Patrick Traynor

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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How do you detect atrophy in your team? Many of the conversations I’m having with revenue leaders centre around how they can become more proactive vs reactive. A big part of this is detecting atrophy - those reps who may be blindly slipping into decline or heading for a bad quarter. To be proactive requires ruthless focus on LEADING indicators. Rather than obsession over LAGGING metrics. Leading indicators typically include KPIs such as: - pipeline value ($ opps created) - pipeline volume (# opps created) - stage to stage conversion (%) - activity volume Another great leading indicator is competency scores - ie what level of competence are reps demonstrating vs key competencies you expect them to display. Close monitoring of leading indicators helps you as a leader make proactive interventions so your team can course correct before it’s too late. It might just save your quarter. #leadership #data #growth #metrics #objectivedata

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Nice and detailed article from Jeremy Sacramento about the importance of Sales Intelligence Data to accelerate the pipeline: - Identifying ICP - Qualifying and prioritising LEADS - Timing and personalising the OUTREACH - PLANNING Of course the ultimate goal ⚽ remains to constantly generate the number of monthly leads that allows every sales rep to reach their quota 🚀 #salesintelligence #ICP #leads #outreach

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Calling all B2B sales professionals. With our friends at Aircall, we need your help with our State of Sales Coaching survey 2024. 3-5 minutes of your time could win you amazing prizes - the latest AirPods, Sonos speaker, Nespresso machine, and of course MySalesCoach scholarships. Sales coaching is widely considered the most critical function of a frontline sales leader. Previous studies demonstrate that it significantly boosts win rates and quota attainment. However, many sales organisations find it challenging to establish and execute an effective sales coaching culture and strategy. Our survey seeks to identify the key trends, best practices, and impacts of sales coaching in 2024. You'll be first to get the study published in October packed with insight, data and trends. Leaders and Individual Contributors should complete the survey - with scholarship places up for grabs for each. Your voice really matters, complete today for a chance of these amazing prizes and to be first with the report. Link here to complete - https://lnkd.in/eKRcTPXV

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On my train commute, I always listen to customer and prospect calls on Gong. It’s the best possible use of the time. I always learn something about how marketers are thinking. This morning I listened to a call with a large enterprise UK prospect that shared two key pain points that we are hearing across the industry, very consistently. Here they are: ============================== 1. “We have millions of people on our email list that are just sort of there. We have no idea when they will engage or buy from us again, and it’s like 80%+ of my email list.” Yes. Let’s fix that. 2. “It seems to me that successfully leveraging performance AI requires us to scale up our creative. How do I go from my current state to a much smarter creative strategy with scale?” Yes, yes, yes. This is the right question. Our tech is purpose built to help solve this. ============================== Learn more at Think Summit by Movable Ink. June 12-13. NYC.

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A CS Leader we spoke to recently did an amazing job in summarising the critical foundations an #AccountManager or #CustomerSuccessManger needs to grow their accounts and portfolio... Let's start with the goal in mind - what puts you in position to grow an existing B2B Software account? 🟢 Relationship with the right stakeholders 🟢 Clarity on their goals and pain points 🟢 Realised value / tangible ROI 🟢 Positive user experience 🟢 Shared understanding of future value / roadmap alignment ... etc. For an #AM or #CSM to get there can be challenging in practice - there is an art and timing to it that comes with experience. And the pressure of a SaaS business usually adds extra complexity and distortion - so great account owners stick to the basics and get it done through a mix of great timing and well laid foundations: 1. #Relationship 2. Sh*t is not on Fire 🔥 3. #CustomerEducation 4. #Optimization Going into detail on these would be another post, but two quick points - if the account is on fire, do not pass go. And optimization is about optimizing for value - the key to growth. 🔑 The key ingredients... work + timing. 🔴 Bad Example: An Account Manger pivots their attention to a somewhat neglected account with potential, currently on fiiiiire 🔥. After performing internal heroics the #AM, under significant pressure to meet target, pitches the current stakeholder a new product similar companies are buying. After some brief informal discussion in the client org, the idea is 'put on the back burner'. Now, not only is the AM struggling to target, but they have more internal inertia to overcome next time and it will be harder to gain further understanding. 🟢 Great Example: After their account saving heroics an #AM assesses where they are at, now they are out of the woods. Identifying usage and educational gaps, establishing a relationship of trust with multiple people, optimising and building a case for value. Not only working to the clients timetable, but looking for levers to create urgency and establish shorter timelines that align with the client and value. Striking at the right time, with a much clearer understanding of the client's needs and a watertight business case. 💡 Experienced #CSMs and #AMs always take a step back to assess where they are with an account according to these foundations. The great ones can become as important to a client as the product and sustain growth even when there are issues. & Happy Thanksgiving to all 🙏

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🚀 Exciting Times at AccountsIQ! It’s been an incredible journey since I joined AccountsIQ, and the recent appointments of James Hunter and Sinéad Brennan Miles are another bold statement of our intent. These moves send a clear signal to the market, we’re here to lead. What excites me most about this opportunity is how AccountsIQ is reshaping the narrative for finance teams. Across the UK and Ireland, so many businesses are stuck with outdated systems, hesitant to migrate due to fears of high costs, complexity, and lengthy implementations. Take “Accountant Mrs O’S,” for example, she’s been trapped in an implementation nightmare with a full fat ERP for the past 18 months. Unfortunately, stories like hers are all too common, creating unnecessary fear and preventing businesses from making the leap. AccountsIQ is the solution they’ve been waiting for. 1. Onboarding in just 29 days. 2. No hidden costs, total cost of ownership that’s one-sixth of full ERP competitors 3. A 95% customer satisfaction rating, thanks to a relentless focus on customer-first solutions and true partnerships. For me, AccountsIQ is a sleeping giant in this space. Our focus is to empower overworked CFOs, Finance Directors, and Controllers, helping them thrive today, not someday. A massive thank you to the leadership team for their trust: Darren Cran, Gavin McGahey, Francesca Bartolone, Nick Longden, and Tony Connolly. If you’re ready to learn how we can help your business move from legacy to leading, let’s connect. Here’s to a better future for finance teams everywhere! #FinanceTransformation #AccountsIQ #SaaSInnovation #LeadershipAnnouncement #ScalableCloudAccounting P.S. Clearly, the house renovation has taken a massive toll on me, judging by that headshot! https://lnkd.in/eeqzbpYJ

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The Sales World is Evolving... For too long, we've been relying on people to do tasks that kill their productivity and leave organisations with unclear data which is costing Marketing teams millions. This inefficiency forces Product teams to develop features that don't make a significant impact and shortens the tenure of CROs and VPs of Sales. But the world is changing rapidly, and it's an exciting time. AI is revolutionizing the way we connect and standardise data across companies, creating unprecedented consistency. This innovation is why being featured on Andreessen Horowitz's AI Sales Map is so thrilling for us. At Glyphic, we're just getting started. Our entire business operates on Glyphic, allowing us to build products faster, adapt our playbooks swiftly, and respond to our customers' needs with agility—capabilities that are impossible with outdated tools. Want to learn more about why Andreessen has identifyed Glyphic as a company to watch? https://lnkd.in/eQ2Xj_ZM

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Rev Ops.....has 'efficient growth' replaced 'growth at any cost' for you? Do you know which people and teams are most productive and most efficient?...Lative can help with this! The past two decades saw businesses striving for growth, often overlooking efficiency. Now, it's time to change the narrative. Discover how Lative supports a shift towards sustainable revenue and cost-efficient growth using data-driven insights. 📊 Request a demo today! 👉

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Salesloft helps drive efficiency from an individual contributor level all the way through sales leadership. Check out how Gabby Winfield and the team at Staffmark are driving success with Salesloft: https://lnkd.in/eceFBunT

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This week’s RevvedUp newsletter is live! Here’s what’s inside: 🔷 The Key to ABM Success: Actionable advice on research, personalisation, and execution to make your campaigns stand out. 🔷 Uncensored CMO Podcast (hosted by Jon Evans): Andrew Tindall explains how creative consistency drives long-term brand success, backed by real-world examples of applying these principles in practice. Hear from Dom Dwight and Vickie Ridley on the strategies that delivered staying power for their brands. 🔷 Reinventing GTM: Sam Jacobs viral LinkedIn post on the shift to Profitable Efficient Growth (PEG) and why aligning your team around GTM is the only way forward. Don’t miss out on insights like these every week as we gather the best original thinking on go-to-market from about the previous week. Sign up for our newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/e5qWSJV4! #gotomarket #b2b #saas

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Out of 55,701 of dials that were analysed…9247 were connected & 5265 conversations took place. This figure demonstrates the importance of hyper-focused, effective targeting. For our sales team - this has been down to a clear account-based model - there’s a clear understanding of what constitutes a best-fit account. For instance, there’s a crystal-clear understanding on: 👉 Who the decision makers are 👉 What the decision makers’ goals are 👉 Average Contract Value There’s something pretty simple that you can also deduct - it’s easy to say cold calling doesn’t work, if factors around a best-fit account, haven’t been defined to begin with 😅 Cold calling does work - and is very much here to stay in 2024. And in Cognism’s new research report, you’ll find out why. Cognism and WHAM have analysed thousands of calls, and pulled our key trends around the state of cold calling, like the most common objections, personas, and more. You can read the full report via the link in the comments 👇

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Who is in? Pavilion GTM EMEA Summit – 10th-11th July 2024 – London When Pavilion asked me to host the sales stage at their event, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Introducing the world’s best sales leaders to the stage is something I’m privileged to do at Sales Confidence. And now I can’t wait to do it for at GTM EMEA. Here are four of the speakers you can catch on my stage at the event: Rob Cook – VP Enterprise Sales EMEA, Salesloft Rob’s going to talk about ‘The 2080 Problem’. You get 2080 hours every year that you can spend selling, but we only spend 1/3rd of that time with customers. How can we use sales analytics to make that time count? 🧭Zachary Gropper – CEO & Co-Founder, Insight Revenue Zach’s going to share his ‘4 Keys To Overcome Buyer Indecision’. You’ve heard about the JOLT Effect? Join Zach as he brings it to life with real-life data and actionable insights to accelerate pipeline. Guy Rubin – Founder & CEO, Ebsta Join Guy as he shares exclusive sales insights from more than 500 high-growth organisations. How do the best reps drive results? And how can you do what they do to increase pipeline, shorten sales cycles and close more deals? Werner Schmidt – CEO & Co-Founder, Lative Werner will tell us about his ‘Building Blocks to Profitable Efficient Growth’. In a world where investors demand profit rather than growth at all costs, this insight will be absolutely invaluable. I’m looking forward to introducing these sales leadership titans at Pavilion GTM EMEA – and I hope you’ll be there. To join me, the Pavilion team and 200 of the best GTM leaders on the planet on July 10th and 11th in London, click this link and grab your spot. https://lnkd.in/evXp2Abi

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Londoners, whats your plans tomorrow after work? Come join me and; Alex Wood | Sales Leader at Aircall Galit Weinberg | Director of Sales at GoCardless Rosi Y. | Head of Enablement Stenn along with the Wiser elite team. We'll all be in a room full of other sales leaders to discuss the results from the ‘The State of Sales Coaching 2025’ – the largest sales coaching-specific survey ever conducted. Who’s the event for? Sales leaders who know the impact and importance of coaching and looking to improve their coaching strategy in 2025 using the learnings from a critical piece of research. When: Tomorrow (13th November) 6.30-9pm Where: Wiser HQ - 10 Bakers Yard, London, EC1R 3DD How: Grab your free ticket here: https://lnkd.in/eZhKd4hC Expect networking with other sales leaders, food, drink, and great insights from the panel. — See you there if you like? #salescoaching | #salesperformance PS I look worse in real life, this is me calling it out now ha. It's a half decent picture. 😅

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Undoubtedly, a Revenue Orchestration Platform is a vital sales technology. Yes, that's right. Look no further than Salesloft for a Leader among the market's top solutions. Salesloft is proud to have been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Revenue Orchestration Platforms for B2B, Q3 2024. The Forrester report says Salesloft is “a great fit for companies prioritizing a unified platform experience for their frontline teams and looking for actionable guidance to drive resource performance and productivity.” Check out more about our placement: https://lnkd.in/gsuwhtJM

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Sales leaders – let’s get the year wrapped! Our very own Tom Boston is hosting a live event on Thursday, 12th December, to reflect on 2024, share insights, and look ahead to what 2025 has in store for B2B sales. Joining him are three standout EMEA sales leaders: - Carly Pledge, Enterprise Sales Director at Datamaran - Dougie Loan, CRO at SourceWhale - Mark Walker, Co-Founder & CEO at RevvedUp Together they’ll be unwrapping the biggest trends of the year, decking the halls with bold predictions for 2025, and, of course, adding a festive twist. Think of it as your Sales Wrapped – the ultimate review and preview to finish the year on a high. 📅 Date: Thursday, 12th December ⏰ Time: 4 PM Tom’s events are always a cracker, and I hear he’s got some surprises lined up for this one. Got a question for the panel? Drop it in the comments – it might just make it into the conversation. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eqzKhRiM and join them if you like?! This webinar is going to be the perfect way to wrap up 2024 and sleigh your way into 2025. #salescoaching #salesperformance

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The best AE's I've worked with Are constantly looking for the tiny details 👉Reading prospects documentation to learn their internal language 👉Finding key triggers for engagement 👉 Understanding job movers & internal dynamics 👉 Truly personalising and adding value through the process, persona by persona 👉Building a hypothesis and narrative around a companies problems The great thing today - is if you sit as a sales leader You can take your best performing reps workflow And automate it entirely for the rest of your teams using tools like Clay Have you tried to do this already? ______________ If there's a large gap between your top and bottom performers, it's likely automating these flows would make a significant impact on pipeline ______________ I run the playbook agency, the best outbound operations agencies for SaaS & B2B services

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Most revenue leaders Im speaking to right now are facing a productivity problem. How do I maximise revenue per head? A range of different initiatives are in play to attempt to solve this: New playbooks Manager enablement New sales methodologies New training programs … The list goes on. A deeper problem I’m observing is that many teams lack the data and insight to know (with confidence) where they should be focusing. During a period where time and resources are so tight, investing in the right initiatives can be the difference between a winning quarter and looking for a new role. 85% of training and enablement has no lasting impact after 120 days. What data are you using to inform your strategic decision making as a leader? #datainformed #decisionmaking #strategy

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It’s almost here! After two years in the making my first book “How to build Sales Confidence” is almost here! The book shares the three pillars of Sales Confidence: Mindset, Wellbeing and Performance Provides insights on manifestation, visualisation , goal setting and gratitude. Covers everything from my first door-to-door sales role and challenges managing my bipolar and hospitalisation experiences. And teaches you the power of confidence on communication, persuasion and building relationships. >>>>> Register on for the waitlist in the comments <<<<<<

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