Tips for Creating a Seamless Sales Process

I’ve sold $100M+ of SaaS over 20 years. Here’s how I sell without being salesy. 👇 Selling isn't just about pushing your product. It's about understanding your customer. Then, providing value. The best sellers offer help, not hype. Here’s how to do it: 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Focus on what the customer is saying. • Show empathy and understanding. • Respond thoughtfully to their concerns. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Tailor your messages to individual customers. • Use their name and reference past interactions. • Show that you value their unique needs. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲-𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Share resources that address customer pain points. • Provide insights and solutions. • Establish yourself as a helpful expert. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Share stories that resonate with your customer. • Highlight customer successes and experiences. • Make your product relatable and human. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗨𝗽 • Check in with customers after the initial contact. • Show that you care about their satisfaction. • Build a continuous relationship. 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 • Interact with customers on social platforms. • Share useful content and respond to comments. • Build a community around your brand. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Keep in touch regularly without being intrusive. • Share updates, tips, and helpful information. • Maintain a presence in your customer's mind. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 • Thank customers for their business. • Show appreciation through personalized messages. • Foster positive feelings and loyalty. In today’s competitive market It’s crucial to elevate your sales approach. Take care of others. And the results will take care of themselves. Repost this to help others in your network. -- 👋 I’m Michael a CRO w/ $1B+ in exits. 📥 save it for later 💬 comment with your thoughts ♻️ repost if this was helpful.

Listen up. I’ve coached thousands of sales calls and most reps sabotage their own deals without realizing it. When I started in 2007, I nearly got fired for not understanding how language impacts buyer psychology. Now, after helping teams double revenue in 90 days, I can spot the hidden mistakes instantly. You're probably killing your win rate with these “harmless” phrases. Here are 6 phrases that are absolutely DESTROYING your deals (and what to say instead): 1) "Sorry to bother you..." Starting with an apology tells the prospect, “I’m not worth your time.” You’ve lost before you’ve begun. Top 1% performers NEVER apologize for delivering value. They command attention through absolute certainty. ✅ POWER MOVE: "Hey Alice, Marcus here from Venli. I'm reaching out because we helped Company X increase their pipeline by 37% last quarter, and I noticed your team might be facing similar challenges..." 2) "Just following up..." This lazy phrase screams, “I’ve got nothing to offer, but want your money.” Total momentum killer. Elite reps are wildly precise with their words and always reference specific commitments made in previous conversations. ✅ POWER MOVE: "Alice, you mentioned you were going to discuss our proposal with Charles during your leadership meeting yesterday. I'm curious … what feedback did you receive that we should address?" 3) "I know you're really busy..." Say this, and you’ve just made yourself irrelevant. Game over. Remember: YOUR time matters. Top performers signal status through subtle positioning every time. ✅ POWER MOVE: "I was just wrapping up a strategy session with Lisa, the CEO over at Company X, and wanted to quickly connect about next steps before my afternoon gets packed..." 4) "What are the next steps?" This signals poor process control - no system, no playbook, no real method. The sales machines I build don’t ask for direction - they GIVE it. They own the process. ✅ POWER MOVE: "Based on what we've discussed, here's what typically happens next: First, we'll schedule a technical review with your team for next Tuesday. Then, we'll deliver a customized implementation plan by Friday. How does that sound?" 5) "To be honest..." Wait, Wait... so everything before this wasn’t true? Nothing kills credibility faster. When I turn around failing sales teams, eliminating this phrase is always one of the first habits we break. ✅ POWER MOVE: "That's an excellent question, Alice. Here's exactly how our solution addresses that challenge..." 6) "What do I have to do to get your business?" Is this 1988? This pushy close screams desperation and kills trust instantly. The best reps I've coached understand that closing isn't an event. It's the natural outcome of a well-executed sales process. ✅ POWER MOVE: "It seems like you're hesitating about X. I'm curious … what specific concerns do you have that we haven't fully addressed yet?" Which of these six phrases have YOU been using without realizing it? 

I get it—closing deals is exciting. No one likes to close deals more than I do. You hit your quota, ring the bell, everyone claps. But here’s the thing: It's a marathon, not a sprint. If all you care about is closing, you’re setting yourself up for long term failure. 💼 Being successful in SaaS sales (any sales for that matter) is about how well you solve problems. If you’re pushing for a close before understanding what your customer really needs, you’re basically just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks. I've been working with client looking to figure out why their churn rate is skyrocketing. Not to be a spoiler, but it turns out that they are much more interested in closing a deal than they are in helping their clients solve a real problem. Churn = slow, painful death. Here’s what I had to tell them—and what I tell every sales rep who thinks closing deals is the end-all-be-all: 1. Listen More Than You Talk - You've got 2-ears and 1-mouth for a reason - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen salespeople talk themselves out of a deal. Just shut up and listen. They’ll give you the answers to the test. Your job isn’t to rattle off features or recite your product demo—it’s to identify the pain points and offer a solution. For my client, this was a game changer. Once they started actually listening to their customers, they could tailor their approach and make the sale a lot more smoothly. This also makes customer retention easier too. 2. Qualify Hard, Disqualify Harder Alex Cramer is the best at this. Not everyone is a fit for your product. The reality is, if you’re pushing deals through just to hit your numbers, you’re going to end up with customers who churn faster than you can onboard them. Churn = slow, painful death. (I should put it on a t-shirt) I worked with this client to focus on the ones who are a great fit. Let's get the "ideal" back in ICP. It’s always better to lose a deal upfront than deal with a churn nightmare down the road. 3. Deliver Value at Every Stage, Not Just at the Proposal So many sales teams act like the only point of the sales process that matters is the proposal stage. This couldn't be more off base. If you’re not delivering value at every touchpoint, you’re basically just throwing in the towel early. The sales team at this client raced to get proposals out the door, but were like robots during the overall sales process. We changed that. We focused on delivering value at every conversation. To be curious and empathetic. Not surprisingly, the deals started closing faster, and the churn rate? Down. Win. Bottom line: If you’re laser-focused on closing without solving, you’re setting yourself up for short-term wins but long-term headaches. SaaS success isn’t about closing—it’s about solving real problems and building lasting relationships. So what’s your secret to shifting from “salesperson” to “problem-solver”? Drop your best tips below! 🛠️👇

Every single sales team I have ever evaluated has their lowest score on the closing competency.    This really boils down to really crappy proposal meetings and sales pitches.    First we should never be doing a discovery meeting and a proposal meeting at the same time.     If a sales person does split their discovery and proposal meeting, they usually show up with a boiler plate deck completely focused on why the company is so great.    They present every single capability that the prospect doesn't care about, so somewhere within the first 5 minutes the deal is lost.    Here are five things I teach my clients to do when presenting a proposal:    1) Customized each proposal to the client.     2) Start with an objectives slide.     This should be the 3-5 problems you extracted from the discovery call.    After presenting this slide, ask the client if you captured their needs.    It's pretty amazing to see how prospects lean in immediately because you have summarized their challenges so well.    This is a sign you have them hooked.    3) Connect each problem the client has with one of your solutions.    You could sell a 250K piece of equipment that has 100 different "cool" things    The only cool things that matter are the ones that solve the prospects problems.    Only share a maximum of five solutions.    4) Add in a maximum of two slide about your company.    This should be your company's unique value proposition    5) Drop in a testimonial or two that is relevant to that prospect    Always have a strong testimonial on the slide right before you share the pricing    The key to deliver flawless pitches and improving your close rate is about stepping into the prospects world.    I can guarantee you if you follow only one of these steps you with see your close rate increase by a few percent.    If you follow them all you can easily double your close rate    You will realize the problem with your proposal meeting is you don't actually have the information you need to properly present your solution to your client.    And you need to go back and do real discovery meeting to extract the prospects challenges.    Closing starts at the beginning of your sales process, not the end.     #wesleynewisdom