Improving Sales Processes in the First Year

As part of updating our operational #revenue cadences this year, we rolled out a structured Key Deal Review process across the go-to-market team. We didn’t just add another meeting. We equipped the team with a Mutual Action Plan (MAP) template, trained them on how to use it effectively with buyers, and embedded it into how we manage strategic opportunities. We also beefed up the lineup. We brought in cross-functional support from the ELT including product, marketing, and customer success, and made sure our C-suite leaders were actively involved in helping unblock and accelerate key deals. The focus of these reviews was not on activity. It was on execution quality. And almost immediately, the gaps became clear. Many high-value deals lacked buyer-aligned milestones. No shared next steps. No evidence of urgency. Reps were confident, but confidence without buyer commitment isn’t forecastable. When we made MAPs a required part of managing strategic deals, things shifted. MAPs gave structure. Deal reviews brought visibility. And the combination gave leadership real signals to work with. Here’s what we saw: *Forecast accuracy improved by 20% at the rep level *Conversion rates on strategic deals increased *Close dates became more predictable *Sales cycles began to shorten across segments Why it worked: 1) MAPs expose risk early You surface issues in buyer engagement or internal alignment before they derail progress. 2) They align the process to the buyer’s decision-making Reps stop guessing and start co-building with the customer. 3) They drive shared accountability The rep, SE, manager, and buyer are all working from the same plan. 4) They improve forecast accuracy You move from “gut feel” to evidence-based commits. 5) They bring structure to complex cycles Especially in #enterprise sales, clarity is a competitive edge. If you’re not using #MAPs or inspecting strategic deals with the full weight of your organization behind them, you’re leaving conversions and predictability on the table. Better #process builds better #pipeline.

It’s humbling: 17 years in sales, $44M+ in B2B deals closed… and I still get ghosted after pouring 40 hours into a pitch. 2 months ago, I sat down with my leadership team and told them: our sales process is broken. Currently: → A “quick chat” turns into 3 Zoom calls. → Weeks of back-and-forth email threads. → Too many proposals that go nowhere. By the time we finally send over pricing, they've either: • Ghosted • Picked someone else • Forgot why they reached out in the first place As much as I hate to admit it, many of our deals at @Incepteo still undergo this process. So, we're making a significant change: Productizing our services. Yes, I know it's a huge buzzword – but here's what we're planning to do: 1) Make it easier for the client to say “yes” People buy when they are excited. People buy when they trust you. They don't buy when they have to wait 2 weeks to understand what they're getting. Imagine if the only way to book a flight was to: → Call the airline → Explain where you're going → Wait 3 days → Then get a quote No one would fly. But, that's exactly what the typical service business' sales process looks like. Proposals (quotes) take hours for us to prepare AND prevent buyers from quickly accessing the information they need. If someone’s interested in working with us, we want to show them exactly what we do and why it works in minutes. To do that, we'll… 2) Build online estimators for our core offers Not every client needs something 'totally unique.' In reality: → 80% of what we do is repeatable → 20% is custom (but can still live inside a well-defined package) So, we're building an online estimator that help prospects get: • A transparent price range • A ballpark timeline • An overview of deliverables This information comes in a few clicks on our website. No calls or weeks of waiting needed. We’ll still add human oversight before onboarding, but this reduces lead time drastically. 3) Communicate the “how” (not just the “what”) Even with clear pricing and timeline, there's still a trust gap. They still need to know: • Why we’re different • What our values are • How we actually deliver the work. Otherwise, we’re just another AI solutions firm with a nice landing page. Clients buy on outcomes AND the process. Now that we've reduced repetitive discovery calls, we can use that time to connect deeply on values and vision. We'll share our 'how' across our website, leadership content, and direct messaging. If prospects can’t tell us apart from 3 other firms charging wildly different rates—that’s on us. It's our job to visualize the invisible. Productizing services makes the buying experience better for you and your customer. • Shorter sales cycles • Less ghosting • Better-fit clients who are aligned with how we work Clarity → confidence → conversions. We're still building our estimation system, but the early signs are promising. Curious to hear your feedback on productizing in the comments. 

I recently spoke with a sales leader about a common challenge: how overly complex internal processes slow down sales reps. “Our reps are spending more time navigating internal workflows than selling,” they mentioned. This is a widespread issue—when every step of a deal requires approvals or confusing steps, it keeps reps from engaging with prospects effectively. To fix this, simplifying the sales process goes beyond just removing steps; it’s about empowering your team and creating clear, action-oriented pathways. Here’s how: 1. Cut Down Approval Layers: Allow senior reps to make decisions within defined limits, reducing reliance on time-consuming approvals. This speeds up deal cycles and encourages ownership. 2. Use Clear Playbooks: Ambiguity breeds inefficiency. Standardized, easy-to-follow sales playbooks eliminate confusion and help reps move deals forward confidently, knowing what to do at each stage. 3. Automate Admin Tasks: Manual data entry and updating deal stages take up valuable time. Automation tools handle these low-value tasks, allowing reps to spend more time selling and less on busywork. 4. Streamline Communication: Simplify who’s responsible for what. Clear communication lines and fewer meetings reduce delays, ensuring that when reps need answers, they get them fast. 5. Empower Your Reps: Equip your team with the authority to make pricing decisions or offer discounts without having to escalate every time. Giving them the ability to act quickly builds trust and boosts productivity. By making these changes, you’re not just reducing steps—you’re unlocking the full potential of your sales force, enabling them to focus on what matters most: closing deals and building relationships. Simplified processes mean faster, smoother sales cycles and ultimately better results for your team. #SalesOptimization #SalesEfficiency #SalesLeadership #SalesProductivity #SalesProcess #AutomationInSales #SalesTeam #LeadConversion #RevenueGrowth #BusinessEfficiency

I joined a startup as the first sales hire, and we’ve tripled our ARR since January. If I had to do it all over again, here are 3 things I’d repeat without hesitation: ✅ Set a strong reporting cadence from Day 1 We ran weekly GTM meetings that showed the full picture - warts and all. It's a consistent pillar in our week, where the reporting stays the same. Some members of the team might find it "repetitive", but that’s the point,t and ultimately it forced alignment across the org, and gave us the clarity to move fast with confidence. ✅ Go high volume, wide TAM early We didn’t overthink ICP in the first few months. We prioritised activity volume to the outer edges of our total addressable market, which gave us room to learn quickly and pressure-test our assumptions. Now we’re in a position where we can list build with confidence because we’ve already tested a lot of the core hypotheses of the business. ✅ Hire a Solutions Engineer immediately Especially in a technical space I was new to. Having an SE in early closed the knowledge gap, sped up onboarding, and gave prospects more confidence during the sales process. They’ve also become a part-time sales enablement asset. Our fountain of product knowledge as the sales team has scaled. Stay tuned for all the things I've got wrong...

A year ago, it was just an idea. 12 months later, we’ve closed over $800,000 in sales. Here are 10 key moves that got us there (and might help you on your journey too). 1. 100M Offers by Alex Hormozi - This book was a game changer. We used it as a blueprint to refine our offer, define our niche, optimize pricing, and craft a compelling guarantee. 2. 90 Days of Action - our goal-setting cohort was critical to our success. It helped us: • Set a clear target: $1M ARR in 12 months, with a goal of 5 clients in Q1 • Develop a detailed plan—because a goal without a plan is just a dream • Focus on inputs (emails, calls, posts) over outcomes (closed sales) • Stay accountable through a supportive community 3. Sold to Our Network First - our earliest clients came from relationships we’d already built. Don’t underestimate the power of your existing connections. 4. Learned LinkedIn & Social Selling - this platform unlocked massive opportunities for FreedUp. • I worked through Justin Welsh's LinkedIn OS (great course) • Darren McKee's LinkedIn & Social Selling cohort was the best business decision I made last year. The impact? Hundreds of thousands in revenue. • Consistency: Five posts weekly with 10 thoughtful comments and five meaningful DMs daily. 5. Invested in Sales Coaching - I worked with THE Chris Ray. He helped me develop a sustainable sales framework, tech stack, and operating cadence. 6. Prioritized Reps Over Perfection - growth in sales comes down to two things: coaching (see above) and reps. Just like athletes hone their craft through relentless practice, we put in the reps to keep improving. 7. Focused on Action Before Optimization - you can’t optimize a sales habit that doesn’t exist. I prioritized taking action over seeking perfection. Most of the time, I didn’t need more information but more courage and consistency. 8. Built a Top-Tier Service - we believe our services are second to none. Our team, the incredible EAs we've hired, and the EA Operating System we’ve built will become the industry standard. 9. Made Smart Hires - Bringing on someone as talented as Pammela Hernandez, CHRP® was a massive win for us. She’s fostered a culture of excellence while keeping things fun. 10. Care Deeply About Our Customers - as Alex Friedman recently wrote, "The biggest moat in startups? Actually caring about your customers." We obsess over client success, not chasing vanity metrics. I spend a significant part of my week talking with clients, understanding their needs, and finding ways to add more value. Bonus: We didn’t quit. Startup life tests you. The work is hard, but managing the stress is even harder. There were countless moments when Aaron and I wondered if we should keep going. I’m glad we did.

A founder reached out to me saying: "We're doing everything right, but our numbers aren’t improving." Turns out, the problem wasn’t effort, it was the systems. So when I started analyzing their sales team, I understood we needed to make some small but key changes that would massively improve their efficiency and results. Here’s what we changed: Tech Upgrade - Switched from desktops to Mac Minis.  - Created more desk space, added second monitors. - Savings from no lost devices - yes, really, people lose laptops. Office environment tweaks - Adjusted the in-office dog policy (love them, but too distracting). - Removed the “demo set” bell; not rewarding meaningless KPIs. - Encouraged standing desks to keep energy levels up. Better metrics - Stopped tracking “Talk Time” (it led to the wrong behaviors). - Focused on performance metrics that truly matter. - Pipeline hygiene became paramount. Improved Communication - Standardized voicemails for a more professional approach. - Aligned sales team on pitch/demo/objection handling, no more lone wolfs. - Used an in-system texting solution so reps weren’t texting from personal phones. Added Personal Touches - Replaced stock spiffs with real employee requests to boost morale. - Customized coaching for each rep to match their strengths. - Weekly 1-1s replaced with open-door policy 1-1s. The impact? Almost overnight, and massive. Take Paul - he had tons of energy, but his pitch was too casual. We had him stand while calling, slow down, and refine his intro. Or Leah - she was already proactive, but losing time in the weeds. We streamlined her process so she could find ways to increase her volume without sacrificing quality. Even Ariel, who was struggling, saw improvements with some simple adjustments and went from the bottom to a mid-level performer. The lesson? Small, targeted changes [even basic ones] can compound and completely transform your sales team. If you want similar results for your team, DM me. Let’s talk about what’s holding your sales team back and how to fix it.

Most reps lose the year in Q1 they just don’t realize it until Q3. I have had monster years due to the first 90 days of the year. Here’s the philosophy I use to win Q1 and set up the entire year: 1. Reverse-engineer your year. Operate in the macro. Execute with micro urgency. Start with the annual number. Break it down by quarter, then by month. If your quota is $1M → that’s ~$83K/month. You should know exactly where every dollar is coming from. 2. Map every deal, every quarter List the deals you expect to close in each quarter. Identify your “big bets” early .. the 1–2 accounts that can materially move your number. 3. Create urgency by knowing your real gap It’s mid-January. You need $83K. You’ve closed $20K. That gap creates healthy pressure not panic if you catch it early. 4. Add value before you sell New territory? New accounts? Your job is to bring fresh value the last AE didn’t: - Customized QBRs tied to their goals - New use cases they’re not leveraging - Insights from CSAT, adoption, and peers 5. Lead your customers People don’t want to think, they want to be led. Tell them what working with you looks like: Discovery → demo → pricing → exec alignment. Set expectations early. Control the process. 6. Be ruthless with time If you’re carrying a $1M number, spending weeks on a $10–30K deal is dangerous. Run a tight process. Move small deals fast or get them off your plate. 7. Build 90 days ahead In Q1, you should be: - Closing Q1 business - Building Q2 pipeline - Creating line of sight into Q3 Miss Q1 and you spend the rest of the year chasing. 8. Anchor your goals to something real Not “I want to help the company.” What do you want? The house. The car. The wedding. The freedom. Make the number mean something. This is why Q1 matters. It’s the foundation for everything. If you execute this now, you give yourself room to breathe later. If you don’t the year gets very uncomfortable, very fast. If you want help executing this 1:1 or rolling it out to your sales team, DM me or book a call. Let’s make Q1 count, hit me up if you want to blow it out this year.

WHEN NEW SALES PROCESSES CREATE 100%+ GROWTH FROM MONTH ONE, IT'S USUALLY NOT LUCK A newly appointed National Sales Manager walked into a tough gig. Lagging sales targets. A team that had lost momentum. No clear processes for how deals should move. His mandate sounded simple... Grow revenue, align people to the company's values, and introduce a structure that had clearly been missing - and missing for a while. Most leaders in this position spend the first 90 days 'learning the business.' He didn't have 90 days. So we focused on three things immediately: 1. Let's forget motivational speeches and double down on decision frameworks The team didn't need to be pumped up. They needed to know 'how to make decisions' when deals got complicated - 'how to think' when buyers hesitated, when pricing got challenged, when internal approvals stalled. 2. Let's make tactical activities visible and repeatable. We didn't build a 50-page playbook. We codified the three activities that actually moved deals forward - and made them non-negotiable. No more 'I'll figure it out.' We made sure everyone knew what good execution looked like and elevated standards with non-negotiables. 3. Let's create a culture of responsiveness by auditing perceptions. The team wasn't unresponsive because they didn't care. They were unresponsive because they didn't know what decisions were theirs to make. Once ownership became clear and explicit, we diminished the gap to action and a lack of indecisiveness followed. Here's what happened: From the first month, revenue growth increased substantially. Month-on-month growth continued. The sales team bought into the new culture - not because they were told to, but because the new 'system' made sense. It's not the first time I've seen this with newly appointed sales leaders where they inherit teams that have capability but lack structure - and sometimes they mistake the gap for a motivational problem. But it's not motivation. It's decision structure and clarity dynamics. After working with sales leaders across industrial products, distribution, and national sales teams, one thing we probably all agree on... Growth doesn't come from working harder. It comes from making the right decisions faster and more consistently. The Sales Leader of Influence™ Method embeds exactly that - the frameworks that turn lagging teams into high-performing ones, not through hype, but through decision clarity. If you've been appointed to turn around a sales team and the first 90 days feel chaotic, you don't need more discovery time. You need those same decision frameworks embedded fast and to understand the difference between momentum, timelines and decision lag. By the way, five years after that initial 90 days, that same sales leader had tripled his top line results without ever increasing headcount. If you would like to experience similar results, I'm open for a quiet conversation when you are ready.

"We need to improve our sales process." This is what the CEO told me. So I shadowed their sales team for 3 days. Guess what I discovered? Their sales process wasn't the problem. → Their salespeople were spending 68% of their time NOT selling. Let me break that down: 22% on administrative tasks 19% in internal meetings 14% troubleshooting tech issues 13% researching basic prospect information That left just 32% for actual selling activities. When I presented this data, the room went silent. The VP of Sales actually said: "That can't be right." (It was.) Here's what most companies miss: - Revenue doesn't have a sales process problem. - Revenue has a sales TIME problem. I've audited 127 sales teams across 19 industries. The pattern is always the same. We've been taught to focus on: - Better scripts - More training - New methodologies - Fancy sales tech Meanwhile, your salespeople can barely find 3 productive hours in a day. With one financial services client, we implemented what I call "Selling Time Protection." No internal meetings before 11am Admin work batched to 2 hours on Friday Data entry automated A dedicated sales support team Results after 90 days: Selling time increased from 31% to 67% Pipeline grew by 118% Close rates improved 22% Revenue up 87% No new hires. No new tools. No complex training. Just giving your salespeople back their time. What would your revenue look like if your team had TWICE as much selling time tomorrow? That's what I help companies discover. The greatest sales growth lever isn't what your team says on calls. It's how many calls they actually get to make. P.S. If you need help with your sales, send me a message

Most sales are lost in the first meeting. If you're an AE, here are 10 ways you can maximize your first meeting to pipeline conversion rate (and make it to President’s Club this year): Most companies focus on their win rate, the percentage of pipeline opportunities that are won. But a MUCH LARGER volume of Sales are lost between pre-pipeline stages (MQL/SQL/MQA/etc) and pipeline than between pipeline and closed won. This is typically the step when an SDR hands it over to an AE for their first meeting. It is this hand-off where companies have the most opportunity to drive the biggest improvements in landing new logos. Here are 10 things AEs can do to increase their conversion rate to pipeline and increase the amount of opportunities they have in their territory: 1. Get the meeting set as quickly as possible after the SDR qualifies the client Yes, time kills all deals. But this is doubly true early in a sales cycle when a client is not invested. It is imperative to get the first salesperson meeting as soon as possible after the SDR qualifies. This is where momentum starts. 2. Meet with the SDR prior to meeting with the client This seems obvious. But AEs often take the first meeting without talking with their SDR first. They then come in ill-prepared and lose the deal quickly. Take the time to meet with the SDR who qualified the opportunity. Learn as much as possible about the account, the qualification process, and the team. 3. Get confirmation on the agenda from the client Involve the client in the sales process, let them help guide it. At this stage, when you don’t have a relationship yet, the best way to do this is to send a proposed agenda a couple days before the meeting and have them either confirm or provide input on how to make it better. 4. Prove that you’re someone they want to work with personally Rapport matters make sure to spend time connecting early in that first meeting, learning about the client, showing interest in everyone on the call, and being authentic in who you are. Share your humanity. 5. Bring value Don't just dive into discovery. Make sure to bring value at least as much as you ask the client to provide information. Value can come in the form of insight you have about their market, research, or even quick wins from your product. 6. Find the need beyond interest This is the biggest mistake made on a first call. Don't chase interest not anchored in a business need. Clients can be interested in a lot, some are interested in just about every solution you have. Don’t be fooled, interest doesn’t lead to buying, it’s a distraction. Buyers have only a few real needs. Be laser focused on finding this need and orienting everything you do to it. (Ran out of room!) Steps 7-10 in the comments 👇