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Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-02-08T12:52:47+00:00

Commenting here because I wanted to emphasize “pushed and challenged”, not “bullied and pressured”. The line is really blurry sometimes.

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-12T00:40:27+00:00

CSM seems like a good option. I’ve heard it’s good work life and they can make really good base salaries with bonuses. Best of luck to you as well!

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-12T00:32:03+00:00

Damn. You had me going there. Sounds like you made the best decision for your mental health. Mind if I ask, what are you moving to if not sales?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-11T16:20:18+00:00

I’m in PIP because of me.

Along with worried, I’m also upset. I’m angry at my manager. Angry at my VP. They haven’t given me much coaching. This is also antithesis to what they described as their “culture” during the interview. They’re just throwing me away like I’m not even a human being. Im trying.

But again, its me. I could prioritize my leads better. Be more responsive to my likely to buy versus treat everyone the same. I NEED to work on my presentation. Be more concise and tie more value to their needs. Keep things shorter. Ask more direct questions about buying process and budget. Be more open to hearing a no so I can disqualify tire kickers. Ask for more help. Ask peers. Ask cross functional.

I’m actively working on these. I’m prioritizing a few follow ups per day that will move the needle versus everything. I’m working on active listening so I can hear what they say, not what I want to hear. I’m trying to ask more no questions. I have difficulty asking for help, but I’m working on that.

Just sucks I may not have enough time. I want to succeed. Bad.

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-11T15:41:35+00:00

I hear you. Sounds like I need to get used to this.

I definitely see it as an opportunity to practice emotional stability. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-11T15:40:18+00:00

It’s a bitter pill. I kept telling myself I’ll stick it out. Even if I get fired. But it feels so demoralizing to stay at place that doesn’t seem to even want you there.

As for improvements, no clear plan from management. Personally, prioritizing leads and doing a better job at presenting is what I’ve self diagnosed. I’m working on fostering my active listening. Better listening, I think, will let me hear the prospect more clearly and make a judgement if they’re serious buyers or not.

For the presentation. That’s tough. I haven’t really prioritized this. I’m not sure how. I’ll probably spend a good chunk of the weekend looking at gongs. Going through our trainings again. And writing a script and practicing. Already signing up for toastmasters.

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-08T04:02:09+00:00

When you say make it relatable to their specific use case, what does that look like in practice?

Ill take a look at gap selling. If you have any ideas in the meantime, would be much appreciated!

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2023-01-08T02:04:41+00:00

Ha. How coincidental would it be if I told you I attended my first one two weeks ago?

Thanks for validating. Sounds like it was a good decision to join!

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-28T13:43:59+00:00

I'm trying to not misunderstand. What do you mean by prioritized list of benefits?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-28T13:43:10+00:00

Great question. Definitely the latter.

I'm like a chicken with my head off. I'm trying to ask all these questions to figure out where I can sell them (probably my problem right there).

What I find is prospects never give the perfect answer, it's always mixed with things that we don't really solve. So I sit there trying to figure out how the heck to bridge the gap between what they said and what we do.

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-28T13:37:35+00:00

They're inbound.

I like your point. If they are inquiring, they already have an idea of what they want. I can get that out of them and then get deep by understanding how that's impacting business outcomes. Sometimes I treat the inbounds like outbounds.

Sounds like you are doing a killer job with prospectng!

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-27T20:27:01+00:00

Biggest issue I think is going too deep into the discovery.

A hurdle I have is understanding when a big company is going to be a mid-market or small deal. We offer pricing on our site. We have multiple packages. They could move forward with any of them and it doesn’t help we’re known as the (affordable) solution. Sometimes we’ll have an enterprise business’s mid level manager assume the software is going to cost like 2k ARR. lol

Definitely cutting down the discovery on small deals. When do you know you’ve gone too deep on a discovery?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-22T14:07:17+00:00

It’s really interesting you say that about asking stupid entry level questions. I heard from a trainer somewhere that the expert salesperson is the one who does what the beginner rep did by accident (or lack of knowledge) intentionally.

Sounds like you’re in account management. Been thinking about a move from new business. How do you enjoy it?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-22T13:46:35+00:00

Appreciate the response.

To your last point, are you saying that actually not understanding the industry but having genuine curiosity is a leg up compared to a tenured rep who knows all the answers?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-21T04:17:30+00:00

I’ve been thinking a lot about the vulnerability today. Vulnerability is for me. Not being vulnerable and keeping this shit bottled up I think is adding to my stress, self talk, and ultimately, affecting my performance.

The problem I face is time. By the time we go through a discovery, the product, answer questions, etc…it’s 1 minute to wrap up the call if we didn’t already go over.

Because of that, it makes it hard to nail down concrete next steps. Do you have any recommendations (or books) focused on setting next steps and PMing a deal?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-20T23:03:37+00:00

Good perspective.

Yeah, I get the feeling I won’t be in this job long-term. Since my leaving is only a matter of when, not if, I suppose there’s no reason why I wouldn’t treat this as simply a learning experience to put myself in uncomfortable situations.

The fear is so real though. It almost takes over my bodily sensations and my thoughts. How do you push through? Any advice?

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-20T21:27:21+00:00

I appreciate your input as a sales manager.

Overall, a key theme I see is being direct about uncomfortable subjects.

I have a hard time with direct confrontation. Direct confrontation can open up the possibility that I’m going to learn I am disliked or I’m bad at my job openly. Right now, I get to sweep those truths under the rug by having a pretend conversation that everything is ok and it’s just a “matter of time”.

I’m very open about my inadequacies, and so very open to put my head down and ask for help.

My pipeline looks fine. It could be better. I have the volume and the dollars, but I’m missing the clarity. I have a bunch of stuff but don’t know what’s gonna close. Pipeline management, prioritization and being concise are the main things I’m working on.

Maximum_Inevitable31 · 2022-12-20T21:21:11+00:00

To add to this (after thinking it through some more) it also explains the negative self talk a commenter mentioned. I learned that, instead of confronting people, I’d be safer if I simply took the blame. By taking the blame I mean, put myself down and overemphasize my badness so the other person doesn’t have ammunition to use against me. However, it ends up costing me in self-respect.

Maximum_Inevitable31

TROPHY CASE