Mark Stephenson’s Post

Let’s chat about how to get promoted in Sales…. Because what does going to the DMV, watching paint dry, and being an SDR have in common? They all feel like an eternity! 😐 Hey it’s Kasey Ingram ✝️, and I am taking over Apollo’s LinkedIn today. 👋 Does it ever feel like you’re losing years of your life because you have to put in the “required” time to earn a role you're already capable of doing? I personally, have never been one to accept the time constraints that others have put on me. 👉 You “have to” spend at least 4 years in college to be successful (nope) 👉 You “have to” save up for years to buy a house (nope) 👉 You “need to” be an SDR at one company for 2 years+ before becoming an AE (nope) 👉 You “need” 5-10 years to become a sales director (nope) If you want to hear how I’ve managed to defy these “standards” come join me and The Sales Community on the 14th at 8 AM PST! Link in comments to register. 👇 Hope to see you there! And in the meantime, what’s a “rule” in business you love to break?

If you are not resonating, you are not generating. Let me explain. As sellers, especially earlier in your career, it is common to get into the habit of trying too hard to sell your solution during your initial outreach, whether that is a call, email, LI message, etc. Resonating with your prospect is the most important thing that you can do during your outreach because we are trying to confirm 'pain'. What are some of the main challenges they are facing? As sellers, how do we resonate with that? After you make an observation, whether that is from a LI post, promotion into a new role, or whatever, begin to resonate with the prospect. Once you resonate, then try to not only create interest, but ask if they are open to learning more about your solution. (P.S. This was a random thought I had this past weekend, but it stuck with me.)

Important LinkedIn observation. is this a coincidence? Last week, LinkedIn suggested that I might like to change my profile's description to their AI suggestion. It was only a minor change, so I thought, why not? Let's play!!! Since that day, I have received 40 odd sales led messages from second level connections. I am not a L.I.O.N, and I have chosen to create a deep and meaningful network... not a vast and shallow one. It's a choice that suits what I do and how I communicate. Those who know me, know that my network WORKS. I am 100% dedicated to collaborating effectively. There was a time when I could confidently say that I KNOW, every single person I am connected to... Not possible any more, but this is diluting the effectiveness of my network. I feel mean, and rude by blocking every sales message, but I sm doing, because I want to send a message back to the L.I. algorithms, in case it is connected. I've been effective on here for well over a decade and I've not seen a spike like this in forever. I don't like this kind of 'trawler' mentality of sales/marketing/lead generation. I'm more of a big game angler, but if I get my Marlin, I'd prefer to take him to dinner and see if we can work with each other, rather than catch him. Has anyone else noticed a huge surge in these sales led connection requests? 🤔

Want to build a sh*t-ton of pipeline? It may be less complicated than you think. Sure, there are tactical strategies that can make your calls and emails better. But one of the biggest struggles salespeople have is turning prospecting into a HABIT. Consistently good is better than occasionally great. Here's how I do. I call it Outbound Mode. 1) Prep the day before - Who you're going to prospect - What you're going to say - Do your research ahead of time 2) Block off the calendar - Treat it like you would a big meeting with a customer - If you *need* to move it, you can push it to later in the day rather than cancel it 3) No distractions - Turn off notifications, Slack, etc. - Put phone in DND - Expert mode: Tell your boss what you're doing so they give you space - or have a number to call in case of "emergency" 4) Discipline - Mood follows action (not the other way around) 5) Reward Yourself - If you give yourself a small reward for doing a hard thing, it makes your brain less likely to fight it in the future - This can be as simple as a cup of coffee, walking outside or scrolling TikTok for 5 minutes. Don't have a system? Steal mine and LMK how it works for you.

Who here relies on cold emails for new business opportunities? I bet many of you do. But how well prepared are you for the upcoming changes from Google and others to combat spam? It's going to be a game-changer This isn't just a small tweak; it's a seismic shift in how we do cold outreach. The focus is now firmly on quality over quantity. For many teams, this could mean chaos and panic as they scramble to adapt. But here's the silver lining: Those that adapt fastest will see huge upside faster than their competitors. It's all about being smarter and more efficient now. We have been building Revium for this purpose and are coming to market at the exact time our product is not a ‘want to have’, but a ‘need to have’. Imagine a world where your outreach is multi-channel and laser-focused tailored to your exact prospect every time, all playing their part in a symphony of effective communication. The key? Leveraging context, intent, and relevance. This is our chance to elevate our game, to be better in sales people. 🤔 Your Thoughts? I'm excited about these changes. It's a push towards excellence. What do you think? Let's hear your insights!

Brandon Lee All those comments in your post are true... and false. If people stop at their initial reaction, they are missing the point. (Preemptively, I do not work for Microsoft in any capacity.) At its core, LinkedIn is about relationships. That is part of the betrayal felt by the Sales Spammers who just want you to buy Viagra or whatever or the fake profile Bots who want to meet for coffee. Sometimes friendships take a while to become a sales opportunity. Sometimes they never do. In the real world, we would not end our friendship just because the other person does not buy from us in the first few days or weeks or years. It should be more profound. I knew Gloria D'Ambrisi for 10 years before doing business with her. I have not closed a deal with Christian Kaijser for over 7 years. Both I admire and recommend. Both I consider good friends. LinkedIn helps us to connect with experts. When I needed more insight on banking strategy, I reached out to Robert E. Hall, whose work is foundational. When I needed to find more experts on researching fertilizer efficacy, I reached out to Jeff Miller, the smartest guy I know in the field. Robert I only knew by reputation. Jeff was a childhood friend. LinkedIn makes it possible to connect and stay connected with them. LinkedIn has also allowed me to serve others--to look beyond our own needs. Seeing fellow alumni or connections dealing with job searches or looking for a key expert, I have responded and connected them. If we stop looking at LinkedIn as just a job seeking or a sales tool and start looking at it as a relationship opportunity, we will have a better experience. At some point down the road, when someone asks me who I recommend for social marketing, I will naturally reply Brandon Lee is the smartest person I know in that space. It will be a natural referral and opportunity--nothing forced or fake--because we have an established relationship.

Outbound has evolved drastically over the past several years and sales teams and prospects are tired of sending and receiving thousands of cold emails. So how can you save time and find the potential customers that actually matter to you? By using relevant buying signals and tailoring your response to address problems that leads are facing when they actually have them. Read on to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eAxUkdtk

❎ - A lot of people don't like it when someone snoops on their stuff, especially on social media like LinkedIn. It's kind of like when someone checks out your profile or sees what you post or comment on. ❓ - When salespeople want to talk to new customers, it's important to be nice and not bother them. If they can talk about things that matter to the customer and offer solutions to their problems, they won't be annoying when they send a message. ✅ - So, it's all about being helpful when reaching out to new people, and that's how some salespeople do a great job without being bothersome. 👍 #sdr #outbound #sales

On Friday I decided not to post on Linkedin. Quite frankly, I coudn't be bothered, but I also waneted to see what would happen - the result, my impressions plummeted. Sitting here on a Monday morning, compared to last week I am 40% down on last weeks figure. I expected a drop, but not by that much. But the drop on Friday, also affected Saturday and Sunday, even though I rarely post over the weekend. So here's a tip, well two tips actually, that can be related to many things: 𝟭 - 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 From Linkedin exposure to sales activity. If you want to succeed, keep things consistent, and keep going. 𝟮 - 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 Even though I say to keep things consistent, don't be afraid to try things. After all, whatever works for one person, may not work for you. So play, experiment - trust me, my dip will only be temporary.

Mastering the Art of Knowing '𝐖𝐡𝐨' and '𝐇𝐨𝐰'! It's not only about knowing 'who' your ideal customer is but also 'how' they are. Overall, having more information about your #customers beyond the standard insights allows you to build stronger relationships faster, tailor your sales approach more effectively, and ultimately increase your chances of success in the sales process. To achieve this, follow the three golden rules: 🔍 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦: Look into their job history, understand who they are, and figure out what they like and don't like. This helps you understand what drives them and how they make decisions. Social media sites like LinkedIn and Twitter are great places to find this info. 🎯 ✉️ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡: Engage with their posts and show real interest. This can make them like you more even before you talk directly. It's like the Benjamin Franklin Effect, triggering dopamine, which leads them to like you even before they know you. It makes them feel good and associates positive feelings with you. 💡 👂𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥: Use what you know about them to make your messages special. Mention things they've said or done to show you're paying attention. This makes them feel appreciated and creates a good feeling loop. They'll remember you more and feel more positive about you. 💼 Highly experienced SDRs use a short time after a positive contact request to deepen the connection and learn more about their prospect firsthand before the actual 'professional' work begins.