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⚡️ Today’s level up ⚡️

Today’s edition shares a proven approach to consistently deliver revenue with strategic accounts.Let’s go!Read time: <5 minutes

Activity alone is not enough with strategic accounts

Last Friday, I consulted with an Enterprise AE, the top performer on an underperforming enterprise sales team.Everybody on the team is below quota this year.His leaders have created activity plans for the sellers that outline clear expectations for high-volume outbound activity. The minimum expectation is 100 outbound activities each week. ONE HUNDRED!I get it; the pressure is on leaders in today’s environment. And that is trickling down to individual sellers because leaders are accustomed to managing by numbers in a dashboard.But when it comes to the enterprise space, particularly pursuing strategic accounts, activity alone will not be a strong barometer for success. It may be an effective way to manage performance in SMB and Mid-Market sales where transactional selling is necessary, but it won’t cut it at this level.Here’s a summary of our discussion and the approach I used to close an average of five mega deals a year consistently…in good times and bad.

Let creativity lead the way

This seller wanted to know the right number of outbound calls or meetings to run weekly. That is not the right way to think about making an impact at this level.I told him I couldn’t remember how many calls I made, how many emails got sent, or how many meetings I ran as a strategic seller each week. I was too busy designing creative resources (like open letters, vision videos, and running peer events) rather than monitoring outbound campaigns or trying to make cold calls to connect.The foundation for this creativity was having a crystal clear point of view in place.To the depths of my soul, I knew what a fully transformed business using my technology looked like. I had spent much time deconstructing what our top and most innovative customers were doing differently.Then, I further dissected the leader's psychology behind architecting the transformation (known as The Mobilizer). I understood their thoughts, challenges in their org, and vision for the future.Having a crystal clear point of view changed my posture as a seller. Instead of asking for time to complete discovery (what every other seller does), I worked with our marketing team and SDRs to create creative assets that shared specific insights.This shifted the conversation from “Can I talk to you? We may be a good fit if I can ask you the right questions. Am I worthy of your time?” to “We should talk because I have access to something innovative leaders in your position are doing that’s different. Are you worthy of my time?”The point of view + the confidence of knowing how to help a brand were like rocket fuel.Then, as I laid out in step two of 7 Steps to 7 Figures, I got super strategic with filtering down my account list to accounts that had significant meaning to me so that every day felt like a mission. I thought, “I know exactly how this brand is failing, and it’s my responsibility to let them know about it and get it corrected.”Creativity, not blind activity, was what got their attention. But without having a clear point of view, I wouldn’t have known how to be creative.

Essential questions to ask yourself:

→ How clear are you on your point of view? What does a fully transformed business look like using everything your company can do? What are they able to do that other brands like them cannot?→ Who is your most innovative customer? Why are they pushing the boundaries with your products and services? Who is the individual behind bringing this transformation to life? How do they think differently, and how would they advise others to do the same?→ Are you asking for time to do discovery, or are you sharing insights that demand time be given? What are the most creative ways to share those insights? Who can help you bring them to life?→ Can you clearly identify your top 10 accounts to pursue? Why are you pursuing them? What criteria are you using to make them more meaningful to you?

A better metric for strategic success

Once I was armed with a clear point of view and knew exactly who I wanted to talk to and why, the “game” I was playing was ensuring I won way more than I lost.I am using the word game purposefully here…because that’s what the work should feel like - a fun game to play daily.My win rate was the guiding metric that I became obsessed with. I became hyper-protective of not going too far into an account pursuit if I knew it wasn’t one I could (or wanted) to win. Instead of calls, emails, or other needless outbound activity, I honed in on proposals sent as the critical KPI.Getting to the proposal stage meant I did everything possible to win the business. My expectation at that stage was to win the deal (I ended my career with a 78% win rate).This is what our team focused on:

Then, I took it further than others on the team to ensure I created a Diamond Standard. My obsession that garnered a high win rate was thinking, “How can I be the best meeting of their year (in every meeting with every account)?”Hope this was helpful. Would you like to see this blueprint developed into a more detailed product, like an ebook or a digital course? If so, reply and let me know.See you next week!

Here’s how I can help you right now:

1 |Unlock the 7 Figure Seller OSLearn how to use design and systems thinking to become a 7 figure seller. There are 3 options to allow you to customize your learning journey.2 | Download The 7 Figure Open LetterGet the creative strategic selling strategy that landed a $5.9M deal with a top 4 major global airline. Bonus inside!3 |Book a 1:1 coaching session right nowYou can book a 60-minute coaching session with me (although the Pro above option provides access to 1:1 coaching with me at a 70% discount. Note, just a handful of available coaching slots remain for 2023).