How to land a sales role in today's market

"She's got 20 years in our industry." Six months later, she's still not hitting quota. This is the hiring mistake I see most often. Companies over index on industry experience and under index on sales capability. Here's why this happens. Hiring managers think industry knowledge is hard to teach. So they prioritize experience over everything else. But they've got it backwards. Industry knowledge can be taught in 90 days. Core sales skills take years to develop. I'm working with a B2B company right now. Their competitor keeps hiring expensive reps away from Fortune 500 companies. Big names. Impressive backgrounds. Massive salary demands. Meanwhile, my client hired hungry people with the right psychological traits and trained them on their process. Six months in, the hungry team is winning more deals. Because the expensive reps with all the experience don't know how to run proper discovery conversations. They can't qualify opportunities. They wing it instead of following a consistent process. All that industry knowledge doesn't help when you can't execute the fundamentals. I'd rather have someone who can execute a sales process and learn your industry than someone with 20 years of relationships who can't run a proper discovery call. The companies that win big hire for sales capabilities first, then train the industry knowledge. We're teaching the Sales Hiring Intensive October 29-30. Two half-days. Virtual. 12 companies max. You'll learn how to identify the 26% who have real sales DNA before you hire them. → How to write ads that attract real talent.  → Screen in 10 minutes.  → Interview questions that reveal capability over experience.  → Assessment tools that predict success. The same system we've used with companies going from $7M to $145M+. Because people are the growth equation. Without the right talent, playbooks and processes are just expensive theater. Check us out here: https://lnkd.in/ghCkXWaS

Prospecting lesson I was reminded of recently 👇 A “no” (or silence) from one person in a company doesn’t mean “no” from everyone. I reached out to the Head of HR at a company who showed interest and then went off the grid. I knew we could help, so instead of giving up, I went straight to the CEO. The result? He booked a meeting immediately. Why? Can't tell you myself... - Maybe the HR lead had a tough day. - Maybe they didn’t see the bigger picture. - Maybe they didn’t have the final say. Prospecting isn’t about taking rejection personally. It’s about finding the right door to walk through. One “no” doesn’t close the company & that’s why multithreading matters!

I just made the boldest prediction of my career After spending the last MONTH studying the hiring landscape... I believe 90% of current career changers will remain stuck in their old roles within the next few months. It's happening Hiring has changed. Applications have collapsed But smart career changers have been quietly adapting Network and positioning will beat spray-and-pray applications The winners are building on packaging their experience While others focus on "perfect resumes" The 3 rules I'm betting on: Personal brand building This is the key opportunity for career changers who want to "stand out" from the competition Your expertise can be seen by more recruiters and often The full playbook for this is here: https://lnkd.in/gBR-ZcNq Transferable skills over career gaps The typical "I'm switching industries" narrative is getting old. But showcasing how your skills translate is gaining traction Just seen this with our clients 1 single story connecting their finance background to tech sales got them 15% more callbacks than usual (without apologizing for the switch) Building your network - relationships are key Since hiring managers confirmed that cold applications don't work, 80% of your outreach should focus on genuine connections Best way to land interviews in tech sales. This is a fact Now, let me give you a 30-Day protocol: Audit your last 10 outreach for 'value' • Did you share industry insights? • Did you demonstrate sales thinking? • Did you show your expertise? Build one authority showcase post • Use a professional achievement photo • Show sales skill demonstration • Use a relevant story Build your personal brand story to attract recruiters Adapt or fade. Your move

Rarely do I see a post that gets half of it right and half completely wrong — but Ankur Singh Ujjain nailed it. Her hs post: [https://lnkd.in/dUuZvUeh] Ankur is basically the advocate of “𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱”. Pro outbound but against cold calling. What he gets right is that #outbound is still the most effective form of active selling. And he’s also right that cold calls like in Wolf of Wall Street or mindlessly dialing prospects with a “buy now” push don’t work anymore. But that’s yesterday’s news. What he’s 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 about is that good #ColdCalls don’t work anymore. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: was an email, a webinar, a video, a website or even a ChatGPT recommendation ever better than a real conversation between two people? NEVER EVER!!!! We still go to conferences and events to meet strangers face to face. We’re not all standing next to each other just sending text messages, right? And if we’re really honest, the first step is always a video call with discovery, demo, etc. So again, it’s a #conversation between people, isn’t it? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘅: 1. Human-to-human conversations. Engaged #SDRs and #BDRs do the most important job: finding, connecting and engaging with the right potential customers. 2. Market insights and product-market fit evolution happen through SDRs and BDRs, not through “brilliant” new ideas from managers. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: stop terrorizing your SDRs and BDRs with outdated, meaningless methods that don’t work anymore. Give them the space, respect, and tools they deserve. These people are your frontline. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. Without them, your product might be brilliant, but it will stay invisible. Just another name in a crowded market. If you want real #growth, put humans first. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗗𝗥𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗗𝗥𝘀. Give them autonomy, support and trust. They are not replaceable. They are the engine that drives meaningful sales.

#aspiringSDRs interviewing right now: 📌 You do not need “SDR experience.” You need SDR evidence. You are not selling a product yet. You are selling yourself. One of the biggest worries for aspiring SDRs: “I don’t have SDR experience.” “SDR experience” does not always mean a past title. You are already building it during your job search. Do the job to get the job. Then tell a story that shows the work. The “Experience” objection could show up in two moments: 1. Interview booked, and they say they prefer candidates with more SDR experience. 2. Rejected for “lack of experience.” 🔁 Same plan for both: prospect the company and close the next step. Scenario 1: Interview booked Before the interview: learn the team, the role, the goals. - Find the right people: recruiter, hiring manager, SDRs. - Reach out across channels: calls, emails, LinkedIn, short video. - Ask thoughtful questions to confirm fit and expectations. - Track touches and responses. - Close for time on the calendar. In the room, tell the story: - Prospected this company to earn the meeting. - Who was contacted and why. - What was learned about the role and how it shaped the approach. - How your follow-up secured this conversation. - What you will do in week one to scale the same workflow. Scenario 2: Rejected After the rejection: share a concise summary of the work. - Show who was engaged and what came back. - Share key learnings and what will change next. - Ask for a short review. Close for a second look. 💡 Why this works Research, then outreach. Ask, then qualify. Close, then follow through. That is the SDR job. This is hard work with no guarantees. If you do not fight for yourself, the answer is already no. Do the work. Show the work. Tell a clear story. Be confident in your approach.

Your sales team wastes more time on bad recruiting processes than chasing bad deals. Let that sink in. BACKGROUND I'm mentoring a top rep right now as he interviews at a handful of hot, heavily funded early stage AI startups. Top 5% performer at his last two companies. Same pattern keeps repeating: Interview 1: Great conversation. They love him. Interview 2: Deep dive into sales process/skills. Still excited. Interview 3: "We're nervous you haven't sold to this specific technical persona before." Three hours of everyone's time. Gone. Here's what kills me… They could have screened for this in 30 seconds before the first call or in a 15m phone screen. If it's a dealbreaker, make it a pre-screen. This isn't just about one candidate. It's systemic: Sales leaders interviewing 10-15 candidates per hire. 3-4 rounds each. 15-30 hours of leadership time per role. Half of it completely wasted on requirements they already knew mattered. TAKEAWAY: Define your must-haves before you start interviewing. Screen for dealbreakers upfront, not after two or three rounds. Your time is too leveraged to spend it discovering someone doesn't have the experience you needed all along. P.S. If "sold to X specific persona" is a requirement, write it in the job description. Don't make 10 candidates waste their time finding out in round three.

There isn't much a recruiter needs to work on to excel at their craft 🤣 Get brilliant with AI Get ace at personal branding Get smart at generating referrals and recommendations Get masterful at cold calling Get thorough with your assessment Get ace at being empathetic Get wise at giving insights and advice Get ace at negotiation Get super at building sales processes Get good at saying no. Get sound at writing persuasive emails Get sage at delivering feedback Get wicked at taking references Get top at selling your ads and jobs Get smart with working on the projects that will make you money. I could go on and on. But I missed a couple of things that feed into plenty of these. Get brilliant at asking questions that demand attention and thought. Get an MBA in listening, like properly listening to understand Plenty of the rest will fall into place Coffee time

"I don’t want to sound old, but I’m tired of keeping up." That’s what she said halfway through the call. She’s been in recruiting for 30 years. Ran it with a file cabinet and a fax machine back in the day. Now? She’s trying to keep up with automation, AI bots, outreach platforms, Loxo, LinkedIn, candidate pipelines, profile optimization… And she’s still showing up. Still helping her clients place people. Still doing it right. But here’s the thing she admitted: “We’re good at giving value to candidates. But on the client side… I think I’ve defaulted into just selling the service.” That hit me. Because even with decades of reputation and results, outreach still feels like a pitch. We talked through a new approach. Not more automation. Not another mass-blast tool. Just this: Record a 2–3 minute video for a hiring manager at a firm you’d actually want to work with. Review their job page, Glassdoor, About section - whatever they’re showing to candidates. Offer 2–3 insights on how to stand out, attract better candidates, and position their firm more effectively. -No slides -No CTAs -No hidden hook Just: “Hey, I looked at your job page. Here’s what’s working. Here’s one thing I’d improve. Hope it’s helpful.” People love this kind of help. And it does 3 things instantly: -Filters in firms that are actually hiring -Demonstrates your expertise in a warm, 1:1 way -Reframes your sales process into a consult She said something else that stuck with me: “We’ve always tried to leave people with something, whether we work with them or not. I think I just forgot to do that on the client side.” If that resonates, you're not alone. Outbound doesn't have to feel gross. It can be a gift to your prospects. Rooting for you, Tom

Job seekers are solving the wrong problem. Stop asking, “How do I get hired?” Start solving, “How do I help a hiring manager fill the open sales role they have in 30 days?” This assumes you are a good fit for the open role Asking, “How do I get hired” as a job seeker is no different from asking “How do I sell my stuff” as an AE. It’s focused on me and my problems - not the customer’s. Sales 101 - focus on customer problems first. Apply that mindset to the job hunt. “How do I help the hiring manager at XYZ company fill their open sales role in the next 30 days?” Here’s the process I teach arena members to get offers without formal sales experience: Run the side-door approach. Slamming the apply button in the careers page is for the masses. You need to differentiate. Steps to follow: choose 1 open role speak with 10 future peers (AE’s on the team or at the company) and ask… Ask really good questions (discovery mode): Understand major problems they solve for their customers When they win why do they win When they lose why do they lose and who do they typically lose to Major priorities for the team (typically from the hiring manager) Details on the open role’s territory build robust account POV/proposal Cold call hiring manager and present the plan Offer yourself as the solution/product they should “buy.” No “training” required. Hiring managers aren’t picking resumes. They’re picking outcomes. Show them yours ahead of time. This process is a lot easier to follow when you have a detailed checklist with step-by-step guidance on what to do and when. Fortunately, I’ve made one. Comment checklist and i’ll send it over.100’s of folks have gotten jobs just using this checklist.

Nobody wants to read long emails or messages. You have only a few seconds to grab your reader’s attention. Here’s how to do it: 1️⃣ Subject line 👉 1–3 words, lowercase. Focus on your prospect’s main pain point. Make it feel like it could come from one of their colleagues. 2️⃣ First line This is what people see in notifications—without opening your email. Forget: “How are you?” / “Hope you’re well” / “I’m [name] / we are [company]”. Instead, be punchy and spark curiosity: “I read your post on…” “I just saw you’re hiring…” “[Reference] suggested I contact you” 3️⃣ Body Keep it short: 5–6 lines, max 500 characters. Get straight to the point. 4️⃣ Call to Action (CTA) Be clear and help your prospect take action: “Could you give me your feedback on this?” “Do you have time for a quick call next week?” “Can I ask you a few questions on this topic?” These 4 points will hook your prospects and keep their attention. At least for 8 seconds. Why make it long and complicated when you can keep it short and simple?