Jacob Jenkinson

Most sales leaders focus on their top performers. But your best reps will crush quota whether you help them or not. Here's the uncomfortable truth about scaling revenue... Your top 10% will succeed despite you. They'll figure out how to sell your product and close deals even if you give them zero support, no collateral, and an undefined ICP. But you can't build a scalable revenue engine on top 10% talent alone. It's just math. Even with a rigorous interview process and strong recruiting brand, our 12-month retention rate at Levelset was around 55%. And that was GOOD. The key to scaling isn't finding more unicorns. It's raising the floor for everyone else. That means writing down exactly what success looks like. Not just hoping good people will "figure it out." I learned this the hard way. For the first 4 years (or so), we closed deals almost in spite of ourselves. No real sales playbook. No defined process. Just talented people working hard. When we finally documented our exact process - from first touch to close - our ramp time plummeted and consistency shot up. The uncomfortable truth? Most founders spend way more time recruiting than preparing to train and support their hires. Your playbook doesn't need to be fancy. Start with one document: "How to Run a Demo." Make it painfully detailed. Your top reps will hate it. Your new reps will love you for it.

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🔑 Top Traits of High-Performing Salespeople 🔑 Here at Sales Recruiters Denver, we know what makes a true sales rockstar! 💼✨ If you're looking to bring the best into your team, here are some key traits we always look for in top-performing sales professionals: 🌟 Resilience – They don’t just bounce back; they come back stronger! 🌟 Active Listening – Understanding clients’ needs is their superpower. 🌟 Self-Motivation – The drive to succeed keeps them focused, even on tough days. 🌟 Adaptability – The market changes, and so do they. Flexibility is key. 🌟 Empathy – Building real relationships with clients starts here. Ready to build a team that performs at its peak? Reach out to Sales Recruiters Denver to find the best fit for your company! 📞👥 #salesrecruitment #toptalent #denverrecruiters #salessuccess #teambuilding #salesprofessionals #salesrecruitersdenver #resilienceinsales #activelistening #selfmotivation #adaptabilityinsales #empathyinsales #salesexcellence #salesgrowth #hiringtoptalent #salesleadership #salesstrategy #recruitmentagency #salesteamsuccess #hirethebest #salesrockstars

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You make a cold call... Prospect says "I'm not interested" at the top of the call. Now you have two options: - 1. You can either treat this as an 'objection' - where you take the words literally & say something along the lines of... "You don't even know what it's about yet - so can I just quickly explain?" Which will likely get their back up even more... Or 2. You treat it for what it is - most likely a knee-jerk reaction to an unsolicited call, where it serves to get rid of you. The prospect's amygdala (reptilian brain) has kicked in. It's a classic fight or flight response to protect them from a perceived threat - in this case that you'll either take up too much of their time or talk them into something they don't want. So we need a response that deals with this reality, something like... "Of course - I know I've caught you off guard a bit this morning. Before we hang up mind me asking, is this just the worst possible time, was my intro that bad, or do you simply hate cold calls?" Now sit back & let them respond. 9/10 you'll get something closer to the truth - because you've labelled the situation & given them a few options. You've also made yourself human through honesty & vulnerability, which people almost always respond positively to. So the next time you hear any of the following... "I'm in a meeting." "Send me an email." "I'm good thanks." "We already have a supplier." "Call me in 6 months." "Where did you get this number?!" "I'm a bit busy right now." Etc. Know what you're dealing with - namely that these are not 'objections' but usually fall into: smokescreens, rebuffs, questions or statements. Want more like this? Cover all bases to 12 of the most common cold call 'objections' with 50 responses by clicking on the link below... For £30 never become tongue tied again. https://lnkd.in/ey3uSjmb #sales #coldcall

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If you’re going to do discovery it has to be two way with your prospect 👀 Even before you jump on a call, ask yourself these two questions: 1. What is the outcome I want to get from this call 2. What is the outcome the customer probably wants to get from this call Prospects don't show up to be asked questions, or have a conversation that isn't tailored to their needs. It's all about the outcomes. After a call, the prospect should feel in a good place to bring in technical stakeholders, or potentially set up a demo as a next step to vet if a POC is worthwhile. Check out Ep 43 of 10/10 GTM with Chris Calkin 👇 https://lnkd.in/gN9cAdua

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Well-researched cold calls are still THE #1 way to build pipeline in 2025. The problem? The majority of reps are unskilled, get shut down in the first 60 seconds, then complain that "cold calling doesn't work." Here's how to build a ton of pipeline in 2025 through the phones: 👇 Don't sell your solution—sell yourself STOP talking about your solution. The prospect doesn't give a sh*t. When cold calling, you have one job: ⛔️ Not to sell the meeting ⛔️ Not to sell your solution ✅ Sell yourself through credibility In sales, skepticism is our #1 objection. It's the biggest hurdle we have to overcome on a cold call. The #1 way to reduce skepticism is by showing the prospect that you speak with their peers. Show them that a conversation with you won't be a complete waste of time. Make them feel it would be irresponsible not to hear you out. ⛔️ Bad way to open: "I'm calling you because we sell a contact center solution to a lot of other companies like A, B, and C. I wanted to see if it makes sense to talk about how we might be able to help you..." CLICK. That intro does NOTHING to show the prospect that you know their world. Or that you understand their problems. You don't even get a chance to sell a meeting with an intro like that. ✅ Here's a much better way to open: "I'm calling because I recently made a purchase on the site and a survey popped up. In our experience with companies like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's—only about 10% of customers actually fill out those surveys. They want to reduce cost to serve and inbound call volume, but those surveys don't give them the entire story behind the problems customers aren't able to solve themselves. How does this compare to your focuses at ABC COMPANY?" This intro builds massive credibility because it so specifically articulates the prospect's status quo. That builds credibility. That earns you time. ~~~ Make this shift in your cold call approach and you'll see a massive spike in conversion rates. Want more? Nick Cegelski, Armand Farrokh, and I are breaking down this approach today at 1pm PT. Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02_Z8dR0 Tag another rep who might find this helpful.

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CROs: Run this outbound play to break into massive accounts 👇 Most CROs don't engage in deals. Or help reps break into ent/strat accounts. I've never been a CRO before—so I can't tell you whether that's good or bad. You have a lot of responsibilities as a CRO. But, I recently met a CRO who lands meetings with the C-Suite in MASSIVE accounts. The biggest companies you can think of in every category. The key principle: Power is more willing to engage with power. Leverage the C-suite title. Here's how it works: ✅ Pick 10 accounts to get started Choose the top 10 accounts that can make the quarter/year if you win them. The best accounts are ones that reps have worked but not been successful in breaking through. We'll assume you're already going after low-hanging fruit accounts where execs have existing relationships. So we won't count those as part of this exercise. ✅ Work in tandem with a great SDR Pick one of the top SDRs to help. Ideally, this is someone with great leadership potential that you want to promote at some point. ✅ Optional: Give the SDR access to your LinkedIn account This one will make you uncomfortable. You also have the option of creating a separate LinkedIn account as well. But give the SDR autonomy to send approved messages. ✅ Execute the outreach The SDR should do basic account research to find existing initiatives where your solution can add value. Then they need to research the individuals in the C-suite to find podcasts interviews, features, etc. if available. Pick 1-2 similar customers to mention in the message. This should be mentioned in the outreach, along with how you can add value. CTA: Ask for 10 minutes. Send via email and LinkedIn message or InMail. Here's what an example message could look like. --- Eric, Solid Q1, and congrats on the success of Nordy Club sales. Looks like membership growth is a key growth lever. I imagine member retention is a big focus. Our team has had tremendous success helping CVS, BestBuy, and Kohl's run world-class membership programs. Opposed to a quick 10-minute chat to learn more? Jason ✅ Run intro call These will likely go longer than 10 minutes. And the CEO will send you over to someone else in the C-suite. Run a solid intro call and make an offer to introduce key team members on your side. ~~~ The email/LI message should have all of the components of a great cold email: research, problem, social proof, and CTA. But the big difference is leveraging a c-suite title to get a meeting in the c-suite. I wish more CROs and execs in companies would leverage this approach. Agree or disagree? #sales #outbound

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Hey sales people, be careful with ‘Gong’ advice. Because you don’t work for Gong. Gong had 6 funding rounds. Each time millions of people heard about Gong. Branding Familiarity Your company probably doesn’t have that level of awareness. When Gong sales people engage most decision makers already know what they’re calling about. People with in the prospect have probably already had a discussion about Gong. Gong is a great company with great people. But the branding makes it a lot easier to sell so take the advice with a grain of salt. Have a great Friday! #sales #ifurnotgong

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The #1 reason AEs miss quota is a lack of prospecting. But not (just) because they don't have enough pipeline. Let me unpack this. There are four ways to miss quota: 1. Low Pipeline 2. Low Close Rate 3. Long Sales Cycles 4. Low Average Sales Price Lack of pipeline causes #2, #3, and #4. Here's what I see every day: - AEs are fed leads - They chase every one - Anyone they meet is an SQO - Then they drag deals for months - And miss quota quarter after quarter They're afraid to: - Ask hard questions - Find a way to authority - Go after the bigger deals - Get a mutual eval plan in place - Walk away when the deal is dead They can't afford to risk losing a deal they can't replace. What's under this? - Spend all day on pipeline - Don't have time to prospect - But deals aren't truly qualified - AEs aren't trained on when to walk - Bad deals enter pipe and never leave - Consuming all available prospecting time So, we have a Low Close Rate - Deals that were never qualified - Show in the metrics as Closed Lost And longer Sales Cycles - There's no eval plan - So deals drag on and on And lower ASPs - We don't have the right people - We can win the transactional deals - But the big strategic deals we will lose We think we need to work on Closing Skills In reality, we need to kill most of our Pipeline. - Then set better Qualification Criteria - And start prospecting heavily - To build real, qualified pipeline - Pipeline we can actually close - And walk away when we can't - To prospect for more better deals But often, even management doesn't want to do this because they will suddenly lose millions of dollars of pipeline and have to admit the reality that they have zero chance of hitting quota this quarter. Close Rates immediately plummet because we now have far more Closed Lost deals this quarter. These are deals that should have never entered the pipeline to begin with. And everything just looks and feels really bad. But in the end, this is what's needed. ✌️

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Here are six reasons why cold calling isn’t dead 😵 1. Cognism’s data says It’s not dead The research done by Cognism in their state of cold calling report on 10,000 cold calls shows that it remains highly effective. Having contact details also helps. 2. More SDRs are entering into sales SDRs are no longer limited to startups. Aaron Ross highlights the importance of SDRs even in established industries. SDRs are crucial for mainstreaming B2B sales. 3. Executives love it! The RAIN Report shows that 57% of C-level and VP buyers prefer cold calls as the first point of contact. Cognism’s data reveals that C-suite executives will likely pick up the phone. 4. It Provides value to prospects (they can’t find anywhere else) Experienced salespeople can turn cold calls into meaningful conversations by identifying prospects’ pain points. The goal is sales discovery—finding out if the prospect has a problem you can solve. 5. Rejection is part of the process Rejection is part of cold calling. Sometimes, it’s about timing or reaching the wrong person. If your stats don’t add up, review your list and target industries, sizes, and job titles that fit your customer base. 6. Cold calling isn’t as saturated as other channels Email has become oversaturated, making it harder to book meetings. Cold calling cuts through the noise with direct conversations. Cognism’s data shows a 75% chance of prospects picking up on the first attempt. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments 👇

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Here are six reasons why cold calling isn’t dead 😵 1. Cognism’s data says It’s not dead The research done by Cognism in their state of cold calling report on 10,000 cold calls shows that it remains highly effective. Having contact details also helps. 2. More SDRs are entering into sales SDRs are no longer limited to startups. Aaron Ross highlights the importance of SDRs even in established industries. SDRs are crucial for mainstreaming B2B sales. 3. Executives love it! The RAIN Report shows that 57% of C-level and VP buyers prefer cold calls as the first point of contact. Cognism’s data reveals that C-suite executives will likely pick up the phone. 4. It Provides value to prospects (they can’t find anywhere else) Experienced salespeople can turn cold calls into meaningful conversations by identifying prospects’ pain points. The goal is sales discovery—finding out if the prospect has a problem you can solve. 5. Rejection is part of the process Rejection is part of cold calling. Sometimes, it’s about timing or reaching the wrong person. If your stats don’t add up, review your list and target industries, sizes, and job titles that fit your customer base. 6. Cold calling isn’t as saturated as other channels Email has become oversaturated, making it harder to book meetings. Cold calling cuts through the noise with direct conversations. Cognism’s data shows a 75% chance of prospects picking up on the first attempt. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments 👇

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Modern Sellers DON'T: ❌ Spend their day making hundreds of calls. ❌ Abandon accounts after a single attempt. ❌ Chase high activity without strategy. ❌ Focus on quantity over impact. ❌ Grumble about their manager's expectations. ❌ Blame the lack of leads on marketing. ❌ Skip dedicated time for prospecting. ❌ Blast out mass, impersonal emails. ❌ Agree with every objection just to please. ❌ Use cookie-cutter emails with zero personalization. WHAT THEY DO: 🗸 Follow up consistently (at least 3 times before moving on). 🗸 Craft personalized messages that speak to the prospect's needs. 🗸 Research thoroughly to understand their target's challenges. 🗸 Send 15-30 meaningful, targeted emails each day. 🗸 Focus on quality of outreach, not sheer volume. 🗸 Manage fewer accounts but with more intention. 🗸 Master discovery calls and demos with confidence. 🗸 Make 25-30 well-thought-out calls daily. 🗸 Build genuine relationships that last. 🗸 Hone their negotiation skills for better outcomes. REMEMBER: → It’s not about just doing "more" because you need to! → Sending more emails, making more calls, or rushing through deals doesn’t guarantee success. That’s the biggest misconception in sales! → More doesn’t mean better → Working smart beats working more. In the end, less really is more! ------------------------------- P.S. When else can you add to this? Let’s make it happen! #resourcinHub #rposervices #talentsourcing #cvsourcing #resourcer #marketmapping #headhunting #leadgeneration #rpo #applicanttrackingsystem #crm #cvformatting

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💥 Are you a #sales junky who thrives on #SaaS and the thrill of being awesome? Do you love making connections, securing your own leads, and crushing quotas? If so, you're a perfect fit for Towner.🚀 Account Manager – SaaS Sales (Entry to Mid-Level) Kansas City, MO – In-Office We’re seeking a driven, ambitious #AccountManager who’s excited about building their own book of business from the ground up. This is a true outside sales role — no farming, no existing clients. You’ll be out in the field, generating #leads, and closing deals 💪 What You’ll Do: 🔍 Own Your Pipeline: Hunt for new business through cold calling, emails, and in-person networking. You’ll create your own opportunities and turn them into valuable clients. 📊 Hit the Quota: Meet and exceed aggressive sales targets. Your performance is your responsibility, and you’re ready to rise to the challenge! 🤝 Build New Relationships: Be one of the faces of Towner, engaging potential clients with authenticity and enthusiasm. 🏆 Close the Deal: Manage the full sales cycle — from first contact to signed contract — and celebrate every win. 🌍 Stay Mobile: This is an outside sales role, where you’ll be out in the field making things happen. Who You Are: 🔥 Self-Starter: You don’t wait for leads; you hunt them down. You’re proactive, resourceful, and ready to build a strong pipeline. ⚡ Quota Crusher: You love the challenge of a sales target and always aim to exceed it. 👥 Team Player: You thrive in our dynamic Kansas City office, collaborating with a high-energy team. 📈 Detail-Oriented and Organized: You manage your leads and activities with precision. 🧩 High D Personality: Assertive, competitive, and passionate about reaching — and surpassing — your targets. What You’ll Bring: 1-3 years of sales experience in an outside sales role, with a proven ability to generate your own leads and close new business. Strong communication skills — you know how to engage potential clients and keep them interested. A competitive, driven personality that thrives under pressure. A passion for sales, technology, and personal success. Why Join Towner Communications? 💵 Unlimited Earnings Potential: Competitive base salary plus uncapped commissions — the harder you work, the more you earn! 📈 Career Growth Opportunities: Get mentorship from industry leaders, advanced sales training, and a clear path for career advancement. 🎉 Fun, High-Energy Team: Join a culture that celebrates wins and supports each other’s success. 💡 Make an Impact: Play a critical role in Towner’s growth, directly influencing our company’s success. Ready to Make Your Move? Apply Now! If you’re excited about an outside sales role where you control your destiny, we want to hear from you! Let’s build something great together. 🌟 #hiring https://lnkd.in/gEmX-p9A

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Sellers - pick your poison 😅 ‎ It's easy to warm up those cold calls - you just need 1hr a week, max. 👉 ‎Share sales call insights, resources, or recent experiences‎ from your personal LI account 👉 ‎Leave thoughtful comments on relevant posts in your space 👉 ‎Get your team to do the same 1hr a week - and you could be increasing your outbound reply rates by 20% across the board. This is especially true if you follow-up with first party engagement on your posts with a thoughtful resource, NOT a pitch-slap. You stay top of mind and start nurturing one-to-many. Drafting these posts can take less than 5 minutes, if you onboard a tool like Letterdrop. Check it out 👉 ‎https://lnkd.in/gXVE3vYD Interested? Drop us a comment

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2024 H2 pipeline is alarmingly thin for many sales orgs right now. I had two calls in the past few weeks with entire orgs well below 3x pipeline coverage. And they're getting a lot of resistance from AEs: "This is marketing's job." "This is our BDR's job." "I don't have time for PG, I'm working deals." This won't cut it in 2024 and beyond. SDRs and marketing can't be expected to provide 80%+ of an AE's pipeline. Self-sourcing is a mindset. It either exists in your sales culture or it doesn't. Here's how to build a stronger pipegen culture with your AEs: ✅ 1) Rub shoulders. Front-line managers get in the pit with their AEs every week. Make calls together into tier-1 accounts and their toughest-to-reach prospects. ✅ 2) Weekly get sh*t done sessions (GSDs). My best clients do 1-2 60-minute GSD sessions with their reps. They get on a call for an hour, pick a PG play, then execute together. Bonus: use Orum to run phone sessions together every week as a team. ✅ 3) Arm AEs with the right tools Too often I see a sales org with BDRs using a sales engagement platform, but the AEs have to outbound manual from their inbox. Give AEs the same access to sales engagement tools as you do for your SDRs & BDRs. You have ZERO accountability if you can’t measure outbound activity. ✅ 4) Top-down involvement CRO and VP of Sales should participate in outbound efforts by giving public shout-outs in Slack for reps landing meetings through outbound. They should celebrate effort, share stories, and get the team pumped up. ✅ 5) Data Get best-in-class email and phone data from ZoomInfo. You can’t expect AEs to make dials without access to solid email addresses & mobile numbers. ✅ 6) Enable front-line leaders Too often I see groups of front-line managers who don't know how to outbound. How could you possibly expect an AE to prioritize PG when you don't know how to teach it? Enable front-line leaders on how to incorporate PG into 1on1s, how to develop/coach reps, and how to outbound themselves. ✅ 7) Prioritize low-hanging fruit Teach AEs how to use LinkedIn Sales Nav to stay on top of newly hired execs, job changes, previous clients moving to new accounts, etc. Make it easy to PG. ✅ 8) Manage up or manage out Lastly, if you have reps who don't want to outbound — and they're not hitting target — you have to be willing to part ways. The team that got your org from point A to point B may not be the team that gets you to point C. ~~~ Creating a PG culture with AEs doesn't happen overnight. But hitting your number in 2024 won't be possible without it. Start now. #sales #outbound

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Signs of a world-class sales org: Reps multi-thread the sh*t out of their deals Want some stats that'll blow your mind + double your win rate (literally)? Have your Ops team pull win rates based on: ✅ Avg # of attendees to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd sales calls Gong data is pretty conclusive on this one. Closed/won deals have twice as many participants in 1st and 2nd calls as closed/won deals. You'll probably find a similar pattern. Action: Get more proactive in adding participants to 2nd and 3rd+ calls ✅ When specific personas are on calls Example: You might spot that early engagement from a particular role or persona leads to better win rates. For example, you sell a security solution. But you don't involve SecOps unless the buying group recommends it. But win rates are higher every time you involve them early. Action: Sell the story on why that particular persona should be involved—how does the buyer get a better outcome? ✅ When more of your team is invited to calls Example: You might spot that when you engage a similar persona on your side, those deals have better win rates. Like inviting an HR leader from your side if you sell to HR. Action: Get better at looping in your internal team ✅ Win rates based on when SEs join calls Example: You might find that engaging an SE earlier in your deals leads to a higher win rate. This one BLEW my mind. Very counterintuitive. Buyers love speaking with someone who really educates them. Action: Bring SEs in earlier/later based on what the data shows you ✅ % of single-threaded deals Pull patterns between the % of single-threaded deals and win rates. I bet you'll find low win rates on reps who are more single-threaded. Action: Prioritize enablement for reps who find themselves single-threaded ✅ % of deals with access to power Pull patterns between win rates and engagement with a VP+ stakeholder. Action: Help those specific reps get access to power quicker in their deals ~~~ This is the granularity that's needed to multi-thread better. Get specific with your sales motion and look at win rate correlation and stakeholder involvement. Nail down: - Who should be involved - When they should get involved - When to bring in internal resources Then run your deals based on that data.

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Every time a prospect raises an objection that salespeople can't overcome, it takes a bite out of their confidence. Without confidence salespeople can't pick up the phone, negotiate, close deals, etc, etc. In other words they can't function. Grab our playbook and take back control of your sales conversations.

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📈 Success Metrics in Sales In the world of sales, tracking the right metrics is key to driving growth and achieving your goals. At Sales Recruiters Dallas, we help sales professionals focus on the KPIs that matter most: 🔑 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Track: Sales Revenue: The ultimate measure of your sales success. Conversion Rate: Track how many leads turn into paying customers. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Understand how much you’re spending to gain each new customer. Sales Cycle Length: Measure the time it takes to close deals and look for ways to streamline. Customer Retention Rate: Keep tabs on your repeat customers – they’re crucial for long-term success. Set clear goals, measure progress, and adjust your strategy to hit those targets. Let’s optimize your sales performance together! 🚀 #SalesMetrics #KPI #SalesGoals #SalesRecruitersDallas #SalesSuccess #SalesPerformance #DallasBusiness #SalesTips

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