Justin Welsh

Want to double your deal flow without doubling your team? 😮💨 Inside this post: ✨ How to respond to every lead in 2–5 minutes, 24/7 ✨ Use AI + automation to chase docs and reheat old leads ✨ Build a flywheel of repeat business and referrals 👉 Check out: “Scaling Brokerage Without More Staff”: https://lnkd.in/gf5w6rGm

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Your next customer might not Google you. They might find you in ChatGPT. On the latest Using AI at Work, Debra Andrews shared how leads are now coming in with “Referred by ChatGPT” or “Referred by Gemini” as the source in her CRM. Prospects aren’t just searching anymore, They’re asking LLMs for the top companies in a category, getting a generated list, and clicking straight through the citations. It’s a simple but profound shift: If you’re not showing up in AI-generated answers, you may not even be in the consideration set. This is what AI-era visibility looks like, and it’s already here.

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It’s the middle of summer. Buyers are on vacation, decisions drag, and it can feel like everything slows down. But this can be a great time to revisit your employer GTM strategy and build relationships that will pay off later in the year. A few ideas of how you can take advantage of the slower summer months: 1. Review what’s working (and what’s not) with your employer sales strategy from the first half of the year and identify areas to pivot 2. Map out key deals and decision paths to set up a strong year end 3. Deepen relationships with brokers and other gatekeepers shaping 2025 decisions 4. Focus on mid and down market employers who often make decisions later in the year 5. Tighten positioning and messaging so it’s crisp and resonates when employers reengage 6. Take advantage of warm weather to host local market events and build in-person rapport 7. Lock in plans for the fall conference circuit Or, you know… enjoy some much deserved vacation time while your prospects are off doing the same. This summer, my husband (also a founder) and I are both heads down working so we are keeping it easy and taking local mountain vacations. But I've got a return trip to Tahiti (pictured below) on my list for when things slow down. ******* Trying to grow in the employer benefits market? My company, Spark Health Advisors, helps healthcare and benefits companies build a scalable employer channel. Follow or DM me to chat.

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Salespeople are a company’s biggest differentiator. To hear differentiation tactics, check out Brian McFarland and my convo on this week’s Owning the Goal’s podcast here: https://lnkd.in/ebt7DabM #Differentiation #OwningTheGoal #TopSalesProducer #SalesStrategy #SalesTactics #SalesPodcast

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Discovery calls don’t have to feel awkward or forced. They can actually be some of the most energizing conversations you have in your practice! In This Episode I'm Talking About: ✨ The Art of Authentic Discovery Calls ✨ The 5-Step Discovery Call Framework ✨ Why Practitioners Overexplain and How to Stop ✨ What to Avoid in Discovery Calls 🎙️ Listen to my latest episode to learn the complete five-step framework to transform how you connect with patients. https://buff.ly/emfZGjZ

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How do you stand out in the connection requests of executive inboxes? It's not by sending blank requests. Doing so is the fastest path to saying you don't know the volume of same-ness that sits in an executive's inbox. The below is a note to a CXO at a nearly 1000 person org. Perfect ICP for us. I routinely monitor blogs that interview our buyer personas. I love their stories and the opp to spark a relationship. It's how I won a nearly six figure deal with 13 minutes of prospecting to the CRO of one of three credit reporting agencies in Jan of 2024, and countless others. She still refers us to new clients. 😍 So, I read a piece this person was featured in. Connected on a story, noted I would be the next guest in the series, and offered a recommendation for pinot. The reply took all of 100 minutes. From someone who is probably hammered with outreach and emails. I replied with my pinot recommendation and, you'll be shocked to know, I didn't ask for a meeting. 😏 My next steps here will be to engage with a post or two, send my article when it's live, and then circle back to ask if there's a path to supporting their org with all that #samsales does. My "all that we do" ask will be hyper-specific to a challenge or two that roles like theirs has, I'll probably Bubble Hunt on the weekend to message them when they're online and less busy, and I'll ask if they're "up for a chat about..." not "do you have 15-20 minutes" which always ends up being 30 anyway. And that, is one of about a dozen paths to smart and efficient social selling. It's not about speed to meeting, it's about working smart to build rapport, earn name recognition, and then make the ask in a slower and more elegant way that's different from the noise. We're in an age of where our buyers are numb to scaled-and-veiled outreach, and where they're craving and rewarding humans who make an effort. A little Show Me You Know Me + elbow grease pays off in spades. #samsales

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Most B2B SaaS teams don’t have a traffic problem. They have a pipeline quality problem. In this episode of B2B Marketing Unlocked, I sat down with Dyana Quinlivan, Senior Director of Marketing at S-Docs, to talk about what’s actually driving pipeline in modern B2B SaaS. We covered: • Why compliance and security messaging wins with IT buyers • How gated research can generate demand without forcing sales too early • Why marketplaces and SEO still outperform paid at scale • How to think about AI search and visibility before it’s too late • Where events actually fit in a modern SaaS mix If you’re responsible for pipeline and feeling the pressure to “do more,” this conversation is a reminder that focus and distribution matter more than volume. Full episode (video/audio): https://lnkd.in/egf4ijvA

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Most PMMs are looped in at the last mile of a launch 😣 Many don’t get to see what early influence even looks like Here’s a real example of it in practice👇 Last week, my friend Natalie had her biggest launch yet. Navattic announced Launchpad - an extension custom-built for sales + SE teams. It makes it super easy for reps to build custom interactive demos for prospects. So they don’t have to rely on their SEs (who ultimately become a bottleneck). As an advisor, one of the perks is getting to see behind-the-scenes of how Navattic plans for launches like this one. We’ve been getting updates for the past 6 months. Here’s how Natalie and the Navattic team rolled out Launchpad over 6+ months, and what you can borrow from the process: 🗓️ Q1 - Build quietly and validate 🤫 ↳ Early development was a team effort ↳ Driven by co-founders, engineers, sales, and marketing ↳ Sales gathered feedback directly from early prospects and customers ↳ Engineering iterated quickly based on what they heard ↳ The main focus was figuring out PMF — NOT selling the max ↳ Natalie could learn who was a good fit and what resonated ↳ That helped shape what the launch day messaging/story would be 🗓️ Q2 - Test PMF and collect social proof 🎯 ↳ Before launch, they tested interest quietly ↳ They added Launchpad to their pricing page ↳ Ran lead-gen campaigns across high-intent channels ↳ This let them test their theory of who was a good fit ↳ They could also gather social proof before the launch 🗓️ Q3 - Figure out the story and create enablement 📇 ↳ Launch day was scheduled when their plan was fully fleshed out, the story was dialed-in, and everyone was enabled ↳ NOT the second the product was ready. ↳ Natalie started with the story and messaging ↳ She blocked off plenty of time for deep work to figure it out ↳ She created a detailed enablement doc ↳ It included everything a team member or advisor would need It included: • Message and positioning for core personas • Target audience (and who was not) • Interactive demos of new features She even made a custom enablement GPT so reps could get answers to ad-hoc questions 😍 My favorite part of this launch had to be the lengths that Natalie went through to enable her team. But the reality is that none of it would have been possible if they didn’t take the time to validate and test their product, ICP, and messaging early on. That’s the lesson here.

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Objection-handling isn't differentiation. In B2B healthcare, you have to know the difference because differentiated value is how you win the deals. For example, being HIPAA compliant or showing what you integrate with isn't value differentiation. Showing what you can that your competitors can't do is the real value differentiation. Showing measurable outcomes. Showing who you're for. Find the reason why your audience chooses you.

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Build these 4 things next week To increase your earnings Build a problem  Build a Champion  Build consensus  Build cost justification Sure, there is more to it than that, but I think we sometimes overcomplicate things. 5x CRO and MEDDPICC expert joined me on the Hit Your Numbers Podcast to discuss... Developing Champions To Win More Deals Give it a watch or listen here: https://lnkd.in/eUANQzFm Maybe our best episode!!

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Mini But Mighty: Small-Scale Strategic Alliance Strategies To Grow Your Business Big partnerships aren’t the only way to grow your audience or boost your visibility. In this episode, your hosts Suzi Dafnis & Michelle Falzon explore how easy low-tech, low-cost, and low-lift alliances — like co-promoting with a local business or doing an email swap with a peer — can actually move the needle in a big way.  Whether you’re just starting out, or looking for fresh ways to expand without adding complexity, these mini but mighty collaborations can create major momentum and growth in your business. Listen Now (56 mins): https://lnkd.in/gi9FCshn

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Gearing up your GTM for 2026? (what actually works) Before you buy another tool or hire a “GTM Engineer,” pause. The best GTM programs I’ve seen (at Growth and with our customers) start inside the company.... not in a sequence builder. DO THIS FIRST 👇 1️⃣ Get sales, marketing and service in a room Not for an hour. Half a day. A full day if you can. Talk about: What prospects ask during sales What customers love after they buy Where things break Where expectations don’t match reality “Know thy customer” isn’t fluffy. It’s the foundation for everything that follows. 2️⃣ Understand the real “jobs to be done” Identify who your best customers actually are (and who aren’t) Segment companies that look like those best customers Create narrative playbooks your sales team can actually believe in Build engagement plays beyond just email + phone: (ads + events + boots-on-the-ground still matter) Monitor progress and give yourself space to iterate If this feels like a lot… good. GTM is not simple. 3️⃣ Tools you must have in place (my bias, based on results): New companies + contacts → Apollo Outbound email → Apollo Deals + engagement tracking → HubSpot Signals + intent → HubSpot + Apollo Ads + attribution → HubSpot Tools don’t fix broken strategy; but the right stack removes friction. DOs that actually matter ✅ ✅Contact multiple people per account, not just one ✅Assume timing might be wrong (even if your product is great, it is not magical) ✅Run brand awareness alongside outbound ✅Bring real value in outreach High opens + clicks but no replies? Your offer isn’t strong enough; not a failure, a signal And please… don’t send the “breakup email.” That move should be illegal. Things NOT to do ❌ Don’t blast thousands of companies on day one ❌ Don’t rely only on email + phone ❌ Don’t kill a GTM motion after 6 weeks ❌ Don’t dump all of this on one “GTM Engineer” This is a long game. It requires business acumen, collaboration, and room to think. Real talk: In December I ran a 10-day Apollo + HubSpot play that booked 25 people into a private roundtable in San Francisco. Deals were made. Relationships started. Pipeline followed. Outbound GTM works. You just have to run it like a human, not a robot. If you want help, or want me to review what you’re running: happy to. VIVA NO GARBAGE OUTBOUND 2026 Free masterclass coming soon 😄 #gtm #outbound #abm

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I spoke with over 15 SME leaders last week about the topic of scaling. One from $1M to $10, and another $50 to $250M. There is a common misconception that "change" and "transformation" are interchangeable terms; however, they are not. "I'm trying to really figure out how to stop reacting to 'change' and drive transformation" Well, here is the difference: Change that happens to you. (A recession. A competitor. A market shift.) Transformation happens because of you. But if you don’t drive it, guess what? Nothing happens. 99% get stuck, debating if AI is a competitor, what's the "best tool"? When it’s actually the accelerator to your North Star, but you need a North Star. Your clients are soon asking: “Why isn’t this cheaper with AI?” “Why do I need this consulting service if I can use ChatGPT?” The problem isn’t finding the best tool. It’s the ideal high-margin workflow. The real winners won't only adapt, they will take this time to imagine & reinvent, i.e AI + Consulting, not or something else.... Start by defining a real North Star and building Zero-Admin ™ workflows that leverage the power of something new, enabling Super-valuable humans to create real value. That’s how you go from $50M → $250M. Not by doing more of the same. By transforming how you get work done. Transformation feels hard. But here’s the truth: no one feels ready, as it's a process that's a good thing! You can keep the lights on and transform. You need the right system and the courage to lead it. In this week's article EQ app I outline a Free 3-step framework to imagine. #BeUnique #Leadership #AI #Transformation #ZeroAdmin

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Here's what I see in every conversation with MedTech sales leaders: they think one killer demo deck is enough to close deals. 𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧! Your sales cycle has multiple touchpoints—and every single one needs its own compelling content. You need a presentation to get the meeting. Then you need 3-5 follow-up pieces:   • ROI scenarios  • Case studies  • Clinical papers  • Competitive comparisons And , we haven't even touched post-sales support yet! The reality? Most sales reps are scrambling to build these assets on the fly, or worse—they're sending the same generic pitch deck over and over, wondering why deals stall. Here's my advice: Sit down with your sales team. Map out your actual sales cycle from first contact to close. Identify every touchpoint where a prospect expects valuable information. Then ask yourself: do we have a compelling piece of content ready for that moment? If the answer is no, you've found your content gaps. Stop leaving your reps under-equipped. Give them a complete content library that supports every stage of the journey—not just the first meeting. If you've got 10 minutes to spare, check out this guide that we put together about why it's important to build a modular sales system for your medical device reps: https://lnkd.in/gZSTAzcb #medtechsales #medtechmarketing #medtech #medtechsalesenablement #medicaldevices

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if your outreach gets silence, it’s not the market or AI-it’s you. everyone wants to blame deliverability, the market, or bad data. but the real problem? you're not doing a good enough job of being thoughtful and doing right by your buyers who are drowning. sorry not sorry. buyers see “value” pitches all day. most are copy-paste, thin on substance, and heavy on bait. EASY to tune out. your internal value prop? it’s not providing any value and it's all about you - not your buyer. no one cares about your “innovative solution” or “unique process.” they care about what helps them right now. here’s what stands out to me lately: - a short, real note that meets me where i am - no pressure, no meaningless words, no fake urgency - something like: “hey [contact], any chance you’re in the market for [what your company does]? no biggie if not. if you have other priorities and want some ideas on which vendors are actually worth considering, happy to point you in the right direction to save you some research time.” doesn’t need to be perfect. just honest. stop trying to “provide value” in the way everyone else does. get curious. be direct. talk like a real person. if you’re getting crickets, it’s not your tools. it’s your effort and your buyers deserve better. what’s one thing you wish sales emails did differently?

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Most people think enterprise sales is all about your tools and process. It's not. My current tech stack: Apollo.io for signal Anthropic Claude for research LinkedIn Sales Navigator for mapping power Steve Milton, my Untap Your Sales Potential mentor, for accountability and execution. Tools help me move faster. But enterprise sales isn't about activity, It's about precision. My day consists of: Building a POV that actually teaches Mapping pain to business impact Getting to power early Driving urgency through cost of inaction That's the Stephen Marshall magic most people miss: Discipline over dopamine Hard calls over easy tasks RGAs over busy work Intentional days over reactive ones Anyone can use the same tools with the same copy/paste prompts. Very few use them to actually win. What's the one thing in your stack that makes you better, not just busier? Happy Friday!

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Most healthcare launch plans have five components. Most miss at least two of them. The 5 P's of Sales Enablement breaks down exactly what a launch plan needs to actually move a product through a complex buying process, and what gets left out most often. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/emK2mDRA

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