Bradley Whitaker

ZoomInfo - 1st place in Sales Analytics. As companies this year try to perfect the quality of their data and their GTM sales/marketing processes, there is no better place to be. Over 350M contacts, 95% accuracy on verified data, and literally all the tools under the sun to make your GTM sales and marketing teams set up for success. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help take your business to the next level!

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Sales people have some of the most variable comp of any W2 professional. Most comp structures are a 50/50 split, sometimes a 60/40 split (60% base and 40% variable based on performance). So my question for sales professionals - how do you think about your comp? Do you plan around your base income, OTE (on target earnings), or something in between? Since I started selling software almost 5 years ago, my family has decided to live off of my base. This has forced us to live within our means and helps avoid lifestyle creep as my income increases. This means my 401(k), our mortgages, rent, utilities, groceries, automated target contributions, and monthly variable expenses all fit within my base. With commission, I make a plan for the additional cash. Most of my comp plans have had quarterly commission payouts, so by the time the commission hits I have time to make my plan. My rule of thumb is 50% gets invested in my target account, 25% gets allocated to upgrades for our properties, and the remaining amount goes into our checking account as extra spending money. Sales reps, how do you think about your base vs variable comp?

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SDRs don't work for AEs.... In fact, AEs should work for SDRs. If you're in a position to have an SDR helping you crack meetings you need to point them in the right direction with the right messaging and use cases. SDRs aren't your assistants. They're the tip of the spear. Cole Praver 🙌 #sales

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Tying an SDRs income to number of booked meetings is lunacy. The input drives the output: More meetings, regardless of whether they are qualified. But hey, who cares if they are crap. Let the sales people fight that fight! Oh but also let’s waste the Sales VP’s time who has to divvy up those leads… And the team who has to spin up slides and prep the research… When you tie compensation to booked meetings, regardless of qualification, you are achieving the real output you must certainly desire: Wasting the sales team’s time. But hey, we hit our inputs!

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Where have all the SDR/BDR jobs gone? I ran a search today for open SDR and BDR positions in the United States. The terms I searched were, "sales development representative," "business development representative," "SDR," and "BDR." The combined total jobs turned out to be 6,514. Seems to me that when I ran a similar search over the last four years, the results were much higher; like up to 20,000 open positions. I learned two things from this exercise: 1. You get way more results if you spell out sales development representative or business development representative than just SDR or BDR. 2. People who are currently in SDR or BDR roles need to start training for what's next in their careers. NOW. But to get promoted, you need to be at the top of leaderboard. I show you how in my new book, "Now That's How You Build Hella Sales Pipeline." If SDR/BDR roles are truly dwindling, what do you think reps should do now?

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Operational changes as a company grows are inevitable, and desired if you want the growth is to continue, but looking ahead and making the changes proactively is the challenge. Adam Robinson has nailed it. How are you adjusting your business operations to fit the changed (yes changed, not changing) landscape in your industry? #growthhacking #businessstrategy #marketing

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SDRs/ AEs: Prospects owe you nothing before an initial meeting. They're not responsible for you being upset when they no show/ghost. I started taking ownership for all of the outcomes in my life a few years back. It takes what it takes -- and it's up to me and on me. Not where I want to be? I can change it. Not happy with my current state? No ones' fault but mine. Way better to operate through the lens of "it's on me" vs "why me :(" Focusing on what I can control and letting go of what I can't has helped decrease no-shows. End of the day, the prospect owes me nothing. But, I can make it a no brainer for them to join by focusing on what I can control. World keeps spinning if they don't show up - it's going to be ok. Indifference wins. P.S-- this is the exact scenario that makes practicing mindfulness, working on your inner game and building a great life for yourself outside of work critical, especially in sales.

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Stop following a script. Stop following a methodology. People are smart. Every call and every situation is unique. Be a human and ask good questions.

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I agree with all of these - a great TTT (Top Ten Traits). What I also emphasize is to get to back to using the phone and talk to people vs sending multiple (follow up) emails. I would add that top sales managers know when to bring in support when necessary to close a deal and they don't hesitate to ask. (It takes a village.) In discovery they identify the key decision makers (KDMs) across the customer account and find a way to cultivate and build alliances with more than one person to win the first deal and to ensure sustained YOY growth.

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A great checklist for the ones who want to master the AE domain and be on the top of the chart. Among the top 10 skillsets, I especially find ‘Give to Get’ resonating a lot. The greatest AE usually excels in identifying the very core desire from the prospect, and leverage it to maximize the Get. From the same deal, the bigger positive delta they can stretch, the more effectiveness they can accelerate vs. others.

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Such a valuable list of “cheat codes”! Some I wish I learned earlier on in my career, but happy to have learned them at some point and able to act on them!

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Sales reps have an unfair advantage starting businesses Think about it You’re stacked with upside and can hedge your downside on everything → high income → time flexibility / unlimited PTO → negotiating w/ business owners → competitive environment → skills training Shout out to those hustling after hours and weekends to build the dream Check out full article here: https://bit.ly/4aTuifn

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Is your team not hitting quota? Hiring more sellers won't fix it. You need the data on why, And a solution in place. Maybe you can't figure out the right hires -You need to test for - Will, Beliefs, and Skill Maybe people don't know what to do -You then need to create the right onboarding process Maybe folks are struggling with how to do it -You then need to figure out exactly where and focus there Maybe, just maybe, you have the wrong quota -Have you done the backward quota math to see if quota = your systems? Fact is: Tossing more people into bad systems doesn't work Sales = systems. Not just something you can "throw headcount at." Remember, a single bad hire pays for the investment in ALL systems A bad hire costs that much. Use data to figure out the real problem. Fix the problem. /end rant David out ✌️ 🚨 PS - If you want killer cheat sheets on quota math, process audit, or questions for better hiring, drop a note in chat and I'll send them to you. 👋 If you liked this, give me a follow ♻️ Repost if this landed with you.

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