Steven Hawes

If your CSMs think like Account Managers, you’ll retain revenue. If they think like CEOs, you’ll multiply it. Let me explain Most CSMs are trained to serve customers. Few are empowered to lead outcomes. Account Managers ask, “How can I help?” CEO minded CSMs ask, “What is blocking your growth this quarter?” The difference? One reacts to problems. The other shapes strategy. When your team starts thinking like CEOs  • They stop chasing renewals and start owning business impact.  • They connect customer goals to product investments.  • They turn every QBR into a boardroom conversation. That’s when Customer Success shifts from being a cost center to a growth multiplier. I once worked with a CSM who turned a renewal conversation into a co-innovation deal not by upselling but by reframing the value her customer was missing. That single move added $1.2M in expansion ARR. That’s what happens when your CSMs stop managing accounts and start running portfolios. The future belongs to commercially confident, product fluent, growth focused CSMs; the ones who lead with business acumen, not activity reports. If you are building your next gen CS org Are your CSMs being trained to think like operators or like CEOs?

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Asana’s secret to scaling pipeline? Agentic marketing with Piper the AI SDR Agent. Facing challenges like inconsistent follow-ups, stretched SDR teams, and missed opportunities during off-hours, Asana struggled with things most marketing teams worry about. They turned to Qualified and Piper the AI SDR agent to help them scale their pipeline motion without scaling their sales teams. Piper operates around the clock, engaging with high-intent inbound visitors, qualifying leads, and booking meetings directly into AEs’ calendars. This 24/7 coverage ensures that no opportunity slips through the cracks, even during peak times or after hours. The results? A remarkable 22% increase in pipeline without the need to scale headcount. Piper's ability to handle lead qualification and engagement autonomously has allowed Asana's human reps to focus on high-value conversations, enhancing overall efficiency. As Shannon Duffy, CMO of Asana, put it: “Agents like Piper are transforming how CMOs operate. This is what Agentic Marketing looks like in action: scalable, intelligent, and revenue-driven.” For a deeper dive into how Asana scaled their pipeline with Piper, check out the full case study here: https://ow.ly/kRgm50W2PHK

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Today's businesses are scaling across multiple sales motions-direct, partner-led, PLG, and e-commerce-but most CPQ solutions weren’t designed to support that level of complexity. That’s where Headless CPQ (API-based quoting) comes in-and why it’s becoming critical for modern sales operations. Rather than relying on a traditional CPQ interface, Headless CPQ lets your teams trigger pricing, configuration, and approval logic via API-embedding it directly into your own systems and customer-facing workflows. This approach enables quoting anywhere in your stack, powered by open APIs, webhooks, and real-time integrations. DealHub.io delivers the best of both worlds: enterprise-grade control with the flexibility to support every sales motion. Learn more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d9tj7TTW #HeadlessCPQ #API #QuoteToCash #SalesOps #RevOps #SaaS #PLG #PartnerSales

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In this demo, Sigma Solutions Engineer Jeff Carpenter shows how you can use Sigma's AI capabilities to transcribe audio, parse bills of lading, read handwritten notes from mobile image uploads, and push it all back to Salesforce via live API integrations. No manual data entry required.  See how it works and learn more in Jeff's blog post: https://lnkd.in/etuhkzgV

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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. Reps that don’t convert go wide, trying to find anything and everything to tie their product to. They think: “The more problems I find, the better chance I have of solving some of them.” Reps that convert go deep into the most important problems uncovered. They think: “I need to attach to a problem worth solving.” I built a discovery capture sheet that will help “guide” your conversations to go deep, instead of wide. You can get it here in this blog post (ungated and no cost - just make a copy): https://lnkd.in/gCaUJ4ZD

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AI is driving sales back to where it started. Relationships. For years, sales tech has chipped away at the process layer. What used to separate a 'good' rep (better customized outreach, sharper call prep and research, tighter follow up, better ROI documentation) is now table stakes. Any rep with an AI stack can execute the process like a top 10% seller. If your edge was process, AI is neutralizing it. If your edge was relationship, judgment, and consultative depth, you just got more valuable. This is not to say that process is not incredibly important, its just no longer a differentiator. Buyers don't sign checks because a rep had a tighter sequence. They write them because someone in the room earned the right to challenge their thinking, brought a new perspective, made them feel understood, and solved THEIR problem. They were heard, not processed. Relationships are the deliverable, the process is the ticket into the room. Agree/disagree?

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ZoomInfo just took its partnership with Claude to the next level. 📈  In this video, Henry Schuck, CEO and Founder of ZoomInfo, walks through how you can enrich a company list directly inside Claude in just 45 seconds. ZoomInfo data no longer lives only inside ZoomInfo. With our MCP server, ZoomInfo enrichment can plug into the tools where GTM teams already work—LLMs like Claude, internal apps, CRM workflows, and marketing automation—so teams can move from “finding data” to “using data” faster. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gjeKN3sM

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Meeting prep shouldn't take longer than the meeting itself. But for most AEs, it does. Jumping between between endless tools and spreadsheets just to show up prepared. ZoomInfo Account Executive Braya Hays demonstrates how GTM Workspace changes that. Watch how she finds expansion opportunities, multi-threads deals by mapping buying committees, automates meeting prep with AI-generated briefings, and prioritizes accounts based on signals across her entire book. All in one workspace. All synced to CRM in real time. No more 12+ browser tabs. Just answers based on your actual book of business. See how Braya manages her portfolio in minutes, not hours 👇 Learn more: https://bit.ly/4oVTnOr

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𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 & 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 separate Strategic CROs and RevOps Leaders from glorified sales managers and systems admins. Getting accurate metrics isn’t easy though. Getting real Insights from those metrics is even harder. We need to: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Start by identifying the metrics that matter for your unique GTM motion. To help, our 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 will have a 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅 outlining the most common metrics in B2B SaaS and how to calculate them. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 Metrics are only as accurate as the process being executed. If our salespeople don’t know how to qualify deals, for example, our Close Rate will tell us nothing. We have to clearly define processes, train the team, and drive them to adopt and execute in order to be a data-driven organization. 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 It’s not enough to see our Lead Conversion Rate, or Close Rate, across our entire business. These numbers are blended together across different types of leads and lead sources, different segments (SMB, MM, ENT), geos, products, etc. To see what’s really happening, we have to unblend the funnel. More on this in our 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 People only execute processes when held accountable. To get accurate data, we need to inspect the data regularly to be sure it’s accurate. To get real insights into our business, we need to analyze that data regularly to spot trends and take action. This requires the right person/people with the right skills and uninterrupted time to do “deep work.” CROs usually don’t have time to do this well and RevOps can’t if they’re constantly harassed with system admin requests. 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 As we get to this part of the year, finalizing our annual plan, it’s a bit too late. We have dirty data and have to make some BIG assumptions. If we’re in this boat, we need fix this for next year. Additionally, Annual Plans aren’t set in stone. We need to track them and iterate as we hit or miss goals and milestones. More on this in our 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. See the Framework and get the high-res version in the link in the comment below. 👇 If you want more breakdowns like this, subscribe to our newsletter at the link to get weekly insights directly in your inbox. ✌️

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Are you updating your first-party data in your CRM and/or MAP? The #1 easiest thing to do to keep your data healthy and actionable for Sales & Marketing. Data decay —the struggle is real. #b2bmarketing #b2bdata #healthyCRM #leadspace #betterdata

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Every sales rep knows this frustration: you craft an outreach sequence → emails bounce. You try calling → dead numbers Contact data decay is relentless. People change jobs, companies restructure, and email addresses become invalid faster than teams can keep up. Traditional databases quickly become graveyards of outdated information. It's crazy to think that there are sales teams wasting countless hours playing detective, verifying contact details instead of actually selling. AI-powered systems can maintain database accuracy at unprecedented scale, and Amplemarket.com does just that. AI scans more than 100 data sources to validate our database and make around 70 million updates per month. These systems provide continuous, real-time validation that keeps pace with business change. The results speak for themselves: ⚫️ Reps stop wasting time on invalid contacts ⚫️ Outreach effectiveness increases dramatically ⚫️ Teams focus on building relationships, not data cleanup When your contact data stays fresh automatically, selling becomes infinitely more efficient. Your reps can concentrate on what they do best instead of constantly fighting data decay. What's your team's biggest challenge with outdated contact information? Grab the right intel → https://lnkd.in/dnyAgBA4

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Everyone LOVES arguing about sales methodologies. MEDDIC vs SPICED vs Challenger vs BANT vs GAP vs CTM whatever's trending this week. Meanwhile, your deals are dying from something completely different. Poor. Deal. Management. You don't lose deals because of your methodology. You lose them because of poor deal management. Big difference. Your rep can nail discovery. Crush the demo. Get everyone excited. Then watch the deal slowly bleed out over the next 8 weeks. Why? Because no one taught them the difference between **selling a deal** and **managing a deal**. It's not sexy. It's not complicated. But it's the skill gap that's killing your close rates. - Next steps that actually happen (not "circle back next week") - Follow-ups that add value (not "just checking in") - Multi-threading that matters (not collecting LinkedIn connections) - Momentum that builds (not hope that fades) Most teams spend 90% of their training on selling. And 10% on what happens after. That's backwards, ya'll. **THE LOST ART NO ONE'S TEACHING** I'm joining Consensus's RevAMP conference to speak on this exact problem: **"The Lost Art of Deal Management: How to 2X Your Close Rates Without Changing Your Methodology"** We're going deep on: - How to schedule next steps that prospects actually show up for - Value-added follow-ups that move deals forward (not sideways) - Multi-threading strategies that create real champions - Keeping momentum without being that annoying rep This isn't theory. It's the tactical stuff that separates good reps from elite ones. Everyone who attends gets my personal Deal Management Checklist. Not some generic template. The actual checklist my teams have used to keep deals on track. Take it. Customize it. Make it yours. Because here's what I know: The best methodology in the world can't save a poorly managed deal. But great deal management can save an average pitch every time. Ready to stop losing winnable deals? Sign up. Be there live or catch the recording. https://lnkd.in/ePTD3_vp Let's fix what's actually broken.

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The swivel chair effect is real. And it’s not just annoying—it’s a pipeline killer. The more time your reps spend switching back and forth between signal point solutions, sequencing solutions, LLMs, and hitting send, the less time they spend selling. Modern GTM teams are asking reps to throw out the spray-and-pray playbook. To get granular. At Common Room, we want to make it as easy as possible to do just that. Here’s how: ✉️ In-platform sequence management Customers can now edit multiple steps in any Outreach sequence directly from Common Room before enrolling a contact. No other platform does this natively. This makes it that much easier to quickly personalize your approach without switching screens. 🤖 AI writing assistant Customers can now use a dedicated AI writing assistant to rapidly iterate on outbound copy until it’s just right. This helps reps make sure their messaging always hits the mark without manual rewrites. Right person. Right MESSAGE. Right time. Every time. Common Room makes it easy. You can get a taste of these feature updates in the video below and link in comments!

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ZoomInfo meets you where you’re working. 💫 Not only can you access ZoomInfo insights directly inside of Claude, but now you can do it without even leaving Slack. In this video, our CEO and Founder Henry Schuck takes you through how you can build a targeted prospecting list and account plan in under 5 minutes from Slack via Claude. Watch the full video and get started here: https://bit.ly/4coq43O

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Bad data costs companies $12.9M per year. 🤯 It clogs your pipeline, misroutes leads, and slows every GTM motion. The best teams aren’t just cleaning data. They’re operationalizing it with Data-as-a-Service to improve routing, power segmentation, and drive conversion. Read how top GTM orgs are doing it: bit.ly/4e7fOvz

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Is your company’s AI strategy helping YOU and YOUR team? 95% say “it’s failing”. Business leaders need easily, reliable, curated data for THEIR teams. Qlik’s data products are built for business leaders who care about three things: better decisions (because the data is actually trustworthy), faster action (because insights trigger workflows, not meetings), and more value from every AI dollar (because Qlik shows the full, governed picture of your business). Check this out…

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