Hey there 👋
As much as we all love the benefits of working remotely… I think we can agree that being remote 100% of the time doesn’t cut it, if you’re never meeting IRL.
We're humans. And humans require face-to-face interactions to truly build strong relationships, communication norms, and trust.
After hosting our third company offsite, InAccordance, last week (desert / Phoenix edition 🌵🤠) I'm more sure of this approach than ever.
Our team of Accordions flew from across the US/Canada to spend time sharing ideas, aligning on the future of B2B sales, and having tons of forced fun together. 😉
Whether it’s with your team or your customers, in-person time is much needed in a world of constant Zoomin'. Already looking forward to the next one!
Question for you: what’s your best advice for keeping teams connected & aligned in this remote-first world? Any recommended activities, tools/systems, meetings, etc? Hit reply to let me know :)
- Ross (& the Accord team 😎)
PS – did you sign up for Modern Sales Pros’ RevEx Fest? I’ll be on a panel at 2pm ET today w/ other sales tech founders to dive into our journeys, challenges, & GTM strategies. Hope to see ya there!
In this newsletter:
- Masterclass with author Todd Caponi + Drift’s Sr Sales Director
- Sales recruiting & hiring tactics (and pitfalls to avoid)
- Get a timeline view of your mutual action plans in Accord
💪 Rally your Reps Around Mutual Action Plans (& Win More Deals!)
Real talk: it’s HARD getting reps to adopt new tools / processes.
It’s one of the most common concerns I hear from sales leaders when they start rolling out mutual action plans for their team’s deals:
“I know this will help us win - but how do I get my reps to actually use them?”
The key is integrating MAPs into every piece of your sales DNA:
✅ 1:1s / coaching sessions with each rep
✅ Pipeline reviews w/ the whole team
✅ Visibility into MAP progress in your CRM
When you make mutual plans an everyday piece of your sales team’s processes, systems, & culture, rep adoption naturally follows...
And with it comes more reliable forecasts, consistent performance, and transparency between your buyers & sellers. 💥
That’s why we’re hosting a masterclass on how to rally your reps around mutual action plans (& win more deals) – ft. two incredible MAP advocates & sales leaders:
Todd Caponi: legendary sales speaker, trainer & author of one of my all-time favorite books, The Transparency Sale 📚
Brooke Freedman: Sr Director of Sales at Drift, former sales leader at HubSpot, and big time MAP proponent on her team 🤩
Going live Oct. 20th at 1pm ET to dig into:
💯 How to get your reps to adopt & consistently execute 10/10 MAPs
🧬 Tactics for integrating MAPs into your sales org’s DNA
⏰ How to keep both sides accountable to deal timelines & deliverables
🎙 On the Podcast: Chuck Brotman on Common Sales Hiring Pitfalls
One of the hardest parts of scaling sales teams: recruiting & hiring A+ talent.
But we often don’t give our actual hiring processes the attention they deserve. Chuck Brotman, Co-Founder of Blueprint Expansion, wants to change that.
I talked to Chuck on the podcast about how GTM teams can improve their recruiting & hiring processes. Sneak peek – check out his tips on how to avoid common recruiting pitfalls:
🙅 Pitfall #1: Not being aligned internally.
When building your hiring process, make sure it’s documented and agreed to by everyone from your hiring manager to the recruiting team (internal or external) to executive leadership.
🙅 Pitfall #2: Hiring for experience and pedigree instead of skills and behaviors.
Years of experience, the school someone went to, etc. are not as important as ensuring a candidate’s skills fit the role you’re hiring for – and that their overall behaviors and traits fit your culture and environment (i.e. adaptability in an always-changing startup).
🙅 Pitfall #3: Not defining SLAs or being respectful of candidates’ time.
Agree on turnaround times for responding to candidates, booking the next interview, etc. Err on the side of rigorous honesty: let candidates know what you like, what you’re discussing internally, and when you’ll get back to them. Job searching is stressful – don’t add to it!
Listen to the episode to hear more of Chuck’s advice for up-leveling your sales hiring game.
👀 Accord Updates: Visual Timelines for Your Mutual Plans
We’ve heard a lot of Accord users say that they love having the buying journey mapped out in steps, but sometimes they want a 10,000 foot view.
After dozens of feedback sessions with top sellers, we landed on a more visual way of representing the customer journey: the Visual Timeline!
With the timeline view, you can make it easy for buyers to visualize your path to success together, see when milestones need to get done, and know when things are falling behind.
Check out the Visual Timeline in your Accord workspace. Don’t have one? Book time to get a free workspace. :)
Thanks for reading From Vendorship → Partnership 👋 I'd love to hear your feedback on this edition. Hit reply to send me a note!
Ross Rich (CEO and Co-founder)
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