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Do you have any internal deal review documents or structures?
I want to run a Bi-weekly deal review session with my team, but it is tough to get people to participate, especially getting started. My motivation for doing sessions like this is to give exposure to others on the team of different use cases we run into, especially so our more senior staff can offer insights. I'm trying to…
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How do you prepare for a sales conversation?
I am a bit of a creature of habit and I have my own way of organizing before a sales conversation. Everything is loaded in the CRM a certain way, I have a good idea how much time to spend on what, etc. I’m wondering what others do to prepare for a sales conversation. I know a lot of the stuff I do I was taught so I’m…
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What are some tips to engage with a client that isn’t such a talkative person?
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September 15, 2023 - Ascender Live - Prospecting Tips & Tools [Event Recap]
Here's the recap and recording of this incredible conversation with you all and @Tim Caito around prospecting tips and the tools we use for this process. We covered an incredible amount, including the idea that you should never let the tools dictate how you prospect, how you can work to find ways to connect with the people…
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Prospecting Tips and Tools
Great conversation today for the live event with Tim! Would love to hear what has been working for seller's first touches via email or VM? Has anyone been A/B testing their outreach? What words, strategies, metrics have you been using that convinced the buyer you've done your research and earned the right for that first…
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"Buyers close deals".
I posted this on LinkedIn and I thought it was a good reminder for all of us over here, too! Buyers close deals. As a seller, you facilitate their buying process. You're the consultant. Not the hero. There was some good discussion in the comments and I'd love to hear what you think!
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Introduce Yourself Here!
Hello and welcome to Ascender! You've taken a big step forward and I'm so happy that you're here! One of the things you can do to start connecting with others is to comment below with your intro post so others will be able to see what you're about! I recommend that you copy and paste the template below (Pro-tip: Copy…
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September 8, 2023 - Ascender Teams Workshop - Uncovering Business-level Problems [Event Recap]
@Patrick McLoughlin led this incredible session on coaching reps up on business-level pains, how to speak the same "language" as the customer, how to actually show empathy, and more in this edition of our Ascender Teams Workshop.
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Sequences/Storytelling/Anchoring Value Early via Emotion
I have been working on some new sequences that are a bit different than what I’ve worked on in the past. Whenever I’ve incorporated storytelling into my sequences in the past, the stories have been true stories based around my proof points and unique value proposition to set myself up to have my value anchored as we begin…
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Expanding existing accounts
I am in a position where I have inherited 3 spending accounts. All 3 accounts should spend at least 5x more with us based on their business and how we can support their initiatives etc. A large part of my plans for next year is expanding these accounts, and i have put together some compelling reasons why they should at…
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What to do when I know we don't fit the current requirements?
There is a deal that we're working on right now that I know we don't meet all of the requirements they've listed. My team has been very upfront with them about this and I have gone so far as to state it explicitly. But the customer is adamant that we're the right solution and continue to press us on wanting to work with…
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Get your customers saying "that's right," instead of "you're right"
A big part of being successful in sales is ditching your ego. It's a lesson I have continually learned the hard way, but always for my eventual betterment. As humans, I think it is pretty normal to naturally want to be the expert who can solve all of their problems - especially in sales where I have a solution that will do…
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License Overages vs Reshaping existing contract
Hi - After some advice if possible, please :) Context: My customer, due to commercial constraints and the EB losing faith in the value my solution provides halved their license size at renewal in Jan 23. Since then, we have been invited to "sell your solution to us again" and are about to kick off a PoV that will…
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Optimal Tech Stack for SDRs Using Salesforce
What are the best tools and tech available for SDRs to improve output in terms of both quantity and quality? Looking at a holistic approach, what are the best ways to orchestrate the technology? I more interested in an orchestrated approach verses feedback on stand alone tools. @Joe Huber
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August 18, 2023 - Ascender Live - The Negotiator's Mindset (Execution) [Event Recap]
@Tim Caito joined us for another conversation around "The Negotiator's Mindset", this time focusing more on the individual contributor and how you can develop around this crucial skill. Tim covered things like anchors, how to ask questions to get people off of "just price", and the importance of focusing on negotiating…
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Tips or frameworks for closing out calls/demos
Hi All! Curious if anyone has any good frameworks for closing out calls/demos? I am noticing team members getting to the end of calls and not closing them out consistently with wrap-ups or even next steps. Thanks! Ben
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I'm here to answer questions about "The Negotiator's Mindset"!
Thank you so much to everyone that joined us on the Ascender Teams Workshop last week on Friday! It was a great conversation and I really enjoyed chatting with you. We talked about the Negotiator's Mindset with a theme around guidance. The recap was posted yesterday, but I also wanted to open myself up to questions! Was…
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August 11, 2023 - Ascender Teams Workshop - The Negotiator's Mindset (Guidance) [Event Recap]
@Tim Caito joined us to chat through "The Negotiator's Mindset" from the Team's perspective. He covered things like how teams can change their approach to thinking about negotiations, what to negotiate for, and how we can focus on our relationships through the process. The folks on the call also brought some incredible…
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Anonymous question: "I just got my first-ever sales job. Give me all of your advice, please!"
I just got a LinkedIn message from someone that asked me if I'd be willing to post here on their behalf. Here's the full message (emphasis mine): I just accepted an offer from a SaaS company in Chicago to be an SDR. I've heard a lot of the cliché stuff, but I was hoping you'd ask your community about some real advice. What…
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August 4, 2023 - Ascender Insights - Selling to the COO [Event Recap]
Daria Morano and @Diana Sheley were live on August 4th and talked all about "Selling to the Chief Operating Officer". Daria is the COO at Solving IT and had some amazing tips! Some of the highlights included Daria sharing how you can hold her attention, research what role the COO has (since it can be quite different, org…
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Answering questions from "Selling to the COO"!
Wow! Thank you to everyone who spent time last week taking in all of the great information that Daria shared. I am thrilled we were able to touch on so many topics important to a COO. I will be glad to answer some additional questions regarding selling to the C-suite so share those in the comments section and I will get…
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Has anyone else had trouble loading the exam since it was slightly changed today?
I have been trouble uploading the exam to take today. I've tried on a Chromebook, Iphone, and Windows PC. Does anyone have any insight on how to get it to load or actions I might need to take to be able to access it? Thank you!
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Ascender Resources: Role Play Scenario & Feedback Template
During our Ascender Teams session on "Building an Effective Role Play Session", a question came up from @Brandt Hoffman about developing a resource that could be used as a template to help build more effective role play scenarios for both managers and sales talent. This resource will help you do exactly that. You'll be…
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Does anyone have any tips or recommendations for passing the final exam of the MEDDICC training?
Hey there, thank you for reading this question. I took the MEDDICC training over the last week, and felt as though I learned so much. I took Command of the Message a few years back, and felt that this MEDDICC training really shined a light on some of the holes in my game, particularly in the discovery process. I've been…
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Ascender Resources - Customer-Facing Quarterly Business Review
Based on an earlier Ascender conversation around Customer-Facing QBRs, we've build this template for you to leverage. Please let us know if you'd like to see additions or amendments to the template and we'll work to improve this over time.
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Release Notes [June / July 2023]
Here's a rundown of the most recently released features and improvements to the Ascender experience for subscribers and visitors. Please let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you. For all subscribers and visitors We've made changes to support upcoming subscriber renewals and expirations: Subscribers who have…
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July 21, 2023 - Ascender Live - Influencing Decision Criteria Priorities [Event Recap]
@Antonella O'Day led this incredible session on working with your customers and prospects to help their prioritization around their Decision Criteria. The biggest theme was that what we're aiming to do isn't around changing their minds, but rather helping understand where they're most focused so that we can attach…
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July 14, 2023 - Ascender Teams - How to build an effective roleplay session [Event Recap]
@Antonella O'Day joined us to talk about building roleplay sessions from both the perspective of a manager, who is there to offer coaching, and the sales talent, who is there to improve! Check out some of the key tips that Antonella shares including the approach you should take, the mindset you should bring, and some…
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July 7, 2023 - Ascender Insights - Selling to the CRO [Event Recap]
Mike Mattei and @Patrick McLoughlin were live on July 7th and talked all about "Selling to the Chief Revenue Officer". Mike is the CRO at Bamboo Rose and had some amazing tips! Some great tips in here around how to uncover what kinds of metrics are important at the moment for each prospect, how remain fluid so you can rise…
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June 16, 2023 - Ascender Live - Positive Thinking & the Sales Mindset [Event Recap]
@Pouli Pouliopoulos joined us to talk about how thinking positive can be a serious game-changer, how there's plenty of room to build positive relationships and rapport in today's "zoom-first" culture, and included some great ice-breaker questions. You also won't want to miss his "magic trick" toward the beginning of the…