For the longest time, I was on the fence about creating manual invoices versus using invoice software for my side hustle. My tech-savvy friends often raved about using the latter for their small businesses. Still, I wondered if it would work for me or if adding a new tool would make things more complex and…
When I first started covering B2B SaaS, I used to skim over sales statistics, thinking, “Interesting, but not immediately useful.” I couldn’t have been more wrong. The more I worked with sales-led teams, the clearer it became: top-performing reps use industry data to fine-tune everything — when they reach out, which channels they prioritize, even…
If you’re like me, you’ve asked this question: What is the difference between a salesperson and a business development representative (BDR)? Well, here’s what I found. A salesperson usually deals with warm leads. That is, people who already know what they want and just need some guidance to make a decision. But a BDR? That’s…
During my time as a B2B sales rep, my voicemail greetings started off being long-winded, pitchy, and wordy. I thought that having a good voicemail greeting consisted of saying all the right things to guarantee the prospect answering my callback. Many believe voicemails don’t convert and are a waste of time, but I learned that…
Most small businesses know the frustration of scaling their tech all too well. As they address their pain points in day-to-day operations, they find themselves buried in tedious setup processes, constant troubleshooting, and tools that just don’t scale. I researched several companies who have shared about their struggles and the subsequent success they found in…
I feel like starting a retail business has never been easier — there’s a YouTube video and tool for everything. But growing one is exceedingly challenging. To survive in a competitive market, brands have to outshine their competitors and reach their customers where they are globally. This is a challenge, especially if you don’t have…
Cold calling might be the most dreaded activity in sales, especially during a slow season. As someone who‘s trained countless sales professionals at HubSpot, Stage 2 Capital, and Harvard Business School, I can tell you it’s also one of the most misunderstood. I run an exercise in some of my HBS classes. We have students…
Finding the right sales tools for small businesses can make the difference between chasing leads endlessly and closing deals with confidence. As someone who has worked closely with a small business owner, I know how important it is to have tools that help us work smarter. In this article, I’ll explore what I believe are…
I’ve led two sales teams at SaaS and was a salesperson myself. I spoke to hundreds of C-level salespeople and founders from enterprises like Coca-Cola to different IT vendors. When we talked about strategic sales planning, it was often confused with operational planning, as I came to understand through conversations. Back then, I thought it…
I recall the first time I was introduced to the BANT framework. I was enrolled in an online education program designed to train me as a sales development representative. The program was self-paced, allowing us to study the material at our convenience. I made flashcards to assist my memorization, and I came across the word…