From talking to 100’s of CROs this year, the term that defines success in 2024 has to be:
A version of ‘flawless execution’, ‘execution excellence’, ‘operational excellence’*
*with a side of ‘rigor’, ‘discipline’, and ‘urgency’
It's the heartbeat of every single winning revenue org in this market.
How are the best teams driving the intensity + up-leveling their execution? I’d break it down into 3 buckets:
- Setting clear Standards (Expectations) as to what great looks like
- Holding their teams Accountable to said Standards
- Enforcing excellence across their field… not settling for anything less
For us, that’s been setting expectations like - we default to going onsite with key prospects / customers, always running custom demos vs generic product walkthroughs, finding a daily value-add touch point on deals, etc.
What are other leaders driving towards to drive success this year? Here are a few common themes I’m hearing:
- Get much higher, much faster!
- Ensure a value-based sales process
- Rigorous Account Planning… and actually following through
- Ensure every single member + step of the buying process is mapped
- Re-thinking the customer journey as a whole vs siloed Sales, Implementation, CS
- Meticulously measuring rep effectiveness, productivity, and performance management
^ all reasons I’m passionate about building Accord!
Most revenue organizations help people buy when they’re ready to buy. The companies we are working with are the ones who want PROACTIVE SELLERS, not order takers.
What does execution excellence mean to you in 2024?
- Ross
10/10 GTM Podcast - Latest Episodes with Niki Phillips, Kevin McIntyre, Marina Golemis, and Diana Kimball Berlin
Awesome conversations with top revenue leaders from Hootsuite, Dealfront, Shipbob, and Matrix Partners. In our most recent episodes we chat about:
- Fostering an entrepreneurial culture
- Building a solid management system
- Defining and strengthening your GTM motion
- Being strategic about the ‘roll up your sleeves & get it done’ attitude
- How sales leaders can effectively partner with product teams
And much more.
Check out the full episodes below and subscribe to get alerted when new ones drop!
In this episode, Niki and I discuss why setting clear expectations, communicating on progress, and fostering an entrepreneurial culture are key strategies for driving execution excellence.
The Unconventional Rise to CRO with Kevin McIntyre, CRO at Dealfront
In this episode, Kevin and I discuss why it’s imperative to foster a culture of collaboration, build a solid management system, and define and strengthen your GTM motions.
In this episode, Marina and I discuss the importance of shaking things up, being strategic about the ‘get it done’ attitude, and delighting in what you don’t know.
Presenting to Senior Execs & Impressing VCs with Diana Kimball Berlin, Partner at Matrix
In this episode, Diana and I discuss how to partner with product teams, present to executives, and impress VCs as a first-time leader.
Masterclass Series - Value Selling
In our most recent Masterclass, leaders from Freshworks, MongoDB, and Xactly Corp shared practical frameworks for selling remotely, hiring the right talent, and building a strong value selling culture.
Some of the tactical strategies we discussed to create a culture around value selling include:
- Coaching managers and teaching them how to coach
- Leveraging tools effectively to drive methodology
- Celebrating micro wins along the journey
Check out the full Masterclass below for tips and insights on all things value selling. This one is a must watch!
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Upcoming Masterclass - Value-Driven Sales: From Frameworks to the Field
One Value Selling Masterclass wasn’t enough!
It's such a hot topic that we are launching a second session.
Join RedHat, Figma, and OneTrust on Wednesday, Sept 25th at 1pm as we discuss how to ensure your sales process isn’t just a framework in a Powerpoint or Salesforce, but an actionable playbook that drives quality revenue.
You’ll learn:
- How to effectively roll out a value-based sales motion
- Integrate tools like business cases, mutual action plans, and account planning to ensure rigorous deal execution
- How to develop a training framework that translates strategy and methodology into real impactful conversations on the field
- Proven tactics for enforcing sales best practices, including multi-threading, exec alignment, and stakeholder mapping
- Techniques for creating playbooks that guide your team in communicating value at every stage of the buyer's journey
Sign up for the live masterclass here, and feel free to respond to this email with any burning questions you would like answered!
New Product Feature - Stakeholder Mapping
Many revenue teams and AEs get ultra creative when creating a stakeholder map for their top accounts (I know I did).
This is just one of the reasons I am so excited to announce Accord Stakeholder Mapping!
You can now build out org charts + power mapping for key accounts, with reporting structure, notes, and influence - all mapped back to your CRM!
How can you enforce execution excellence with interactive Stakeholder Maps?
- Placeholders & Key Contacts - Map out key contacts you have a relationship with, and create placeholders for expected stakeholders on each account. Eliminate missed context and guarantee all relevant decision makers are involved in each deal.
- Internal Notes & Sentiment - Add qualitative insights to every stakeholder with internal notes and sentiment. Easily identify influencers, blockers, and supporters, so you can manage your buyer committee effectively.
- CRM Integration - Accord’s bidirectional sync and CRM integration guarantees up-to-date, consistent, contact data across platforms and revenue generating teams. With Stakeholder Mapping, any contact you add, will be created in your CRM and attached to your opportunity.
- Real-time Engagement Data - Know exactly when your stakeholder viewed your pricing, legal, or security docs, how often they did so, and at what stage of the deal. No subjectivity here.
Our Senior CSM, Sanger, dives into Stakeholder Mapping functionality below.
Check it out. Would love to hear your feedback!
