I spent the last eleven years or so as a SaaS CEO — growing from $1M in ARR to $10M+. I’ve always been data-driven, but when I discovered live dashboards, it changed my day-to-day life. Metrics are important, but access to and visualization of key data are much harder to come by. So here’s the anatomy […]
Management
SaaS Sales Organization Maturity Report Card
I am super excited to launch the SaaS Sales Maturity Report Card today! This Sales Organization Maturity Report Card includes 15 questions that help reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a sales leader and their organization. Don’t let the number 15 fool you—the questions are really quick and easy to answer, so no hard work […]
Want Better Sales Numbers? Put Your Sales Team in a Bubble
In a fast-growing tech company, there are a million ways to distract your sales team if you aren’t vigilant. As a founder who led the sales team on of my core strategies was to insulate my sales team from the distraction of the rest of the company. I believe this was one of the main […]
A Founder’s Guide to Leading the Sales Team
We just launched a 27-page eBook, Building the Startup Sales Team. The eBook was written for founders and other early startup employees who find themselves at the helm of the sales team without any prior experience. It’s the handbook I wished I had, just to point me in the right direction and get me focused. […]
Dangers of Myopic SaaS Metrics Management
Just before we left for Europe a few weeks ago, we launched a couple of eBooks. One was Anna’s guide to Building the Startup Sales Team and the other was my Guide to SaaS Growth Metrics. While I’m grateful for how they’ve been received, being away from everything for a couple of weeks has given […]
How to Create a SaaS Sales Compensation Plan
When I was a new sales manager, compensation planning was one of the biggest gaps in my knowledge. Having not been a sales rep myself, and only a founder who sold, I had never personally had a comp plan. When I created my first SaaS comp plan, not only did I have no clue to […]
How Long Should a Founder Sell?
A question that gets tossed around a lot among start-up founders who are selling is, “How long should I be involved in sales?”. Exactly how founders participate in selling varies depending on the company, of course. Some founders are the first salesperson in their startup and keep personally selling as they grow a team. Others […]
How to Lead Your Company With Transparency
“But how best to accomplish transparency? It’s a delicate balance — you want to keep employees in the loop, but you also want the company to function smoothly.” – TinyPulse Many modern companies, particularly tech startups, have transparency as a core value. Transparency as a core value for all stakeholders including employees, customers, partners, vendors […]
Video: Want Your Sales Team to Sell More? Hire and Train for Curiosity.
The best sales people are naturally curious. They instinctively ask the right questions, at the right moment, in the right tone. This trait helps them gather key information, bond with their prospect, sell consultatively and win more deals. Here’s how to help your team be more curious.
How to Implement a Meeting-Free Week at Your Company
I’ve written about how important it is to be deliberate about your company’s meeting culture, and how debilitating it can be to your staff when you aren’t. One of the ways I like to “reset” a company’s meeting culture is to institute a company-wide meeting-free week every six months or so. It’s like a vacation […]
