Brittney Cavanagh

SDRs/BDRs should be salaried positions and NOT commission based. There, I said it. I've been on multiple webinars and in multiple discussions recently about Sales & Marketing Alignment which has been an issues since I got into this industry over 25 years ago and still is today. I think the #1 thing you can do to align Sales & Marketing is to remove attribution. The challenge with removing attribution is that different people need to get paid for doing different activities that lead to a "qualified lead/opp." The challenge addressing what different people get paid is mainly related to the commissions paid to sales reps. How many times have you heard that companies need to "double comp" something to make sure everyone is happy? I don't know how to completely fix this issue but I know how to fix part of it. Let's stop thinking about the SDR/BDR role as a "entry to Sales" and make up some commission plan for them that is mostly based on the quantity of activities they do. Instead, let's starting thinking about it as an "entry to GTM" and give them a reasonable base salary with some quarterly bonus potential based on individual development goals. Many SDRs don't even want to get into Sales or would be better at Marketing, CS, Data Alaytics, etc. anyway. Let's reshape the SDR role to help them understand the entire GTM function, focus on quality activities and reduce the stress on them for booking arbitrary meetings with anyone who with a pulse just so they don't get in trouble. Thoughts?

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Potential Hot Take 🌶 Most CS teams don't want commission, no matter how much ARR they bring in. 💰 At least not true commission. Let me explain. Over the years, I've occasionally heard people talk about how CSMs and CS orgs should be compensated in commission like sales teams because of the amount of revenue CSM teams bring in. On the surface, this sounds like it makes sense. When you dig a little deeper though, you tend to find that: -CS teams don't want to lower their base salary for higher potential ceiling (whereas in many orgs, sales teams have a lower base salary to accomoddate the commission pay structure) 😬 -Many CSMs have a lower appetite for the risk/variability in pay that comes with a true commission-based comp model 🎢 -CS leaders have often found (rightly) that a commission model based just on added-ARR would not incentivize all the right behaviors as many CS plays are long term and hard to reward on JUST an added-ARR model (such as referrals and second order revenue) 🏈 Digging into this sentiment from CS leaders, I've found that it's not ACTUALLY a commission structure they want. Here are 3 things they want in reality: 1. Recognition They want the revenue they own, renew, and expand to be recognized just as much as net new ARR from Sales. 2. Incentive They want to feel like their compensation incentivizes the things that matter most to them. 3. Purpose Similar to point 1, they want their teams efforts to be clearly tied to the company's purpose. ________________________________ Leaders, advocate for the above for your team. Don't complain about Sales getting commission for "your work", but rather advocate for a holistic approach that truly takes care of what your teams actually want. This is a lot more work to articulate than just saying "CSMs should get commission for upsells." But other organizational leaders will take you more seriously and you'll achieve stronger results for your teams if you follow the above pathways. #CustomerSuccess #SaaS #CSM #GTM

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Healthcare sales leaders, we need to talk. If you’re spending big money on healthcare data (think Definitive Healthcare, LexisNexis, Trella, etc.) to just to dump it into a spreadsheet and forward it to your field sales team… you’re hallucinating if you think that’s helping them. Data without action is just an expensive spreadsheet. You can’t track if reps are using it. You can’t measure if it’s driving ROI. You can’t optimize your strategy if you don’t have visibility. And let’s be real—your reps hate admin stuff so much, that they won't manually dig through a spreadsheet. They need data that actually works for them. Visibly. Easily. Efficiently. The question isn’t whether you should invest in the data. It's a gold mine! It’s whether you’re presenting the data in a usable way that drives real field execution. If you’re not presenting your data visually, you’re wasting money and leaving revenue on the table.....and your giving your team a headache. How are you making sure your healthcare data isn’t just another email attachment? Let's talk. #MedDiagnostic #MedDevice #FieldSales #OutsideSales

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Dear CS Leaders, I get it... there's a HUGE push in the market for you to own revenue. And while it's not a one-size-fits-all move, tying your org to revenue through renewals, upsells, or even CSQLs (customer success qualified leads) is (in most cases) the right play. But hear me: it's not as simple as announcing, "Starting today, we own renewals and upsells. Good luck out there! Go forth and prosper." You have to enable and empower your teams. If you're going to do it, do it right. That means training, enablement, and clear guidelines. I always recommend a crawl, walk, run approach...it gives your team "training wheels" before they're expected to fly down a mountain trail. What could that look like? Upsells: - Crawl: Identify CSQLs and meet a quarterly CSQL goal. - Walk: Co-own a pipeline number with your AE and shadow upsell convos. - Run: Own upsells directly. Renewals - Crawl: AE leads, CS partners. - Walk: CS leads, AE shadows. - Run: CS owns renewal. A quick note: I'm not saying CS should turn into Sales. Owning revenue isn’t for every CS org ... and that’s OK. However, CS must mature commercially if we want to drive real impact (either through direct or indirect ownership). And if it is the right move for your business? Build it right. Train it right. Support it right. Happy Friday.

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ADVICE FOR NEW AE's FOR EOQ: Are you hoping for an email reply today to make your quarter? PICK UP THE PHONE If you didn’t align your next steps right - you’ll find out fast when you: PICK UP THE PHONE. This is the moment where it all gets real.... Where are your buyers? They’re closing THEIR quarter too. They’re racing to hit goals, secure budget, solve problems. If you aligned on solving real pain…If you tied your solution to their biggest desire… Then you EARNED the right to PICK UP THE PHONE Not next week. Not after the holiday. TODAY. 🔥 PICK UP THE PHONE. 🔥 Text them. Call them. DM them Carrier pigeon if you must. Be loud. BE USEFUL. Be relentless. This isn’t about being annoying - it’s about being present when it matters most. It's about driving value and getting your client in a better spot than where you found them. If you were consultative and can truly help them: The window is open right now. The budget is real. The urgency is mutual. If you didn't solve their issue or they don't believe you - you will find out much faster if you .... Yep, PICK UP THE PHONE

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"Go-to-market" is a flywheel, not a linear process. Every prospect is worthy of a seller conversation regardless of where they sit in a problem cycle. The major issue with modern sales development is 1. Desperately seeking "in-market" opportunities, which is 3% of your market every quarter 2. Missing the market turns and opportunities to displace 3. Nobody is getting coached on running elite follow-up and referral plays Prospect across the lifecycle, and in 12 quarters, you could be market dominant in a market you care about (arguably not your TAM, though...) PipelineHeroes speak to their entire market once a quarter

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I’ve said “no” to prospects WAY more times than I’ve said “yes.” Sure, our company could have blown past a $10M run rate years ago if I had focused on selling to anyone—but I didn’t. And here’s why… I’m confident in my sales ability, but more importantly, I care deeply about our clients' success. Every company wants growth, but not every company is ready for it. Here are just a few reasons I turned down deals I could have closed: 🥱An outdated, uninspiring website 🤷🏼‍♀️No clear positioning 😩Weak or nonexistent differentiators 🤯Unrealistic expectations 🫠A half-baked ICP Throughout February, we’ll dive into these challenges in more detail. What did being selective get us? Happier, long-term clients instead of fast churn. A 45% month-over-month referral rate. Sky-high NPS scores. Saying “no” built something better. Unrelated: La Volta pizza club in Austin is really good.

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