The story behind Close.io

Learn how to close more deals and make more sales using technology. View this email in your browser Startup Sales Success Email Course: Lesson #4 I hope you're great! Let's quickly review what you've learned so far in the course: You learned about the 7 characteristics of a true startup sales person and what to look for in yourself and others you're hiring. You discovered the 7 deadly sales sins committed by most startups and learned ways to avoid them yourself You learned how to develop a predictable and scalable sales model for your startup So what's next? Well, let's talk about how to help you close more deals and make more sales with the use of technology.   ***Warning: What follows is a sales pitch. It's the best kind of sales pitch in my honest opinion: the type that will genuinely help you become more successful with your startup. Continue reading at your own peril ;) ***   Background Story In 2011 we started a "Sales As A Service" business called ElasticSales. The vision for Elastic was to build a massive sales infrastructure and empower startups and companies around the world to tap into that infrastructure in order to scale their sales efforts. Think Amazon AWS for Sales. Our mission was simple: Never again should a great company fail because of a lack of sales. We started hiring top sales talent, opening offices and signing up clients within the first few weeks. It was clear that there was massive demand for this service out there. What wasn't clear was what kind of software we would have to use to make this whole sales operation work smoothly.  We went out in the market to research the best technologies available and came back incredibly disappointed. Nothing out there was designed to actually help you sell more successfully. All existing solutions seemed to be focused on the premise of turning sales professionals into manual *data-entry-monkeys*. None of them showed any understanding whatsoever of what a sales person's needs are when it comes to their job and daily workflow. So after a lot of frustration we decided to fix the problem instead of complaining about it and we started developing our own internal sales application. We lovingly called it our secret sales sauce :) We knew nobody had ever been in a better position to develop next generation sales software since we had a few unfair competitive advantages: We had both salespeople and engineers in the founding team We ran a sales outsourcing and consultancy firm for startups empowering us to test the software in all kinds of different use cases We had a clear and distinct philosophy and vision for the product All that translated in a few simple principles when we started developing our software: It had to be simple to use It had to minimize manual data entry as much as possible It had to be focused on the #1 priority in sales: good communication  We wanted to build software that sales people would actually love. We wanted to build something WE WOULD LOVE. It took about 1.5 years of constant development and iteration with our internal development and sales team to realize that early vision and create something truly special. During that time our sales people generated millions and millions of dollars in sales for hundreds of venture backed Silicon Valley startups using our secret sales sauce: Close.io  We knew we had a huge winner when we suddenly started to get more and more demand from other people who wanted to use our internal "secret-sauce-sales-software". At first we resisted (there is a reason you call it your secret sauce after all) but eventually we realized that it was the right thing to do to be true to our core mission: >> Never again should a great company fail because of a lack of sales. << So we did it. In January 2013 we finally released Close.io to the world.  And the response from the market has been incredible: "Close.io is awesome! Moving over from Salesforce is mindblowing. I just wanted to see something and found it immediately. Funny how that's an advantage. Keep it up!" Joseph Walla, Founder & CEO, HelloFax  "The straightforward email and calling integration in Close.io helped us solve many of our workflow issues and increased our outreach by over 30%. This has caused us to achieve huge growth in revenues while doing less work! " Nick Persico, Director of Sales Operations, Krossover  "I used SugarCRM for a while, but switched to Close.io because of its modern technology and nice design. Close.io helps to make selling fun again." Ryan Buckley, Co-Founder & COO, Scripted  Not too shabby right? :) Yes! Well…But how exactly does that affect you? Let me tell you... There are 4 reasons why Close.io will help you Close More Deals & Make More Sales: 1.) You will make more & better calls Make and receive calls with just 1-click. All calls are logged automatically. Lead activity information pops up as soon as the phone rings so the data you need is always at your fingertips! 2.) You will send more & better emails All your sales related emails are automatically tracked within the app no matter where you write the emails. You can see who opens your emails, save templates to improve your email workflow and keep all digital sales communication in one place without any manual work.  3.) You can finally say NO to data entry We hate data entry as much as you do, so we tried our hardest to help you avoid it. With auto-logging of calls, emails, and activity you can spend more time closing deals instead of entering data. 4. ) You can get answers to all your questions The app collects most data based on your actual behavior and thus has not only more data but also more accurate sales data. We've built a powerful search platform that allows you to answer any question within seconds. Example? "Show me all leads in California with a 70 percent or greater chance of closing, whom I haven't called or emailed in the last week." Boom!   BUT IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE! Close.io is not for you if: You are managing a pipeline of less than 100 leads per year You are not using a phone or email to do sales You work for a Fortune 500 Company If you fall in one of these 3 categories you SHOULDN'T BUY Close.io since it's not a good fit for you. Don't worry, if you reply to this email and tell me this is not for you, I will personally send you recommendations for other sales software that will help you be more successful. I know them all. No problem. In all other cases you seriously need to become a Close.io customer and see the immediate boost in sales success it will give to your startup. Sign up for Close.io Happy Selling! Steli P.S. If you've already bought Close.io I'd love to hear from you. Just hit reply and let's chat :) You're receiving this email because you signed up for our startup sales course. Elastic, Inc. 501 Forest Ave Suite 1201 Palo Alto, CA 94301 Add us to your address book You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list at any time.

How to develop a predictable & scalable sales model

Learn how to develop a predictable & scalable sales model. View this email in your browser Startup Sales Success Email Course: Lesson #3   Most B2B startups try to scale their sales efforts prematurely. They build a product, get some early customers to use it and sometimes even pay for it and think the next logical step is to "scale sales". Wrong. The big issue with this strategy is that you need to be sure you actually have a working sales model before you scale anything. And most of the time early results cannot be replicated because they represent "low hanging fruit" types of sales. Examples include selling to other portfolio companies of your investors, people you have known for many years and any other source of deals that cannot scale or be easily replicated. Ask yourself these questions to discover if you're ready to scale your sales efforts: Do we know who our ideal customer is yet? How do we qualify them? Do we have a reliable and growing source of qualified leads? Do we have a sales process and conversion funnel that has consistently produced repeatable results? Do we have an estimate on our Customer Lifetime Value yet? If you don't have answers to these questions you're not there yet. Don't waste money & time at this point hiring more sales people.  Instead invest your resources in learnings and exploration.  Short term sales feel great and are important but what's even more significant for the success of your startup is to develop a sales model that will generate predictable and scalable results. How do you get there?   Follow the 3 step process outlined below and learn as much as possible each step of the way:   Step #1: Create a Customer Profile You need to find out who your ideal customer is. How can you identify them and what qualifying criteria do they have in common? Without knowing who your ideal customer is and how to qualify them correctly you can't develop a successful sales model. Step #2: Discover Scalable Lead Sources Now that you know who your potential customers are and how to qualify them you need to learn where to find scalable sources of appropriate leads. That's the most important factor in your whole sales model. If you can find a way to generate high quality incoming leads via marketing and/or find great sources for high quality outbound leads you're in a really good position to succeed and scale. Read this interview with Aaron Ross to learn more about setting up a successful outbound lead generation approach.  Step #3: Develop a Successful Sales Process Once you know who to sell to and you know how to reach them in a scalable fashion you can now focus on learning how to effectively sell to them. Utilize all possible approaches like sending emails, making calls, presenting demos and meetings in person and see what combination works best for your specific target audience. Make sure you track everything you do so you can learn from the data and develop a successful model. Here are the key things you need to track for your sales process: Your conversion funnel from lead >> qualified >> closed The average time it takes to move a lead from qualified to closed The average deal value per close Your average cost per close Here are the metrics you should monitor to develop your predictable and scalable sales model: # New Leads Per Month % Growth of # of New Leads Per Month % Leads that Qualify % Qualified Leads that Close # Average Time To Close $ Average Cost Per Close $ Average Revenue Per Close Once you have these numbers you can start putting together a sales formula with the goal to validate if your model is predictable, scalable and profitable. Once all the numbers add up to something that makes sense for your business you're finally ready to scale. And that should be the goal of any early startup sales efforts. Happy Selling! Steli P.S. Here's a very STRONG book recommendation on the subject: Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross P.P.S. Keeping track of all these metrics AND actively selling at the same time can be tough. We built a super simple tool called Close.io to make it easier for you to sell and develop a sales model that scales along the way. Close.io automatically keeps track of all your data. Check it out now if you haven't already: CLICK HERE   What startup sales hustlers say about this course: "This sales course is one of the few courses I am excited to read. Learning how to sell is a major problem for many startups, and this course is hands-down one of the best intros to selling I've seen in a long time." - Luke Thomas, Growth Engineer of YesGraph You're receiving this email because you signed up for our startup sales course. Elastic, Inc. 501 Forest Ave Suite 1201 Palo Alto, CA 94301 Add us to your address book You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list at any time.

Revenue

Monetization toolkit that will save you a bunch of time and help grow your website monetization.

Hi None, Now that you've been setup with Shareaholic for a few days now, I wanted to give you a quick heads up on our monetization toolkit that will save you a bunch of time and help grow your website monetization: Promoted Content Ads. Display targeted content recommendations from our sponsored content marketplace. Outstream Video Ads. Outstream video ads tend to be very lucrative for publishers, as the format's high viewability can command over $10 CPMs. In-Image Ads. Using image recognition technology, Shareaholic delivers targeted ads as contextual overlays on top of related editorial pictures. Banner Ads. Shareaholic offers several banner ad format options to match your website, including standard, post-share and mobile anchor overlay. Affiliatize Links. Monetize your existing outbound links which would not have been monetized otherwise. It's "found money" and a no-brainer, really. So many options! Pick and choose from above for what best matches your site design, layout and mission the best. We have streamlined everything. No more hassle. Just more growth. Next Steps: Learn more Where to view your site earnings Thank you once again for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Regards, Jay — Jay Meattle Founder, Shareaholic P.S. Have a question? Feel free to contact our Customer Success Team anytime. You can reply to this email or submit a ticket to support@shareaholic.com Shareaholic, Inc.   109 Kingston Street    Boston  MA   02111   USA You received this email because you are subscribed to Product & Features Updates from Shareaholic, Inc.. If you prefer not to receive emails from Shareaholic, Inc. you may unsubscribe or set your email preferences.

Creeper Creative + Close.io

Hi Fadzil, following up. I know you are short on time, so here is a breakdown of what you can expect to accomplish by working with me

• 15 minutes - Figure out if Close.io is the right fit for you. If it isn't, I'll tell you immediately and you won't waste any more time on us
• 30 minutes - A short demo focused on your specific needs, along with answers to your questions
• 30 minutes - A customized workflow for you to hit your specific goals 

That's all it takes -- an hour and fifteen minutes to accomplish a complete CRM setup, rather than spending 14 days figuring it out on your own. When is good time for a 15 minute call?


Thanks,
Rebecca

+1 415-483-0522

Close.io | The Y-Combinator 2011 team behind the world's best inside sales software
Trusted by thousands of salespeople globally and powering 1 million calls every month

The 7 Deadly Sales Sins that startups commit

View this email in your browser Startup Sales Success Email Course: Lesson #2 In the last email we talked about the 7 key characteristics of the perfect startup sales person.  I'm going to share a lot of insider knowledge and best practices with you in the upcoming days. But before we start studying success let's take a quick look at failure and make sure you avoid the costly sales mistakes of others.  Let's look at the  "7 Deadly Sales Sins" committed by many startups: Not Understanding Your Customer: Many startups make generalizations as to what their customers want. There may be a specific market for your product or service, but each customer's challenges are going to be different. I've seen founders conduct poor research into their prospective customer before pitching them, and then fail to ask those customers specific questions in regards to their unique needs and pain-points. Instead, they'll talk on and on about how great their product is and its 10 unique features. Startups need passion for their idea, but not at the expense of taking the time to understand your customers and asking the right questions. Not Selling: Most startups explain all the bells and whistles of their product, but fail to sell the core solution to their customer's problem. To do that, you need to ask the customer questions to understand what they really need. A prospective customer needs to be sold on the 2-3 benefits your product provides to them, rather than the 100 features you're planning to build into the product in the future. Not Showing Up: Most startups don't go out into the market to pitch real people and close actual customers. As a result, they miss out on two key experiences crucial to a young company. First, the founders miss the opportunity to connect directly with their earliest customers and develop long-term relationships. Second, they miss direct customer feedback, which often provides the best recommendations to improve a young company's product or service. Not Following Up: Most startups pitch once and never follow up again. Maybe they follow up once or twice, but not relentlessly. Startup founders & too many startup hustlers are not shameless enough (sound familiar?). They worry too much about intruding on the prospect's time or being too persistent out of fear of losing the sale. If you lose a prospective customer because you followed up too much, then they weren't going to close anyways. I'm not advocating calling someone every few minutes, until they rip their phone line out of the wall; but giving up on a prospect won't lead to a new customer. Keep up with them until they come to a decision, either a "yes" or a "no." Everything else doesn't count.  No Process in Place: Startups love to optimize their UI/UX but not their sales funnel. Most don't even have a sales funnel to optimize. Startups today have access to a vast amount of data but often fail to track some basic metrics for their sales funnel; calls/emails, connections to decision makers, qualified leads, closed deals/deal value and time to close. Not the Right Price: Startups often think the cheaper their service the better. While a low price tag does lower the barrier to entry for your customers, it can also dilute the value of your product. If your email or website plugin provides massive value for your customers, why is it the same monthly subscription price as Netflix? When you have a viral product that gets massive traction online, you can have a low price. When you need sales people to sell your product or enterprise customers, you need to consider if your product is priced appropriately to sustain your business. Ultimately, startups need to charge their customers what their product is worth and sell them on its value, not its price tag. Not Asking for the Sale: Sometimes simply asking for the sale makes the process move forward in the direction that you want. After all of the phone calls, demos, and follow up, some startups are still afraid to ask for a customer's business out of fear of losing the sale. If you spent so long cultivating your relationship with the customer, wouldn't it be easy to close your new best friend? Some entrepreneurs start their business out of love for art or fashion, some for science and technology. At the end of the day, every startup needs to succeed in pitching their product or service to make their vision a reality. The great thing about the mistakes above is that they are all addressable. Once they've been identified in your startup, sales won't be a barrier to your company's success. Happy Selling! Steli P.S. What are other "deadly sales mistakes" you've committed yourself or witnessed with other startups? Just hit reply and share your thoughts with me! You're receiving this email because you signed up for our startup sales course. Elastic, Inc. 501 Forest Ave Suite 1201 Palo Alto, CA 94301 Add us to your address book You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list at any time.