Katy Yuan

Tired of losing hard-earned deals? Solve for Revenue Leak. In Clari’s 2024 Revenue Leak Report, RevOps leaders said leak happens at every stage of the funnel. - Creating: Poor and slow upsell pipeline tracking - Converting: Unsure where pipeline is dropping off - Closing: Slipped deals Don’t let Revenue Leak drag down another quarter – or another year. Download the Revenue Leak Report for more: https://lnkd.in/g9gnGrdz  

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The same page… AEs, SDRs, CSMs & renewal managers How are you tracking to your goal achievements 🎯? Some mid-year reminders for the team. - Re-align to find out what has changed in your shared account(s) - Stay connected on a regular cadence - Build report and trust - you want to rely on each other - Meet in person if possible - see previous bullet - Enable tough feedback sessions - so important - Share current customer status and revisit top priorities - Strive for a unified front & strategy - Known when to engage leadership - target this as a step - Share your success metrics, KPIs, and percent to goal Success is a #team sport Have a great day!

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35-50% of b2b buyers choose the vendor that is fastest to respond. But, most vendors are still forcing buyers to: Fill out a form Wait for a response  Talk to an SDR So, It can take buyers weeks to: See a product demo Learn about pricing Talk to subject matter experts If buyers choose the vendor that is fastest to respond… Why are we still forcing buyers to jump through so many hoops? *(Source: InsideSales.com)

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Here are four signs your GTM alignment is out of whack: 1. Fragmented Customer Lifecycle View If your team lacks a comprehensive view of the customer lifecycle, you're likely missing key opportunities for upselling, cross-selling, and customer retention. A unified perspective is essential for seamless customer experience and strategic decision-making. 2. Disparate Data Sources When every department has its own ops person with different data sets, it creates a fragmented picture of your business. Without a single source of truth, your strategies will be inconsistent and less effective, leading to misaligned goals and metrics. 3. Inconsistent Terminology If the same terms (e.g., "SQL," "MQL," "Funnel,") mean different things to different people, communication breakdowns are inevitable. This inconsistency can lead to misaligned expectations and strategies, undermining your overall GTM efforts. 4. Unclear ICP Definition and Belief If your team is frequently questioning, “Should we sell to this company?” it indicates a lack of confidence and clarity in your ICP. I like to think of it as who is my "Market of 1?" Can I define a single person who I know is the absolute best market? Then I build my ICPs off of their persona. 5. Sales & Marketing are sending inconsistent messaging to the same people every week. Your sales team is going to work the MQLs, your marketing team is going to work them too. If the messaging is disjointed - you're setting yourself up for failure. Start there. Or you can take our Revuhnew GTM Assessment to get a crystal clear view of where you're at right now! https://lnkd.in/gb936XbN

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The Omnichannel Imperative Today's customers aren't channel-bound. They might switch from a support ticket to live chat to a phone call – all within a single issue. As Customer Success leaders, we must ensure they receive consistent, high-quality support regardless of how they engage. Here's where inconsistencies hurt: Repeating themselves: Customers hate having to re-explain their issue every time they switch channels. It's frustrating and wastes time. Conflicting information: Support reps across channels must agree on product updates, policies, and solutions. Lost trust: Inconsistent service erodes customer confidence, making them question whether your company has their best interests at heart. How to achieve omnichannel excellence: The first step is acknowledging that each communication channel has its nuances. Email requires clarity and thoroughness, while social media demands quick, more engaging responses. Live chat is all about rapid resolution, and phone support provides a personal touch, often needed for more complex issues. Like a conductor, you must know how each instrument plays to make the entire orchestra work in unison. Centralized knowledge base: Invest in a robust platform where all customer interactions, case notes, solutions, and product info are stored. An often overlooked aspect is the fluidity between channels. Customers might start a conversation on one channel and continue on another. Providing a seamless transition without loss of context or quality is essential. We achieve this through meticulously maintained customer logs and data synchronization. Cross-channel collaboration: Facilitate regular information sharing and case handoff procedures between teams who manage different support channels. Customers shouldn't have to work harder because your internal processes are siloed. A consistent, seamless support experience across all touchpoints builds loyalty and demonstrates a genuine customer-centric approach. What are your biggest challenges in ensuring consistent customer service across email, chat, phone, and other channels? #CustomerSuccess

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Case studies are a pain in the ass. They're filled with blockers like: - convincing your CSMs to let you talk to their customer - getting a customer to spend time talking to you - booking time and then your POC has to reschedule - getting a transcript of the recording - listening back to your own voice (ugh) to find the good stuff - writing something meaningful with just enough detail but not too much and finally... - publishing that case study - showing your case study to the sales team so they'll use it Some of these blockers are bigger than others but if you've ever gone through the process of creating a case study, you were with me from "pain in the ass". But they're a necessary element for B2B SaaS. Prospects *do* want to know what others have accomplished with your help. Publishing wins from a variety of customers is important for your SEO. And people just... expect them at this point. I gotta tell you, I used to dread case studies but I've been testing out Laudable for my case study production and it's gonna be a game changer, and I don't use that term lightly. In less time then it takes Zoom to process the call recording I can produce an entire case study and a wins slide for my team! Is it perfect? No. Does it get me 90% of the way there? Absolutely. And I dunno about you but if I can do 90% less work in one of the many areas I cover, I'm taking it. Anywho, Ryan Quindlen 🦇 or Angela Ferrante can hook you up with your own demo/trial account to see for yourself. Oh and I'll probably get in trouble for this with Blake Imperl since it's Not On Brand™ but if you want to read about what Ellyn Stastny shared with me about Pvolve's success with Digioh, I'll link it in the comments.

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CSMs: My customers are disengaged😢 Also CSMs: Hi, it’s me, let’s book time. 👍🏻 I recently received this email from a CSM that stopped me in my tracks (and not for a good reason). It was a 4 liner saying: - I am your CSM - Let’s talk And I was baffled at how little effort this person went through to get my attention. Even GenAI would do a better job, and trust me… I’ve been getting some really poor GenAI messages 😂 There’re 3 things wrong with this email: - Doesn’t grab my attention - Doesn’t position the value of the CSM - Isn’t tailored to what I am trying to achieve or where I am in my journey as a new customer A few bits of context: - I am a new customer and I never talked to their team before as I bought completely touchlessly. This is my first human experience with this brand. - I have already completed my basic set up in the system and have integrated to 2 other systems. This CSM had a bunch of information at their disposal to write a message that would make me want to engage. Not to mention that a quick LinkedIn search would have brought them to this page and they would have learned a lot about me and my use case. But they didn’t use any information. A much better version of it would be: “Hi Daphne, It’s Jenny here from [company]. I see that you have hit the ground running with your set up and have already set up your [feature] and integrated to [tool 1 &2], well done! I will be your Customer Success Manager, my job is to make sure you see results with your subscription. I help my customers with: - outcome 1 - outcome 2 - outcome 3 I would love to schedule a 15 mins chat with you to understand your goals and connect you with all the resources you need to crush your targets this year!” I would have answered this email. I didn’t answer the one I got. So here’s the lesson: If your customers are not responding to your emails, there’s a chance you are not writing compelling messages. Take 10 minutes to write a good email instead of copying and pasting something generic. A machine gun approach isn’t going to help you get engagement. 📥 If you're interested in Customer Success, consider joining 9k+ CS Professionals who read my weekly newsletter on how to build and scale a CS Team [sign up in the comments section]. #csm #customersuccess #customerengagement #revops #saas

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Ashi from Gong is fast (😮‍💨10k) But not as fast as Gong Engage users when they use Lavender. Access to your Gong calls in our personalization assistant ✅ Access to our coach & "Ashi fast" personalization in Gong ✅ Better 🤝 Faster 3.0 (and so much more) coming soon

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Love these tips from Daphne to stop CSM’s being reactive and start being proactive

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I'm slightly obsessed with Outbound Sales. There's so much nuance to it. But there is a formula..... A way of making it work, well. 1. Building target account lists. 2. Mapping contacts to accounts. 3. Setting up intent models 4. Lead prioritization markers 5. Account Lead routing 6. Contact Lead routing. 7. Positioning & Messaging 8. LinkedIn Outreach 9. Community Outreach 10. Email 11. Calls 12. Lead stages - with clear criteria 13. Lead to Deal / Op process 14. Discovery Playbooks 15. Qualification playbooks 16. Lead lost reasons 17. Sales Outreach Enablement 18. Lead Insight Analytics 19. Great leadership.... .....the list goes on..... I love it - because it's so complex. Anyone who thinks SDRs have got it easy..... ....think again. It's remarkable that businesses leaders expect SDRs to run without #revenueoperations are we expecting SDRs to build out this infrastructure for themselves? I'm curious to learn which sales people are managing ALL of this and who has been blessed with a #RevOps resource - to help you get more done?

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Dear Sales Leaders, Your incentive programs suck. Amazon Gift cards, AirPods, or Yeti Coolers mean nothing. They aren't inspiring the behaviors you're envisioning: - Consistently exceeding outbound KPIs  - Consistently hitting stretch goals for C/W revenue Cheap gifts for business critical outcomes always fall flat. Whether they're handed out at President's Club or a weekly all hands. I've learned this the hard way over-and-over. After 20 years in tech sales as an IC, manager, director, and now VP. I've seen that you can't expect your reps to climb a mountain. Then reward their blood, sweat, and tears with the bare minimum. There's a better way. The highest performing revenue orgs know this. So they honor exceptional effort + achievement differently. Here’s what I mean. In 2010, I was the #1 global sales rep for Forrester Research (NYSE: FORR). At President's Club in Aruba. Guess what my Global Sales VP recognized my performance with... A coconut monkey holding a phone. That he probably bought at the airport for $5. My other corporate trophies for outstanding contributions to "the business"? Long gone. I've kept the coconut monkey though. Because it’s a hilarious reminder. Of how most leaders think about their sales incentive programs. The saddest part is. I know I'm not alone. There are thousands of top performing sales reps who say the same thing. They've secured millions of dollars of new revenue for their orgs. And have laughable trinkets for their herculean efforts. Why am I not hearing different stories? Why aren't top global reps showing me prized possessions? Like a custom engraved Omega or Cartier watch. My points is. It’s time for sales leaders and their execs assigning them the budget to step up. Reward high achievers with more thought and creativity. You’ll be shocked how much this impacts individual behavior. And sends the right kind of message across your entire sales function. Drop a comment on the BEST piece of recognition you’ve earned. 

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Had an inbound call that ended after 13 minutes. It was originally scheduled for 45 minutes. Inbound lead, demo request 🔥 Ran the call as I always start: ✔️ Rapport ✔️ Time check ✔️ Objective of call ✔️ Potential Outcomes Then we started discovery. They had a very specific use-case in mind. I didn't take it at face-value and dug deeper to uncover any 'pain.' But there wasn't any. They came in knowing exactly what they wanted. While we could solve the use case, I knew competitors could too. And they'd be priced much, much cheaper than us. So I did what few salespeople ever do. I told them exactly that. 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧: "Are you open to a recommendation?" 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦: "Yes, of course." 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧: "From what you shared, we can surely help. However, I know a few of our competitors can too, for ~75% cheaper, given your specific use-case. Would you want to hear who we've heard great things about?" They were blown away and thanked me for my honesty. Shared that they wished all sales reps would do that. I followed up right after with 3 recommendations. If your solution is for everyone, it's for no one 💡 🦙 P.S. Join 1,000+ sellers that have downloaded my (free) account planning template: https://lnkd.in/gVY8Xpxc

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The job of your sales enablement tech isn't to drive product usage, give you more data, help you pass quizzes or beat bots. The job is to make you more money, by making your reps better. If you improve what your team says and how they say it, you'll generate more leads, close more deals, and boost retention rates. That's why 90% of GTM orgs invest in sales enablement tech. The upside of solving the real issue is huge. YET 90% of the things you teach reps never get used in front of clients. Your tech stack is failing you, and they're probably putting the blame on you rather than looking at themselves. Regardless of what tools you use, your reps don't practice, don't receive enough feedback and you likely have no idea if A) taught skills get used with actual clients and B) if it impacts your actual business. This is why we have struggled with how to describe what we're doing. Because AI Roleplay, Conversational Intelligence, Feedback Automation and even Learning Management Systems just don't cut it when it comes to doing those things. Our entire point of view is that you need 3 things. Practice, Feedback and Measurement. Think of it like an Enablement Trinity. If you solve for that, you unlock the full potential of every client interaction. Everybody wins. The job-to-be-done is not to use a product. The job-to-be-done is to actually adopt the things you're taught. We are creating the world's first Training Adoption Platform.

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“AE’s are going to have to outbound more”   ^If you’re in B2B tech sales you’ve probably heard this sentence in the past year at your company.^   Nobody likes being told to do more, but sometimes in sales you just need to do more. It’s not pretty, it’s not glamorous and yeah maybe it’s the “old school” way of thinking… but when resources are strapped or you're off pace, that's often the only thing you can do.   Enter Scene: Strong sales culture + Gamification = Happy reps that are doing more.   Recently, myself and the Ambition AE team had an outbound call blitz day. We made around 500 dials into an extremely targeted account list, had 27 conversations on the phone, set 7 meetings and had a hell of a time doing it. ☎ Using our own software 💚, all of this was tracked real time and displayed on our sales TVs and in Slack 📺 . So live updates to the competition surfaced, personalized anthems were playing when a meeting was booked, and the vibes were high. On top of the contest via Ambition, our in-office people dressed up in ridiculous costumes, we loaded up on Celsius, coffee, and amazing food, and the non-sales folks were rooting on the AE team. Gamification is a powerful way to drive more quality activity using a carrot instead of hitting someone over the head with a stick. Behavior change is hard, but when you have a simple, yet strategic approach it's extremely possible. 

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How would you describe the state of pipeline generation in 5 words or less? UserGems 💎 asked 100+ revenue leaders to share their honest opinions about: > why teams are missing targets > wtf is going on with outbound > the new roadmap for pipeline gen And PHEW did I learn a lot while digging through the research 😮‍💨 I got permission to soft launch the full report before we go fully live next week...so if you want a sneak peek just hit me up! Comment or DM "roadmap" for early access 🛣️

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Great insights Kyle. I believe selling to the right customer is key: 1️⃣ Sell to the right customer. 2️⃣ Nail onboarding. 3️⃣ Stop overselling on the 1st deal. 4️⃣ Market to your customers. 5️⃣ Set up integrations. 6️⃣ Solve more problems. 7️⃣ Give yourself more time. #CustomerSuccess

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With tools like Clay, 6sense Inc. Cognism Apollo.io ZoomInfo Common Room RB2B GTM data has never been more accessible. Yet, many revenue teams still hit roadblocks. Why? Because knowing data and knowing how to use data are two very different things. 📉 It's like having a map but not knowing how to read it. 🗺️😓 At Userled We transform raw data into powerful, personalized campaigns that engages and converts your key accounts —at scale. 🚀 It enables to drive 2x more pipeline from your target accounts while moving prospects through the funnel faster and more efficiently. 🔄 DM the team here so we can show you how! 📨 (also, if you have playbooks or actionable content on how to best leverage buying intent data to convert key accounts I’d love to see them in comments!)

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What 95% of CSM looks like - Get the sales hand-off - Document the use case - Apply one-size-fits-all CS program - Monitor product usage and health scores - Check in when they decrease - Send reminder 30 days before renewal What the other 5% looks like - Discover customers needs - Create dedicated roadmaps to success - Provide tailored education and training - Track progress with the customer's success metrics - Follow up to ensure steady progress - Make renewals a no-brainer It's 2024. Customer expectations have never been higher. The old playbook is obsolete. There's no alternative to radical focus on Customer Value. PS: Here are 40 free questions to challenge yourself and improve your performance --> https://lnkd.in/dPDMrPUA

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Imagine a world where selling is as easy as logging into your ZoomInfo home page. A world where your whole day was planned for you of who to contact, when, and how. A world with perfectly curated account summaries of your top ICP accounts served to you without you having do anything. That’s the world that ZoomInfo Copilot, the next big innovation to go-to-market promises to deliver. As a ZoomInfo partner and power user, I get to be one of the first ones to try out this new AI powered platform. Follow along with me as I explore the ins and outs! #ZoomInfoCopilot #zoominfo

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