How to Use Understanding to Improve Sales

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” - Charles Darwin Adaptation is the key to survival and success in nature and business. When I was recruited to lead an organization with no sales process, it was clear we had to adapt to thrive. We implemented a CRM system, gathering critical customer data, including people, roles, products, volumes, contract expirations, and other key information. This was the foundation for our first sales process. Initially, our sales process evolved to include traditional stages: lead generation, prospecting, lead qualification, contact, proposal, negotiation, contracting, and implementation. This helped us forecast and prepare for the future. However, as the market evolved, we realized the need to adapt further to stay competitive. We made subtle but impactful changes to our sales process to be more customer-centric. After all, customers don’t think about purchasing decisions in terms like "proposal phase." Instead, we redefined our approach to include stages such as: not in the market, stimulated, defining the problem, evaluating options, mitigating risk, making decisions, and implementing. These changes were fundamentally important. They allowed us to ask better questions, create supporting materials tailored to the buyer's persona at the right time within the sales cycle, and align more closely with our customers' intentions. For example, understanding what a CFO needs when defining a problem or how a CIO evaluates options enabled us to be better partners and remain in sync with our customers' processes. This adaptation elevated our organization in the eyes of our customers and helped grow our pipeline. More importantly, it provided real clarity and certainty in our pipeline, enabling the management team to make informed business decisions. Benefits of a Defined Sales Strategy: * Improved Forecasting: A structured process helps predict future sales more accurately. * Better Resource Allocation: Understanding the stages helps deploy the right resources at the right time. * Increased Customer Satisfaction: A customer-centric approach ensures that clients' needs are met more effectively. * Enhanced Team Alignment: Clear stages and processes align the sales team with organizational goals. As times change and markets move faster, what must we do to continue adapting and thriving? This question should be at the forefront of strategy discussions. Continuous responsiveness to change will ensure growth. #Adaptation #BusinessStrategy #SalesProcess #CustomerCentric #Innovation #Leadership

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

55% of sales leaders witnessed increased lead conversions with intent data, a stat that marks a new era in the art of sales and marketing. 🔍 A Personal Tale: From Data Jungle to Targeted Strategy 🔍 I once partnered with a client who was overwhelmed by a deluge of intent data from Bombora. Picture navigating a dense jungle without a map. The data was vast but unstructured, not effectively mapped to accounts. I was reminded of Craig Rosenberg's words - "The key on intent is fit comes first." 💡 Turning Complexity into Clarity: The Role of Context Our quest was clear: to cut through this jungle and find a path. We initiated a meticulous cleanup, aligning intent data with specific accounts. Then, we took a pivotal step further by focusing on contextual intent data. 🧭 Unlocking the ‘Why’ Behind the Data Contextual intent data is like a compass in uncharted territory. It goes beyond identifying interested accounts; it's about grasping the reasons behind their interest. This deeper understanding enabled us to tailor our approach, addressing the specific needs and challenges of each account. 🌈 The Outcome: Precision-Driven Sales and Marketing Success The transformation was remarkable. Sales dialogues became more focused and resonant. Marketing campaigns struck a chord, addressing the unique context of each account's journey. 🛤️ A 5-Step Blueprint to Mastering Contextual Intent Data Data Harvesting: Collect intent data with an eye for the underlying context of each interaction. Intelligent Mapping: Align this data with specific accounts, illuminating your path through the data forest. Tailored Tactics: Customize your outreach based on the nuanced context of each segment. Adaptive Campaigns: Launch dynamic, context-sensitive campaigns that connect deeply with each account's narrative. Strategic Refinement: Continuously evolve your strategies, responding to the ever-shifting landscape of intent signals and contexts. 📈 Beyond Just Data Points: Contextual intent data isn't merely a collection of information; it's a storytelling tool. It's about transforming raw data into compelling narratives that not only reveal who is ready to buy but also why they are on this journey, creating more meaningful and effective sales and marketing engagements. Step into the world of contextual intent data and watch your sales and marketing narratives change from abstract data points to stories that connect and convert. #ContextualIntentData #SalesInnovation #MarketingTransformation #DataDrivenDecisions #BusinessGrowth #B2Bmarketing #ABM #accountbasedmarketing #METABRAND #IndustryAtom

The best discovery move you’re (probably) not using: The Red Pen Exercise. I’ve watched this technique transform skeptical prospects into vocal champions. And the best part? It’s not about pitching harder. It’s about getting corrected. THE WHAT: Before a discovery call, you put together a 1-slide POV with 3 simple sections: 1) Current State: What you think they’re dealing with 2) Business Impact: The consequences of that problem 3) Future State: Where you believe they want to go Then you say something like: “This is what I gathered based on my research. Can you take a red pen to this and tell me where I’m off?” Frame it softly: “This may be off—but I’d love your feedback on what I got right vs. where I missed.” And then... magic happens. Why it works (7 reasons) 1) People love correcting others Behavioral psychology 101: we’re wired to spot errors. By inviting correction, you lower defenses and trigger engagement. 2) Prep = Respect 82% of B2B buyers say sellers are unprepared for meetings (Forrester). Showing a POV proves you’ve done your homework. That earns trust and elevates you above 82% of sellers who ask lazy, generic questions. 3) Co-Creation Now the prospect is helping build the case for change with you. This makes your solution feel more like a joint decision, not a pitch. 4) Gets Them Talking Average sellers ask weak questions like “What’s keeping you up at night?” and get 1 word answers. Red pen sellers do not. 5) You Learn More You get validation or correction instantly. You take the guesswork out. 6. It accelerates urgency Once you build a shared understanding of the current problem and ideal outcome, it’s easier to bridge the gap and create urgency. Read Gap Selling if you don't know what I'm talking about. 7.Sales Process Discovery is not a stage, it's a process. This info is CRITICAL in running a proper sales cycle with qualified buyers and will help you disqualify non-ICP fits. TAKEAWAY: The Red Pen Exercise isn’t about being “right.” It’s about being useful. Show up with a hypothesis. Let them sharpen it. Now you’re solving problems together. Give it a try this week.

I stopped asking "What are your priorities?" in sales calls. I'd get generic, unhelpful answers each time. I ask these instead: 1. What are the top 3 metrics you're measured on this quarter? ↳Knowing their key performance indicators reveals what truly matters. 2. What's keeping you up at night about hitting those goals? ↳Their biggest fears and challenges point to where you can create value. 3. Where are you currently losing revenue or leaving money on the table? ↳Quantifying the cost of inaction builds urgency for change. 4. Have you explored other solutions before? What didn't work? ↳Understanding past failures helps you differentiate and avoid the same pitfalls. 5. What would a successful outcome look like for you in 6 months? ↳Aligning on their definition of success guides your solution positioning. 6. Who else is impacted by this issue across the company? ↳Identifying all stakeholders ensures you bring the right people into the process. 7. What's your budget range for addressing this? ↳Getting a sense of investment appetite upfront avoids wasted time. 8. What's your decision-making process and timeline? ↳Mapping the path to a decision keeps the momentum going. 9. What concerns do you have about moving forward? ↳Surfacing objections early allows you to directly address them. 10. How will you measure ROI if we're successful? ↳Defining ROI metrics upfront justifies your pricing and business case. Vague, open-ended questions lead to vague, unhelpful answers. Get specific, and you'll uncover the insights to truly understand the buyer's situation. --- Repost ♻ to help your network with this important skill Comment “SEQUENCE” below if you want me to send you 13 email sequences that sell like crazy. 

Laziest sales coaching you can get → Add value. What does "add value" mean? Who knows. Better coaching → specific tactics that increase likelihood of winning a deal. Here are some unique examples: 1. The marked up case study/white paper → do you send case studies or white papers in deal cycles? Stop. Nobody reads them...unless, you have read it first, highlighted the relevant parts, put some notes in the margin, and sent it to the buyer with a note like, "I know you don't have 10 mins to read this so I took the parts you should see and marked them for you. Should be a 2 min read now." 2. The demo preview video → do you keep your product behind a curtain, hidden until you can show it on a call? Stop. Nobody cares that much about your demo that they will get pissed about a spoiler. Take the AWESOMEST part of your demo, make it into a <3 minute video and send it to the buyer committee prior to the demo. Get them excited to show up, as well as a little context. 3. Interview users → do you get outside the buying committee and talk to actual users to enrich your exec convos? Start. You can start a groundswell, but more importantly, you can help execs understand what's going on in their teams better by being a neutral third party interviewing the people experiencing the pain you solve. 4. The "new school" business case → do you do ROI analysis and business case decks you present to your buyers? Stop. Follow my main man Nate Nasralla and do a new school, 1 page business case that connects the dots for buyers...it also becomes like a little mini-AE fairy that floats through your buyer's company sprinkling magic fairy dust on everyone when you aren't even in the room. 5. Give them a lead → Have you ever given a buyer leads? Start. First time I gave a buyer a hot lead, I won the deal. Second time. Same thing. Third time. Same thing. Fourth time...I won the deal and got a referral back. (Actually, I can't really remember what happened the first 4 times, but I do know I won a lot of deals I did this with). Buyers love seeing you as a partner. No better way than to grow their business. Those are 5 very tactical ways to "add value" in a deal...or better yet, make someone happy which might just increase the likelihood you win. Sales is still very skill driven (i.e. you need to have strong talent combined with the how-to's of selling). The inner game is starting to become more important (i.e. is your mind right?). But, I'm seeing that CREATIVE sellers with skills and a strong inner game are dominating right now.

Are you leaving money on the table? My bulletproof system to find out and fix it. I've spent the last 6+ years helping 100s of entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses grow faster. This is how I diagnose where they can quickly 2-3x profits. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗢𝗻𝗲: 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 What are the steps someone takes to become a happy, paying customer? - How do they get to the website? - How do they become a lead? - How do they start a sales conversation? - How do they become a customer? - How do they experience value? - How do they refer a friend? - How do they churn? 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗧𝘄𝗼: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀. Create a boring old spreadsheet with the conversion rates of each stage of the buyer's journey. 𝘋𝘰 𝘕𝘖𝘛 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺. Then, track the numbers week over week for the last 6 months. You will instantly notice issues: - Bottlenecks - Huge drop-offs - Lack of progress Quantitative data helps spot patterns. Qualitative data tells you why they exist. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗗𝗶𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗛𝗬 - Talk to your team to get their thoughts - Ask recent customers about their journey - Review it all from your buyer's perspective 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿: 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 Plan them in 3 categories: 1. Low-hanging fruit Simple changes you can make in a few hours. - Add a Contact Us form to the website - Automate sales meeting reminders - Edit your LinkedIn profile 2. Process tweaks Changes you can make to things you are ALREADY doing. - Bring in legal sooner in the sales process - Send a custom video to new prospects - Templatize your proposals 3. Long term projects These will have the biggest impact, but take the longest time. - Rewrite your sales onboarding process - Create a new marketing funnel - Develop a new offer/product 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 Start putting your plan into action! But keep tracking your metrics to see how they change over time. Are they improving? If not, why not? If so, how can we double down? Simple, but effective as hell. Give it a try, and let me know what you find. If you want help, DM me or book some time. ♻️ Repost if this helped or inspired 🔔 Follow me, Kasey Jones for more 👇 Become your industry's go-to expert

Most sales advice ignores the most important factor... The 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻. Here are 5 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 understanding it can help you sell better... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 feel more confident. For years, I thought selling was all about persuasion. I thought success came from saying the - perfect words - delivering the perfect pitch - or convincing someone to say yes But neuroscience taught me something completely different: Sales isn’t about persuasion—it’s about creating trust. If you don’t understand how the 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 works, you’re working against it. I shifted my focus to how they 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 during sales convos... Everything changed. Not just my results, but how comfortable I felt selling. Here are 5 brain-based shifts that transformed the way I sell: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. - The brain’s #1 priority is safety.  - Don't be pushy, it triggers fear and resistance.  - Do slow down, listen, and prioritize connection. - Suddenly, conversations will become easier. 𝟮. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀. - The brain processes tone faster than language.  - Don't be overly eager or rushed. - Do have a calm, steady tone that builds trust. - Even the perfect pitch falls flat if your tone is off. 𝟯. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. - The brain responds to its own needs, not your agenda.  - Don't neglect concerns to get through your deck. - Do ask emotional questions, like: -  “How would solving this make you feel?”  -  “What’s frustrating you most right now?”  - People will open up and trust will follow. 𝟰. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘀. - The brain is wired to respond to stories, not data.  - Don't overwhelm people with information. - Do share cases of how others benefited from your offer. - Storytelling is the oldest form of marketing. 𝟱. 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹. - Too much talking can overwhelm the other person’s brain.  - Don't feel space with empty words. - Do create space for people to process with silence. - Some of my best outcomes started with simply 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. The takeaway? Selling isn’t about convincing someone— It’s about creating trust, connection, and safety. When you work 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 the brain instead of against it... sales doesn’t just feel better for the other person— it feels better for you too. Which of these tips resonates most with you? DM Me 'Butter' to get more confident.

Hypothesis selling with metrics has a 90% success rate. I’ve tracked >90% conversion from 1st → 2nd meetings using this approach (specific to outbound selling motion with ICP buyers). Here’s how to deploy it. Hypothesis selling is all about: Doing the research Understanding buyer problems Bringing expertise in their world And anchoring all of it in metrics + business impact. Most teams struggle here. Not because they aren’t capable. But because they lack: Clear examples A picture of what “good” looks like The right questions to ask A willingness to be wrong (and corrected) Here’s how to start: Pick a recent client success story. Define life before. Define life after. Capture the quantifiable improvement. Example: Before MEDDICC → 15% win rate, 60% forecast accuracy. After MEDDICC → 25% win rate, 90% forecast accuracy. That’s a 60% improvement in win rate and 66% in forecast accuracy. Now turn it into a question: “Many of our clients are trying to improve forecast accuracy and win rates. Are those priorities for you? Where do they stand today?” If they don’t know → ask who would. (Perfect way to multi-thread.) Then anchor the value: “If we could improve those by 50%+, moving X% to Y%, would that be meaningful enough to explore?” The most common response? “How?” At that moment, resist the pitch. Gather data. Understand what they’re doing today. From there, prove it in their environment with their data. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about creating curiosity around what’s possible. And then proving it step by step. That’s how you: Turn hypothesis selling into reality Improve conversion rates Win executive sponsorship Unlock off-cycle budget If you haven’t mastered this approach, it could be your next area of focus. If I can help, let me know.

If you're already a top 5% seller, this will be a refresher. If you're new to a role, it's crucial. And you won't hear it in an onboarding session. Make a list of 10 impacts. Why? We can leverage it in every meeting from Discovery to Deciding on terms. We start with 1 problem our product solves. Then write down 10 impacts of not solving that problem. Here's an example of the list I made when I started at UserGems 💎 --> 10 Impacts of Low Pipeline for a sales leader: ->Missing quota ->Career damage ->Slow revenue growth ->Increase Cost of Sale ->Decreased Profitability ->Not enough New Logos ->Infighting with the Marketing team ->High Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ->Increased Pressure on Improving Close Rates ->Low team morale leads to rep Churn & Recruiting issues How can we find these impacts? Here are 3 different ways: -> Read our org's customer stories/testimonials. What problems do they mention? -> Listen/read like our Buyer: industry podcasts, websites & newsletters. What problems are they always focused on? -> Ask a top-performing AE for what problems/impacts they hear ... after we've done our homework (i.e. found at least 4 yourself) Once we find the top 3 problems we solve (directly sourced from our Buyers themselves, not our marketing 1 pagers), use a web search or chatGPT prompt for the impact of those problems. Compare the results with our customer stories & what our top sellers say. Rinse & repeat til we've got 10 impacts for at least 3 problems our product solves. ***Now when we hear one of the problems come up on a call, we can ask a question that gives us valuable info on our buyers' business AND gives us credibility.*** --->Example: “Sounds like the economy has taken a toll on your pipeline. How is that affecting revenue growth, and any plans to do a funding round?” We've just shown we understand their world. What's the best way you've found to understand what problems we solve vs what our product does?