578 cards
The primary goal of sales is to help customers solve problems and achieve desired outcomes by matching their needs with the right offering. This problem-solving orientation distinguishes modern sales from older transactional models. A prospect is a potential customer who fits the ideal customer profile and may have a n...
Prospecting is the process of identifying and reaching out to new potential customers, and it is the engine that fills the top of the pipeline. Common prospecting channels include cold email, cold calling, LinkedIn outreach, networking, and events, and effective teams use a multi-channel outreach strategy that combines...
Discovery and qualification are the heart of value-creating selling. The typical purpose of a discovery call is to understand the prospect's situation, challenges, goals, and decision process to determine fit. Several structured frameworks support this work. BANT focuses on Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline. GPCT a...
Most deals involve multiple people, and skilled sellers map and influence them deliberately. A decision-maker has final authority to approve or reject a purchase, while a gatekeeper such as an assistant or receptionist controls access to those decision-makers. A respectful gatekeeper strategy builds rapport and collabo...
Objections are a normal part of selling, not a sign of failure. Objection handling means responding to concerns or resistance in a way that clarifies misunderstandings and keeps the deal moving forward. A common structure is to listen, acknowledge, clarify, respond with value, and confirm resolution. Soft objections ex...
A sales pipeline is an organized, visual representation of all active opportunities and their stages, while a sales funnel illustrates how a large number of leads narrows down to a smaller number of customers through each stage. Pipeline coverage is the ratio between total pipeline value and quota for a period, with th...
Post-sale work is where compounding revenue lives. Customer success (CS) is the function focused on adoption and renewal, and close collaboration with sales improves retention, upsell, and referrals. The sales-to-CS handoff is the process of transferring a new customer from sales to onboarding, and a structured handoff...
A modern sales organization is a coordinated system of roles, processes, and incentives. Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) focus on prospecting, qualifying leads, and booking meetings. Account Executives (AEs) own running the sales process and closing new business. Account Managers (AMs) focus on growing and ret...