Sales Advice That Actually Works

In 27 months, we grew Retention.com from $1M-$13M ARR with only 1 salesperson (me) doing 1,000's of sales calls. Here are my 10 biggest pieces of advice for any startup who wants to book and close more sales calls: 1. Ask for 15 mins, but book 30 When booking a meeting outbound, you have a better shot at getting a meeting by asking for 15 mins than 30. You may have piqued their interest but with a busy schedule, they are going to weigh learning about your business vs their time. Ask for 15 but send a meeting invite for 30.  If they can’t do the full 30, they will let you know, but from my experience, this rarely happens. 2. Tell your story People remember a story more than a product  Figure out your short story that you can tell prior to getting into the product pitch. How does your story connect to your business / product? 3. 5X5 Pitch Keep your product deck for your initial call to 5 slides / 5 minutes and make sure you answer any of the common questions you get from prospects. You can always book a follow up call to share more detail once you hook their interest. 4. Always Be Pitching Take control of the call and the sales cycle. You will only learn what does and doesn’t work by actually pitching.  5. Tell a customer story Again, people remember stories more than they do stats. Tell a story of a customer before implementing your product and the business outcome after implementing it. Don’t just talk numbers. Talk about how people felt, what they said, etc. 6. Create Urgency Attach an incentive if the deal is done by the end of the week or month.  (Example: 20% more credits or a 15% discount)  This also sets you up well for follow up as it now makes them feel like you are on their team to try and help them get the deal in for their benefit. 7. Land and expand We all want to close the big ACV deals, but the truth is most buyers don’t want to make a big commitment without seeing how your product works. Find a way to get them on for a small $ amount, with the plan to expand if the product meets their expectations. 8. Opt-Out Period Reduce buyer friction by offering a 90 day opt out period if you are trying to close 12 month agreements. It shows confidence that your product will drive the results you say it will. 9. Deck Recap Create a 1-2 pager highlighting the most important parts of your sales deck that you can send via email after every call (even if they don’t ask for it). The prospect won’t remember all details from the call, so this gives them something to look back on and will help sell internally if other stakeholders are involved. 10. Video for FAQs Create short form talking head video answering all FAQs. This will add value in your follow up, show you listened to the questions they had and that you care about making sure they understand the answers. It also helps internally as others will likely have the same questions as the person on the phone. Have questions about how to book/close more calls? AMA anything 👇

I’ve spent 35+ years selling everything from TV shows to multimillion-dollar brand campaigns. 10 of the most powerful sales tips in the world I discovered along the way 👇🏻 (the kind they don’t teach in sales books) 1️⃣ Sell the problem, not the product. If the buyer doesn’t feel the pain, they won’t value the fix. 2️⃣ Start with curiosity. Great salespeople sound like journalists, not infomercials. 3️⃣ Never sell to everyone. Niches buy faster. General audiences ask for discounts. 4️⃣ The follow-up isn’t desperate - it’s a sign of a professional. Most deals die from neglect, not rejection. 5️⃣ Talk money early. If they flinch at the price, more often than not - they’re not your ICP. 6️⃣ Silence is a weapon. Ask a question - then stop talking. The truth comes out in the pause. 7️⃣ Credibility beats charisma. Executives buy reliability, not empty charm. 8️⃣ Short proposals win. Problem. Solution. Cost. Time. That’s all that matters. 9️⃣ Be the guide, not the hero. Your job is to make them look smart for choosing you. 🔟 You’re not closing a deal, you’re opening a relationship. Treat every “yes” like the start of trust, not the end of effort. Which of these hits hardest for you? 💾 save this post to come back to when you need some sales inspiration!

Stop asking for the No.1 sales tip. Steal systems that already work instead. Lack of information is never the reason why most people never improve at sales. Actual problem is that they only consume advice all day. But, top performers don't. → They collect principles. → Turn them into habits. → Then turn those habits into systems. Here's a framework I've borrowed from almost every great salesperson I've studied. 1. Build a pre-call checklist. - Don't trust your memory. - Before every call, answer the same questions: What problem are they trying to solve? What's changed in their business recently? What's one assumption I want to test? - Preparation beats improvisation. 2. Create an objection library. - Every objection you've heard before should have a documented response. - Instead of reinventing your answer every time, improve it after every call. - Your future self shouldn't have to solve the same problem twice. 3. Review your wins and losses differently. - Most reps only review lost deals. - Review your wins too. - Ask: "What exactly did I do that made them buy?" - Success leaves patterns too, capture them. 4. Keep a swipe file. - Whenever you hear: a great discovery question, a brilliant follow-up, an objection handler, or a closing line…save it. - The best salespeople don't rely on inspiration because they build libraries. 5. Improve one system every week. - Not one skill, one system. - Which includes: your discovery process, follow-up sequence, meeting prep and your note-taking. Small improvements compound faster than random hacks. The people in this image don't all sell the same way. But they all have something in common: They rely on repeatable systems instead of raw talent. That's what I would steal first. — Follow Noam for more AI X Sales systems.

Here are 10 sales tips from a guy who's been selling for decades in one of the toughest industries on earth. Construction in New York doesn't forgive bad salesmanship. You either learn to sell right, or you don't eat. Here's what I've learned after decades of winning jobs that others couldn't… 1. Show up with solutions, not desperation. Clients smell need from a mile away. They trust people who solve problems, not people who need paychecks. 2. Talk about them, not you. I've seen guys lose million-dollar jobs because they spent 45 minutes talking about their equipment instead of 5 minutes understanding the client's headache. 3. Ask the hard questions nobody else will. While your competition is pitching, you should be digging. What keeps them up at night? What went wrong last time? 4. Show them the finish line, not the starting blocks. People don't buy concrete and steel. They buy buildings that work, deadlines that stick, and problems that disappear. 5. Let your work speak first. I don't talk about quality. I show photos from last month's job. Big difference. 6. Make it safe for them to say yes. Every client has been burned before. Give them a way out if things go sideways. 7. Drop the industry jargon. "Optimized workflow integration" sounds like you learned to talk from a manual. Just say what you mean. 8. Tell them about the time everything went wrong. War stories build trust faster than perfect pitches. Show them you've been tested. 9. Handle their doubts before they voice them. If you've been in this game long enough, you know what they're thinking. Address it head-on. 10. Never chase a sale that doesn't make sense. Desperate deals make for miserable projects. Walk away from the wrong clients so you can find the right ones. The best salespeople I know don't "sell" anything. They just help people make decisions they won't regret.

My 10 biggest takeaways from Brad Harmon, MBA (who just closed a $75m deal and was AE of the Year at Oracle): 1. Get to quota with singles and doubles, then 300%+ with home runs - Brad hit 1000% of quota with a $75M deal. But without it? He still would've been at 110%. Elite sellers hedge their bets. 2. No 30-slide decks in C-suite meetings - "If you walk into an executive meeting with a deck, they'll check out in 5 minutes." Instead: 5-minute customer story with metrics, then shut up and listen. 3. Overcommunicate to manage up - Daily recap emails showing what got done, what's outstanding on your side, what's outstanding on client side. "If you're constantly communicating, it makes your life easier. Leadership never has to chase you." 4. Sell as a human, not a sales rep - "You need to let that guard down. When you can text your client for updates instead of emailing or calling, that's when you know you've built something real." 5. Build mutual success plans that work backwards from go-live - Account for legal turnaround, board approval, negotiation time, implementation milestones. "This eliminates the need to pressure anyone because the timeline is built around THEIR success, not your quota." 6. How to ask for unnatural acts without being pushy - "Our quarter ends in 3 weeks. Based on our mutual success plan, we were planning for 6 weeks. Is there any way you can pull this forward to help me out? You've EARNED the right to ask for that favor." 7. Multi-thread beyond your champion - "You need multiple champions. Build that network from your initial champion. If you're multi-threaded enough, you can find out what's happening before it becomes a 'what happened.'" 8. Bring executives in early, but YOU run the deal - "You always want to own that relationship. I've earned a longer leash because I know how to navigate complexities and speak at an executive level." 9. Take detachment hours to stay productive - "Do something for yourself. Go play with your daughter. Listen to music. Detach. Turning off the mind is actually one of the keys to productivity—that's how you come back focused." 10. Being rich is no longer monetary - "Being rich to me is having a healthy wife, healthy baby, and being a family. I still want to be a great sales rep and be at the top of my game, but I need all the other stuff as well." Watch our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/gAt9DwmG

Insights from a CFO: Why Salespeople Win or Lose Deals Selling to the C-suite isn’t for the faint of heart. As a CFO for over 25 years, I’ve seen pitches that were brilliant and others that were, frankly, baffling. This article shares what separates pitches that succeed from those that fall flat. 1. Trust: The Unsexy but Critical Ingredient Trust is the foundation of every deal. C-suite execs can sense insincerity quickly. Be honest about risks as well as rewards and explain how you’ll mitigate them. According to Gartner, 89% of executives say trust is the key factor in deal-making. PRO TIP Address a specific and recognized challenge right away. It shows you've done your homework. EXAMPLE “I noticed you’ve increased spending on supply chain optimization. We’ve helped similar companies reduce such costs by 10-20%.” RED FLAG Dodging requests for references or giving vague replies is a deal-breaker. 2. Speak CFO: Money Talks, Buzzwords Walk CFOs care about financial impact, not buzzwords. Pitches emphasizing ROI have a 32% higher success rate. PRO TIP Lead with numbers—ROI, cost savings, or revenue potential. EXAMPLE “Our solution can cut your cloud storage costs by 30% annually,” is more compelling than vague promises of transformation. RED FLAG Overpromising ROI without solid data raises immediate doubts. 3. Don’t Just Sell—Prescribe The best salespeople diagnose issues and prescribe actionable solutions. PRO TIP Ask questions that reveal underlying problems, then position your solution as the fix. EXAMPLE “Your logistics costs have grown faster than revenue. Here’s how we fixed that for similar firms.” RED FLAG Overemphasis on features instead of solving specific problems is a misstep. 4. Speak Our Language If you sound like a techie or scripted, you’ve already lost. Executives are five times more likely to engage when you speak their language. PRO TIP Share relevant stories or lessons from past failures to build credibility. EXAMPLE “You increased R&D spend by 20% last quarter—are you prioritizing innovation or trying to manage to your margin?” RED FLAG Excessive jargon or acronyms is a quick way to lose interest. 5. Follow-Up: The Forgotten Art Deals aren’t closed in meetings—they’re closed in the follow-up. Following up within 24 hours can boost close rates by 60%. PRO TIP Conclude meetings with clear next steps, timelines, and follow-up dates. EXAMPLE A customized ROI analysis sent within 24 hours led us to a signed deal two weeks later. RED FLAG Generic or delayed follow-up suggests a lack of genuine interest. The Bottom Line Selling to the C-suite is about trust, authenticity, and delivering measurable business outcomes. Master these elements, and you’ll build lasting relationships that go beyond a single deal. Anything to add? #SalesLeaders #CSuite #StrategicAccounts #SellingtoExecutives #Executives #CXOs #CEOs #CFOs #ChiefRevenueOfficers #SalesEnablement #LearningandDevelopment #CorporateUniversities

Here's how to simplify your pitch and 10x your sales: 1. Talk less, sell more. Short sentences = more sales. Hemingway once bet he could write a story in 6 words that'd make you feel something: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Your pitch should pack the same punch. 2. Complexity is for people who want to feel smart, not be effective. The worst salespeople make simple things sound complicated. The best make the complex simple. 3. Complexity says, "I want to feel needed." Simplicity limits to only what is needed. 4. Read your pitch out loud. I remember when I'd asked my COO to read the manuscript of my book. He chose to do it aloud. All 258 pages. Ears catch what eyes miss. The final version reads like butter. 5. "Be good, be seen, be gone." This was the best sales advice I ever got. - Good: Deliver value - Seen: Make an impression - Gone: Don't overstay your welcome People buy from those they remember, not those who linger. 7. Speak like your customer, not a textbook. We like to sound sophisticated. "We create impactful bottom-line solutions." But we like to listen to simple. "We help small businesses explode their sales." Which one would you buy? 8. Every word earns its place. Your pitch should be lean and mean. - Be specific - Avoid cliches - Check for redundancy - If it doesn't add value, cut it out 9. Abstract concepts bore. Concrete examples excite. ❌ "We'll increase your efficiency." ✅ "We'll save you 10 hours a week." Paint a picture. 10. People buy on emotion & justify with logic So tap into their feelings: - Fear of missing out - Desire for success - Need for security Then back it up with facts. 11. The "Grandma Test" never fails. If your grandma wouldn't get your pitch, simplify it. No jargon. No buzzwords. Just plain English. 12. Benefits > features. Dreams > benefits. ❌ "Our group hosts 10+ events per year." ✅ "Our program helps you close deals." 🚀 "Let's take back Main Street through ownership." 13. Use power words: - You - Free - Because - Instantly - New These words grab attention and drive action. Two final things to keep in mind... Simplicity isn't just for sales. Apply these principles to: - your business operations - your thinking processes - your next investment - your relationships - your to do list Sales isn't just for car dealerships. You pitch when you: - Negotiate a raise - Interview for a job - Post on social media - Hire someone for a job - Talk to an owner about buying their biz If you found this useful, feel free to share for others ♻️

Gong just announced last week they blew past $300M in ARR. WOW. In 2016, I started at Gong as the 2nd US employee at $200k ARR. 20 SaaS sales tips I learned during my time in that storybook growth journey: 1. Money follows pain. Stop selling benefits. Start selling pain relief. You'll close more. 2. WHO matters more than WHAT. If you're talking to the right person: But you have bad sales technique? You can still win. If you're talking to the wrong person: And have great sales technique? You lose. 3. Don't multi-thread. Single-thread with multiple people. Break people out into 1:1 meetings. Stole this from Krysten Conner. 4. Don't multi-thread too much. Looping in the wrong people can kill your deal. Get the blend of people just right. No, IT doesn't always need to be involved. 5. Great cold emails don't talk about your product. They talk about pain. They look like a page from your buyer's diary. 6. Follow up. Fast. Some sellers take days to follow up. They don't want to seem desperate. Stop it. This isn't dating. Speed sells. 7. The secret to enterprise deals: Pick the deals you can win; then win the deals you pick. 8. Build your business acumen. It makes your sales techniques 2x as effective. Without acumen, you're hollow. 9. Don't seek approval. Seek to solve problems. Big difference. Don't grovel. 10. Buyers don't buy because of ROI. ROI doesn't drive purchases. Emotion does. They simply need ROI to justify the purchase. 11. There are two winners in each deal: The seller who won. The seller who ejected from the deal early and didn't waste time. 12. "Continuity of power" is the ultimate metric. Getting access to power is one thing. Getting a 2nd or 3rd meeting with power is entirely different. Only sellers with sharp acumen get the latter. 13. Great sales calls start with planning. Don't wing it. 14. Voice tone matters. Stop inflecting up. Inflect down. It sets an equal tone. 15. Become a master wordsmith. Words trigger mental pictures. Mental pictures trigger emotions. Emotions trigger actions. Actions close deals. 16. Don't negotiate price too early. It should be the last thing you do before the deal closes. Anything else is too early. 17. Talk about money like it's nothing. Quote a $600,000 proposal with a straight face. That's a super power. The best salespeople have a casual attitude about money. The worst salespeople freak out when they talk numbers. 18. Selling is a set of skills. Not a personality trait. 19. Use the same words your buyer uses. Stop paraphrasing. Stop putting your own twist on things. Use their words. 20. Always know the next step. Bad news: If you don't know what next step you'll suggest? You're wasting that sales call. Selling is an act of leadership. So lead. P.S. Master every aspect of SaaS sales with a FREE trial of pclub.io here: https://lnkd.in/gzF2YwKt

Elephant in the room: LinkedIn's most popular sellers all work at ZoomInfo, Salesforce, Gong—the big names. The advice they give IS NOT applicable to 95% of salespeople. Don't believe me? Try this. Call a lead and tell them you're from HubSpot. They'll listen. Call a lead and tell them you're from Salesvue. They'll hang up. I don't want to dismiss those influencer salespeople... But we shouldn't be taking advice from people with such an advantage. Here's my advice. And, by the way, I've been doing this since 1984 and have worked in plenty of orgs: (1) Don’t write a to-do list Use CRM reminders. If it’s not tracked, it won’t get done. Your pipeline should tell you what to do next. (2) Ask your prospect what happens if they do nothing If they can't answer, they’re not ready to buy. Move on. (3) Sell like you have no brand behind you Assume nobody’s heard of your company. Because they haven’t. (4) Master the second and third call Anyone can book a meeting. Closing takes consistency. (5) Make your follow-ups mechanical Set them in the CRM. Treat them like doctor’s appointments. No emotion, just execution. (6) Build your own support team Sales ops. CS. Marketing. If you don’t build those internal champions, your deals will die in committee. (7) Practice your demo on someone who doesn’t care If they don’t get it in 3 minutes, neither will your prospects. (8) You don’t need to be slick You need to be trustworthy, prepared, and persistent. That’s it. If you're working in a startup or not-so popular SaaS, what tips would you give?