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The Full Playbook On How to AE
Landon Hobbs
July 15, 2024
Mastering the Art of AE
This is probably the most meaty guide to crushing as an AE you’ll read this month. Years of knowledge and hundreds of books, condensed into 1448 words.
Daddy Landon gonna show you how to smash (quota). You’ll probably want to bookmark this post to refer to later.
Table of Contents
The Full Playbook On How to AE
Tech Stack Mastery
A solid command over the following tools can significantly elevate your productivity. Become a Cybernetic Rambo leveraging an appetite of different technologies in your prospecting & closing motion:
CRM Systems: Salesforce, Hubspot, Pipedrive, Close → Get gud w/ filters. SF especially is incredibly powerful and meaty.
Data Analysis & Visualization: Tableau
Revenue Intelligence: Clari/Gong
Sales Intelligence & Prospecting: ZoomInfo, Apollo, Seamless, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, GPT4o, Gemini
Sales Engagement & Communication: Outreach, Salesloft, Lavender, Autobound
Conversational Intelligence: Gong, Chorus, Avoma, Fathom, Grain →Pro tip: Use AI w/ transcriptions to fill out CRM and send extremely dope follow up.
Dialers: Orum/Salesfinity/BearWorks/Kixie
Other tech: Paage, SendSpark, Sendoso, Grammarly, Canva.
Not a definitive list. This should always be leveling up. YMMV.
Action Steps:
Certification and Training: Enroll in certification programs or online courses for these tools. Hubspot & ZoomInfo both have academies for free you can enroll into to level up business acumen and tech mastery. Most established companies have some sort of free online course available.
Regular Practice: Use these tools daily to become more proficient and discover advanced features.
Networking: Join online forums and user groups to learn tips and tricks from other users.
The Art of Prospecting
Effective prospecting lays the groundwork for successful deals:
List Building & Persona Mapping: Identify and map out key personas.
Persona Specific Talk Tracks: Unique messaging for each title. Focus on challenges.
Data Cleaning: Ensure your data is pristine.
Time Management: Allocate dedicated prospecting time blocks.
Consistent Talk Tracks: Use scripts to maintain consistency.
Cold Calling: Utilize power/parallel dialers for efficiency.
Automation: Leverage sequencers for follow-ups.
Sample sequence
Action Steps:
Dedicated Prospecting Hours: Block out specific times in your calendar each day for prospecting activities.
Script Development: Develop and refine your scripts regularly based on feedback and outcomes.
Leverage Data Tools: Regularly update and clean your data to ensure accuracy.
Leveraging Preparation
Preparation is key. Use resources like the prospect’s website, LinkedIn, G2, reviews, blogs, podcasts, and tools like ZoomInfo or Apollo to gather insights.
Action Steps:
Pre-Call Research Template: Create a template for pre-call research to ensure you cover all necessary points.
Information Repository: Maintain a repository of key information for easy reference during calls.
Simplified Discovery Process
Think of the discovery process as a straight line:
Preparation: Utilize the information gathered.
Agenda Setting: Establish a clear agenda.
Curiosity & Storytelling: Ask insightful questions and share relevant customer stories.
Tell Me More: Ask better questions by expanding on what prospect said. “There’s a lot to unpack with what you said, can you tell me more about….”
Light Demos: Tailor demos based on the prospect’s questions. Demo should be a 10,000 ft overview to gauge a temperature check. 5-7 minutes ideally.
Qualification & Next Steps: Ensure clear qualification and outline the next steps. If you can’t guarantee next steps, set tentative next steps on calendar anyway (gives excuse to reach out).
Action Steps:
Discovery Call Framework: Develop a structured framework for discovery calls to ensure consistency.
Story Bank: Build a bank of customer stories that you can draw upon during calls. The stories should center around problems relevant to what prospect talked about. Stories stick, not your logo slide.
Environmental Methodologies
Adopting structured methodologies can streamline your approach:
GAP Selling:
Focus: Identifying and addressing the "gap" between a customer's current situation and desired outcome.
Process: Involves deep questioning to uncover the root causes of problems, collaborative problem-solving, and tailoring solutions to the specific needs of each customer.
Style: Consultative and problem-centric, emphasizing trust, rapport, and a genuine interest in helping the customer succeed.
Sandler Selling:
Focus: Qualifying prospects early in the sales process, building relationships based on mutual respect, and establishing a foundation of trust.
Process: Includes a structured system for managing sales interactions, techniques for handling objections, and emphasis on upfront contracts and mutual agreements.
Style: Challenger-based, encouraging salespeople to challenge assumptions, push back on objections, and guide customers toward making informed decisions.
Feature | GAP Selling | Sandler Selling |
|---|---|---|
Focus | Identifying and addressing customer needs | Qualifying prospects and building relationships |
Process | Deep questioning, collaborative problem-solving, tailored solutions | Structured system, objection handling, upfront contracts |
Style | Consultative, problem-centric, trust-based | Challenger-based, assertive, guiding |
Ideal For | Complex sales cycles, consultative sales, relationship-based sales | High-pressure sales, transactional sales, competitive markets |
Not Ideal For | Short sales cycles, transactional sales | Situations requiring high degree of technical expertise |
MEDDPICC:
Metrics
Economic Buyer
Decision Criteria
Decision Process
Paper Process
Identify Pain
Champion
Competitors
Bonus: Potential blockers. Always stay paranoid.
Action Steps:
Methodology Training: Invest in training for these methodologies to ensure you understand and can apply them effectively.
Regular Reviews: Conduct regular reviews of your deals to ensure you’re adhering to these methodologies.
Served as Guidelines: These aren’t the Bible. You don’t have to follow them religiously for every deal but it keeps things consistent.
Stay ahead of potential blockers by understanding the qualification process from BDR handoff and preparing SEs for their involvement once the prospect is qualified. Always remain vigilant and proactive.
Action Steps:
Blocker Identification: Develop a checklist to identify potential blockers early in the sales process. Always ask why the deal might derail.
Proactive Communication: Maintain open communication with all stakeholders to address concerns promptly.
Handling Trials
Only offer trials when there's a clear timeline and defined success criteria. Trials should be offered strategically, involving power and not just lower-level contacts.
Action Steps:
Trial Criteria Checklist: Develop a checklist to determine when a trial is appropriate.
Trial Success Plan: Create a detailed plan outlining the goals and success criteria for each trial.
Crafting Mutual Action Plans (MAPs)
Tailor MAPs to align with each customer’s unique needs:
Identify common goals.
Define roles and responsibilities.
Set measurable objectives.
Establish timelines and deadlines.
Allocate necessary resources.
Develop robust communication strategies.
Monitor progress regularly.
Adjust plans as needed.
Conduct periodic reviews.
Celebrate achievements.
Action Steps:
MAP Templates: Create customizable templates for MAPs to streamline the process.
Regular Check-ins: Schedule regular check-ins with the customer to review progress and make adjustments.
Strategic Workshops
For high-stakes deals, workshops can be a game-changer:
Define clear objectives.
Identify the right audience.
Choose an appropriate venue and date.
Develop engaging content and activities.
Arrange for expert speakers or facilitators.
Create a detailed agenda.
Publicize the event effectively.
Register participants.
Prepare all necessary materials and equipment.
Conduct the workshop seamlessly.
Gather participant feedback.
Evaluate success and areas for improvement.
Action Steps:
Workshop Playbook: Develop a playbook for conducting workshops, including templates and best practices.
Feedback Loop: Create a feedback loop to continuously improve the workshop experience.
Understanding the Buying Process
Get to grips with your prospect’s buying process by:
Identifying current initiatives.
Recognizing who holds power and the roles of procurement, legal, and security.
Finding an executive sponsor.
Enabling champions to advocate internally.
Action Steps:
Buying Process Map: Develop a map of the typical buying process for your target market.
Stakeholder Identification: Create a framework for identifying and engaging with key stakeholders.
Negotiation Tactics
Effective negotiation is crucial to close deals successfully and maintain healthy margins:
Negotiate Only as the Vendor of Choice: Confirm your position before discussing pricing.
Discount for Give & Get: Only discount when you get something in return. Use discounts creatively, tying them to referrals, longer contracts, or testimonials.
Stay Paranoid Until Paid: Always anticipate potential obstacles and plan accordingly.
Flexible Payment Terms: Offer varied payment terms like Net 30/60/90, semi-annual, or quarterly to meet the prospect's needs without reducing the price.
Trade Value for Value: If a discount is requested, ask for something in return, such as a longer contract, a referral, or a case study.
Creative Pricing Strategies: Consider options like first-year discounts with higher rates in subsequent years, or bundling services to provide more value without cutting prices.
Champion Enablement
Verify You Actually Have A Champion: Champions are someone who can influence budget and have influence in the org. A “Coach” is not a champion. Someone easy to talk to is not a champion.
Make It Easy For Them To Sell For You: Deal rooms are great for this. Build out a beefy business case template for them. Prove yourself an ally and an advisor that they can trust.
Final Thoughts
Education is a constant muscle you have to train.
Time management is the most valuable skill all AEs need to manage.
Stay patient. Process takes time to develop before it’s natural.
Peace out ✌️
-Landon