Hey there 👋
Life at high-growth startups inevitably comes with very high highs, and very low lows. Crossing major milestones feels like you’ve moved mountains, but every leap forward brings tougher problems... especially when it comes to hitting big revenue goals!
A common piece of advice I’ve heard from startup leaders on our podcast is to build strong, trust-filled relationships. At Accord, we recently added a weekly “recognition” all-hands where Accordions give shoutouts based on a shared value.
It’s amazing to hear how folks support each other through this wild startup adventure – from jumping in to help on customer calls, to simply making each other laugh.
Whether you’re a rep, founder, or sales leader, startup life is hard. Make sure you have people to lean on during the ups and downs (and that you’re also there for them)!
- Ross
In this newsletter:
- Sales leaders weigh in on adapting to modern buyer expectations
- Final Founder’s Journey interviews (Season 2 is coming!)
- Exciting updates to Accord’s Resource Hub
🛍 5 Questions About Shifting Buyer Expectations, Answered by Sales Experts
The dynamic between buyers and sellers is shifting, and it’s clear that the sales strategies of the past aren’t going to cut it today. How can your team adjust?
In a masterclass this week, sales leaders from G2, Bravado, & Navattic answered the top 5 questions about how to sell to modern buyers and create a more transparent sales process!
%2520(1).png)
#1 - How have buyers’ expectations changed, and what is causing this shift?
Buyers today have more access to information, so they’re coming into sales calls more educated. Buyer demographics have also skewed younger, so they’re used to frictionless buying processes.
Because of this, the bar is higher for salespeople. You need to be an authority in what you’re selling and guide the buyer through their decision making process.
“Buyers aren’t starting from square one anymore by the time they get to a conversation with sales. They’re starting at square three or four.” - Ben Pearson, Head of Sales & GTM @ Navattic
#2 - What are the signals that you need to adapt your sales process for modern buyers?
“The signal is that your deals are taking forever.” - Sahil Mansuri, CEO @ Bravado
It’s extremely uncommon to have a single buyer in the modern buying process. When your prospect is excited but no contract is getting signed, it’s a sign that your buyer doesn’t know how to get consensus internally. Part of your job is helping your prospect navigate the process of getting buy-in.
Get 🔥 answers to the last 3 questions!
🎙️ On the Podcast
It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the end of Season 1: Founder’s Journey already!
Our last two episodes featured Lauren Dai from Cocoon and Joe Garafalo from Mosaic, who both had awesome insights to share on:
🌱 Discovering & defining their problems to solve
💥 Winning their first customers (in typical scrappy startup fashion)
😅 How they survive the ups & downs of starting a company
Check out the latest episodes here – and stay tuned for exciting things coming in Season 2!
🤩 Inspo
While working on a product video for Accord (coming soon!), we’ve been watching other companies’ videos for inspiration. Here are a couple of our favorites! 📺
Why we like it:
- Starts high-level, then dives into the real-life pain & Clockwise’s value
- Good balance of how the product works & what it means for users
Why we like it:
- Hones in on one main value prop: simplicity
- Explains how Slack works without using screenshots
❗ Accord: The Customer Collaboration Platform
Accord’s Resource Hub keeps all your shared sales and onboarding resources up-to-date and in one place. You also get tons of data on how and when your resources are being accessed!
Our most requested feature enhancements are around making resources easier to share and access. So we’re tricking out the Resource Hub and making your wildest dreams come true! 🎁
To start, resources are now viewable in-app and have a shareable URL. You can also pin resources to spotlight the most important ones, like a special white paper, contract, or use case.
Be on the lookout for a number of other resource enhancements coming soon (did someone say folders!? 😉)
Thanks for reading From Vendorship → Partnership! Was this edition helpful? Hit reply and let me know 😄
Ross Rich (CEO and Co-founder)
P.S. If you like this newsletter and want to support it, you can:
1. Tell a colleague about Accord
2. Simply forward this email to a friend with an invitation to subscribe
