Great salesperson, terrible sales manager. Sound like you? Read this!

I almost ruined my sales team. Many years ago when I was still living in Germany. I was a young and hungry sales person who rose quickly up the ranks. I made a lot of money, and before I knew it, I was heading a sales team. Now, here's something that happens all too often: I was a great SALESPERSON. But I was a terrible SALES MANAGER. And I knew it. My team was failing. Because of me. They were all working hard. They listened to me, did what I asked them to do. But day after day, week after week, month after month, they failed to meet their numbers. And I did my best too. I poured my heart into putting them up for success, but I let them down. I couldn't figure it out. It gave me sleepless nights.  Until the day when I met the sales genius that gave average sales presentations. Go get'em! Steli PS: If you're a sales manager (or striving to become one), what's one problem you're faced with? What's a question that's been bothering you right now? Just hit reply and let me know, maybe I can help :) Elastic Inc. PO Box 7775 #69574 San Francisco, CA 94120-7775 You may manage your email preferences anytime.

most sales automation is just BS (and don't even get me started on AI)

What I'm about to say today is probably not going to sit well with some people. But someone needs to say it: Sales automation—and even more so Artificial Intelligence—is mostly BS. Yeah, I know, Elon Musk is scared of AI, major companies are pouring billions into it, and Google's AI is better at playing Go than humans— but what does this mean for you and your business? Instead of trying to leverage AI to power up your sales process, you're much better off focusing on the HUMAN elements of your sales process. Yeah, everyone's frantically trying to hop on the AI train.  Go ahead—write that press release, call it a "transformative game changer", shoehorn yourself as an AI startup for that investor pitch, plaster your website with buzzwords—it all sounds very impressive and will get you some extra eyeballs. But at the end of the day, how does it actually help you bring in more revenue? How does it help you to get more customers, and serve them better? The simple truth in sales is: humans > bots Read my latest blog post: 7 reasons why you're better than a sales bot (and don't need AI to close deals) Go get'em! Steli PS: Whether you agree or disagree with my take on things—this needs to be discussed more, because it affects us all. Right now, too many salespeople are in one of two camps: Those who bury their heads in the sand, who don't want to know how technological changes will affect their career, because they're scared of change. Those who are drinking the AI Kool-Aid, on a quest to find the magic sales automation bullet that will unlock the next level of sales success. These folks often use it as an excuse to stay inside their comfort zone ('cause pressing buttons is so much safer than talking to another person), or they simply lack the patience to master the fundamentals. But in order to achieve long-term success, you need to walk the line between keeping your ear to the ground (so you don't turn into a dinosaur and miss out when something truly game-changing comes along), and consistently acting on the few "boring truths". If you agree this discussion matters, respond on LinkedIn (or just give it a thumbs up). Elastic Inc. PO Box 7775 #69574 San Francisco, CA 94120-7775 You may manage your email preferences anytime.

3 strategies for getting past gatekeepers

If you're often dealing with gatekeepers who prevent you from talking with the actual decision-maker, check out my 3 strategies for getting past the gatekeeper.   There's typically not much love between gatekeepers and sales reps. For a sales rep, a gatekeeper is someone who can't make a buying decision, but can prevent a deal from happening.   From a gatekeeper's POV, a sales rep is a nuisance at best. Every time they put the wrong sales rep through, they risk annoying the person they're working for.    The best sales reps though look at it differently: Both parties want to create value for the company. But how do you actually do this on a call with a gatekeeper? That's what this post is all about.   Go get'em! Steli Elastic Inc. PO Box 7775 #69574 San Francisco, CA 94120-7775 You may manage your email preferences anytime.

Your copy of The Follow-Up Formula

Thanks for signing up for a free trial of Close.io! As promised, you can download The Follow-Up Formula (PDF). Go get 'em! Steli PS: Have any feedback on the book? Just hit reply and let me know! Elastic Inc. PO Box 7775 #69574 San Francisco, CA 94120-7775 You may manage your email preferences anytime.

how to sell to c-level executives

Many startups and small businesses struggle when they try to sell to executives in larger organizations. But it doesn't have to be difficult if you play your cards right. You can turn the fact that you're working at an early-stage startup into an advantage. Want to know how? Read my latest blog post C-level sales for startups: Ask for advice and you'll get money Go get'em! Steli PS: Here's a handy pre-written tweet in case you want to share this post :) Elastic Inc. PO Box 7775 #69574 San Francisco, CA 94120-7775 You may manage your email preferences anytime.