Ila Muller

AEs & SDRs -- don't overthink outbound this week after a long weekend. Try this: Step 1: Use the 5X5 Method -Pick 5-10 accounts and 3-5 prospects per account to focus on this week -SDRs & High-Velocity AEs → increase the volume. Or, use your sales math to determine the number! How? Use Sales Navigator and these filters: -Job change in the last 90 days (especially from former customers) -Job function + seniority -TeamLink connections Step 2: Know your prospect’s business inside out. -Before reaching out, check: -LinkedIn insights - headcount growth, AccountIQ -Past opps in your CRM, closed/lost notes, email & phone convos -Gong Calls -10Ks, funding, stock price, ChatGPT prompts -Podcasts, press releases, and recent hires (try listennotes) -Competitors & mutual customers -Intent data, Google news, -RepVue, Glassdoor, G2 Reviews Step 3: Sequence all 5 contacts using persona-based outreach. -Having a set number holds you accountable. -Build your sequence/cadence based on persona, not volume. -Use a 14 day mini sequence instead of the 28 day sequences that cause piles of overdue tasks. -Front-load your touches across channels Step 4: Personalize every message using this structure: 1️⃣ Relevance: Why you're reaching out 2️⃣ Problem Statement: One of three key challenges 3️⃣ Solution: How others solve it 4️⃣ CTA: Interest-based, not pushy No tool can help you if your messaging is off—make it buyer-centric and problem-focused. Bonus step: -Send 1 email to each contact -Send 1 connect request to each contact -Comment on 5 LinkedIn posts per day -Send 1 LinkedIn video / voice note after each connect request - not pitching just building problem awareness -Cold call :) -- We can't control a lot in sales, but we can control our effort & systems! Give it a go.

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗗𝗥 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹. In most B2B orgs today, the real challenge isn’t effort or headcount, it's focus.  • SDRs spend hours chasing leads that aren't in-market  • Personalization often defaults to "Hi {First Name}"  • Sales cycles are longer than ever, while buyer engagement is happening behind closed tabs 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? Wasted touches, burned budget, and pipelines that look full… until the quarter closes. 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘁: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗗𝗥 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁? This is where intent data becomes a revenue lever, not just another tool. According to Demand Gen Report:  • Companies using intent data see 2.5x conversion rates  • Sales cycles shrink by 28%  • 68% of marketers say it’s critical for ABM performance At S2W Media, we help marketing leaders solve this with a full-funnel, intent-driven strategy:  • 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 + 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, pinpoint buyers already researching your solution or evaluating your competitors  • 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, SDRs focus on verified, high-intent accounts  • 𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵, informed by real behavioral signals, not assumptions The outcome? Predictable pipeline. Faster velocity. Higher ROI. No more guessing games. No more wasted touches. As marketers, we don’t need "more leads."We need better intelligence to drive a meaningful pipeline. If you're ready to align sales & marketing on who to target, when to engage, and what to say, let’s connect. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 - https://lnkd.in/dq3Qbvzt

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Executives won't open cold emails, but they will open a package. This is my best advice for breaking into Tier 1 accounts... When we were trying to break into big enterprise accounts at Levelset, there was one approach that consistently worked. We sent our top prospects a gift in the mail. Most teams never try this. They send another cold email, another LinkedIn message, or another voicemail. Then they sit around wondering why nothing converts. When you’re going after companies that can change your trajectory, you have to operate differently. Start with the person you are trying to connect with. Before you buy anything, spend time learning about the prospect. Look at what they post. Notice what they care about. Listen for the problems they’re trying to solve. You’d be surprised how often people leave clues out in the open. AI is really helpful at pulling this together for you. It's important to understand what would actually matter to them. Pick a gift that shows you pay attention. It takes more effort to pick something thoughtful than it does to spray a thousand people with the same sequence. But you’re not going after a thousand people. You’re going after the handful who can meaningfully move your business forward. It doesn’t need to be expensive. It needs to be personal. Somewhere in the $25–75 range is enough to show you cared without feeling transactional. Include a handwritten card. Keep it simple. Three or four sentences. Tell them why you chose the gift. Tell them what it made you think about in their business. Then make a clear, easy ask. When everything else in their stack is automated, a handwritten note stands out. Send it in a bubble mailer. Nothing fancy. USPS works fine. A bubble mailer gets opened. People are curious. Just make sure the address is right. We double checked every single one. Full up after it arrives. Don’t assume they saw it. Don’t assume they connected the dots. Send a short email. “Just shipped you something. Should arrive this week.” Then follow up again after it lands. The follow up is where the meetings get booked. Did this work? At Levelset, this was our most reliable way to break into large accounts. The response rates were dramatically higher than anything we did through email or phone alone. And it wasn’t because we were clever. It was because we were willing to put in more effort than everyone else. Most reps won’t spend thirty minutes researching a prospect or writing a card. That’s fine. The ones who do will win the meetings with the best prospects. The Reality This work doesn’t scale. It’s not supposed to. You don’t run this play for your entire TAM. You run it for the hundred companies that would meaningfully impact your business if you earned their trust. For those accounts, a thoughtful gift is a small investment compared to the upside. And if you’re willing to do the work, you’ll end up in conversations your competitors never even get close to.

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I’ve helped dozens of AEs and SDRs transition into SE/SC roles. There’s no doubt that you can earn a lot as an AE. AEs can make $1,000,000+ in a good year - a very lucrative career path. But the reality is most AEs don’t get there. It takes exceptional skill, timing, and a bit of luck to perform at that tier consistently. (I personally would be a terrible AE 😅) That’s why many folks choose to pivot into Sales Engineering - where the earning potential is still strong, but far more consistent. That’s what the data in the image shows: AEs: 36% SEs: 74% (Same company, similar OTEs) As an SE, you don’t always have the extreme upside that your AE counterpart will, but your income is more stable. (*there are some companies that pay SEs similar to AEs, with SEs able to clear $1M+ in a great year, though this is more of the exception than the rule) As an SE, there’s also less pressure to hit quota, quarter after quarter. The roles are different, with different responsibilities and varying degrees of risk (and upside). Both paths can provide tremendous opportunities, depending on your strengths and the type of work you enjoy. Hope this provides some perspective for those who are considering SE or AE career paths.

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More SaaS companies should have a President's Club for SDRs Not just AEs. Not just closers. SDRs too. Think about it. The SDR is the first voice , first email & first reason a deal even starts That deserves more than a pat on the back. President's Club tells an SDR - "We see you , What you do matters , You belong at this table." That feeling? It changes how someone shows up to work. Recognition builds #culture. Culture builds #pipeline. Pipeline builds #companies. It all starts with making your SDRs feel like they're playing for something 🙌 Does your company include #SDRs in the President's Club? #saassales #saas #sales

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"How can CS be a revenue-driver when I can fire half my team and NRR stays the same?" Until Customer Success can find quantifiable evidence that they have a higher ROI than another AE hire, they'll always be a cost center. That's what happens when you solve for churn. You start playing not to lose. You meet with every account regardless of tier. You fret over each escalation, not by the amount of ARR at stake, but by how angry the account seems. Fear of conflict drives your decision-making. You have every customer insight at your fingertips. You have 360-degree customer intelligence. You reach out proactively at the first sign of trouble. But it doesn't make a difference. And it won't. Because the people who make CS tools are ALSO solving for churn. And CS can't be accretive with tools made for support and risk reduction. Just listen to the man himself: "Customer Success has gotten worse over the years. Much worse…We're seeing a fundamental shift where CSMs are expected to be revenue generators, but they're using systems designed for customer support." - Jason M. Lemkin If I'm honest, I'm kinda over Customer Intelligence. And I'm not even 100% sure what Commercial Intelligence is. We need Expansion Intelligence. #customerexpansion #nrr #customersuccess

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Hiring your Founding AE might be the most important hire in your SaaS journey — and one of the easiest to get wrong. The AE who crushed it at $50M ARR might crumble at $1M ARR. Early-stage SaaS needs a different kind of seller: 💡 Adaptable – thrives without a playbook. 💡 Curious – great at discovery, not just pitching. 💡 Builder – helps create the sales motion. 💡 Resilient – handles rejection and iteration. Your Founding AE doesn’t just sell — they help you build the machine. Full breakdown here 👇 👉 https://lnkd.in/d5SPdbGg #scalewithstrive #accountexecutive #gtmhiring

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