 🏆 🔍 Discover actionable strategies to: - Boost cold call success rates 📞 - Master objection handling like a wizard 🧙‍♂️ - Perfect your email outreach strategies 📧 - Streamline lead qualification processes 🎯 Why let challenges hold you back when you can conquer them with ease? 😎 Dive into the guide and transform your SDR game forever! Click the link 🖱️ https://nuel.ink/rzHb7I Don't keep all the secret sauce to yourself—share your thoughts in the comments! 🌟 #SDRSuccess #SalesTips #B2BProspecting #SAASFounders #SalesGrowth 👀 Let's crush those SDR roadblocks together! 💪✨

To all SDRs or anyone entering B2B sales, read this post to avoid falling into common traps. 1. The most successful AEs I have met were the best SDRs. 2. SDRs who didn’t excel in the role and are now AEs are still struggling to generate their own pipeline. 3. AEs who skipped the SDR role, often due to an MBA or strong interview skills, fear switching jobs and roles without inbound leads. They’ve never faced the grind of building a pipeline from scratch, filled with rejections. 4. AEs who have never been an SDR majorly rely on their SDRs or Inbound leads from marketing to help them build pipeline and if any Quarter they don't get inbound or enough meetings from SDRs they sh** in their pants. 5. When these AEs become managers, they often question their team—"Where are the numbers?" or "Why isn’t there a pipeline?"—instead of guiding them on building it. Lacking experience in pipeline generation, they fail to lead by example and eventually lose the respect of their team. Learn the art and science of being an SDR and excel at this job at any cost, you will never have to look back or depend on anyone for pipeline EVER. Prospecting and Generating Pipelines is fundamental to Sales whether you are an SDR, AE, Sr Manager, or VP if you don't know how to do OUTBOUND you will continuously live a sales life of fear and anxiety. So SDRs ask yourselves do you want to be such AE and Managers in the future who depend on others to determine their performance and faith or would you like to own your job? #sales #prospecting #outbound #pipeline #sdr #ae #b2b #saas

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A question for Sales Leaders re: quotas - A friend in Medical sales just got their quota...halfway through May (almost halfway through the year). As a territory manager they hustled in 2023 and achieved 111% to quota. They were #4 in Canada and #1 in Ontario. Great, right? Wrong... As a reward, they were gifted with a 12% increase in quota not from previous year's quota, but from previous year's achievement, and to me this just doesn't make sense. 👉 This type of quota calculation rewards those who achieved 90% (or even lower ) 👉 Demotivates those high achievers - They used their relationships to get orders in before quarter/year end and those doctors won't be needing those products perhaps for 18 months 👉 Promotes #quietquitting - doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary 👉 Promotes mediocrity - the more I sell the more will be expected of me next year My friend is understandably demotivated. They are the first ones to help with any events, often being away from home on a weekly basis to help other colleagues with their events/sales. They no longer want to put in any extra work and are questioning the company and whether it may be time to leave. I would love to hear from Sales Leaders out there as to how you calculate quotas, what systems/products you use, and how you deal with employees who have questions.

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"One of the best things you can do as a manager is hire people who are smarter than you". Bless Edward W. for sharing this with me. Klue is hiring SDRs in Vancouver and Toronto. I'd love to find some people are who smarter than me and hungry af to join an SDR team that prioritizes learning and development in: --> prospecting: value based prospecting pitching multiple products to multiple personas over the phone, Linkedin, and email --> real discovery: SDRs run 20-30 min discovery calls to ID pain, the impact of that pain, and pitch to that pain to excite prospects to book a demo... they then get to sit on that demo for exposure into the sales cycle --> business acumen: learning the ins and outs of a start up and B2B SaaS sales, in short, I want you to be a better seller when you leave SDR'ing at Klue Link in bio if you want to apply. Tip: pls try to stand out if you apply. If you don't showcase your personality, genuine interest, and smarts, I can assure you it won't cut through the noise. #sdr #hiring #salesdevelopmentrepresentative

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It's Thankful Thursday - and I'm so thankful that I’ve had a lot of coffee chats recently with my fellow Canadian sales pros! There was a common theme keeps coming up: “I want to start posting on LinkedIn but there are already so many LinkedIn influencers out there, posting sales tips on a daily basis.” ☕🤔 I hear you. It can feel like LinkedIn is already packed with people talking about prospecting, lead generation, and the latest sales hacks. But let’s take a step back for a moment. 🚶‍♂️ Have you noticed that many of these influencers work for CRM companies, B2B databases, or similar businesses that sell sales tools? Of course, their content is going to revolve around prospecting, lead generation, and closing deals. It’s in their best interest to promote the products and methods that support their business. 💼 But guess what? This is YOUR reminder: LinkedIn isn’t just for them. It’s for YOU, too! 👈 We don’t have to be a “guru” selling a new software to share valuable insights. We all have stories from the field, lessons from tough calls, and tips that we can help others. We’ve all got a perspective that is grounded in real, day-to-day sales work. The world doesn’t need another copy-paste influencer post. It needs OUR authentic voice, our unique experiences, and our genuine insights. So, if you’ve been hesitant to start sharing because you think the space is already crowded—don’t be! There’s room for real voices and new stories. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there’s always someone out there who needs to hear exactly what you have to say. It’s never too late to start. Your first post could be the one that makes a difference to someone else. So, go ahead—let’s hear your story! 💪 #thankfulthursday #CanadianSales #LinkedInJourney #AuthenticityMatters #SalesCommunity #ShareYourStory

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One thing that I really struggle with is accepting that Outbound sales cycles are ✨ longgg ✨ There have been multiple times I've booked a meeting which ended with the prospect saying- "we'll definitely keep you in mind during Q2 2025" "this is not a priority for me right now, but I'm glad I hopped on this meeting" "unfortunately we just renewed with our exciting vendor, but this looks interesting" I often shut these deals down to be losses in my head which I'm learning is FAR from the truth. What I'm trying to count as wins as an SDR apart from clicking on the "meeting booked" disposition on Hubspot: 1. Conversations > Meetings 2. Understanding what their pain points are currently 3. Having insight on who the decision maker would be 4. Knowing when their renewal is coming up with their current provider 5. Having them check out our website during the call because they're intrigued with the value prop (this feeling is 🤌 especially when you see intent from the account on the website) What I'm trying to drill into my brain these days is that NOT every ICP meeting I bring needs to be a "closed won" immediately but a starting of a relationship that is a win by itself :) Outbound sales cycles are LONG, but extremely worthwhile.

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Many are asking me for interview advice Here's what I would do if I applied for an OpenText sales role I'd come prepared with either a presentation for a discovery call Or I'd come prepared with a mock cold call session Once the interview starts see if they will let you role play the discovery Don't just present slides Be present and show them you really know how to do the job Ask questions to get the interviewer (prospect) talking more Show your confidence Have a 30, 60, 90 day plan and your achievements in your back pocket as well Close every interview And just like every great sales rep, you need to follow up pretty fast

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Sellers who have "need for approval" from their prospects are 35% less effective (RAIN Group). It's not your job to make your prospect feel "good" all the time and here's a prime example: When Spencer Ivey is asked for a discount, he simply nods his head and says "....Okay..." He doesn't jump to justify his pricing. He doesn't immediately start negotiating. He lets the silence linger. No doubt, this makes the prospect who just asked him for a discount feel somewhat uncomfortable (Ironic, since that's what they were trying to do to HIM when they demanded a discount!). 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐬. Salespeople that want their prospects to like them (need for approval) will immediately jump to problem solving mode when they get asked for a discount. But the best? They're ok with a little discomfort, even if it means they're less "likable". They know that the discomfort will compel the other party to justify their ask with more information (information is your greatest ally in a negotiation).  

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Reminder to all of my CS friends... It's just as easy to take a minute and put a reminder in your calendar to follow up on the tasks from your call as it is to do the next thing on your list that is going to distract you from following up. A few CSMs on our team are fantastic at this. Immediately after calls, the notes come through to our slack integration, then you see the questions come through to the product channels from the call to follow up. Don't be the person who says they are going to follow up and then forgets. People remember all of the concerns they raise eventually. It's better to deal with it the first time than to let your client remember they brought this up and that it got dropped.

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Watch out consultants, sellers are coming for your job 😎 As they should. If you aren't familiar enough with your space to know who does what well and when / how to make a recommendation to another vendor who may be a better fit you will get left behind. Great chat with Joseph Vollmer. What do you think? #sales #marketing #community

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Public PSA to sales reps with EOY: If you’ve already offered your prospect a discount to sign by X date once or twice… and they haven’t… don’t do it again. Your “promotion” lacks all credibility. Value sell, value sell, value sell. Understand your clients timeline from the very first call you have with them. Micro close them every single interaction you have + then hold contract value because you’re actually aligned on the buying cycle and priorities. 😘🚀 #discounts #eoy #sales #accountexecutives #valueselling

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If you want to get promoted, you can’t rely solely on quota attainment to land the job. Imagine you’re part of a 100-person SDR org. People are eagerly waiting for an SDR Manager role to open up. Now let’s say 60% of your org is overattaining against quota. That’s 60 SDRs who are just as hungry, driven and qualified as you are. Out of those 60, maybe 10% want to go the SDR Manager route. That means you’re competing against 6 strong candidates. All of whom have surpassed quota. (Not to mention the external candidates) If it was just about quota attainment, then the choice would be obvious... The person with the highest quota attainment would get the job. But that’s not how it works. Now imagine you’re somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of quota attainment. But throughout the year you’ve: - Mentored new SDRs and helped them be successful. - Regularly networked with leadership to get feedback and guidance - Earned recommendations from your field team - Led team trainings and initiatives - Built a positive internal brand Even though your attainment wasn’t the highest… You’ve set yourself apart from the other candidates who rely solely on numbers to make their case. While it might not guarantee you the job. You make it easier for the hiring team to picture you succeeding in the role. So if you want to stand out, focus on what you can control beyond the numbers. It helps you go from being one of many, to the one they choose.

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We got this guide before GTA 6. SDRs: Your questions can make or break your conversations 📞 Maryada Bawa wrote a solid guide for School of SDR on crafting better questions for cold calls. It's a quick read, but packed with actionable tips. Key takeaways: Open-ended is the way to go Read the room (even when you're not in one) Bridge the gap between problems and solutions One tip from this guide helped an SDR land a big fish. Not bad, right? Curious about leveling up your question game? Check it out in the comments #Sales #SDR P.S. It's free. Why not take a look? P.P.S- Follow School of SDR so you are the first one to be notified of these amazing free resources. A big surprise is coming.

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Salespeople love data 📊 We added CRM analytics to BC for 3 reasons: 1°) Getting MORE teams onboard 💸 Sales managers need to measure their reps performance. Reps need actionable insights to improve themselves. Lead Gen agencies need to monitor their VAs. Analytics are 🔑 in terms of user experience but also for us to get more mature companies => more seats => bigger subscriptions => MRR increases faster. 2°) Reducing churn rate 📉 Like I said in the beginning: "Salespeople love data 📊", especially their own data. We're all EGO creature. It gets very addictive to refresh your stats, see how you performed compare to last week, compare to last month, etc. It's the kind of feature that by nature makes the product more sticky. 3°) Building more case studies It's finished yet, but internally we'll identify top performing paying customers to build case studies faster. We have many plans around that. --------- What do you think about the UI of Breakcold's analytics?

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Big disconnect right now between frontline sellers and Exec teams I posted yesterday about a few things that have come up recently with a few leaders that have reached out to me. From that post, I got a slew of front line sellers reach out to me and tell me they feel like their companies just dont understand what its like being on the frontline. This is a fundamental breakdown of communication between the frontline, middle and senior leadership teams. The good news though, this can be fixed pretty quickly. The responsibility sits with Director and VP level leaders. Understanding and communicating about the real challenges the sellers are facing on the frontline is essential. Taking that feedback and championing it with senior leadership cross functional is an essential role function of the Director and VP. Too often, the Director or VP are too focused on trying to execute what the business expects that they do not take the time and effort necessary to solve these challenges. If you struggle with this, you are not alone. Help is out there and coaching is available for those of you that want it. Its our responsibility to ensure our frontline folks are heard and supported! Lets all do better.

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YOUR WIN/LOSS DATA IS BS – AND THE LIGHTSPEED 2024 REPORT PROVES IT Take a close look at the Lightspeed 2024 Sales Benchmark Report. It highlights “inaction” (53%) and “economic uncertainty” (47%) as top reasons for losing deals, and “product features” (68%) plus “prior experience” (39%) for winning. But if these are the only insights in your CRM, you’re missing the strategic value hidden in your deal data. –– THE UNSTRUCTURED DATA PROBLEM –– Your GTM stack is overflowing with unstructured data — calls, meetings, emails, etc. Even if you’re using platforms for call recording and coaching, that alone DOES NOT STRUCTURE your data for strategic analysis. If you rely on reps to tag “budget” or “ghosting,” or AI-summaries, you lose critical, nuanced details that drive strategic decisions. Real Win/Loss insights require instant visibility into buyer pains, success criteria, and competitor references (straight from calls, emails etc). They also require a robust gap analysis (think MEDDICC done right), so you see exactly how far the buyer is from their ideal outcome — and how you close that distance. If this data is NOT STRUCTURED in your CRM, you’ll only see “lost due to inaction,” missing the pain you never addressed or the budget holder you never validated. –– WHY STRUCTURED DATA MATTERS –– Without it, you can't get to the real insight that can transform how you sell. Marketing can’t craft competitive messaging if they can't analyse why another vendor beat you. Sales can’t coach effectively if the excuse is always “no champion.” If this data is not structured in your CRM, it can't be actioned and monitored. Result? Your entire org is FLYING BLIND. –– THE GAP ANALYSIS (MEDDICC etc.) –– Gap analysis maps the buyer’s current state to their desired future state. If these details aren’t structured in your CRM, you’ll stay stuck with generic “budget” or “timing” excuses. –– WHY THIS DATA MUST LIVE IN CRM –– Everyone — Sales, Product, Marketing, CS — relies on the CRM for real-time insights. By structuring conversational data into MEDDICC elements, quantifying them into numbers for strength of each element and combining with activity metrics, sales can finally FORECAST, and use resources efficiently. CRM should guide the full journey (sale, retention, upsell), revealing which ICP segments thrive and which might churn — so you can tailor product, messaging, and resources. –– THE FINAL WORD –– If you’re fine with “economic uncertainty” or “prospect went silent”, keep letting unstructured data go to waste. But if you want to truly improve and use your data as a competitive advantage, you need to systematically structure and monitor deal data by leveraging Epicbrief to autonomously pull data from your existing tools like Gong or SalesLoft or similar, structure and populate data in your CRM. No UI. Zero effort from reps. Turn your data into a strategic weapon for growth. ————— Curious how Epicbrief does this? DM me. #b2b #sales

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I don't make sales calls. I don't even take many sales calls. But yesterday was the best possible exception. Here's how it happened: 1. New connection request looking to talk 2. They're thinking about buying Five9 3. We had a bunch of common connections so why not accept The immediate ask for a 1-hour call did not sit well. That's a big time commitment for a stranger. I'm glad I took the call though. It was thee best intro call I've had on LinkedIn in years! Here's what did it for me: ✅ Casual conversation ✅ Similar family dynamics ✅ Bonding over shared experiences ✅ He was genuinely looking to learn ✅ I play guitar and he knows a luthier ✅ We agreed we have to talk again And in the middle I told him about our company, what we do, why we do it, more information we can share, and how to imagine the future. To focus on the business outcome his company is actually looking for. Not the software we're looking to sell. For a minute there I forgot I'm not in sales and almost asked for the business :) I was fired up! So after all that I updated the actual Five9 sales rep with specific instructions to send my sliver of commission to P.O. Box Let's Go!!! This is why I'm open to new connections on LinkedIn. #beopen #connecting #networking #sales #relationships

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