Sales Conversion Rates

My client fired their entire SDR team on Tuesday By Friday, their pipeline had grown by 60% This sounds impossible It's not After auditing 50 B2B sales organizations over 10 years, I've uncovered the most expensive myth in modern selling: → The belief that MORE activity at the TOP of your funnel will fix conversion problems at the BOTTOM Let me share what actually happened: This mid-market software company was spending $350,000 annually on their 4-person SDR team - 100+ cold calls per rep daily - 17 meetings booked weekly - "Incredible metrics" according to leadership - But their close rate? A devastating 1.2% The VP of Sales was convinced they needed MORE outreach, MORE automation, MORE top-of-funnel I suggested something different: pause all prospecting for 7 days Instead, we had their account executives do something radical - engage with the 215 prospects already in their pipeline who'd gone cold after initial meetings Using a framework we developed: - 65 prospects responded within 24 hours - 41 booked follow-up meetings - 23 re-entered active buying cycles - 6 closed within 14 days (total value: $212K) The shocking revelation? - Their pipeline wasn't empty - It was overflowing with neglected opportunity. This company didn't have a lead generation problem. They had a lead nurturing catastrophe. By reallocating resources from mindless prospecting to strategic engagement, they've now: - Reduced CAC by 60% - Shortened sales cycles by 30% - 2x their close rate The counterintuitive truth: Sometimes the fastest path to growth is to stop chasing new opportunities and start converting the ones you've already earned. What percentage of your marketing and sales budget is focused on prospects who've already shown interest vs those who haven't? That ratio reveals everything about your future growth trajectory P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

Demand Capture 101. This is actual data from a $60MM ARR SaaS company. Let’s break it down 👇   How a lead/account enters your pipeline is the biggest predictor of sales velocity metrics - win rates, sales cycle lengths, even ACVs.    Because how they enter your pipeline is a surrogate for buying intent & indicator of how far they are complete in the buying process.    Here’s how to measure it & use it to drive your revenue strategy:   1. Measure the Opportunity Source in Salesforce on the opportunity record.    Campaign Source = What campaign type did they convert on to move this opportunity into pipeline? (e.g. demo request, e-book download, cold call, trade show, etc.)   Source / Channel = What source or channel did they come from in order to convert? (e.g. LinkedIn ad, organic search, account intent data, ZoomInfo, etc.)    Using both of these data points combined will literally guide your strategy.    This shows you the optimal paths to *capture demand* and is easily measurable using software-based attribution.   2. Separate conversion sources between *Declared Intent* and *Low Intent*.    Declared Intent = The buyer declares intent to buy from you (e.g. Demo Request, Contact Sales) Low Intent = You assume the buyer has intent based on their digital behavior (e.g. ebook download, webinar attendee, trade show badge scan, intent data, etc.)    3. Calculate core sales analytics between the two sources.    Calculate conversion rates, lead-to-win rate, net new ARR, sales velocity, and more.    4. Visualize how much conversion intent matters to sales velocity and sales productivity.    149X higher lead-to-win rates for declared intent conversions   Declared intent = 26 “leads” to win 1 deal for $54k ARR Low Intent = 3,868 “leads” to win 1 deal for $130k ARR   18X greater sales velocity for declared intent conversions   Declared intent = $14.2MM annual sales velocity Low intent = $781k annual sales velocity 5. Recognize not all MQLs are created equal Measuring on MQLs incentivizes teams to get the most volume of MQLs for the lowest cost (low intent conversions), which is entirely misaligned with sales productivity and sales goals. Separate these into two Pipeline Sources (Declared Intent, Low Intent). Plan and build your goals for these two sources separately.   __   Now you know exactly HOW you want buyers to enter pipeline (capture demand) for maximum sales velocity & sales team efficiency. You also know exactly WHY buyers choose to take those paths to enter pipeline & WHAT triggers / channels / tactics move them to conversion. And with all of these insights, you can re-architect your strategy that optimizes for REVENUE. #revenue #sales #marketing #b2b #gtm p.s. Every SaaS company’s data looks like this, because it’s universal to how buyers buy. Most just don’t take the 3 hours of time to analyze their own data and see it for themselves.

A client came to us frustrated. They had thousands of website visitors per day, yet their sales were flat. No matter how much they spent on ads or SEO, the revenue just wasn’t growing. The problem? Traffic isn’t the goal - conversions are. After diving into their analytics, we found several hidden conversion killers: A complicated checkout process – Too many steps and unnecessary fields were causing visitors to abandon their carts. Lack of trust signals – Customer reviews missing on cart page, unclear shipping and return policies, and missing security badges made potential buyers hesitate. Slow site speeds – A few-second delay was enough to make mobile users bounce before even seeing a product page. Weak calls to action – Generic "Buy Now" buttons weren’t compelling enough to drive action. Instead of just driving more traffic, we optimized their Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy: ✔ Simplified the checkout process - fewer clicks, faster transactions. ✔ Improved customer testimonials and trust badges for credibility. ✔ Improved page load speeds, cutting bounce rates by 30%. ✔ Revamped CTAs with urgency and clear value propositions. The result? A 28% increase in sales - without spending a dollar more on traffic. More visitors don’t mean more revenue. Better user experience and conversion-focused strategies do. Does your ecommerce site have a traffic problem - or a conversion problem? #EcommerceGrowth #CRO #DigitalMarketing #ConversionOptimization #WebsiteOptimization #AbsoluteWeb

4 out of 5 CRO agencies I've worked with usually relied on 'best practices' to increase conversion rate. These practices include: - Adding badges like 'few left', 'bestseller' - Making reviews more prominent - Creating urgency with timers - Adding key product USPs - Leveraging offers While these strategies do give results, many tend to overlook a critical aspect. Which is UX/UI design. That’s likely the least spoken topic at a CRO agency. Despite its significant potential to increase conversion rates. In this example, using Nourish You India's PDP, I've implemented UX/UI and other changes that can increase conversion rates. Below are the 8 changes I recommend a/b testing - 1. Move the product name above the product image along with reviews+price. That way, the space between the images and the add-to-cart CTA is reduced, increasing the chances of adding to cart. 2. The primary product image should highlight key USPs. This would help the user to quickly understand why to buy this product and why from you. 3. Consider adding product image thumbnails. If your product requires education then use the image slider to provide that. Most important in consumables, personal care industry, and tech. 4. Consider adding 3 quick bullet points or USPs about the product before the user goes to add to cart. This way, they are educated about the product before they consciously think about purchasing from you. 5. Motivate users to add more quantity, increasing the AOV. Do this by highlighting savings when they buy in bulk or highlighting the cost per item if they buy a bundle. 6. Optimize the area around the add-to-cart CTA. Highlight the estimated delivery time, free shipping threshold and return policy. 7. Highlight key USPs to differentiate your product and brand from the others. 8. Add accordions that the user can click on to read more. This way they can find the answers to their questions quickly. Other 2 CRO changes I did: 1. Added 'Few left' once the user selected the pack they want to buy. This creates urgency. 2. Re-iterated price near the pack selection so the user doesn't have to scroll back up to see the price. Success lies in attention to detail. Found this useful? Let me know in the comments! P.S. The learning curve for UX/UI design is quite different from that of CRO. Some great resources to explore are Baymard Institute and Nielsen Norman Group to get started. #conversionrateoptimization #uxdesign

"𝘚𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘉2𝘉 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭." I hear this at least once a week. Then I show them this data. Millennials and Gen Z rank social media as their third most important buying resource - 38% rely on it, nearly double the rate of older generations. What's the message for enterprise leaders? If your business isn't strategically positioned on social, you're invisible to an entire generation of decision-makers who are researching solutions differently than their predecessors. The data isn't just showing a minor trend shift - it's revealing a complete transformation of the B2B buying process. Buyers are 69% of the way through their journey before they begin engaging with sellers. The truth is that social-influenced deals will keep growing. It will continue to be a critical revenue driver. Our enterprise clients embracing social are seeing: → Shortened sales cycles  → Higher quality leads  → Expanded influence in buying decisions Your buyers are making decisions right now based on who shows up in their feeds. The only question left is whether that's you or your competition.

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤2𝐏𝐚𝐲 — the *𝐎𝐧𝐞-𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭* experience by Visa & Mastercard (card networks) to challenge ApplePay, Google Pay (wallets)👇 —— 🔸 A significant showdown is occurring in the payments industry to dominate at checkout — 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 vs 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐬: ► The success of platforms like ApplePay, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Google Pay can largely be attributed to the simplicity, ease-of-use, fast, and user-friendly checkout processes. ► In response, the 4 primary card schemes (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover Financial Services) are introducing 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤-𝐭𝐨-𝐏𝐚𝐲, a streamlined one-click payment solution. —— 🔸 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤2𝐏𝐚𝐲 — 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 ► Click2Pay is a streamlined payment method designed to simplify the online checkout process for card payments. It aggregates all of one customers' cards into a single payment method, enabling them to complete transactions with just one click. It eliminates the need for manual entry of card credentials by converting consumer data into Tokens. ► The solution adheres to the EMVCo® Secure Remote Commerce (SRC), the global association representing the 6 major credit card networks. ► In the event of a data breach, the actual card number remains protected due tokenization, ensuring transactions remain secure & it includes built-in measures for verification and fraud prevention. ► Automatic recognition of customers’ devices (smartphones, tablets, PCs, laptops) enhances the user experience. ► The fee and cost structure for credit and debit cards remains unchanged. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: ApplePay, Google Pay are charging a fee to merchants. Click2Pay is looking to challenge that. In essence, Click2Pay provides a card-based alternative to digital wallets. It was initially launched in the U.S. in 2019 and is now expanding globally (gaining popularity in Europe). —— 🔸 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥? ► 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, a simple & rewarding UX will be crucial. A strong collaboration with Issuers could create valuable incentives (rewards etc...) for customers, needed to disrupt their payments preference ► 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, a straightforward implementation process with good documentation will be needed. Digital Wallets today are expensive, pricing will be crucial and issuer adoption ► 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, a program to reward enablers / gateways for providing this payment method over others Noticing a trend? The majority of all new payment initiatives from the Card Networks are based on Tokenization. Other non-card initiatives are gaining momentum, for which data will be required to be shared across industry players securely. 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭? 🚀 —— Source: Visa, Mastercard ► Sign up to The Payments Brews: https://lnkd.in/g5cDhnjC ► Marcel van Oost and Connecting the dots in payments...  

How to make customers feel like you’ve read their minds. It's tempting to describe your product as “all-in-one” or “easy," (because it probably is!) But don’t. Those vague platitudes can leave prospects guessing. Plus, they sound like "marketing speak,” (Because they are!) Remember, high-converting headlines use customers' exact words and talk about their specific goals. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 A good headline completes the sentence “Now you can…” with the exact thing your customer is hoping to do. 𝗕𝟮𝗖 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: • Create photo books in 5 minutes (Popsa) • Find your calm. Sleep more, stress less, live better. (Calm) • Enjoy sex more (Ferly) 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: • Create a website you’re proud of (Wix) • Create custom landing pages without coding (Unbounce) • Find your big growth levers (That’s mine 😏) When someone sees your ad or visits your site, you have one second to convince them – so show prospects the exact thing they're hoping to do, using their exact words. But how do you find those words? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 “𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻." Arrange five-minute conversations with 10 recent signups. Simply ask them: • Can you tell me, in your own words, what did you buy from us? • What were you hoping that would enable you to do? • And why is that outcome so important to you? Record their answers and look for a pattern - is there a particular phrase you keep hearing? (If you hear more than one, fine to A/B test a few). 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 This only works if it’s specific. Nobody ever wonders "How can I connect everything and achieve anything?" or "How can I step into the pension glow?" (Both real headlines!) Vague outcomes leave people guessing (and bouncing). To avoid this awful fate, look at your “now you can” and ask yourself “would somebody ask ChatGPT how to do that? E.g. ‘How do I step into the pension glow?’” If it sounds ridiculous… it is. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲? You may have different customer types with different outcomes. If so, here’s three possible approaches: 1. Find a thing they all agree on (e.g. “Find your Calm” works for insomniacs, worriers and competitive athletes). 2. Talk about the first or most painful part of a multi-step process (e.g. "launch your website without coding”) 3. Complain about the bad old way of doing things, e.g. “Say goodbye to [unpleasant manual task]" 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 I'm running a live free headline-writing workshop on Maven. Learn more https://bit.ly/3P01d9L

In 4 years we’ve scaled our SDR team from 5 reps to 80+ and built a scalable onboarding plan that ensures new hires are ramped 37% faster than the industry average. Here’s what our onboarding plan looks like in the first 30 days. 🙋♂️Persona and account training: Ensure our SDRs know what a great-fit account looks like and understand the challenges of above-the-line and below-the-line decision-makers that sit in these accounts. and how the challenges and strategic initiatives differ by persona. We also teach our reps how to prospect and research these personas so they are able to unpick the challenges and strategic initiatives for each persona. 📞Talk track and objection handling: Sales enablement materials work in practice but we’ve found that the earlier we get our reps on the phones the better. We have four days of classroom training in their first week and on the fifth day, new hires will be on the phones calling accounts that sit outside our Enterprise accounts. This is a great way for them to nail their messaging and test their objection-handling techniques in a real-life scenario.  💬Product training: We’re not looking for our reps to be product experts. The more product-focused you are in your onboarding, the more likely new hires will pitch product features instead of value-based outcomes. The most important element of product training is ensuring your reps understand the product well enough that they are able to clearly articulate how the product solves your persona’s challenges. ♻️Day-to-day structure: We want our SDRs to be as efficient as possible. We provide new hires with a pre-populated calendar so they know exactly what they need to be doing on a daily/ weekly basis. New hires should be focused on core activities, not worrying about what they have to do next. The next two months consist of two training sessions a week, demo reviews with their AEs to reinforce the persona and product training as well as regular catch-ups with their mentor and manager to track progress against their KPIs. At the 3-month mark, we run a range of different tests to make sure that the training has been digested and more importantly to identify any gaps that might have been missed throughout the onboarding. My biggest advice to ramping your SDRs quicker is getting them on the phone as early as possible. The main outcome in the first 30 days is ensuring your SDRs know exactly who your customer is and what challenge your solution solves. Having conversations via the phone is the quickest and most effective way to do this.

“It’s not enough to just win,” an old boss of mine used to explain. “The other side has to lose, badly.” Nothing gave him more satisfaction than eating his rivals’ lunch - and his competitive nature was contagious. When I started my first business I adopted his approach. But I soon also learned that I had to ally that competitive spirit with a more nuanced approach if I was to retain clients rather than just churn through them. Unlike winning deals, retention isn't just about having the best product — it's about creating value and a level of reliability that rivals can't match. 1. Retain on value, not price: Competitors will use price to try and attract your customers. It’s tempting to drop your yield accordingly, but that’s a race to the bottom. Instead take time to make sure your client can see how much they get for every pound or dollar they invest. Adding extra value will always be more profitable than reducing your fee. 2. Add features before you’re asked to: Write a customer engagement strategy that involves adding useful new services or features for your existing customers at least once or twice a year. Use these to upsell, build loyalty and increase their pain of moving suppliers. 3. Build trust through relentless delivery: Unreliability is one of the top reasons clients will look elsewhere. Meet key clients on a regular basis to understand how their needs are evolving and pivot your offering accordingly. And always keep your promises. 4. Outmanoeuvre your competitors: Never underestimate how determined your competitors will be to knock you off your perch. Devote adequate time to learning from their approach so you know the threat you face. Match your instinct to win new business with an equal determination to retain customers. Crack that and not only will you eat your competitors’ lunch today but you’ll have it every day.