Sales Techniques of Top Sales Legends

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

Daniel sells with pressure, Jane sells with empathy. Guess who’s winning more deals? Let’s imagine their approaches: Daniel believes sales is all about closing fast. He leans on high-pressure tactics—talks more than he listens, pushes products, and skips understanding what buyers truly need. But here’s what happens: → Buyers feel cornered and defensive. → Trust erodes before deals can even begin. → Conversations stall because Daniel focuses on his agenda, not theirs. Now, let’s look at Jane. Jane believes empathy is her superpower. She slows down, asks open-ended questions, and genuinely listens. She makes buyers feel seen and understood. And here’s what happens: → Buyers open up, sharing their real pain points. → Trust grows, turning resistance and hesitation around. → Deals close faster because solutions feel tailor-made for them. What’s Jane’s secret? She follows what I call *Active Listening for Sales*: → Pay attention: no multitasking, no assumptions. → Ask probing questions: “What’s holding you back?” “What’s your priority right now?” → Reflect and summarize: “So you’re looking for [X] but worried about [Y], right?” Jane also lives by one golden rule: 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 (not how you think). She adapts her energy, tone, and language based on buyer preferences. By doing this, she builds rapport—even with skeptical buyers. Daniel’s high-pressure tactics may seem faster, but Jane’s empathetic approach wins every time. Why? Because sales isn’t about forcing decisions; it's about enabling them. Empathy isn’t just nice—it’s smart. It creates stronger relationships, smoother conversations, and repeatable wins. What’s your take? Do you lean towards Daniels’s pressure or Jane’s empathy? Empathy could transform your sales process—and your results. Experience its power firsthand.

Nobody wants to be pitched.  Everyone wants to be understood. Most people think “creating demand” means slick decks  or perfect pitches. But the smartest pros skip the pitch  and start with the person. Here’s how to create curiosity and connection (without selling): 1. Lead with Listening ↳ Use questions to invite storytelling, not just answers. ↳ Ask about goals, pain points, and even past failures. ↳ Then listen like it matters (because it does). 2. Show You Get It ↳ Mirror back what you heard, in their own words. ↳ Try: “Sounds like…” or “What I’m hearing is…” ↳ You’re not just nodding, you’re tracking. 3. Give Before You Get ↳ Offer a timely article, a smart intro, or a sharp insight. ↳ Think: “What would make this moment easier?” ↳ Small gifts = trust accelerators. 4. Leave Room for Curiosity ↳ Don’t info-dump, plant seeds. ↳ Hint at something you could explore together  ↳ Let them ask for more. 5. Keep in Touch (the Thoughtful Way) ↳ Reach out with care, not obligation. ↳ A short note beats a long update. ↳ Frequency matters, but tone matters more. 6. Engage, Don’t Push ↳ Don’t sell the solution, co-create it. ↳ Ask: “Would it help to map this out together?” ↳ That one shift builds ownership and momentum. 7. Share to Serve, Not to Sell ↳ Visibility isn’t about volume, it’s about value. ↳ Be seen where they learn: LinkedIn, events, groups. ↳ Generosity is your best signal. 8. Track What Matters ↳ Don’t wait for revenue to measure success. ↳ Track your early moves: touches, replies, gifts. ↳ That’s your snowball in motion. At the end of the day, you don’t need to pitch  to earn a yes. You just need to help prospects feel seen, safe,  and slightly curious. Now, how easy is that? Which of these 8 will you try first? 👇 Let me know in the comments. 📌Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies  that don’t feel like selling.

The obsession with new tactics is making sellers forget how people actually buy. We moved from door-to-door selling to cold calls. From cold calls to email. From email to automated outbound. And now, AI. New decade. New technology. Same buyer questions: → Can I trust you? → Do you understand my situation? → Is changing worth it? The principles that make someone trust you, listen to you and act have barely moved. Look at the methods that lasted. Trust led closing → Stories help buyers picture the outcome instead of simply hearing another list of features. → Trust grows when you listen properly, speak honestly and stop forcing the conversation toward your preferred answer. → Closing should feel like the natural conclusion of a useful conversation. SPIN Selling → Ask questions because you genuinely want to understand the situation, not because your sales script says question number three comes next. → A problem becomes important when the buyer sees its wider impact on revenue, time, customers or the people around them. → Good discovery helps buyers explain the case for change in their own words. That will always be stronger than your pitch. Value first selling → Give the buyer something useful before asking for their time, attention or money. Clarity itself can be valuable. → Price becomes less frightening when the buyer clearly understands what they gain and what continuing with the problem will cost. → Relationships are not built through friendliness alone. They are built by being relevant, dependable and useful whenever you show up. Predictable Revenue → Revenue should not depend entirely on one talented seller having a brilliant month. → Clear responsibilities allow people to focus. Prospecting, qualifying and closing require different skills and different types of attention. → A consistent process gives the team something to measure, coach and improve instead of celebrating random wins and guessing what caused them. Gap Selling → Buyers do not change because your product is impressive. They change because their current situation is becoming too costly or uncomfortable. → Understand where the buyer is today, where they need to be and what is preventing them from getting there. → If that gap remains vague, the decision will remain easy to postpone. Make the problem, impact and desired outcome specific. Look at these methods together. They are not competing ideas. They build on one another. → Earn trust → Ask better questions → Create value → Follow a process → Diagnose the real problem Nothing complicated there. But these rules have survived for a reason. New methods can make you sharper. The old truths still make you effective. --- Which of these principles do sales teams need to relearn? 🔔Follow me, Subhendu J Shawn for practical lessons on outbound, sales conversations and pipeline that actually moves.

When I started coaching an SMB AE, he was a quota ghost—5 months straight, barely cracking 25% close rates. His company could have fired him. Instead they brought me in We tore into 1:1s, call replays, deal autopsies. By month 7, he was closing 60% of his demos and got promoted to Sr. AE. Here’s the 5-step gut-punch playbook we used to turn his sales around: 1/ Kill the Product Hype: He’d lead with ‘Let me give you a walkthrough of [product]’—and lose them in 5 minutes. We flipped it: ‘Out of [all the problems mentioned], whats #1 on your list to solve in next 90 days?’ Discovery became the star; the product waited its turn. 2/ Name the Bleed, Then Bandage It: He’d rattle off features like a spec sheet. I taught him how to alley-oop it to the feature. Example: "You said [PROBLEM] is killing you—here’s how we stop it." Pain-first hooks them; solutions seal it. 3/ Drop the Commission Chase: He’d oversell every deal, gunning for the fattest paycheck. We flipped it: "This solves your headache—nothing more, nothing less." Honesty built trust, and deals started closing faster. 4/ Cut to the Chase: His demos dragged with fluff—prospects checked out. We slashed the word salads, hit their pain point in 3 minutes: Example: "This is why you’re here; here’s the fix." Speed won them over. 5/ Sell the Win, Not the Widget: He’d geek out on feature details—felt like a CS onboarding call. We reframed it around solving the prospects problems in the shortest period of time. Example: "Here’s how this gets you [GOAL] faster." He stopped being a demo monkey. SMB reps have the chops—they just need the right lens.

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

An AE just closed a $1,000,000 deal at Deel 🥳 I listened to every single call. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱: 1. He used a mutual success plan. Nothing fancy. Just excel. But it was clear, structured, and outlined exactly what needed to happen.“I took the time to build a mutual success plan for us. I'd love to align and co-build this together...” 2. He started every call with their objective “If you could accomplish one objective on today’s call, what would it be?”This created alignment and made the buyer feel heard. 3. Every call was highly structured. He prepared like a pro. He stuck to the time. He opened with a quick agenda always. “Here’s what I was thinking for today's call: quick recap, dig into X and Y, and leave 10 minutes at the end for your questions or next steps. How does that sound?” 4. He brought in the right people. Every stakeholder had a role. He introduced global experts multiple times.“Rather than me trying to speak to everything, I’ve invited [expert] to walk you through [topic]. If you decide to move forward, they’ll be working closely with you throughout implementation too.” 5. He shared customer stories. His structure was simple. What it was like before and after using Deel. “Before Deel, they were dealing with [insert challenges]. After Deel, they now [insert value].” 6. He confirmed next steps after every call Sent fast, clean recaps. No confusion on who was doing what. 7. He obsessed over decision criteria He knew exactly what the buying team cared about. He always tied features to business outcomes that mattered. “Can we dig into how you’ll be evaluating this? Have you purchased software before and can you walk me through how that decision was made?” 8. He was proactive with roadblocks He brought up common blockers before they did. He showed how other companies overcame them. “Something that’s come up with similar companies is [insert challenge]. Is that something you're thinking about as well?” And that my friends... Is how a million dollar deal is done. Happy humpday y’all, — Mike G 👉 Get The Best Sales Newsletter delivered straight to your inbox for FREE: https://lnkd.in/g-dHTj7s

Most people fail in sales. Because nobody ever taught them the real skills. → The skills that close deals. → The skills that build trust. → The skills that put food on the table. I’ve mentored reps for years, and I see the same mistake again and again: People chase features, tricks, and hacks, but ignore the fundamentals. Here are 11 sales skills you need if you want to stop losing deals 👇 1. The Prospecting Rule of 10 You give up too early. Great reps push through 10 touches (email, call, LinkedIn, video). Persistence beats talent every time. 2. The Silent Close Ask your question. Then shut up. Silence creates pressure. Pressure forces truth. Truth closes deals. 3. The Value-First Formula Nobody cares about your product. They care about their problem. Teach them something new → you win trust. 4. The No-Fee Boundaries Discounts don’t win. They cheapen. Hold your price = hold your worth. Respect drives revenue. 5. The 30-Second Pitch Reset If they look lost, stop. Simplify. Restart. Confused minds never buy. 6. The Rule of 3 Questions Before pitching, ask 3 open-ended questions. Diagnosis before prescription. Urgency comes from discovery. 7. The Story Sell Humans buy stories, not features. Keep it short. Keep it real. Stories stick. 8. The Champion Method Find the person who will sell for you when you’re not in the room. Champions close deals. Not reps. 9. The Confidence Posture Stand tall. Speak slowly. Breathe deeply. Confidence builds credibility. Credibility builds trust. 10. The Follow-Up Framework Most reps stop too soon. 80% of deals close after 5+ touches. Fortune lives in the follow-up. 11. The Pipeline Truth Stop lying to yourself. Sandbagging kills trust. Healthy pipeline = healthy career. 👉 None of these are taught in school. 👉 All of these decide whether you win or lose. And that’s why so many sales careers stall. If you’re in sales, save this post. If you lead a team, share it with them. Because mastery of these 11 skills = the difference between an average rep and a top 1% earner.

Saad khaja has a 50% conversion rate on cold sales calls. And it’s not luck. It’s a system. After watching his masterclass, I realised I don’t need better sales scripts. I need better sales habits. Here are 6 tactics from Saad’s playbook worth stealing: 1. The “10 NOs” Drill Before teaching sales, Saad trains you to stop fearing rejection. He makes his team aim for 10 consecutive NOs. When a ‘no’ stops rattling you, your tone shifts - you sound calm. That’s when people start saying yes. 2. The 25/75 Rule If you're talking more than 25% of the call, you've already lost. Let them talk. They'll convince themselves faster than you ever could. Sales isn't pitching. It's listening. 3. Know your conversion math Great sellers track their numbers % of people who show up to calls, who are genuinely interested, who ghost after hearing the price. You can fix leaks instead of guessing what went wrong. 4. Never sell on the first call The only job on a cold call is to get one of four things: A meeting. A reference. Permission to send info on WhatsApp. And a callback in 6 months The close comes later. 5. Always end with a question “Hey, this is Saad from HOS - is this a good time?” Questions keep you in control; statements end the conversation. Every line should invite a reply. 6. Challenge them politely Prospect: "We already have an in-house team." Me: "Great. How's that working out for you?" Not rude. Just real. These tactics are stupidly simple. But almost no one uses them consistently. I've closed multiple 5-figure deals at Praper using this framework. What is one best tactic that you use on sales calls? #sales #strategies #calls #success

Becoming a better closer doesn’t usually require flashy sales tricks. It’s often about understanding how people really decide to buy. There’s a lot of sales advice out there. So many frameworks. So many “hacks.” And if you’re anything like me when I first started learning sales psychology, it can feel overwhelming. But the lessons that truly improve closing ability? They are simple. Quiet. And powerful. Here are 9 books that helped shape elite sales thinking: 1. Ask Better Questions First → SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham → Understand situation, problem, implication, and need before pitching. 2. Buying Decisions Are Psychological → Influence by Robert Cialdini → People respond to social proof, authority, scarcity, and reciprocity. 3. Teach Something New → The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson → The best sellers challenge thinking before offering solutions. 4. Selling Is Helping, Not Pressuring → To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink → Move people from confusion → clarity. 5. Build Systems, Not Pressure Tactics → Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler → Consistent prospecting and nurturing matter more than aggressive closing. 6. Listen Before You Negotiate → Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss → Emotional intelligence wins negotiations. 7. Customers Buy the Gap → Gap Selling by Keenan → People purchase the difference between current pain and future gain. 8. Consistency Beats Talent → Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount → Daily outreach creates opportunities. 9. Confidence Shapes Closing Power → The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy → Great selling starts in the mind. Sales isn’t about talking more. It’s about understanding deeper. Because people don’t buy products. They buy clarity. Trust. And future outcomes. If you focus on that, closing becomes natural. If this resonates, repost for your network. Follow Andrew Wrightfor more sales, marketing, and growth insights.