Shawn Epidendio

PSA for Salespeople: If you struggle to get access to power, do these five techniques 👇 Context: 90% of sellers struggle to access to power. They're stuck with a mid level buyer who can't get a deal done. Five tips to get access to power and close bigger deals: 1. Before the 1st call, have your boss ping others. A mid level buyer came inbound. Your call is in a few days. The best thing you can do is identify other influencers: People you'll WANT to get access to. Have your boss comment on their posts. Reach out and say: "Hey Sam, no action needed on your part. Just wanted to let you know that John asked for a demo of our solution and one of my reps is talking to him Thursday. Will keep you in the loop." 2. Preempt getting "boxed in." When the meeting with the mid level buyer starts, say something like this: "I'm glad you reached out. I'm not sure if you knew this, but our organizations are talking to each other. We're in contact with Sam. But no need for me and you to do anything with that right now. We can just keep this conversation me and you for now." This does two things: First, it's hard for them to say "don't talk to anyone else" when you got ahead of it. Prevention > cure. Second, you took the pressure off by saying "We can just keep this conversation me and you for now." 3. Ask "who else does this impact, and how?" As you explore challenges, pop that question. Call out some of the specific executives you want access to. Ask how the challenges impact them. Get your buyer to SELL you on how those other execs are impacted. Naming specific names carries even more power. 4. Ask for access. AFTER your buyer has expanded on HOW those execs are impacted... make your ask. "Given that Sam is concerned about CAC, it feels like it'd be unproductive if we didn't include her on the next demo to show her how this can reduce CAC. Is that an unreasonable ask?" You'll still get rejected here sometimes. But far less often than if you didn't follow this process. 5. If they block access, "negotiate" access to power. If you followed all the above steps and they STILL block access, say this. "Ok. Fair enough. Let's do this then. Let's schedule a [demo] just you and me. My goal with that meeting is to get you SO fired up about what we do, that you then see getting Sam involved as your best interest. So my ask is that if this blows you away - and only if it blows you away - we can then make that introduction." This is like setting an "upfront contract" a full call in advance. And it's easy to objection handle if they still disagree: "I'm torn on what to do here. I'm eager to walk you through our platform. But that's a non trivial investment in time and effort. I'm more than happy to make that investment, so long as that investment is reciprocated from you." Alright. I'm out of room, so that's all for now. Any thoughts you'd add?

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Your comp plan says "hit 100% of quota, earn 1.5x commission on everything above." Your rep hits 90% in November and stops prospecting. You just turned your best month into your worst month! Most comp plans are designed to motivate reps. But poorly designed accelerators actually train reps to game the system instead of growing revenue. I mean, you can't blame them. Think about it: When the gap between "almost there" and "crushing it" is too wide, reps optimize for timing rather than performance. Let's take a gander at some standard accelerators and what (IMO) is amiss with them: 1. The quarterly cliff. - 100% of quota = normal commission. - 101% of quota = 2x commission on everything. So your rep with a $50K deal in December has two choices: - Close it now, hit 98%, earn normal rates. - Push it to January, start fresh at 2x rates. Wanna guess which one they choose? 🫣 2. The perfectionist trap. Your plan rewards 110% attainment with massive accelerators, but reps who hit 105% get almost nothing extra. So instead of taking risks on borderline deals, they focus only on sure things. Your pipeline gets conservative. Your growth gets capped. 3. The monthly reset punishment. "Accelerators reset each month for fairness." Translation: Reps who have a great Jan coast through Feb because they can't build momentum. You just turned your best performers into seasonal workers. You see this show up in rep behaviors: - Deal timing manipulation. Reps push deals between quarters to optimize personal payout, not company cash flow. - Sandbagging. Reps who hit their number early stop trying because next quarter resets everything. - Risk aversion. Instead of pursuing stretch goals, reps focus on "safe" deals that guarantee their threshold. Here are a few ideas to consider w/r/t accelerators: 1. Try rolling quotas instead of cliff resets. Track performance over rolling 90-day periods. Reps can't game quarterly timing when every month matters equally. 2. Graduated acceleration, not cliff jumping. - 105% = 1.2x rates. - 110% = 1.4x rates. - 115% = 1.6x rates. Smooth progression eliminates the "almost there" problem. 3. Cumulative momentum rewards. Performance compounds across quarters instead of resetting. Hit 110% two quarters in a row? Your baseline increases. This rewards sustained excellence, not quarterly heroics. Look at your team's monthly performance distribution. Do you see artificial spikes in quarter-end months? Do reps who hit big numbers early in the quarter maintain velocity? Are your best reps deliberately slowing down deals? If yes, your accelerators are working against you. Accelerators should accelerate deals, not decision-making about when to close them. If your reps are spending more time optimizing commission timing than optimizing customer outcomes, your comp plan is broken.

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I’ve reviewed 100s of discovery calls. The #1 difference between AEs converting 40% and AEs converting 70%+ of first calls is the number of problems discussed. And the top reps discuss fewer. Average reps cover a lot of ground in their discovery calls. They go wide, trying to find anything and everything to tie their product to. The logic makes sense: “The more problems I find, the better chance I have of solving some of them.” The best reps aren’t trying to uncover a lot of problems. They understand that: - No company has the capacity to take on a bunch of priorities at once - Discussing a bunch of problems leaves your prospect overwhelmed and not wanting to book more time - Deals are won by solving the biggest priority, not by solving a bunch of annoyances So they focus on finding and attaching to a problem worth solving. Monday morning, I’m sharing the exact question you need to ask in all of your discovery calls to validate you’ve found the right problem. I’m also sharing my “Discovery Capture Sheet” - a resource you can use to: - Know exactly what you need to uncover on a discovery call - Example questions to ask to uncover valuable insight If improving discovery is on your personal development plan for this quarter, you won’t want to miss my next newsletter. Join (no cost) at salesintroverts.com!

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AEs and SDRs: prospecting doesn’t have to be complicated, you are just winging it. Try this proven 7-step framework (the only one you will need) I use to build pipeline and not get burnt out, instead: Step 1: Use the 5X5 Method -Pick 5 accounts and 5 prospects per account to focus on each week. -SDRs & High-Velocity AEs → increase the volume. Or, use your sales math to determine the number! How? Use Sales Navigator and these filters: -Job change in the last 90 days (especially from former customers) -Job function + seniority -TeamLink connections Step 2: Know your prospect’s business inside out. -Before reaching out, check: -LinkedIn insights - headcount growth, AccountIQ -Past opps in your CRM, closed/lost notes, email & phone convos -Gong Calls -10Ks, funding, stock price, ChatGPT prompts -Podcasts, press releases, and recent hires (try listennotes) -Competitors & mutual customers -Intent data, Google news, -RepVue, Glassdoor, G2 Reviews Step 3: Sequence all 5 contacts using persona-based outreach. -Having a set number holds you accountable. -Build your sequence/cadence based on persona, not volume. -Use a 14 day mini sequence instead of the 28 day sequences that cause piles of overdue tasks. -Front-load your touches across channels Step 4: Personalize every message using this structure: 1️⃣ Relevance: Why you're reaching out 2️⃣ Problem Statement: One of three key challenges 3️⃣ Solution: How others solve it 4️⃣ CTA: Interest-based, not pushy No tool can help you if your messaging is off—make it buyer-centric and problem-focused. Step 5: Use the Triple Touch on Days 1 & 3 Day 1: -LinkedIn profile view -Email -Call Day 3: -Email -Call -LI Connection Request: “Sent you a couple emails—wanted to put a face to the name!” Step 6: Monitor prospect engagement & switch tasks accordingly. -If a prospect opens your email 2+ times, call them immediately. -If they engage but don’t reply, bump the email. -Stop waiting for replies—act on buying signals in real time. Step 7: Multi-thread -If you’re an AE, tag your SDR to go lower in the account to info grab -If you’re an SDR, tag in your AE to come over the top -Reach out to ICs at the company & buy them lunch/coffee for info Prospecting isn't complicated when you are using your tools the right way and have a repeatable system in place.

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Last quarter, one of my top CSMs, the kind who had 92% renewal rates for three straight years, walked into my office looking defeated. Her numbers told the story before she did: • $300K ARR under management. • $80K in planned expansions stalled. • Two renewals downgraded, one halved overnight. • Forecast down 40% compared to last year. She sat down and said quietly: “𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 b𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.” I asked her: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥?” She shook her head. “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥.” That hit me. Cos this is the part of Customer Success nobody prepares you for: When effort stays constant but outcomes collapse and it feels like you have somehow lost your edge. The reality? It is not always about us. • A new CFO slashes budgets. • A board decides expansion is off the table. • A champion changes jobs and the new one does not care about the history. I told her: “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.” She walked out without a shiny new strategy but with something more important perspective. Here is what leaders often miss: Your top performers are the last to complain and the first to carry the heaviest weight. So check on them. Not just their pipeline but their shoulders. Cos in CS, the toughest battles are not the ones in Salesforce. They are the ones in silence, self doubt and unseen effort. And if you are in that phase yourself, remember this: You are not failing. You are just in a cycle no dashboard can measure. Let us normalize that part of the journey too. When was the last time you checked in on your strongest CSMs not their numbers but their mindset? And if they were struggling, how would you support them?

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I have never seen a sales rep leave a company if they are earning big commissions on annual accelerators. But I have seen many, many reps leave when they get close to or over their annual quota, but don't get their just rewards. Leverage your comp plans HEAVILY for performance over 100% That extra 20% - from 100% to 120% of plan. Should be rewarded in near hockey stick terms. Especially in tough selling conditions. (oh and never cap earnings) (even if a rep end up earning more than the CEO) PS - don't forget aggressive annual accelerators for Sales Leaders too! #sales #compplans #accelerators

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Most sales leaders focus on their top performers. But your best reps will crush quota whether you help them or not. Here's the uncomfortable truth about scaling revenue... Your top 10% will succeed despite you. They'll figure out how to sell your product and close deals even if you give them zero support, no collateral, and an undefined ICP. But you can't build a scalable revenue engine on top 10% talent alone. It's just math. Even with a rigorous interview process and strong recruiting brand, our 12-month retention rate at Levelset was around 55%. And that was GOOD. The key to scaling isn't finding more unicorns. It's raising the floor for everyone else. That means writing down exactly what success looks like. Not just hoping good people will "figure it out." I learned this the hard way. For the first 4 years (or so), we closed deals almost in spite of ourselves. No real sales playbook. No defined process. Just talented people working hard. When we finally documented our exact process - from first touch to close - our ramp time plummeted and consistency shot up. The uncomfortable truth? Most founders spend way more time recruiting than preparing to train and support their hires. Your playbook doesn't need to be fancy. Start with one document: "How to Run a Demo." Make it painfully detailed. Your top reps will hate it. Your new reps will love you for it.

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If you're a tech seller who earned $250K OTE last year, you're likely losing $113,636 a year. Here's the sneaky culprit: INTERRUPTIONS. The average knowledge worker is interrupted every 11 minutes (source: UC, Irvine). That's 2.5 hours wasted daily, or 587.5 hours every year. Let's break down exactly how much that's costing you: If you're a SaaS seller making $250K/year: Working days per year: 235 (Assuming 52 weeks, minus 3 weeks vacation & 10 holidays) Effective annual selling hours: 1,292.5 (1,880 total hours - 587.5 interruption hours) Your real hourly rate = $193/hr ($250K ÷ 1,292.5 hours) If you reclaim: → Just 30 mins/day = +$22,727/year → 1 hour/day = +$45,455/year → 1.5 hours/day = +$68,182/year → 2 hours/day = +$90,909/year → All 2.5 hours/day = +$113,636/year Real money. Real impact. But here's the critical insight: You can't "grind" your way to better focus. High performance isn't about pushing harder. It's about feeling better first. “If you feel good, you play good.” Said every champion athlete ever. The same holds true in tech sales. In my last 3 years as a strategic seller, the distractions were relentless. So, I built a simple, repeatable system to start each day feeling clear and focused. It changed everything for me—performance, earnings, and quality of life. And now I'm sharing the exact process that worked for me here: → [Free Guide] https://lnkd.in/eym8aAxP Get your time (and money) back. 🐝

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High paid AEs Do not: 1. Push the prospect with old salasy tactics.   2. Spend majority of time with product features 3. Have 100+ non-fit accounts in pipeline 4. Do "one-size-fit-all" demo 5. Check in with "Does it make sense?" 6. "Just follow up" with random deals 7. Blame inbound leads for not hitting target Do: 1. Make it simple to buy 2. Spend majority of time with business problems 3. Work less than 50 accounts that fit ICP 4. Show the right solution to the right pain. 5. Get feedback with how / what questions   6. Follow up with impactful value 7. Self-source majority of pipeline. Quality > Quantity

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80% of AEs waste their Monday mornings. Elite sellers walk in with a ready-to-execute plan. Here’s how to prep like an elite AE before Monday hits: 1. Friday afternoon – Clear the decks → Inbox Zero: Respond, schedule, and flag emails. → Pipeline Review: What’s stuck? What needs action? ��� Meeting Prep: Every call - agenda set, call plan done. 2. Sunday – Light touch, high impact     → Check your calendar: Spot and fill gaps with actions. → Pipeline report: What’s my goal, gap and plan? → Prospect triggers: Any LinkedIn posts, funding news, job changes from key accounts? 3. Monday morning – Execution mode → Power Hour (9-10): Hit every high-intent prospect. → Daily 5: Sequence 5 new prospects. → Advance Pipeline: Pick up the phone to advance opps. Make a plan. Spend Monday executing the plan. It's what I'm doing right now. PS - finally getting some art up on the wall. Thinking about building out a big mix to go above the sofa - thoughts?

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I started my software sales career in 2011. I've been over 100% of quota every single year since then (knocks on wood). Here is why: 1. I don't sell unless the prospect is ready to be sold to. Please uncover pain before feature dumping. Buyers want to hear themselves say why they need your product, not you. 2. If you are selling a technical product. Being technical matters. You need to communicate well with everyone from top to bottom at the companies you're selling to. When customers respect your knowledge, they start to trust and follow your guidance. 3. Being at the right company at the right time. Most every company I joined was on a growth trajectory and had a unique value proposition. 4. I'm lightly obsessive. If I know there is something I haven't done to move the needle -- it will bother the crap out of me if I don't do it. Whether it is a follow up email, getting an executive involved, or the difficult one on one conversation with my champion to get the behind the scenes on what's REALLY happening. 5. I know when to increase and decrease friction. I've lost deals because I gatekept a trial too hard because I don't believe in my champion. I've also lost deals because I relied on champions to the very end... just to get a no from an executive. Learning this balance is critical, and can take time. 6. Realize that the hardest part of your sale... IS TIME. You can uncover value and be the best product on the market. If you don't uncover how long they think it will take to implement, and align with them on how long it really takes to implement your solutions... you will not win deals. 7. I've had many amazing mentors and colleagues in my life. It pains me to know that mentorship is not what it used to be because I owe my entire career to a few mentors... if you find one good mentor, it can fundamentally change your career and life. and last but not least... of course my solutions architects who have actually done all the work for me : )

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The mental model you use as an AE is 🔑 Consider an "Account" 🤔 Many AEs will dismiss an Accounts potential based on a negative interaction or responsiveness from one or two key "Contacts" 📞 BUT Top performers I've worked with get one thing right...... They understand that an "Account" is the sum of all "Contacts" in the company 📊 In an organisation of 100 people - hidden influence can exist in pockets of the organisation you may not expect 😮 - The Best Sales Person - The CEOs nephew or neice - The Marketing Agency they work with Keep digging. Gold can be just around the corner 🏆 Join the #Salesblazer community today to be part of a global community sharing sales tips and tricks. Link in comments ⬇���

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SDRs get comped on a variety of things: quantity of meetings, SALs, SQLs, pipeline generated, but what if we got a little smarter with how we designed the levers they can pull to hit quota? Those SDRs will (hopefully) perform and get promoted internally. And then what? They're chasing those same levers, capitalizing on those same learned behaviors. But if we instead added credit or comp for: - Meetings booked using Show Me You Know Me - Meetings booked with a higher caliber title vs. the standard - Meeting booked with a key mole that can help champion the deal - Multi-threading and piling on to the contacts we have with one deal - Meetings booked via strategic social selling (read: not blank connection requests) - Uncovering a piece of content that reinvigorates a ghosted or stalled deal - Tracking job changes and capitalizing on a buyer's new role Rather than just emphasizing the focus on volume, what if we also accelerated and incentivized based on all the behaviors we'll want to see and that they'll need when they're really in the quota-carrying fire? #samsales

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After 13yrs in sales, I learned the best AE's aren't better at prospecting, they just focus on the "right" accounts. If you want to move from transactional to strategic selling, use this 3-step Account Planning process: BACKGROUND: The first time a sales leader exposed me to Account Planning, I didn't buy it. In my first two sales roles out of school, first as a Sales Engineer and then as a transactional AE, the value of Account Planning was lost on me. It felt like grunt work. I wanted to sell! But man, was I wrong. Account Planning allowed me to be 10x MORE effective and prospect way LESS. Here is my 3-step process for Account Planning: (1) It starts with Account Tiering This is ranking all of your accounts to find the best ones to pursue. First, think about this solely on the account level: -- Are they ICP? -- Do you have success in that industry? -- Do they look like similar customers? -- Are there use cases you can crush? Next, think about access to the company: -- Were there previous opportunities? -- Do you have a warm intro? -- Do you have previous buyers/users in that account? -- Is there a compelling event that should pique their interest? (2) Create an Account Plan This means researching your BEST accounts to find ammunition and create a plan to break in. This is where you move from a 30,000 foot view to the ground level. Your goal is to understand their business as deeply as their own employees do. -- How do they earn money? -- How do they go to market? -- Who is their ICP? What do they care about? -- What currently presents a risk to their business? -- What are their execs thinking about? (3) Build your POV / Hypothesis What stands out to execs is NOT that you did your research. It’s the synthesis of your research. Your job is to form a well researched hypothesis of their business that shows why it’s at least worth engaging with you and your organization. The best POVs pique interest, share relevant stories, and expand your prospects’ thinking. Here are a few frameworks for great POVs: -- Challenging their status quo -- Empathizing deeply with a current pain point they have -- Painting a bold vision with/for them -- Uncovering a problem they might not know they have -- Trying to get to the root cause of their challenges Remember RELEVANCE > PERSONALIZATION Your goal here is to pique their curiosity, show that you’ve synthesized a lot of research, and demonstrate that you’ve helped similar customers. TAKEAWAY: When it comes to prospecting as an AE, it’s easy to be busy. It’s hard to be strategic on a consistent basis. That's why you need a strong Account Planning process. You'll have better results if you spend 100% of your effort on the right accounts. And there's way fewer accounts that matter than you think.

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