🦖 Hector Forwood 🦕

Stop letting junior SDRs reach out to your C-Suites. Buyers don’t want to talk to salespeople anymore. They want trusted advisors. Domain experts.  Yet, for some reason, 99% of sales teams completely ignore this fact and let their junior SDRs reach out to C-suites — then they sit back and wonder why their outbound doesn’t work. The WHO factor is more important today than ever before. Here’s what it means moving forward: 1. Trusted Advisors vs. SDRs: Would you take medical advice from a first-year med student? Probably not. In the same vein, expecting a junior SDR to convince a C-suite executive is a flawed strategy. Buyers today want insights from those seeped in the industry, not those reading off a script. 2. The New-Age SDR: These SDRs have authority in their field and are the ultimate subject matter experts. They possess a highly relevant audience of ICP and excel in content creation and audience engagement. They understand the nuances and pains of the prospects and create value-driven conversations, not just touchpoints. 3. Team-Selling is a Necessity: If a CFO checked your website, why in the world would you let your SDR reach out? Facilitate outbound requests to your CFO and ask them to personally connect with the prospect from their profile. It’s about leveraging the right person at the right time to build trust and relevance. 4. Signal-Based Selling: Your outreach should be driven by real-time data and intent signals. Spot the triggers: website visits, content downloads, recent funding, etc. Engage with the right person, when the timing is perfect, with the right message from the right person. This isn’t about volume; it’s about precision. TAKEAWAY: In this new era, it's not about how many emails you send, but WHO is sending them and WHY. In 2024, the most successful companies will have GTM teams that look more like consulting firms than old-school sales orgs. The next-gen of successful sales orgs will be the ones that evolve beyond the old playbooks and focus on trust, relevance, and the power of human connection. The future isn’t just lean. It’s personal.

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5 outbound rules every SDR & sales rep should Live by: 1. Play to your strengths: E.g. call more if you’re best at calling. Lean into what you’re naturally good at and build on it. 2. Focus on quality over quantity: 50 personalised emails will always outperform 500 generic ones. Every touchpoint should add value. 3. Always follow up: Once you’ve had a conversation, don’t just dump them into an automated cadence. Keep it personal and intentional. 4. Use all your tools: Outbound is multi-channel: phone, email, LinkedIn. 5. Learn from every “no”: Every rejection is a lesson. Adapt, refine, and keep pushing forward. Working smarter = results. Stick to these principles, and you’ll start to see the needle move.

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High-paid SDRs: ❌ make 200+ dials a day ✅ make 40-50 dials to ICP prospects ❌ send 1000s of automated emails ✅ send 25/30 manual emails per day ❌ connect with everyone on LinkedIn ✅ only connect with top prospects ❌ ignore 'not interested' email responses ✅ call them and figure out why no interest ❌ build new sequences every week ✅ A/B test their existing sequences ❌ attend every internal meeting possible ✅ treat selling time as the number 1 priority ❌ add 1000s of contacts to sequences ✅ pick who deserves to go in the sequence ❌ moan about their AE being rubbish ✅ execute with their AE every single day ❌ hand over opps with 1 stakeholder ✅ multithread before the AE handover SDRing isn't rocket science. It's relentlessly putting in high quality reps. Do you agree? ♻️ Repost to share with others in your network. ---- PS. My SDR courses are all 51% off for Black Friday right now. Ends this week.

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Bad SDRs attribute their results to luck. Good SDRs attribute their results to skill. There is definitely an aspect of luck in the game... who picks up the phone, what mood are they in, what accounts happen to align with timing, etc... But if you're not making your own luck, it's going to be hard to succeed. The proof is SDRs that consistently achieve their goals. If it was attributed mostly to luck, you would imagine the distribution of success would be random and not consistent. Making your own luck means giving yourself more opportunities to have those "lucky" moments. Whether thats working on your volume, tone, messaging or prospecting. Make your own luck. Control what you can. Let go of what you can't. Happy Tuesday, folks.

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Companies used to only consider deploying RevOps when they hit 40-50M in ARR. Why? A strong RevOps resource was simply cost prohibitive. This is changing and the fractional Rev Ops practitioner is making it happen. Now companies that are 15-20M ARR+ are bringing in RevOPs experts as part of their arsenal, and at a fraction of the cost. Don't get left behind.

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SDRs can be taught to be AEs SDRs can be taught to be CSMs [shoutout to Eric Partaker for the post inspo] Also... SDRs can be taught to be Managers SDRs can be taught to be Marketeers SDRs can be taught to do almost any role Fact: It's better to hire someone who is 60% ready with the right behaviours. Than 100% ready with the wrong ones. SDRs deserve a chance. Do you agree? PS. Share ♻️ with others in your network. And follow Chris Ritson for more sales content like this.

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SDRs who deserve to be AEs... ✅ Help coach other SDRs ❌ Are in it for themselves ✅ Hit quota every month ❌ Sometimes smash it ✅ Build amazing internal relationships ❌ Moan about their AE and Manager ✅ Prioritise the team winning ❌ Think they're an individual contributor ✅ Train every single day ❌ Believe they know it all ✅ Compete against themselves ❌ Compete against others in the team ✅ Are genuinely happy when others win ❌ Get bitter when others are successful 99% of success is in WHO you are. And HOW you do things. Embrace being different. Embrace being better. What am I missing? ---- PS. My SDR to AE bootcamp closes tomorrow. 5 seats left; https://lnkd.in/ejFQERRF

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I was asked last week during a presentation why I said I’d be terrified about the idea of starting a new B2B SaaS business in the current environment: See what you can infer from David’s post below👇. Mine: (1) The competitive environment across the board combined with low barriers to entry means that building a new sales machine in an early stage start up today is harder than ever before, even as you reach scale. As someone who has spent a lot of time in GTM there is more noise than ever before. My analogy to growing a sales machine in the early stage is like blowing up a balloon. The first few breaths are the hardest. In recent years the environment for B2B SaaS at both a macro and micro level has made it much harder. Try blowing up that balloon when it’s now made of pvc plastic rather than rubber- it isn’t impossible, but harder. (2) It means companies who already have distribution and are established may likely extend their leads. Incumbency is possibly more powerful than before (I may be wrong but look at the mag7). Money seems to be flowing to the incumbents and the cost of capital for the early stage is getting worse. The canary in the coal mine is the number of VCs struggling to close a fund at the moment. If you are an early stage founder raising, I dare you to ask the VC opposite you how their latest raise went and what the LP market was like. You might see the sweat start to appear. Start-ups are now reaching a stage where they themselves will soon be disrupted by the larger players or even by their own business models. If you are reliant on traditional per seat licensing model and you effectively implement AI to make your tools more efficient and more effective you may end up canibalising your own seats through creating a kick-ass product! (in this case you’d still be winning but you get the point!) If I were a large incumbent SaaS comapny, killing and swatting away the little disrupters would have been something that consumed a bit of energy. Now nature is doing it for me. (3)Technology is changing so quickly it’s hard to plan long term and speed is becoming more important as a weapon, while capital to fuel that speed is decreasing by the minute. Your competitive advantage may evaporate tomorrow with the next demo from OpenAi et al. As a result, early stage companies who smash it early and undertake founder-led sales may get to $1-$5m ARR quite easily but $10m-$50m ARR in this environment and the future will be more challenging than before to say the least (again see below!). All is not lost though. Those who can break this barrier will likely not only survive but thrive! Evolution occurs due to diversity and adversity. I want to be clear, B2B SaaS isn’t dead. Just harder! (and I’m kind of excited to see what models people develop over the coming years to adapt 🤓🤓🤓). To the founders in the trenches today, keep chewing glass and staring into the abyss. It’s the best way to feel alive! (First hand experience)

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Many SaaS companies underestimate the power of a strong Sales Development Rep team (SDR). Yet, I've seen how skilled SDRs dramatically improve lead qualification and conversion rates. Here's why: Focused Prospecting: SDRs laser-target ideal customers, saving senior sales reps time. Personalised Outreach: They build initial rapport, warming leads for deeper engagement. Pipeline Management: SDRs ensure smooth handoffs, increasing sales efficiency. Any sales leaders agree or have a different experience? I'd love to hear your insights. #SaaSgrowth #SalesTeams #HiringAdvice #SaaSJobs

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Here's the stark facts in sales today. - 31% of reps are making quota - Nearly half (44%) of deals slip - Sales cycles are double digits longer, win rates are double digits down - Inbound leads are down - Salesforce recognised the need to increase pipeline coverage to by 50% (from x2 to x3) Most of those we speak to recognise all these challenges. But they are stuck. "Do more with less" is the message. They have cut teams and fought for those remaining. Their organisations are stuck with blind hope and knives sharpening. The only solution they know is to fire and replace. Because the real problems aren't acknowledged. The market has changed and it's harder. But are teams are not more skilled. The same teams, that could achieve in the old world are failing in this one. And the last message anyone wants, is we need to spend some money to solve that. "That's your job isn't it?" cries the leadership to time-starved managers and leaders. Anyone want to guess what's going to happen to sales manager average tenure (already at an all-time low of 18 months)????

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10 things SDRs should get for Christmas... [this list is 100% NOT exhaustive...] 1. More commission on multi-stakeholder meetings 2. More recognition from senior leaders and founders 3. More support from their AEs on understanding business pains and ''speaking'' prospects language 4. More training on problems that their ICP prospects face in their day to day 5. More SDR managers who say ''well done'' and ''thanks for the hard work'' everyday 6. More accurate phone numbers so they can more conversations [phone still wins] 7. Someone to remove automation from their day to day for just ONE WEEK to prove they can win without it 8. HR to provide training on soft skills of having a sales job with lots of rejection 9. The CRO to pick up the phone once in a while and say ''Mrs SDR - you're hard work is so appreciated'' 10. Fair pay for everyone and an attainable OTE. What would you add? ♻️ Repost, so Santa [CROs and Founders] see my Christmas list... PS. Thanks, my SDR friends! 🎅

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We collected the 58 highest performing email templates used by Brex, Salesforce, Gong and others including Salestools to drive outbound sales. If you like a copy simply: 👍 Like this Post 😎 Comment your favourite Steak Cut or Fish 🔗 Add me as a connection and I will return the file

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SDRs need to learn automation Being an SDR without tools such as Korppi, Clay , Dripify Lead Conversations, you're gonna get outpaced, and out prospected. 🫡 💥 Korppi can now automate email sequences with personalisation, with infinite email warming and high deliverability. 💥 Clay can find the perfect prospects with the correct understanding of API, and data management. 💥 Dripify can build your Linkedin and get you conversations. SDRs isn't anymore just about sales. It's data analysis.

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Is product knowledge important for SDRs to have? Absolutely it is, but only if it isn’t used to feature dump. Instead, reverse engineer the outcomes delivered by the product into sales messaging. For the last few years, I’ve used this 4-step framework to help SDRs turn product knowledge into a tool for better conversations. 🔽 After showing each feature, as a group we: 1: Identify who it impacts and how 2: Quantify the cost of the problem it solves 3: Write a 1-2 sentence opener / value statement 4: Write 3 relevant discovery questions to uncover pain Revenue leaders: give it a try and let me know how it works. #sales #salesdevelopment #sdr

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Great read on the state of SaaS in 2024. Biggest take-aways (especially GTM): - 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: ARR growth is at its lowest in years, with companies relying more on expansion than new logos. - 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Sales efficiency has dropped, with the net magic number falling below 1.0x for the first time. - 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗜𝗣𝗢: More SaaS companies are achieving profitability before going public. - 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀: Free Cash Flow (FCF) margins are improving, but the "Rule of 40" remains stagnant. - 𝗔𝗜'𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: GenAI could shift the "Rule of 40" to the "Rule of 60," but this is expected in 12+ months. - 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: ARR per FTE is up, but operational costs per employee are rising due (inflation and AI investments). Report by Claire Davis and Emre Garih at ICONIQ Capital #tech #startups #saas

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Outbound Sequences can do more harm than good for SDRs. (I think when used appropriately, they can be a massive help, but most teams use & abuse them -- completely missing the point of them & wonder why they can't land in the primary inbox & get no responses) I think the days of the traditional 27 day sequence are over. We need change. Most tasks get long overdue anyway and end up not being completed. Here's the issue with them: Often, SDRs are reactive to their sequences/cadences... When in reality, you should be pro-active. Let me explain: Imagine you send your first initial email and it gets opened 5+ times. Or you send a LI connect request and they accept it + look at your profile. Most SDRs will move onto their next task and ignore the intent signal. Instead, use prospect engagement as a way to be more pro-active. IE: do not wait 3 days from the day you sent your first email if there's a ton of engagement. Try calling them same day, bumping your email the next day and throwing a connect request on LI. You should try and switch your messaging up based on prospect engagement, too. IE: your cold call opener should be different for someone who has accepted your LI request + looked at your profile / opened your email a bunch vs someone who hasn't engaged at all. Be the quarterback of your sequences.. Don't let them control you! Second issue: most sequences end up piling up overdue tasks.. This is because sequences have way too many steps. If you liked this, I share 1 free outbound prospecting tip that 4200+ SDRs and AEs read every week. https://lnkd.in/e2cJkJqr

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30% Sales Growth: How James Achieved It (Read on to get the same results) 📚 In February 2024, James was struggling in his B2B SaaS sales job. He found himself constrained by common pain points in his role. → Difficulty converting prospective leads → Frustration with back-to-back pointless emails  → Inconsistent system to close deals That’s when he reached out to me and tried Keyzii. Through Keyzii, he was able to: → Reduce friction points between initial contact and final close with clients → Enhance the relevance of his communications and emails  → Personalize every interaction with clients Within a week of using Keyzii, he increased his sales growth by 30% and ended up outselling his entire department. James wasn’t lucky or just in the right place at the right time. Instead, he was consistent with Keyzii and utilized every tool Keyzii offered to its fullest. “Yeah, but our current system works for us” That’s a valid point, but let’s think about it. James also had a system that “worked” for him, but it wasn't until he made the switch to Keyzii that he saw transformative results. → Are you achieving your sales goals consistently? → Is your follow-up process as streamlined and effective as it could be? → Is your conversion rate what you want it to be for your inbound leads? Keyzii doesn’t just work; it optimizes your existing processes and turns potential into performance. Sometimes, a mediocre system can prevent you from seeing how much better it could be. James took the leap, and it paid off—30% sales growth in just a week. Imagine what it could do for you. Don’t let “good enough” keep you from your goals. Try Keyzii today and transform your sales strategy. ___ Check Out Keyzii Today Connect faster, sell smarter  🔽 Get a Free Demo at Keyzii.com 🔽 ___ I'm Sergio Fernandez I help B2B SaaS companies capture potential leads and close more deals Click my name + connect with me! 

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Sales Leaders - Avoid this Mistake! Please don’t give your SDRs access to Smartlead/Instantly and ask them to manage multichannel workflows like LinkedIn touchpoints and cold calling. It doesn’t integrate well with your CRM, dialler or data provider meaning it will make a simple workflow very complex. You might actually be better off with a traditional sales engagement platform like Outreach, SalesLoft, or even Lemlist (even though you're hearing something else from Linkedin.) Instead you should think of SmartLead/Instantly as an additional SDR on your team that can send emails at such a high volume and low cost. Use it to reach out to your Tier 3 and some Tier 2 prospects where the average deal size doesn't justify having a dedicated SDR. ----------------------------- Hi, I am Leo, former head of sales now agency founder of the The Playbook Agency

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Great sdr's underestimate how many B2B businesses are too small for agencies & don't want to manage full-time SDRs but would happily hire an experienced SDR & pay them for outcomes, not hours - allowing them (you) to create leverage.. How? Again, 95% of b2b service & SAAS businesses still need support prospecting. Too small for agencies & don't want to hire full-time employees. Find 1 of these businesses. If you have a full-time job but are on the East Coast: dial late into the West. Vice versa if you are in the west. If you are midwest best of both worlds. I know some American guys who are contract sdr's who crush it in the Uk which is early morning hours in US. Use an outcomes-based pricing model to uncouple your time from the $ you'll earn. Under promise and grossly over-deliver. Create leverage so you produce a higher yield in less time. Enjoying this? Find 2-3 of these businesses, get paid for outcomes not hours, and you'll make $15-25k/mo doing exactly what you're doing now. So how do you create leverage? One way is by learning from the mistakes of others. Otto von Bismarck said “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” I'm helping 2 more individuals this month learn from my mistakes & add an extra $5-$10k/mo to their monthly income statement before 2025. Dm me privately and I'll show you how to apply.

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