☠️ Belal Batrawy

As I keep saying Business Development isn’t entry level. It is the connective tissue between Sales & Marketing alignment. It is the connective tissue between Sales & Customer Success. To understand how far we have strayed off this path, let’s look under the hood. Prior to the over specialisation and split outs 2011, which some commenced in 2008. Business development was a senior role you had to be promoted into. You were an A player You were able to speak to C Suites at their level. How they got there was their development track coming from two years working accounts at CS You dazzled on the phone You worked accounts in site visits You knew the commercial pack inside out, the legal clause process, the financial requirements and approvals. You knew what would work in the written communication plans and what wouldn’t. You then, got a chance to be promoted to BD. You already had familiarity with your name across industry, everything just ran and worked better. It gobsmacks me micro niches and verticals that either ; Aren’t old enough to remember this Or haven’t seen it. The skillset and fundamentals that also went along with that said person, were drastically different from what we see today. What were the actions of that seasoned professional? I guarantee you this, it wasn’t ‘selling the meeting’. The components of what the role WAS is the secret sauce across industry sector. George Coudounaris The B2B Playbook and I, have spent the better part of this year creating the guardrails on HOW to navigate back every channel, via action, via department. And the result Chief Revenue School The curriculum on Marketing, Sales & Customer success. We aren’t talking in fluffy circles. We outline and show you the actions that matter and your C Suites should be lead coaching and inspiring your level 4 management teams of said departments. Backwards to go forwards. #B2B

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Too many marketers think automated #email #marketing works this way. Why? Because they start with the software, then focus on content – but it should be the other way around. When starting a #B2B email campaign, test manually first. Identify what works, then automate. The goal is to automate hyperpersonalization – sending tailored messages that speak directly to each prospect’s needs. This increases engagement and drives better results, all while keeping it personal.

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Tenured, quota-crushing SDRs can easily clear six figures as a fractional SDR. So why aren't you taking advantage of this blue ocean of opportunity? 1/ You don't believe in yourself & your ability to add value 2/ You don't know how to sell or position the value that you can provide 3/ You'd never considered different ways that your professional skills can be applied I leveraged my skills as an SDR into a self-employed business opportunity that took me from $30k/yr to $30k/mo in just over 12 months. And I've helped numerous others do the same. This is the natural progression into self-employment if that's what you desire. But it takes belief, positioning, & open-mindedness. -- Curious how to take your W2 skillset and turn it into $ in the gig economy as an SDR? Check out this new video I put together: https://bit.ly/4flaZPC

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I’ve seen 200 + SDR teams. One of the most common reasons why SDR teams fail? They’re spending time doing the wrong things.   1) Companies are hindering their team with non pipeline generating activities. 2) Complicated or lack of process... CRMs that are like a maze and have 15+ fields to fill in just to change a lead status. 3) Activities that aren’t linked to quota. What have I missed? 💡

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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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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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How we drove $2.5+ mil in pipe for a 50+ BDR org: Look at a list of key contacts who left their previous company Enrich in Clay with current company, company size Cross reference with Salesforce to see account owners, ROE Check previous, current accounts with Gong AMA to build out an account brief Push into Evabot AI for Sales Outbound 2.0 to build a 100% custom AI sequence BDRs execute Super admins start a new deal cycle $2.8 mil and counting in pipe generated (Granted... 1 mil came from Coca Cola... but if we helped start an opp at Coca Cola, I'll take it)

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When I start hiring SDRs, I won’t be hiring traditional SDRs. Here’s what I’m planning… 150k OTE. 50/25/25 comp structure. - 50% base - 25% variable on Enterprise opps created - 25% variable on SMB revenue closed 📈 Let’s start with Opportunities created. These are qualified opportunities you set up for the enterprise sales team. Every month, we’ll align on the 100 accounts you should prioritize with your outreach. The marketing team will focus on the same 100 accounts with its account-based marketing efforts. You’ll use Copy.ai to build account plans, research prospects, and develop outreach strategies for each account. You’ll use Copy.ai to create custom landing pages, ads, and hyper-relevant outreach. You’ll be the quarterback, ensuring the right buying group is engaged, and doing the high-touch, white glove outreach to key contacts. I’m thinking 30 opps generated per month as a quota. The marketing team will share that quota and be incentivized to generate opps. You’re the quarterback. We won’t fight over “who gets credit” because we’re completely aligned on the accounts, budget, and strategies. Having sticker shock at that 30/month number? We have insane momentum right now and are only gaining steam. We’ll set you up for success. 💰 Now, about that SMB revenue. These are SMB deals that are too small for our enterprise sellers to focus on. Call it, under $25k ARR. 100% inbound. You’ll be full cycle here, from qualification through close. Again, you’ll have support from the marketing team to ensure you have what you need to fully engage the buying group, allow buyers to self-serve much of their education, and move deals through the funnel quickly. You’ll have managerial support, of course. But you’ll also have Copy.ai doing deal coaching, giving feedback, suggesting deal strategies, and keeping you focused on real deals. I’m thinking 6-8 deals / quarter = $400k annual quota. Logo velocity is the name of the game. We’ll figure out the accelerator balance so you get rewarded for over-performance, as long as you’re performing against BOTH elements of your variable. You’ll get exposure to the whole GTM engine. You’ll get real, complete sales training. You’re the talent bench for the enterprise accounts team. 👀 Title? I’m thinking Inside Account Director. Two questions: 1. Interested? Let me know. We’re not hiring for this yet (need to hash out plans internally), but we’ll start keeping a warm list so we can hire fast. Fill out this li'l form to join the wait list: https://lnkd.in/esbA4ZVp 2. What am I missing? Any suggestions for what to change? We’re building in public here, and architecting a different approach to all things GTM. Open to feedback. #gtmai #sales #gtm

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Want to increase your connect rate and get into more conversations? Reps waste so much time on records that have bad numbers. Have your enablement team add this field to HubSpot or your prospecting platform like Outreach / Salesloft. Then, you can filter those contacts outside of a calling block to find better numbers. This will save you time each week, resulting in: 1. More quality calls 2. More conversations 3. More meetings 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: Drop the prospects with bad numbers into an Email/LinkedIn sequence. Give me a follow James Bissell or don't 🙃

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Renewals are the lifeblood of every SaaS company. However, we don’t talk enough about what makes a great AM/CSM who handles renewals. Since there are so many lists on what makes a great AE, I thought I’d take a stab at what makes a great AM/CSM who handles renewals: 1/ They prioritize the renewals that move the needle Renewal rate comes down to simple math. What renewals are going to move the needle for them? Great AMs/CSMs spend their time where they’ll get the most bang for their buck. 2/ They prepare 6 months in advance Average AMs/CSMs prep 3 months in advance. Great ones plan 6 months in advance. This includes asking hard questions well ahead of time during a mid-year QBR, so they know where to spend their time. 3/ They can re-sell the product Stakeholders change. Priorities change. Competitors try to break in. Great AMs/CSMs can sell the product as well as their AEs and know how to position their value props and handle objections. 4/ They know how to negotiate I don’t know any procurement person in the post-ZIRP era who doesn’t try to negotiate their contracts. A great AM/CSM knows how to turn negotiations into win-wins. 5/ They know the difference between procurement and decision-makers Similar to point four, they know how to negotiate and with whom. Negotiating with procurement is much different than negotiating with a key stakeholder. Each party wants something different, and it’s important to recognize what that is. 6/ They know how to rope in their AEs or extended teams Just like the best AEs know how to “quarterback” deals, a great AM/CSM knows how to rally resources to help with renewals. AEs, Execs, SEs, and Professional Services can all be brought in to help show the customer extra love. 7/ They develop a renewal champion We always talk about champions in the presales process, but not enough about champions during renewals. A great AM/CSM knows how to develop champions to help push renewals through. An AM/CSM who knows how to do these things is worth their weight in gold. Keep them happy as long as you can!

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STOP Wasting Time Chasing Deals You’ll Never Close. Most buyers fumble because they don’t know their weak spots. Get your BBR Score and uncover what’s holding you back. 🔥 Don’t guess—get clarity in minutes. Your million-dollar future depends on it. Take the Assessment Here https://lnkd.in/emEzGXZ2

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I talk to too many BDR/SDR managers and SDRs who have less than 5 conversations per day over the phones. I was fortunate to have 12-14 conversations with my ICP as an SDR throughout the years, some days it was as high as 22 but some days as low as 8. I've used popular diallers like Orum, Kixie as well as phone validators, and other sources for higher connects. The point is that I've always looked for any "edge" I could get whether that meant I had to pay out of pocket to make it happen or ask my management team to make it happen. Considering 99% of my meetings as an SDR came through the phones, and as well as my team I manage now get 99% of our meetings from the phones, I've very much invested in wanting more conversations for them. I'm currently working on giving my reps consistent 8-14 connects on 55-70 dials. We have periods where we can get that through diallers and validators but it's not exactly at the point where it can predictably get us that sweet 8-14 connects > EVERY. SIGNLE. TIME. Soon though. I guess the whole point of this post is to just share how few SDR/BDR leaders are focused on getting their reps higher D2C rates. A lot focus on better conversions through talk tracks, calling at certain times vs others, double dialling etc. I know guys like Hunter Deskin, 💛 Shawn Sease - The Professor of Prospecting, Christian R. and more have those level of connects or their reps have those kinds of connects CONSISTENTLY!! That is what I want for my reps so they can hit those sweet accelerators 🧩.

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Dealing with failure… I’ve struggled with it. Many SDRs and AEs I’ve worked with struggle with it. Sam Lopez ☁️ shared a great perspective that reframed how I think about failure... “I don’t deal with failure… I change my perspective on failure.” For SDRs/BDRs looking to find a new role, manage stress or crush it in their current gig… Sam’s got tons of wisdom as he’s done ALL of those things. Check out our episode on Beyond Pipeline 🧠. #coldcalling #beyondpipeline #sales #mindset

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5 ways to improve SDR Opp --> Closed Won conversion... 1. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 & 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 • Review Opps 'age' and 'days since activity' by stage • Review where most Opps are being closed lost • Review Why/Opp outcomes are being closed lost • Review trends in this data by territory, region, team and individual AE 2. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮 • Take the data from above and start sharing insights • Have SDR and Sales Leaders sit regularly to review 'stuck' opps • Raise 'stuck' opps with reps to provoke action • Automate email triggers to warn reps of 'stuck' or 'ageing' Opps • Add SLAs / Opp management expectations in for reps 3. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗼𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 • What's the average number of criteria being fulfilled? • What criteria are associated to the Opps that reach late stage/closed won? • What criteria are having limited baring on Opp outcome? • Consider changes to qualification or making certain criteria mandatory • Decide whether qualification should sit with reps or with leaders 4. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 • Understand that Comp plans are designed to facilitate specific actions • Consider adding a late-stage kicker/extra weighting for SDRs/BDRs 5. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗥𝗠/𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 • How much of 'stuck' pipeline is actually down to poor rep CRM hygiene? • How much of 'stuck' pipeline is due to poor definitions on opp stages and management? • Look at tools like Clari and Momentum.io to drive accuracy and efficiency 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗗𝗥/𝗕𝗗𝗥 𝗼𝗿𝗴? 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 (𝘝𝘗𝘴, 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 + 𝘊-𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺!): https://lnkd.in/eVgkzkZz

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SDRs, stop talking about what you sell on LinkedIn. Start talking about HOW you sell. That's how you build a brand.

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Your SDR comp plan is killing your deals. It happens when you don’t have tight parameters on what a real opportunity looks like, and SDRs are paid for putting crap meetings on the board. What this looks like: Fluff gets pushed into the pipeline AE calendars get overloaded with time-wasting, unqualified opps. Frustration builds between sales and sales development, slowly destroying their credibility. (leading to SDR layoffs) How to prevent this from happening: 1️⃣Sit down with sales and come to a shared agreement on what a qualified opportunity is, looking at real data on closed deals and what positive flags were identified at the top of the funnel. 2️⃣Create an SLA based on this agreement, rigorously train your SDR team on it, make it a part of how they’re paid, and have them sign the agreement acknowledging their understanding and commitment to following it. 3️⃣Hold a monthly meeting between sales and SDR leadership to evaluate how well the SLA is being executed, and what the opportunities for growth are. Many SDR leaders will hate this, but won’t survive 2025 without it. P.S. I’m doing a 3 part series on why SDR sourced meetings don’t close. Want the other reasons? Follow me and ring the notification bell. #sales #salesdevelopment

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If you go about selling with the ulterior motive to convince people, it tends to show through on some level and create resistance. Why? People don’t like being convinced. Convincing sounds like this: Prospect: “Why should we choose you?” Seller: “We’re used by over 2,000 sales teams including Salesforce. We typically boost sales by 20% within 30 days. We were recently named the top sales training company by Gartner.” Of course you’re going to tell people you’re the best. You’re biased. Letting people convince themselves sounds like this: Prospect: “Why should we choose you?” Seller: “I’m not sure you should. You can choose trainers like A, B, and C. If you don’t mind me asming, why consider a former kindergarten teacher?” Then shut the front door and listen. Let others give you their value proposition instead of you giving them yours. Why? People are more persuaded by what they hear themselves say, rather than what you say. It’s not your job to fill people’s heads with information. Your job is to draw it out. Buyers have the answers. Sellers have the questions.

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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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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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