Welcome to Season 3 of 10/10 GTM: The Podcast for Revenue Leaders!
Our guest for Episode 65 is Ed Armishaw, Sales Director, ServiceNow. Before joining ServiceNow, Ed held leadership roles at Salesforce and Walkbase. He brings more than 18 years of experience to the conversation.
In this episode, Ross and Ed discuss three strategic tips for achieving execution excellence in enterprise sales. They explore the importance of leading as part of a team rather than being a lone wolf, establishing a strong point of view, and effectively telling your story to “get fish on the table.”
Listen to the episode here, and get the key takeaways from our conversation below.
Be a leader vs. a lone wolf
Enterprise sales have changed. It’s no longer the responsibility of a sole sales rep to manage and maintain the account. Now, it takes a team of people to get things done. So if it’s your goal to land a big deal, the most strategic way to go about this is to work as a team with the people in your company who can support your overall objective.
“To land a customer in a way that truly gets them excited, you need a whole army of people,” says Ed. “As enterprise sales has evolved, the world of customer success has become a huge thing. These relationships aren’t one and done. They’re years or even decades long. And it’s not about getting in and doing all of the world by yourself. It’s about bringing in the power of your company to your customer.”
To be the leader of your accounts versus a lone wolf, Ed recommends asking the following questions:
- How can I engage the right people from CS, product, and other key areas in my pursuit?
- How can I make these people more interested in working with me than my peers?
To get an unfair share of the best resource — the heavy hitters who can help you close big deals — there are three key things to focus on:
- Have a clear vision for the business you're working with. For example, if your goal is to grow the account by X amount of dollars over the next three years, map out exactly what steps you'll take, who you'll partner with, and the story behind it. Take this big vision and break it down into actionable chunks for the people working with you to deliver.
- Get to know what motivates the internal people you want to partner with. Ask them questions such as, “Why are you doing this job?” and “What drives you to get out of bed in the morning?”
- Create a culture of belonging where everyone feels like they're on the same team. “I did that in more traditional ways by setting up kickoffs and having team meetings,” explains Ed. “I also did it in really unconventional ways. Once, I got everyone on the team a personalized Lego figure. It was a silly thing, but it acted as a little mascot for our team. I sent them out at the start of the year with a note expressing how excited I was to be working with them. I realized that little gestures like that really resonate with people.”
Tip #1 takeaway: Bring an army of people with you.
Have a point of view
Prospects aren’t just looking for features and functionality. They want to know the solution they’re investing in will have a positive impact on their bottom line. As a seller or revenue leader, you always want to ask yourself: “How can I be a small part of the biggest problem?”
To build a strong point of view (POV), start with the people you’re targeting. When conducting research dedicate your time to understanding what the CEO and CFO care the most about.
Helpful questions to consider:
- What are the challenges that they're facing as an organization?
- What is stopping them from growing?
- What’s their growing rate?
- How much is it [growth] costing them?
Then, create a POV tailored to the perspective of these buyers and show them you really understand their organization, challenges, and goals.
“It isn’t okay to just talk about your product or generically discuss a growth challenge or opportunity they might have. You need to use the hook to create a POV that resonates with them,” says Ed. “I landed a deal a few years ago with the UK's largest pet retailer. I bumped into the CEO at lunch, and I said to him, ‘My mum is your best customer, and that's a big problem for you.’ He looked at me, puzzled, and asked, ‘What?’ because I’d captured his attention. Then I replied, ‘If I were you, I’d want my best friend to be your best customer because they're single, childfree, 32 years old, and spending five times what my mom spends on her dog, and you’re not engaging that person at all. And there are millions of them in the UK.’ Instantly, I got his attention, and it all flowed from there.”
Tip #2 takeaway: Link your POV back to one of the CEO’s or CFO’s biggest problems right now.
Tell your story & get the fish on the table
“Tell your story, get your fish (your idea) on the table as soon as possible because then it can start stinking up the room. The sooner you have it on the table, the sooner they can buy in or out of it,” explains Ed.
To do this in a way that engages the prospect, start with your hook. Once you secure a meeting, put in the time to practice your pitch so you get buy in. “This isn’t about selling the whole deal,” stresses Ed. “It’s about getting the initial buy in. Treat it like theater. This means you rehearse in advance, role play with your executive team, and hone your story. Be brief, be bold, and be gone.”
You've got to keep them hooked and in the room, and that ultimately comes down to how prepared you are. “If you can't tell your story in seven slides, you haven't refined it enough,” Ed advises.
Once you've honed your story and presented it to your audience, Ed recommends concluding with two questions that he says work every time:
- What caught your attention?
- Can I come back to you in [insert time frame, e.g., six weeks] with a plan for how we move forward?
The answers to these questions will help you determine where to prioritize your time and what your next steps will be.
Tip #3 takeaway: Make the story about your prospect, not yourself, and practice telling it before you present it.
About Ed
Ed leads a team of strategic AEs at ServiceNow, specializing in building and growing relationships with global, strategic clients in the Healthcare, Life Sciences, and Business Services verticals. Beyond his professional role, Ed is a devoted father, husband, road cyclist, and youth football coach
To learn more about Ed, connect with him on LinkedIn.
