Lars van Wieren

Top sales talent leaves B2B SaaS firms regularly within <12 months, because there's a lack of pipeline, process, and professional sales enablement. In Dutch, we call this "mopping with the tap open" 😁 Founders without a solid GTM approach often make this mistake. I can't blame them. The mission of Manuel and Florian at SalesPlaybook resonates with me: To close bigger deals faster and retain rockstar talent by: -> Building & scaling repeatable pipeline generation -> Coaching, training & enabling sales leaders -> Increasing efficiency & revenue per rep The result? You close more and bigger deals faster, and you retain your top talent because they're set up for success. Because losing any top sales talent is like losing a 6-figure ARR deal: "Priceless". Want to learn more? DM me if you’d like a direct introduction—I highly recommend them!

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𝐀𝐈 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? Let’s talk about something people aren’t paying enough attention to:  𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. With AI handling tasks, we’ll all have more time for… well, life. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐭: 📌 The global leisure market is already huge—worth $4.5 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧. 📌 Yet, a lot of companies are focused on tech-driven efficiency. 📌 Meanwhile, there’s a growing need for startups that inspire joy, connection, and adventure. 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: • AI automates work. • People reclaim their time. • Startups that focus on play, creativity, and connection win big. Which startups in the leisure space do you think deserve more attention? Tag them here! #AI #Innovation #FutureOfWork #Startups #LeisureEconomy #Entrepreneurship #HumanConnection #WorkLifeBalance #Technology #AdventureStartup

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Last week we spun up a fully-automated outbound B2B campaign for one of my companies. Within 24hrs we had 10 new deals in the pipeline. Here's three reasons why it worked for our team: 1. We interviewed customers to understand why they buy. No assumptions. For example, sustainability is a big part of what this company offers but from interviews, we know that is not why customers buy. Copy excluded this major value-add on purpose and focused on their motives, not ours. 2. We hyper-focused on a 2 ICPs. We got super-narrow on who we targeted and a picked 2 markets where we knew there was already some traction. If this hadn't of worked we would have had a meaningful dataset to analyze and either iterate copy or move to another ICP within <2 weeks. 3. We used a soft opening and offer. We didn't ask for anything from the prospect - not even a meeting. We offered something of value that aligned with our service offering. After opening, this has resulted in a 100% meeting success rate to discuss it. Finally, I have to mention that previous to this campaign, we put 150% hustle into working with marquis customers. That means we're already positioned as an industry leader in this space. I've talked about this before as a powerful sales tool and I know it helped here. As I write this I think we're up to 18 new deals <1 week. #B2Bsales #venturecapital #sales

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Our strategy at PeakSpan is simple - scaling a growth company successfully should be an iterative, incremental process. The decisions and options you have in front of you at $3M of ARR scale are vastly different than those at $10M and different still from those at $25M and beyond - scale your way into success sensibly, putting your foot on the gas more and more when the data asserts that you’re ready for it and it’s the right thing to do. This video encapsulates our approach in a nutshell - swinging as hard as you can for a statistically unlikely outcome when you’re a young, still very much evolving business, simply isn’t the value maximizing strategy. https://lnkd.in/e96AzU_N

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💥Boom! Popular Sales Intelligence tools just got outlawed. Here's the inside scoop... We're talking about the likes of Lusha, Zoominfo, Apollo and more. Why? Where? Let's dig in... The Netherlands just pulled the plug on them. And this might be a domino effect across the European countries. Here's the essence of it 👇 The AP, the Dutch Authority for Personal Data, laid out stringent new rules few days ago related to data scraping. I pegged this in my book, Sales Tech, hinting that ethical dilemmas could lead to a ban on such tools. Now, it's a reality in the Netherlands. What this means for you? For B2B companies relying heavily on sales intelligence tools, navigating these tight regulations will be tricky. In a nutshell, sales intelligence tools just got booted out in the Netherlands, and the wave might sweep across Europe soon. While this is fresh and the actual impact is yet to be felt, I'd love to hear from experts in my network who can share their insights on this development. My advice? If you use these tools, alert your compliance officer. It's a necessary step. And for those contemplating investing in these tools, it might be best to hold off for now. But the ultimate question is, where do you stand on this? Are you relieved? Or drowning under the weight of strict regulations? Stay in the game, keep making those sales! P.S. Link to the Dutch publication https://lnkd.in/g2NeQ4tE

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📈 Struggling to Find and Connect with the Right Prospects? Apollo. io Can Help! For sales professionals, finding accurate contact information, engaging prospects, and managing outreach efficiently can feel overwhelming. Manually searching for leads, tracking engagement, and juggling platforms can waste valuable time and energy. Apollo. io is here to simplify and supercharge your sales process. With over 275 million contacts at 73 million companies, Apollo’s sales intelligence and engagement platform provides everything you need to connect with prospects and convert them into customers—quickly and effectively. With Apollo.i o, you can: ✅ Search a vast database to find high-quality leads ✅ Engage prospects with powerful automation tools ✅ Convert more leads with targeted, data-driven outreach ✅ Optimize your workflow with a seamless, all-in-one platform Ready to take your sales game to the next level? Sign up for Apollo. io today and see how easy it can be to find, connect, and convert your next client! Get Started with Apolloio for Free Today - https://lnkd.in/gnv-gXXG #ApolloIO #SalesIntelligence #LeadGeneration #SalesEngagement #SalesTools #B2BSales #DataDrivenSales #TryApollo #Sales #Marketing #SaaS #B2B

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I attended SaaS Summit Benelux 2024 Here are 3 key insights ↓ "𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 €100,- 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝.” Chiel Baauw from Whatson showed that Outbound email could be a powerful way to get to that first AHA-moment, but only if they’re concise. Instead of drowning users in text, keep it short and to the point. When editing, imagine earning €100 for every unnecessary word you cut. I know I’d be rolling in cash some days! 😉 "𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐂𝐒𝐌𝐬 & 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐃𝐍𝐀." Stefanie Richheimer from Mollie walked us through Mollie’s approach to customer success. Her advice? CSMs and retention should be embedded in your company’s DNA, not treated as afterthoughts. This way, you’re setting up your customers—and your company—for greater success. "𝐁𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭’𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨." Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz from Valueships dropped some knowledge about SaaS pricing in Benelux. The pricing page isn’t just a list of numbers; it’s a key moment to communicate your product’s value. Fun fact: it’s often the 2nd or 3rd page users visit. So don’t miss the chance to create an “Aha!” moment there. That’s a wrap! I had an amazing time and met some fantastic people. What where your biggest insights of SaaS Summit Benelux 2024?

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CRO for Hire (Part-Time/Full-Time) (Happy 😊 if you share in your network): Are you steering a business that leans heavily on Sales/Customer Success with a vigorous growth agenda or are you aiming for profitable growth? Is your Average Order Value (AOV) within the range of 50kSEK-5MSEK, yet you're not hitting those crucial, sustainable growth KPIs? Check the list below: ✅Conversion-Rate 3.5-5% ✅ Close-Rate >25% ✅ CAC <25% of ARR ✅ NPS >40 ✅ Churn <1% monthly (12% annually) ✅ NRR >100% ✅ ROI from Sales+Marketing <12 months If you're missing these targets, your growth might be costly or there’s a scope for optimization. Essentially, you may not be maximizing company value, and it could be beneficial for you to continue reading. With over 20 years in hard-core sales environments (still young and on learning-curve 💪 ), including more than 16 as a CxO, I've spearheaded startups, scale-ups, and turnarounds. I've worked with private equity-owned firms aiming for aggressive growth and have collaborated with some of the most prestigious, well-compensated consultancy firms to craft growth strategies across various industries in highly competitive settings. My unique advantage is blending strategic foresight with hands-on execution experience. Over the years, I’ve honed my own "8-Pillars of Growth Model," grounded in the Sequoia VP-model, marrying an effective Sales-Led Growth strategy with an agile execution approach. If this resonates with you and your company's aspirations, I'm open to discussing and assessing how I can contribute to your growth journey. 📲 Feel free to reach out, and let's take it from there! 📞 +46734003411 or DM

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Are cold emails dead? Over the last 3 months, our small team acquired 30 webshops through a channel many considered dead: Cold emails. During the predictable revenue boom, cold emails initially worked well. However, as everyone jumped on the bandwagon, inboxes got flooded, and the success of cold emails took a hit. Still, for a cash-strapped startup like ours, cold emails remained one of the cheapest ways to experiment. Here's our playbook: 1. Focused ICP We narrowed down our ICP to understand their exact characteristics. It's a common move, but it kept paying off. 2. Avoid being "salesy" We ditched the numbers, salesy language, and aggressive CTAs. Instead, we wrote like a friend with a great idea to share. 3. Create awareness - let the prospects do the research We skipped the product pitch in emails. Instead, we created awareness by talking about pain, value, and opportunity. Still, prospects did their research before meetings, knowing exactly what we offer. 4. Local language We always write to people in their own language. Danish companies in Danish, Swedish companies in Swedish - and so on. 5. Short subjects No fancy sales subject lines. Just short and sweet, sometimes just one word, to grab attention. 6. Data-driven approach We closely analyze data from email campaigns, conduct A/B tests, review open rates, assess click rates, and evaluate conversion metrics. All our decision-making and optimization is based on data. It's 2024 and people are tired of being sold to everywhere. Creating awareness and getting inbound interest is the goal of commercial leaders, but ads, SEO, and partnerships are an expensive and long-term strategy. Using cold emailing as a cost-effective alternative to create awareness might be the way to grow, especially for startups.

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You're most likely overpaying if you’re not validating your invoices. Why and how, let me show you ⬇️ Some time ago, I was on a call with a rep from the demurrage department of a huge shipping company. As we discussed various invoice numbers from my client's account, it quickly became apparent how nuanced the application of terms can be. When I probed into specifics like the number of free days in demurrage and detention, and whether these days could carry over, I realized that things were fishy. With each inquiry, the answers shifted, often contradicting previous explanations. On pressing further over several different invoices, the rep became frustrated and finally said, “Well, everybody wants to make money.” The more we looked into the invoices, the more we saw potential issues. This initiative is still ongoing, and every day it becomes clearer that without thorough validation, overpayment is a serious risk. If I didn’t have immediate access to data and information at the line-item level, we wouldn’t have even known where to begin. This isn’t just about invoices. It highlights a broader truth: if information is truly what drives key decisions, the only way forward is through digital transformation. Digitizing your cargo container tracking process and integrating it with your financial systems can make a world of difference. By utilizing cloud-based AI OCR models, we can automatically extract line-item level data from invoices and feed that data directly into custom digital supply chain solutions designed to fit your specific business needs. This automation ensures that discrepancies are caught immediately and that no overcharges slip through. Most manufacturers, especially those without huge Finance departments, neglect this level of scrutiny because manual line-item validation is far too tedious. But by adopting digital supply chain solutions, you can save countless hours and avoid costly overcharges. Why leave money on the table? Digital transformation is more than just a concept—it’s a strategy where data is treated as a precious commodity. It’s about leveraging that data to make your operations more efficient, accurate, and responsive. In today's global supply chain, this approach isn’t just an option—it's a necessity. If you're still on the fence, it’s time to cross over and start treating your data like the valuable asset it is. Check with Walker Reynolds if you are not convinced. Digital Supply Chain is an area you will want to invest in. P.S.: We talk more about shipping and invoices in our recent podcast, link to watch in the comments. If you want to learn more, come and see us at the ProveIt! 2025 conference in February 2025. #DigitalSupplyChain #DigitalTransformation #Shipping #Manufacturing #AI

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"Can you send me some information over so I can send it my VP Sales?" The classic "send me some info" request. In this case from a teamlead at the end of a discovery. She approached me because her VP was focusing on AI and bottom-of-the-funnel conversion. But here's the thing: Nobody wants more PDFs or generic links they already have. Here's what I do instead: 1. Record a short Loom video 2. Focus on the pains I understood from the teamlead 3. Include names of the recipients like another teamlead or VP Sales In this case, trial usage was an important factor. "Tom, I heard you need to ask the product team for trial usage every time...now, you have it in one overview here mapped with all other relevant sales data. If something happens like dropped engagement you can just send it to your Slack and act in real-time" They all watched & liked it. Why did this work? - Mapped their problems or status quo with features - Easy to consume (video > text), 2-3 mins max - Name-dropped key stakeholders Next time you get the "send info" request, try it. Remember: Your prospects are busy. Make it easy for them. What's your go-to move when asked to "send some info"? #sales #discovery #gtm

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Why is everything in SaaS done at lightspeed? Growth, scaling, recruitment, funding—even the sales process. The SaaS world moves fast, but does it always need to? Here’s a reality check: SaaS sales often forget one critical detail. The companies we’re selling to (usually not SaaS companies) operate at their own pace, not ours. Yet, many SaaS organizations are so laser-focused on lead quantity that they sacrifice lead quality—and it’s costing them. I’ve seen SaaS teams boast about generating 800+ leads per month, but here’s the real question: 👉 Are they closing 160+ deals a month? More often than not, the answer is no. Why? Because too many sales teams try to force their cadence onto leads rather than understanding the lead’s timeline. This disconnect leads to missed opportunities, lost deals, and a ton of wasted resources. The reality is, with a quality sales process, your team should be converting a minimum of 22%+ of leads into closed deals. If you’re not, it might be time to slow down and re-evaluate: 💡 Focus on lead quality, not quantity 💡 Align with the buyer’s cadence and priorities 💡 Stop chasing volume and start building meaningful, timely engagements There’s a lot of money being left on the table because we’re too busy rushing. SaaS doesn’t have to be a sprint—sometimes, the biggest wins come when we slow down and focus on what really matters. What’s your take? Is the “lightspeed” approach helping or hurting your SaaS sales process? Let’s discuss. 👇 #SaaS #Sales #LeadQuality #B2BSales

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Discount on bundling 2 products: a quick win to gain 5-15% of revenue. I was with a new customer this morning—a very brilliant CEO of a fast-growing scaleup with an average deal size of 15k€/year. He was implementing a strategy I often see when selling two complementary products (or software): "I give you X% off if you purchase both products." It's a great approach but often too generous. 🎁 💡A more effective technique is to offer a discount only on the second product (the cheaper one). For example, with the scenario below, the impact is a +9% increase in revenue. So, if you're using this kind of technique, think twice and don't be overly generous. #B2B #SaaS #Sales #Pricing

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Everything works, nothing works. I was reminded about this the other day working with a client. They were ignoring just about every best practice in the book when it comes to cold outbound emails. Not personalised. Super long. Dense text. Largely about them. But it was working! Why? They just know their audience down cold. So they knew what info was important to them, and how best to convey it. What's the point? Depending on the context and application, the same tactic/channel/approach that works for one company or person, is a total failure for another (and vice versa). If you're going to be successful in building and then scaling your go-to-market execution, you can't just copy/paste what works for others. You have to start from first principles. And that means deeply understanding your market, ICP and core personas. Everything else flows from this. Find your own way! What examples have you seen where an approach has/hasn't worked in one situation and then you've seen the exact opposite when applied in another scenario? #b2b #saas #revenue #gotomarket #sales #marketing

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🆘 Looking for help! 🆘 Finally, I can add a (part-time/freelance) 𝐁2𝐂 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠/𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 to work with me on scaling my clients' growth systems. This is for you, if: ✅ you have been part of a B2C brand at least 3x-ing its customer/users ✅ you were responsible for at least 2 channels ✅ you have hired & managed at least 5 marketing employees, freelancers or agencies ✅ you have freelance experience and know what client management means ✅ you want to work on more than one brand to maximize learning ✅ you want to learn proven playbooks from someone who helped to scale 40+ startups/scale ups & generated €500m+ revenue 📢 𝐏𝐥𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 :)

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If you notice your CSMs are spending the majority of their calls explaining the same product feature/process/service, then it's time to reexamine the offering. Common misunderstandings = insights to drive the business forward. Time is precious. If the same low-value conversations are eating most of it, trace them back to the root of the problem. #CX #AI #CustomerSuccess #CSM

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When should you start charging for your product? If you have a functioning product that solves for an acute pain point, you should start charging right away. As a founder you might think your product is immature compared to what it could become in the future, but don’t let that prevent you from putting a price tag on a game changing solution. Too often I find founders get uncomfortable with having the “let me charge you” discussion, but without trading real investment for the product you’ve built your customer will: ❌ devalue your product: customers can sense lack of confidence quickly. “I’ll do this for free” is another signal that your not confident in your product’s ability to deliver. ❌ put resources where bigger investment have been made: have you ever seen a $0 investment warrant the onboarding attention of enterprise software? Nope! The investment is not just a budget line item, but also an indicator as to how much exposure your project will get internally from an onboarding and mindshare perspective ❌ take advantage of your kindness: if you’re always giving without taking, that sets a bad precedent in the business relationship. Asking for budget puts you on a level playing field with other vendors so don’t let your future customers take without giving. What other mindset blockers are preventing you from charging for your product? #enterprisesales #founderledsales #b2bsales #techsales

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People Culture Process Not just key for RevOps but also for scaling a company. Janis shared yesterday his experiences from scaling a company from $0-75M in ARR and selling it. Now, he builds Weflow | getweflow.com Here are my key takeaways: 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝗱-𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁. Instead of targeting only highly experienced executives, prioritize hiring mid-level professionals (3-8 years of experience) and providing them with growth opportunities and increased responsibilities. 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Develop a transparent and fair salary structure to ensure employee satisfaction and retention. Avoid making exceptions that can disrupt team morale. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Dedicate ample time to the recruitment process, conducting thorough interviews and assessments to ensure you bring in the right talent. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. Is important but it can also be fluffy. That is why the next point is important. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀. Focus on building excellent operational cadences. They become the manifestation of your culture! 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Business keeps changing and the key is to learn fast and adapt. “Learn faster than your sales cycle”. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 (𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻). Even if it just to have someone to talk to. 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆. Be honest and open with those who you work closely with. 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲. There are no shortcuts. You will be hustling. Thanks, Janis, for sharing your lessons in this truly humble and fun meet-up! See you later today for the your guest lecture at the RevOps Essentials course. Also, hanks to Marc Grewenig and the team at emlen for organising! P.S. Networking events in Berlin hit differently. On two occasions I was invited to a rave. Does not happen in Amsterdam! Or I am at the wrong events 🙃

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