Austen Trimble

Are you building an SDR/BDR function? Stop what you are doing and read this. Megan Hardy is some you need to learn from - I’m stoke I get to learn from her EVERYDAY She’s really brilliant. She’s freaking cool. She’s got a fire to win like no other. She’s a builder. She’s a wife and mother with an awesomely cool family……..ask Chester Hardy….he’ll agree 😁 She cares about her people……..but doesn’t put up with nonsense. She done this multiple times….. She’s been an SDR (multiple times), AE (multiple times), run enablement (multiple times)…… Built a kickbutt SDR/BDR organization multiple times……… Read the dang thing….. She knows her stuff……. https://lnkd.in/gFG7qSem. #sdr #bdr #sales #saas #enablement #rockstar #leadership #restauranttech #wfm #leader

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As a revenue leader, I get to see so much great work across the organization. Here are some quick examples: 🌟 Our Marketing team drives programs and publishes content that educates and inspires our community! 🌟 Our SDR team delivers exceptional customer experiences for our prospect community. 🌟 Our Sales Advisors deliver speed-to-impact and unique insights to support decision-making. 🌟 Our Solutions Architects provide technical and tailored recommendations on strategy and tech-stack design. 🌟 Our RevOps team optimizes tech & processes, provides insights, and maintains data to drive sales productivity. 🌟 Our Services team delivers on customer outcomes that make a genuine impact. 🌟 Our Tech team optimizes our tech-enabled services and apps to drive scale and impact. 🌟 Our HR team creates an environment where our people are engaged and can grow. 🌟 Our IT and Operations team ensures we have the infrastructure, resources, and security to deliver at the highest industry standards. When teams are moving so fast to hit their goals and support their customers, revenue leaders often don’t take the time to recognize those efforts in a strategic way. And it doesn't always have to come from the CRO. One of the most impactful agenda items in our weekly revenue team meeting is when we use the AVI Method (Action, Value, Impact) of recognition to give each other thanks. In about 30 seconds each team member thanks a colleague, names the action they took, the value they demonstrated, and the impact it made. What is the outcome of this short exercise? 🤗 It connects 🏃‍♂️ It motivates 🎓 It educates All of these are critical things to help a revenue team succeed together. If you aren’t practicing strategic #employeerecognition within your #revenueteam, I highly recommend thinking about how you can integrate this practice in 2025 — it will help fuel your revenue performance. Shoutout to Alexandra Powell for evangelizing the AVI approach! ***Pro tip for strategic recognition in the video***

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Last month we hosted a Happy Hour at INBOUND that 500+ people attended. Next week we’re sponsoring Pavilion's GTM 2024 in Austin. Here’s how Field Marketing teams can get execs to show up to an event (and convert): BACKGROUND: Most field marketing teams want executives to join their events But most executives HATE events Sales reps running around scanning badges, sessions they're not interested in, and endless email follow up after the event Great field marketing teams do 3 things instead: 1. Invite people that other executives would know Top execs follow each other and regularly check in with each other. They get recommendations from each other. And they are in small communities where they share events and new tech. You must tap into these IRL networks. If you can attract just a few of these key people then you can draw in the rest as well. Dave Gerhardt ran this playbook in the early days of Drift perfectly. 2. Give Special Gifts I went to G2’s VIP Dreamforce dinner a few weeks ago. And they gave a small leather bag full of items that you would love if you are traveling. Although I live 5 minutes away from Salesforce Tower, I still use some of the items daily. These small gestures go a long way ESPECIALLY if the items are used often. 3. Thoughtful Follow up Now, I know I said execs hate post-event follow up. But we also did $500K+ in bookings after our dinners and events with follow up. How? We did it thoughtful! No spray and pray. No automated email drips. We had meaningful conversations and followed up on them with messaging that tied back to exactly what we discussed. The response rates were insanely high! Field marketing is underrated. Under-invest at your own peril I am so bullish on small events. We're doubling down in 2025 P.S. If you are attending Pavilion’s GTM 2024 event, would love to meet. We will be at Booth 13 with mini golf and HockeyStack swag!

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🚀 Partnerships have been super valuable throughout my career and are the backbone of many B2B companies. Last week instead of going fishing on my birthday week, I went to Austin for the ELG Con to learn and have some fun connecting with other business leaders. ELG stands for Ecosystem Lead Growth, which is all about alliances, partnerships, and channel sales. If you are interested, I’ll share top 10 challenges I heard, and then follow up with 17 steps for strategic partnerships at the end. A couple hundred people and I spent two days networking and learning from a bunch of business leaders from different industries. We were all interested in growing our businesses through partnerships, channels, and alliances. 🤝 It was a great time to make new friends, learn about new tools, share our experiences, and have some great conversations. We even heard about the latest and greatest in partnership enablement and the challenges that companies big and small are facing. There were some great speakers from Gong, Stripe Tim Tsao, Cloudera Steve Moroski, Drata Sydney Sloan, Typeset Kristen Habacht, Bob Moore and more. As someone with a lot of experience in building strategic sales, partnerships, and go-to-market strategies, I was excited to learn what is new in the partnership world. 🌟 The conference was organized by Crossbeam, a platform that helps companies share data to efficiently enable partnerships to collaborate. They put on a great event and did a good job of creating a welcoming and collaborative learning, networking, and community environment. It was great to connect with other business leaders and hear firsthand what's working and what's not. The location and ambiance was first class at the Austin Proper Hotel I highly recommend it. 🏨 #10 biggest challenging themes: 🔹 Partnership strategy 🔹 Partnership management practices and reporting 🔹 Partnership tech stack 🔹 Partnership activation and marketing plan best practices 🔹 De-Risking partnerships that represent significant company revenue 🔹 Activating Cloud Service Provider marketplace!! 🔹 Lack of budget and resources 🔹 Disconnected partnership KPIs from business objectives 🔹 No business objectives or performance standards 🔹 Unfamiliar with the breadth of partnership commercial models and options Common advice was about being selective and prioritize the strategic and engaged partners to go deeper versus wider. 🤔 It is easier said than done. I’m finalizing a ppt on strategy. If you would like a copy message me or leave a comment and I’ll send as soon as it is complete. 📊✨ Lastly it is always great to make new friends Jonathan Kingsepp Piyush Patel Robyn Fisher Michelle Billodeau, JD Gary Morris Jason Howie Vanesa Damiani Rob Rebholz Adam Jackson Bob Lamkin Shubhra Ganguly Melissa Sarver #Partnerships #B2B #ChannelSales #BusinessGrowth #Networking #Marketing #SalesStrategy #Austin #ELGCon #BusinessLeaders #GoToMarket #Collaboration #Learning #BusinessSuccess #marketplaces

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Think like a marketer. Act like a sales rep. Should sales and marketing roles merge? The line between sales and marketing is blurring. This isn't just a trend; it's a necessity. Today’s savvy buyers demand more. They want value, insight, and authenticity. This means sales reps need to think like marketers. And marketers need to understand sales. But how do you merge these roles effectively? → By producing 𝙑𝘼𝙇𝙐𝙀-𝘽𝘼𝙎𝙀𝘿 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙉𝙏. Here's how to get started: 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Before creating content, sales reps must know their audience. - Who are they? - What are their pain points? - What solutions are they searching for? 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 Sales reps should share insights, case studies, and industry trends. It builds trust and attracts leads. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 Sales and marketing should work hand in hand. Marketing can offer tools and resources. Sales can provide real-time feedback. Together, they can create powerful content. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Share your content everywhere. LinkedIn, Twitter, emails, and even in-person meetings. The more touchpoints, the better. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 Not all content will hit the mark: track engagement, feedback, and lead generation. Pivot your strategy based on what works. Ultimately, merging sales and marketing roles isn’t about adding more work. It’s about creating more value. For your brand. For your leads. And for your bottom line.

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Engaging the right buyers at the right time is critical to sales success. ZoomInfo Copilot's Target Account Digests alert you when your most promising suspects are showing the right buying signals. 🔔 Get personalized daily digests — delivered via Slack or email — with AI-powered recommendations for next steps. Never miss a sales opportunity with ZoomInfo Copilot: bit.ly/3yxBNes #ZoomInfoCopilot

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Want to level up your prospecting game? 🚀  The new ZoomInfo and Clari Groove integration lets you seamlessly add leads from ZoomInfo directly into Groove Flows—no exporting, importing, or manual work required. Your team can now reach top prospects faster with Salesforce-synced data that’s accurate and ready for instant engagement. Want to learn more? Read our blog to explore real-world use cases and see how this integration transforms prospecting for revenue teams: https://lnkd.in/gh58n2zt

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Hot Take… RIP #PLG, Long Live #SLG But before you throw shade, let me explain… 🔹 There are undoubtedly exceptions, I’m sure many will highlight monday.com, Freshworks, etc. 🔹 PLG works well for low ACV deals with low CAC… think SMB and mid-market customers. Target CAC payback <12 months 🔹 PLG is a fantastic top of funnel marketing channel for enterprise sales ⭐ But for 6-figure enterprise sales, you need enterprise salespeople pressing the flesh with customers

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Thanks for the shout out UserGems 💎 Your signals should lead to TOFU efficiency vs Cold Outbound. That means it takes less activities, contacts and accounts to book qualified opportunities than your baseline. If that’s not happening. Then change your offer. Stop chasing. Find new signals.

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If something in your sales process isn't working, you need to look 1-2 stages back for root cause. If we aren't converting initial meetings into next steps> are we targeting right personas and is our messaging aligned with our buyers priorities and problems? If we are getting stuck in proposal > did we do the right discovery? If we are getting slammed for discounts at the end > did we build a compelling value discussion before we got into commercials? If something isn't working, the answer is almost always 1-2 stages back.

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In my first full quarter at LaunchDarkly, our org increased AE outbound pipeline generation by 137%. It started with “bucketing” three types of accounts: 1) High spend, high utilization customers We approach these accounts with “Here are the problems we are successfully solving for you today, here are the problems we may be able to solve for you.” High spend means we likely have a high degree of trust. That trust earns us the chance to solve bigger problems. 2) Low spend, high upside customers We treat these accounts as “warm” prospects. We reference the current usage as a conversation opener with net new departments, while using similar PG strategies that we would with non-customer accounts. 3) No spend, high propensity accounts This is, by far, the most challenging bucket to break into. It’s also one of our highest priorities. To get it right, we focused on rep development through persona training. Then, we improved execution through improved messaging and multi-channel approach. All while working to surface the right accounts to focus on through territory management. Our approach would have failed if we: - Surfaced the wrong accounts  - Made it difficult for reps to focus We avoided these mistakes by making Pocus our pipeline generation “command hub.” Our reps use Pocus to immediately see: - Which accounts to work - Which contacts to prioritize - Which PG play they should run And our use of this platform has been a significant contributor to our 137% improvement in pipeline generation. I know I’ve got some pipeline generation experts in my audience - what “buckets” are you using to organize your PG? Similar to our three or completely different? p.s. Pocus also helps you turn hours of account research into seconds. They are giving my followers a chance to try it here (takes 15 seconds to get access): https://lnkd.in/gXfqpvX2

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Optimize your process for what’s best for your buyer. Not what’s best for you. See how that changes your tactics, strategies, priorities, and tooling. Example: How many of your buyers are asking for your sales process to be MORE robotic? Less personal? Less strategic? None. So why would you build an outbound system that has robots own all the outreach? You wouldn’t. You’d design a system that’s more thoughtful, strategic, creative, and human. AI-powered, of course. But not fully AI-outsourced. #gtmai #sales #sdr

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Hey sales leaders! Your 2025 plan will require unreasonable efficiency.[1] And there's no better place than #GTM2024 next week in Austin to figure out how to make this happen. There's a tremendous lineup of speakers and events—all for GTM leaders to share what's working, what's not and what to do from here. I can't wait to learn from everyone else. And on Wednesday (10/16), I get to share some things I've learned about—you guessed it—unreasonable efficiency. We all hope AI is going to make us more efficient. It will! But not if you apply it to the wrong place. Efficiency means finding and eliminating the major constraint—the bottleneck—in your system. Repeatedly. If you don’t tackle the bottleneck, nothing else makes a difference. Intuitively, we think rep time is the bottleneck. After all, if we just made prospect comms more efficient we could talk to more prospects. So, we’re using AI copilots and AI email personalization and entire AI SDRs. What’s more efficient than sending a million “personalized” emails with AI? A whole lot, actually… I’ll show that the *actual* bottleneck for most organizations is account targeting. If you’re working the wrong accounts, no amount of activity increase will improve your results. (Warning: there will be some math!) And that’s where you should apply AI and use processes like dynamic books that maximize its capabilities. Can’t wait to share more about how to do this! See you next week. [1] Certainly compared to a few years ago. And guess what? Your CEO's super into AI now and is wandering around quoting Sam Altman about building a "$1B company with 1 person". It ain't gonna get easier...

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Who's your favorite CMO / VP Marketing in Austin? We (the Exit Five team) are traveling to Austin in November for a team offsite, and we're going to host a meetup (happy hour, networking, etc.) I'd love to do a fireside chat with a B2B CMO for this event, but I'm not plugged in down in Texas. So: who's your favorite CMO in Austin? Who should be on my list to reach out to interview for a live podcast / Q&A with 100 B2B marketers in November?

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I was asked what is the fasted way to win new business for sales - get warm introductions in your target accounts. Here are 7 steps that I think will help you get radically more pipeline fast:🔥📈 Inboxes are overflowing, cold outreach is losing its punch. Warm introductions are the key to breaking through the noise and accelerating your sales pipeline. 1. Define Target Accounts 🎯 Zero in on accounts that align with your ideal customer profile. Know their challenges, and understand how your solution uniquely solves them. Focus on a subset you’re confident about – don’t let analysis paralysis slow you down. Key: Don’t get stuck on the first step; just go for it! 2. Identify Connectors in Your Network 🕸️ Expand your network (or automate this with platforms like https://lnkd.in/e-XsFVmR) to match up with contacts who have trusted relationships with key players in your target accounts. Look for people with deep industry and solution experience- they’ll help boost your credibility.  3. Engage with Value First 💬 When requesting an intro, lead with value. Show why the intro matters to their connection and how it benefits them. Remember, your Trusted Advisor isn’t your sales rep – they’re a facilitator of value for their network. Offer insights, unique perspectives, and collaborate in a knowledge exchange. This will set you apart as more than “just another sales rep.” 4. Personalize Your Outreach to the New Contact 🧑‍💼 After a warm into, skip the canned pitch. Reference your mutual connection, then tailor your message to your target accounts needs. Tap into your advisor’s inside knowledge on what truly matters, from active projects to key priorities. This approach makes you relevant, aware, and genuinely interesting. 5. Nurture the Relationship, Not Just the Opportunity 🤝 Warm intros open doors, but it’s the relationships that close deals. Focus on building trust, actively listening, and providing value. Even if there’s no immediate sale. 6. Don’t Forget Your Sales Process 🚀 Whether it’s Solution Selling, MEDDICC, or MEDDPICC, stick to your process to stay on track. Use your advisor’s insights to set you apart, but also to qualify out quickly – if it’s not a fit, pivot to protect your credibility and the trust of your connection. 7. Reward Your Trusted Advisor 🏆 Recognize your advisor’s role in your success! A thoughtful gesture, creative reward, or a few percentage points on the deal can make a significant impact. It shows appreciation, strengthens the partnership, and sets the stage for future collaboration. Warm introductions are your ticket to stronger connections, faster cycles, and higher close rates. Are you tapping into them? 🔑 And if you want to make this easy, check out https://lnkd.in/e-XsFVmR – the first platform designed to automate and scale your ability to find and leverage warm introductions into all of your target accounts. 🔗 #SalesTips #Sales #SDR #SalesPipeline #WarmIntroductions #ForceEquals

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I've been a "decision maker" for about four years now. During that time I've purchased a product from cold outreach one time. Here's how it went down. In early 2022, our JumpCrew sales team was struggling to find signals of accounts or prospects that could be in market for what we do. Some hypotheses were: 🤷 They're actively hiring for SDRs or AEs 🤷‍♂️ Recent news articles about product launches 🤷‍♀️ A vertical or ICP similar to a current JumpCrew client We sent our sales team on blind expeditions, sending high volume outbound based on nothing but an educated guess. It was around this time I first became aware of the concept of "intent" and some tools that could reveal accounts searching for terms related to what we do. "Intent" seems almost elementary now, but at the time it was cutting edge for us. I started my own research process, learning about intent technology first, then familiarizing myself with some of the leading names in the space. I visited a few websites, took some notes, then moved on to other tasks. I never filled out a form. A few days later, I received a Slack message from a JumpCrew co-worker: "Hey Jarron, do you know a guy named Justin Golding from 6sense? He reached out to me and thinks you might be the person he's trying to get in touch with." Say whaaaaaaa??? 💥 6sense was one of the sites I looked at during my research. I genuinely thought this was the coolest thing ever. I asked my coworker to put us in touch and I scheduled time with Justin. 💻 First meeting: July 27th 📝 Signed contract: August 31st I never took a meeting with another potential solution. 6Sense had earned a monopoly on my time, interest, and investment. My 6Sense buying experience was my baptism in what's possible when marketing, sales, timing, and intent align perfectly to result in a B2B transaction. Focusing on precise isolation of one attribution channel vs. another, sales vs. marketing, SDR vs. ROAS, is entirely missing the point. If each of the paths a potential buyer could take to find you is equipped with a layered support system of marketing and sales working together, your chances of winning faster, larger, and less competitive deals goes way up. #b2b #gtm #sales #marketing

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I am not trying to create "balanced" sellers Im trying to help create unfair advantages in the marketplace for the sellers I lead Finding different ways to say and teach the same two things is ultimately my enablement plan. Yes I said "my enablement plan" because enablement shouldn't be outsourced or delegated. Frontline leaders should own this but... Its not about a peanut butter spread of enablement topics to check a box that "we are enabled" across everything you could possibly be enabled on It has to start with identifying the 2 or 3 most impactful areas to focus that will drive the majority of forward progress If we break it down to its simplest form, sellers do this: Generate Pipeline --> Progress Pipeline --> Close Pipeline This year (and for the past 5 years) I have planted my enablement flag squarely in the first 2 buckets. I have found that if you can get really good at - Generating Pipeline - Progressing Pipeline Then the 3rd bucket takes care of itself 21 trainings delivered this year around those 2 topics As a result... We are damn good at pipeline generation We are damn good at creative contracting (pipe progression) Being damn good at those two things means that we always have deals to run at because our pipeline is full... And we have have the skills and tools necessary to create a win/win for any customer no matter the customer situation because we understand finance, cashflow, and how to structure deals to get the customer what they want, when they want it Let me keep it all the way real for a second though. There is a downside to this approach We are NOT very good at a lot of things Some would say that my team is a little out of balance with lots of improvement areas Public Service Announcement: Its intentional that we are good at the things we are good at which means that Its also intentional that we are NOT good at the things we are NOT good at because we dont focus on being good at those things. Not telling you what to do, just showing you that the 80/20 rule applies in frontline sales leadership too!

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Top 5 key metrics I recommend CROs use for inside sales professionals: 1. Speed of response 2. Efficiency of progression through the process 3. Number of calls per day 4. Number of positive outcomes 5. Demo sets As a CRO leader, these are five metrics that I live by. 

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If you are a Sales Navigator user, you have to read this post from Andre Marcel Mendes!

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