7 Key Principles of Value-Based Selling — What Experts Have to Say

Shadrack Wanjohi — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:30:00 +0100

Selling drives every great business, whether you realize it or not. Value-based selling isn’t a trick. It’s the difference between pushing a product and solving a problem for your customer. It’s the difference between a forgettable pitch and a deal your customer can’t wait to say yes to.

Not a salesperson? Think again. Every time you pitch an idea, rally a team, or land a client, you’re selling.

Yet, for many, the word “sales” still carries a bad reputation. When they hear it, most people picture pushy tactics, awkward conversations, and high-pressure pitches. We’ve all sat through a pitch so forced, so off-target, that it made us want to run. But great selling? It doesn’t even feel like selling. It feels like solving.

I wanted to know: What separates great sellers from forgettable ones? So I went straight to the source: founders and sales pros who’ve mastered the art. So, what’s their secret? What do they do to make customers lean in instead of tuning out? Keep reading to break down the real-world strategies that make value-based selling work.

Table of Contents

What is value-based selling?
A Value-Based Selling Framework
Why Value-Based Selling Matters
Best Practices for Value-Based Selling
Value-Based Selling Methodologies
Value-Based Selling Examples

In essence, value-based selling moves us from a mindset of “What can I sell?” to “How can I solve my client’s problem?” This shift fosters trust, deepens client relationships, and ultimately leads to sustainable business growth.

Pro tip: “The best salespeople today are those who can articulate the pain their prospects are experiencing,” says Callum Laing, founder of the Veblen Director Programme and a partner at Unity Group.

“The better you can capture their frustration, the better you can position your product as the solution. Customers want to be heard. Value-based selling means asking great questions and truly listening. If you’re not the best solution, be willing to walk away.”

A Value-Based Selling Framework

Understanding why buyers make purchasing decisions is the foundation of successful selling.

To move forward in the buying process, customers need confidence in three key areas: emotional connection, logical comparison, and trust in outcomes. These align with three core factors of the value-based selling framework: resonate, differentiate, and substantiate.

Resonate

Buyers must want and need what you’re selling, and your offering should align with their goals, challenges, and aspirations. By understanding these, you will know if your product is a good fit for them and how to pitch it so it hits homes.

Among the top six reasons prospects back out of deals, 31% of salespeople surveyed in our State of Sales report said it was because prospects weren’t convinced the offering was worth the price, and another 28% said prospects weren’t convinced it was right for them. With a value-based selling approach, salespeople could close more of these deals by focusing on the value of their offering.

Here’s how Christina Brady, CEO of Luster, explains value-based selling: “The first thing to keep in mind with value-based selling is that it’s not about what you, as the salesperson, perceive the value of your product or service to be. It’s about understanding what’s valuable in a solution for the customer and then determining if your product is a fit for their needs.”

This means asking insightful questions, actively listening, and mapping their priorities to your solution’s benefits — rather than just pitching features.

Differentiate

Your offering must stand out from other available options. Buyers evaluate differentiation by comparing features, pricing, brand perception, and overall fit for their specific needs. What makes your product or service unique? Why should they choose you over competitors?

This means first creating an offering that stands out from the competition, and then promoting and explaining what makes it unique. A thorough market research can help you understand the competitive landscape, gaps in competitors’ offerings, and market sentiment. Knowing what’s already out there will allow you to position your brand better.

In other words, to differentiate your product or service, you need to have a clearly defined unique selling proposition that your sales reps can articulate to prospects.

Substantiate

Finally, your offering must prove it will deliver on its promises. Can you provide evidence, case studies, or testimonials that back up your claims? If you can’t prove the value you offer, prospects have nothing other than your words.

With 77% of B2B customers doing their own research before speaking with sales, I think it’s more important than ever to care for the reputation of your brand. Customers — both satisfied and not — will make their opinions of and experiences with your brand known on social media, review sites, and in conversations with their friends.

While you can’t control what other people say, you can amplify the positive feedback, share the hard numbers that represent success, and provide success stories to prospects. All of these will substantiate your value claims.

I think Mike Schultz, president of RAIN Group, sums it up well. He explains that a strong value proposition should address all three areas. “When your value proposition successfully covers these three areas, you convince buyers that they need your solution, you’re the best option, and they believe you’ll achieve results,” he says.

This buyer-focused approach is the foundation of value-based selling.

Pro tip: With Sales Hub, your team can focus on the highest-value prospects — using data-driven insights to personalize outreach and maximize results.

Why Value-Based Selling Matters

In my opinion, value-based selling is the only way to sell. By putting the customer and their needs first, customers will trust you and the value your product or service offers them. Moreover, their relationship with your business won’t end after they make a purchase — they will stick around if they find value and recommend you to others.

In other words, value-based selling ensures both your customers and your company win. Check out how below.

It builds trust with prospects. By prioritizing the customer's needs over your sales targets, you establish yourself as a trusted advisor rather than just another salesperson. In fact, I learned that top-performing sellers are 60% more likely to excel at presenting the overall value persuasively and 63% more likely to excel at making and communicating strong ROI and financial cases for buyers.
It leads to more informed buying decisions. When you educate your prospects about their challenges and potential solutions, they’re better equipped to make decisions that truly benefit their business.
It creates long-term, satisfied customers. Customers who feel their needs have been understood and met are more likely to become loyal, repeat buyers and brand advocates.
It helps you stand out in a crowded marketplace. In a world where prospects are bombarded with sales messages, I’ve found a value-based approach can set you apart from competitors who are still using aggressive, product-centric tactics.
It aligns with modern buying behaviors. Today’s buyers are more informed and self-directed than ever. I like how value-based selling respects this by providing relevant, helpful information throughout the buying process. According to RAIN Group, buyers report that a seller’s “focus on the value they can deliver” is the #1 most influential factor in their purchase decision — with 96% finding it influential.
It increases revenue. 90% of sales teams that use a value-based approach report year-over-year revenue growth, compared to 72% of sales teams that don’t.

Best Practices for Value-Based Selling

Most sales pitches fall flat because they focus on the product instead of the prospect. The best salespeople don’t just sell — they solve problems. To master value-based selling, I spoke with experts who’ve been in the trenches. If you want to close more deals, start with these best practices.

1. Do your homework.

Remember, the goal of value-based selling is to close the sale by prioritizing your prospect’s needs. However, you can’t prioritize your prospect’s needs if you don’t know what those needs are. Always do your homework to understand your contact — usually well before hopping on a sales call.

When researching a prospect, aim to understand their company and industry, background, and current pain points. By understanding these pieces of information, you’ll have a solid grasp of how to serve them best.

Here is some information I recommend researching when you prepare for your call.

Their Current Role and Previous Job Experience

I’ve found a simple LinkedIn search can help you learn about your prospect’s career history. Are they new to their current role? If so, they might still be ramping up and could benefit from learning from you.

Is this their first time making this type of purchasing decision, or have they been in similar roles? If they have experience in this area, they may be more interested in expediting the process so you can better serve them with efficiency.

Common Connections

If you have a common connection with a prospect, that can help you build trust with them faster. Additionally, the contact could help provide key insights into the prospect’s pain points and how you could provide value to them.

Content Shared on Social Media

If your prospect has a public X or Facebook profile, checking out what content they have recently shared or engaged with can give you an idea as to what is currently important to them.

Their Company’s Website, Press, and Social Media Pages

This will tell you whether their company has undergone any recent leadership changes, is currently releasing a new product, or has been in the news.

Their Contact Listing in Your CRM

Before hopping on the phone with your prospect, I definitely recommend checking out their profile in your CRM. This will tell you if and when any of your colleagues have engaged with them and what content from your company they have opened or engaged with.

Additionally, performing a simple Google search for their company’s competitors will give you a great deal of information about their industry landscape.

Pro tip: Remember, as Dale Shephard, founder of TrinityHawk, wisely points out, “Asking unprepared questions that you should know will not garner trust, and your prospect will close up.” The more you know going in, the more value you can provide from the very first interaction.

Need a structured approach to organize your preparation and value-based selling strategy? Our free Sales Plan Template helps you document your company positioning, target market analysis, prospecting strategy, and sales cadence. It has everything you need to align your team around delivering maximum value to customers.

2. Don’t jump into your sales pitch too early.

I know it’s tempting to launch into your carefully crafted sales pitch as soon as you get your prospect on the line. Resist this urge! Instead, give your prospect space to explain their current situation and what they’re looking for.

“The first thing you learn as a salesperson is not to data dump. If you’re going in blind and start listing everything your company does, you will exhaust the prospect’s attention span before you get to the part they care about,” says Jeff Walling, co-owner of ABM Equipment.

By listening first, you’ll gain invaluable insights that will help you tailor your approach and position your product or service as the ideal solution to their specific needs.

“Best practice is always to start by asking the client what their needs are, think about what pains you can solve, and then only talk about those. That’s why, in person-to-person sales, it can be said that all good selling is value-based selling,” Walling adds.

3. Communicate how your product provides value to the customer.

Once you understand your prospect’s needs, it’s time to articulate how your product or service provides value to them specifically. Remember, if they didn’t have a problem to solve or a need to fulfill, they wouldn’t be in the market for a new product.

I think Tim Peters, CMO at Enghouse Systems, articulates this perfectly:

“The real essence of value-based selling isn’t in telling a prospect about your value — it’s in demonstrating that you understand their specific problem better than they do. The shift that no one talks about is this: The sale isn’t about convincing the customer your solution has value; it’s about making them realize the cost of inaction is far greater than the price of your solution.”

As you look to sell, I recommend you make sure the benefits of your product are easy to understand and relevant to your prospect. For example:

Is your product designed to reduce cycle time and improve productivity for those who use it?
Does your company offer free training that will help customers quickly get up to speed after they have made their purchase?
Does the purchase of your product include free automatic updates for customers to make their jobs easier?

For example, don’t just say your software improves productivity. Instead, explain how it can reduce their specific pain point of long project cycles by 30%, based on results you’ve seen with similar clients.

Whatever your unique differentiators are for your offering, make sure they are aligned with the customer’s needs, and use these points to guide your sales conversations.

Personalization should be your primary goal because “value is subjective,” Peters explained to me.

“What’s valuable to one client is irrelevant to another, and the only way to uncover what they truly care about is to stop thinking about value in generic terms. You need to become an expert at reading between the lines, uncovering hidden needs, and showing your customer the future they didn’t even know they wanted,” Peters says.

4. Focus on teaching instead of selling.

One of the most effective ways I’ve found to provide value to prospects and customers is to educate them on a topic of interest.

When you take an education-first approach, you position yourself as their go-to resource for information. And when they trust your expertise, they’re far more likely to buy from you.

Trust turns cold prospects into eager buyers because they already see you as the expert who understands their needs.

This could involve:

Sharing industry insights by curating reports, trends, or research that affect their business.
Offering solutions to common challenges by breaking down real-world problems and presenting step-by-step fixes.
Providing relevant case studies or white papers by using proof points to show how others have solved similar issues.

Once trust is established and the prospect is ready to buy, your offering is far more appealing because you’ve already demonstrated value — instead of pushing the sale with no proof of value.

No matter your industry, the principle remains the same: Educating first builds trust. Let’s look at software sales as an example. Instead of running through a recycled sales pitch, you can start by asking a prospect what their top three challenges are.

Then, during your meeting, instead of talking at them with slides, walk them through real solutions in an informative, engaging way — tailored to their exact needs.

Pro tip: The best salespeople know when to stop talking. As Walling puts it, “The great paradox of sales is that those who love to talk last the longest, but shutting up is the real weapon.”

5. Guide the prospect through the buying process.

In value-based selling, think of yourself as both a consultant and a guide, helping your prospect make the most informed decision possible. This means:

Sharing fresh ideas and strategies.
Highlighting potential pitfalls or challenges.
Providing real-life examples of how other customers have succeeded (or struggled) with certain approaches.

For example, if a prospect is considering a risky approach, share a real-life story of how that decision led to setbacks for another buyer. Concrete examples make your guidance more persuasive.

This approach keeps your prospect in control of their buying decision while allowing you to guide them with honesty and helpful insights.

6. Keep a personable approach.

Value-based selling is all about building relationships, which means keeping things natural and engaging. Here’s how to do that:

Ask open-ended questions. Every question you ask should genuinely help you understand your prospect and encourage a thoughtful response. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
Master the art of small talk. While small talk may be the bane of every introvert’s existence, it can be a powerful tool for building trust. When in doubt, ask about their professional interests, responsibilities, or any upcoming events they’re involved in. These are great ways to start a conversation.
Speak with warmth and confidence. Your prospect should feel like they’re engaging with a knowledgeable guide, not someone delivering a sales pitch. Use a natural, conversational tone, but stay professional and focused on their needs.

If you’re looking for helpful conversation starters, this post has even more tips and real-world examples.

7. Add value during every interaction.

The Sales Prospecting Email Templates Your Team Needs to Start Conversations and Fill Your Pipeline

Shadrack Wanjohi — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Sales prospecting is more than sending emails — it’s about building relationships that turn cold leads into warm opportunities. But breaking through the noise is hard. Most cold emails get ignored, and follow-ups often fall flat.

That’s why we’ve created these 30 battle-tested sales prospecting email templates designed specifically for SDRs, BDRs, and AEs. These templates help you:

Break the ice with cold prospects.

Re-engage unresponsive leads.

Ask for referrals and introductions.

Use LinkedIn and social selling to connect.

These templates are about more than open rates. They’re about starting real conversations and filling your pipeline with sales-qualified leads. Each one comes from real-world sales scenarios, with proven techniques to get replies and spark meaningful conversations.

Whether you’re sending your first cold outreach or re-engaging a lost opportunity, I guarantee these templates will help you prospect smarter and win more deals.

Table of Contents

Sales Prospecting Tips for Modern Selling

Sales Prospecting Email Templates

How to Write a Sales Prospecting Email That Gets a Response

Sales Prospecting Tips for Modern Selling

1. Start social, stay natural.

LinkedIn is where business conversations belong. You’re meeting people in their natural habitat where they expect professional connections, not cold pitches.

I like to think of it like striking up a conversation at a networking event, not cornering someone in an elevator.

Plus, let’s be real: Email screams “sales pitch” before they even open it. Instead, I recommend thoughtful comments to keep you visible to your target audience.

2. Master meaningful engagement.

Stop the “Great post!” comments — they’re just noise. If you’re going to show up, add something that makes them think. Build on their point, push the conversation forward, and make them the star.

Here’s how I find it best to do: Agree briefly → Add insight → Ask a question.

For example:

Instead of “Great post!” try: “I loved your point about buyer hesitation. Have you found that early-stage case studies help address that?”

It’s about showing you care enough to engage, not just spray and pray.

3. Respect the relationship timeline.

There’s an order to this: Comments → DMs → Email. Jumping straight from “nice post” to “Can I have a call?” is creepy. Build the relationship before you switch lanes.

Here’s how I make the jump:

When I DM, I reference our public conversation:

“Hey [Name], I enjoyed our chat on your post about outbound tactics. Thought I’d connect here!”

Why take your time? Because people warm up to contributors, not pitchers. Commenting is low-pressure, with no commitment, so they get to know you without their guard up.

Let them recognize your name before you ever hit “send” on that DM.

4. Focus on quality over scale.

Forget about chasing numbers. You can’t automate authenticity — and that’s your edge. Focus on real conversations, even if it’s just a few. The right connection beats 100 cold contacts every time.

I ask myself: What do they care about? Then, I reference it directly:

“I saw your post on outbound tactics — your point on timing was spot-on. Curious how you handle follow-ups with no response?”

No templates. No fluff. Just real conversations. And here’s why it works: Genuine conversations build rapport faster — and warm leads convert more often than cold contacts.

5. Warm up cold outreach.

Here’s the play: Use social to get familiar, then carry that warmth into email. The email shouldn’t feel like an intro — it should feel like a continuation.

Here’s how I structure my outreach:

Reference their content.

Relate it to my experience.

Invite conversation without pitching.

Like this:

“Hey [Name], I really enjoyed your post on follow-up timing. It made me rethink my approach. Thought I’d reach out and connect directly.”

See what happened there? Just picking up the conversation where you left off.

Sales Prospecting Email Templates

Whether you’re an SDR making first contact or an AE nurturing key accounts, you’ll find battle-tested prospecting emails for every scenario, from cold outreach to re-engagement.

Cold Outreach Templates

Cold outreach isn’t about selling on the first touch. It’s about starting a conversation that earns you the right to sell later.

You’re reaching out to people who don’t know you and don’t trust you. Honestly? They probably don’t care much about you.

That’s why the best cold outreach emails don’t pitch. They spark curiosity, offer value, or find common ground. Your goal isn’t to close a deal. It’s to get a reply.

Below are cold outreach templates that help you do just that. Use them when reaching out to prospects who are cold but qualified. The people who fit your ICP but have no idea who you are (yet).

1. Congratulate them.

There’s more information available about prospects today than at any other time in the history of selling. That means there are plenty of prospect success stories out there for you to find.

Visit your prospect’s website for funding updates, search Google for company news, and view LinkedIn to learn about the prospect’s professional dossier. Then, append all this information to your contact records.

Once you’ve found the perfect opportunity to congratulate the prospect, don’t try to pitch them. Simply share a genuine compliment.

Why this email works: This approach is creative and personal. Flattery is always welcome, and it’s possible you’ll get a “Thank you, but who are you?” in response.

2. Boost their mission.

Try this approach with executive leaders. Executives and business owners are usually the creators of their vision and are most involved with communicating it. Publicity is the name of the game, especially in startups and small businesses.

Hey [Prospect],

Congratulations on your new role as VP of Marketing. Based on your LinkedIn profile, you’ve done an amazing job developing your career at [company].

If there are ways I can help you get your message out to my network of [title of people they’re trying to reach], please let me know. I’m a fan, and I want to help.

Do you have a PR or content person on your team?

Regards,

[Your name]

Why this email works: This email is genuine and applicable to just about any company.

It’s hard for the recipient of this email to turn down an opportunity for free publicity, so you’ll likely be able to get your foot in the door by offering your platform to promote their mission.

3. Provide immediate value.

Find a way to provide some value upfront, even if it’s your own expertise. Just be careful not to be critical in your first email. Starting with a compliment can soften the critique.

Hey [Prospect],

Your website’s design is absolutely brilliant. The visuals really enhance your message, and the content compels action. I’ve forwarded it to a few of my contacts who could benefit from your services.

When I looked at your site, though, I noticed a mistake in search engine optimization. It’s a relatively simple fix. Would you like me to write up the fix and share it with your web team? If this is a priority, I can also schedule a call.

Regards,

[Your name]

Why this email works: Software companies have mastered providing immediate value for free through freemium business models, creating some of the fastest-growing businesses ever.

Free feature-limited or usage-limited software offers value before any money changes hands.

If you’re a service provider, partner with a software company that has a freemium model. For example, if you’re an accountant, partner with Expensify to introduce free expense report tools.

If you sell sales training services, recommend a product like HubSpot’s free email tracking tool. As long as you are the person introducing free value, prospects will appreciate it.

4. Offer help.

Remember, your goal in the initial email is to simply get a response. With this in mind, an immediate fix the prospect needs might not be related to the products or services your business offers.

That doesn’t mean you can’t still offer help. Here’s how to do it:

Hey [Prospect],

Welcome to town. My family and I enjoyed a nice dinner at your new Sudbury location last month. I really enjoyed the scallops and risotto. I’ll be back.

I drove by your restaurant last night fairly late and thought you were closed at first glance. I saw a few people sitting at the bar, but the light in front of the restaurant was really dim.

This isn’t my area of expertise, but I know a good sign guy. Would you like an intro?

Regards,

[Your name]

Why this email works: It’s similar to the example above, but it comes across as even more genuine.

Offering an intro does not benefit you, but the prospect benefits from a new lead that could bring them more business.

5. Compliment them.

You could give cash away to your prospects, which might get their attention. Alternatively, you can offer a free compliment.

Hey [Prospect],

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with the world.

I love your wit and humor. As I laugh out loud, I find myself nodding in agreement with your advice.

Your article the other day with the three email templates really inspired me. I forwarded it to a few of my clients. One of them has really been struggling to connect with key prospects, and we’ve implemented your advice. A prospect they’ve been trying to reach for a year now responded within an hour.

Would you like to see how my client applied your advice?

Best,

[Your name]

Why this email works: These templates offer kind words and helpful tips. People like to hear nice things about themselves, and receiving a specific solution to a problem along with flattering statements is a recipe for a response.

6. Build rapport using common interests.

Warning: Don’t be creepy. Salespeople of yesteryear could get away with walking into a buyer’s office, noticing the photo of the prospect’s grandchildren, and remarking, “You have a beautiful family.” Today, framed pictures of decades past have become digital photos on Facebook.

Salespeople should certainly incorporate Facebook into their research. But that doesn’t mean you should open with, “How was your grandkids’ soccer practice on Sunday?”

That’ll compel a prospect to issue a restraining order, not email you back. Instead, start with safe topics like common personal interests.

Hey [Prospect],

I was browsing through LinkedIn. Looks like you and I are both in [industry], and we’re both snowboarding fans. Have you ever dreamed of having an industry conference at a ski resort? I have.

Have you gotten out this year? I got out to Loon last month. The powder was amazing.

Regards,

[Your name]

Why this email works: You’re making a sincere connection with the prospect using information that’s typically fair game to mention — LinkedIn posts. The prospect will respect your research skills and appreciate that you were tactful in your approach.

Opening with a mutual non-work-related interest is smart for another reason: You’re giving them a break from the day-to-day and reminding them of something they love to do outside of work.

7. Congratulate the new hire.

New hires are on top of their emails more than senior employees, so you’ll have a chance at getting your email opened and read with this group. Congratulate them on joining the company, and let them know they made a great decision.

[Prospect],

Congrats on your new role with XYC Recruiting. I’ve heard amazing things about the company and trust you’ll enjoy working there.

I work with [Your company name], helping teams like yours increase employee retention by up to 35%. I’d love to talk with you about how your company could achieve the same results — and help you make a splash in your first few months.

Here’s a link to my calendar if you’d like to book some time: [Calendar link]

Regards,

[Your name]

Why this email works: It’s natural to respond to well wishes with a simple “thank you,” but by adding more information to your email about what you do and why you’re sending them a message, they may be inclined to take you up on your offer to meet.

8. Offer motivation.

No matter what industry your prospect works in, they’re probably going through their own trials and tribulations.

A word of encouragement might be just what they need to make it through the day. Send a thoughtful message like this one to perk them up.

[Prospect],

Today might be a day when you’re wondering how you’re going to get through it all. I’m here to tell you that you’re more than capable of doing anything you put your mind to.

The rest of the day is in your control. Make the most of it.

When you need a word of encouragement, you’ve got my email.

You’ve got this,

[Your name]

Why this email works: They’ll remember how you made them feel and appreciate the sincerity you displayed. Instead of taking the opportunity to ask for a connection, a call, or a few minutes of their time, you offered them a moment to reflect on their day and make the most of it.

9. Send them a gift.

When was the last time you received a gift card to your favorite coffee shop or had lunch covered by a friend? It’s not a common occurrence, and that makes it all the more meaningful when it does happen.

Do some research to see if you can find the prospect’s favorite restaurant and purchase an e-gift card.

Depending on your sales team’s budget, this might be out of reach for every prospect, but for the ones you feel are a great fit for your product or service or someone you’ve received an introduction to, try this email template.

Remember to use an eye-catching subject line so they don’t miss the free gift inside.

Subject: Lunch is on [company name]. Here’s a $10 gift card.

Hey [Prospect],

Remember to break for lunch today. [link team and company name here] is providing you with today’s meal.

[insert e-gift card link]

Enjoy!

[Your name]

Why this email works: The tried and true reciprocity principle never steers us wrong. A good deed begets a good deed. Your prospect will want to thank you for the gift and probably commend you on the unique approach.

Referral and Networking Templates

Referral and networking templates are for reaching out through mutual connections, whether it’s a shared colleague, vendor, or fellow industry professional. Use these when you want to open a conversation with social proof and built-in trust.

The goal is to leverage existing relationships to start a conversation. This isn’t about pitching.

It’s about asking for an introduction, offering value, or exploring mutual opportunities.

Warm intros convert better than cold outreach because trust is already established. I’ve found people are more likely to reply when you come recommended by someone they know.

10. Seek referrals.

Everyone with a quota should be part of a networking group. If you sell to bigger companies, join a group (or start one) of professionals who sell to your target market. Try reaching out to other sales professionals like this.

[Referral partner],

It looks like we both sell to CIOs in the Boston area. I meet with a handful of successful salespeople every week to talk about accounts, and we help each other with introductions to prospects. During some months, my networking group books me more meetings than my SDR.

Would you be interested in meeting for coffee to talk about how we might be able to help each other?

[Your name]

Why this email works: You’ll want to diversify your sales prospecting approach. Cold calling, emailing, social media, and talking to strangers will get you far, but adding other salespeople to your network is a way to work smarter.

I think this email template is the perfect example of the benefits of expanding your sales network.

11. Talk to your prospect’s vendors.

Vendors are another resource for learning about a company. Trusted service providers are in a great position to refer you. Not only do they know how your prospect makes purchasing decisions — they can make introductions.

Hey [Prospect],

Your commercial real estate broker, [name], suggested I reach out to you. Someone in your organization told them that booking conference rooms is a real challenge. Everything is always booked — even when people aren’t in the room.

This is an easy fix if you’re interested in solving this problem o

Objection Handling: 44 Common Sales Objections & How to Respond

Mark Burdon — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0100

High-performing sales professionals aren’t triggered to surrender by a sales objection. Instead, they use objections to craft personalized value propositions to differentiate their company, their offerings — and ultimately close the deal.

As a long-time sales and business development professional, I’ve always seen sales objections as guideposts along a buying process: they tell me what a prospect needs to move forward.

When overcoming objections in sales, salespeople must be curious, intuitive, and empathetic enough to ask questions that motivate prospects to disclose their objections instead of just ghosting the salesperson and leaving them wondering why.

In this article, you’ll learn proven, practical objection-handling strategies you can use in your business development tactics.

Table of Contents

What is a sales objection?

What is objection handling?

Types of Sales Objections

How to Overcome Sales Objections

Common Sales Objections

Handling Objections

Objection Handling Training

When an Objection is a Firm “No”

A typical sales objection arises when a prospect has a perceived or actual lack of specific resources. Prospects usually object to a sale when they feel they don’t have the money, interest, need, or autonomy to buy from your business.

My experiences taught me that prospects are reluctant to speak with a sales rep if they:

Don’t have a defined mandate or the authority to engage with a salesperson’s offer.

Don’t feel they are prepared or educated enough on a topic to have a meaningful conversation.

Have had negative experiences with salespeople in the past, with your company, or otherwise.

Feel overwhelmed if a seller’s pitch is full of technical jargon or industry-speak.

Are reluctant to get into a high-pressure, prolonged sales process with an unfamiliar (or even a familiar) company or representative.

Work in a matrixed organization with complex or rigid buying and approval processes.

Have real or misconceived concerns about the cost, commitment, or inflexibility of your company and its solutions.

Are skeptical your solution can deliver the value you describe in your pitch or promotional material.

While sales objections present some daunting obstacles to a sales process, overcoming objections in sales is possible with practice and proven strategies.

Handling Objections

Handling objections is an inevitable and often challenging task for sales pros. According to HubSpot data, sellers who successfully defend their product against buyers' objections can have a close rate as high as 64%.

Underachieving sales reps respond to prospect objections by:

Conceding defeat immediately and disengaging from the prospect.

Arguing their case defensively without probing for the source of an objection.

Trying to pressure the prospect into remaining engaged by sowing fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD).

Making derogatory statements about competitors the prospect has (or is considering) a relationship with.

Using tired transactional sales tactics like offering discounts or making false claims instead of taking a consultative sales approach.

These kinds of aggressive selling approaches aren’t effective at handling objections.

Prospects often feel these kinds of responses justify their attitude about your company, or sales people in general. Using these tactics can undermine any trust or rapport you’ve developed with a customer or prospect, and anyone they share their experiences with.

In contrast, proper handling of objections in sales demands that a salesperson:

Demonstrates situational awareness.

Gathers or accrues background information throughout the sales process.

Leads with empathy.

Asks thoughtful, open-ended questions.

Treads carefully when the prospect isn’t correct.

Next, I’ll break these items down a little and add some context.

Have situational awareness.

There isn’t a single cure-all objection handling formula. Instead, you need to develop instincts for where you are in your sales process, the nature of the deal you’re pursuing, and your prospect’s needs and interests.

Understanding the circumstances that are shaping a prospect’s objections is central to addressing them effectively.

In my experience: I’ve learned from making situational awareness mistakes a couple of times. Once I admitted to a customer that I had been so busy pursuing other opportunities that I hadn’t checked in with them in a while. The customer responded saying their feelings were hurt that I deprioritized them. I focused more on my account farming responsibilities after that conversation.

Gather extensive background information.

This point is a natural extension of the one above. Gathering background information informs effective, actionable situational awareness. Thoroughly research your prospect's company and, to a certain extent, the specific prospect or client.

See if you can answer the following:

What challenges is the customer or prospect currently facing?

What are the prospect’s near- and long-term goals?

What issues do the prospect‘s industry peers encounter?

What is their decision-making authority?

What aspects of the company's operations do they work with on a day-to-day basis?

What obstacles and restrictions does someone in their position typically encounter?

Uncovering these background insights can put you in a better position to handle objections tactfully.

In my experience: As I described earlier, I discovered the hard way that customers need to be consistently reminded of how much you value their business through regular follow-up. Your other business activities aren’t material to their needs.

Lead with empathy.

Empathy is central to every successful sales effort. You likely didn’t get into sales purely entirely earning commission or meeting or exceeding quota. The best salespeople I worked with loved to help businesses solve problems with the products and services they helped the customer gain access to.

Always bear a client’s needs and interests in mind, and they will often respond with trust, signed contracts — and best-case — become an advocate for your business through testimonials and success stories.

Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions.

The ability to ask thoughtful, open-ended questions can underscore every other point listed here. You need to get to the root of your prospect’s pain points if you’re going to understand and effectively handle the objections they raise.

Avoid questions that only warrant “yes or no” answers — and don't be afraid to use silence to your advantage. Also, let your buyers air their thoughts out. Feel out their concerns and put yourself in a position to overcome objections they might raise with calm confidence.

When the customer isn’t right, tread lightly.

Telling a prospect their objection isn’t justified can derail a relationship quickly. Instead, acknowledge their objection, then explain how doing business with you would actually look.

It's also important to distinguish between sales objections and brush-offs. While objections are authentic, brush-offs are excuses. Think of an objection as, “I see the value in your product, but I'm not sure about buying it for X reason,” while a brush-off translates to, “I don't want to talk to you.”

Unstated objections are far more serious than brush-offs. If you don’t know why a prospect doesn’t trust you or value what you have to offer, you are wasting your time and theirs.

In my experience: I once had the IT manager of a local government tell me they would never do business with my company (a large Canadian telco). When pressed, he said he felt my company was too big to offer his organization personalized service. Fortunately, I had testimonials from the prospect’s peers across the country who had similar reservations at first, but were pleasantly surprised at our ability to meet their needs. That reassured the prospect, and I landed his business.

Pro tip: Keep a list of customer success stories, testimonials, or third-party data that addresses common objections like cost, flexibility, or return on investment. Share authentic, quantifiable examples of the impact of your company’s products and services.

Objection Handling Framework

A proven and effective method for objection handling is Carew International’s LAER: The Bonding Process®. LAER involves four steps — Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, and Respond — and creates a positive, two-way transaction between the salesperson and the customer.

I’ll break down each step along with insights from sales leaders I talked to.

Step 1: Anticipate

Before you start with the LAER process, the first step is to anticipate objections by preparing for the conversation.

Laura Youngblom, president and chief revenue officer at Sell It, suggests “by consistently preparing for potential objections, you will learn more about your customers and what’s holding them back and eventually be able to predict what their objections will be.”

If you did your homework, you can address the objection factually, offer some context to allay their concerns, and enable you both to proceed with confidence.

Step 2: Listen

When confronted with an objection, the first requirement is to actively listen to it. Listening demonstrates to your customer that you are interested in their concern and care about what they have to say.

“The adage ‘people buy from those they know, like, and trust’ is still true. Buyers want (and expect) a personalized sales experience. How you present yourself and your product either builds that trust — or gives your competitors a foot in the door,” comments Mark Tanner, co-founder of Qwilr.

Step 3: Acknowledge

The next step is to acknowledge your customer’s concern. This is where you demonstrate you have been actively listening. Acknowledging and validating an objection can be as simple as a head nod or a restatement of the issue as you understand it. A sincere acknowledgment can build trust and have a calming effect. Sometimes, your customers just want to know that they are being heard.

“Not pretending you have all the answers and being genuine in communicating when you don't know something helps build trusting and reliable relationships,” says Sami Malik, CEO of Linear Health, a founder-led sales expert.

Youngblom adds that “when you disagree, you stop the flow of communication, but when you agree, their defenses come down.”

Step 4: Explore

The third step is to explore the concerns underlying your customer’s objection. It's imperative that you understand exactly what your customers meant by what they said.

For example, your customer may raise a price objection. Take the time to explore the customer’s objection, and you may discover they are using price as a smokescreen for fears of putting their own reputation on the line.

In my experience: I once had a customer who expressed an interest in integrating my company’s document management software (which they had deployed) and their ERP software. However, we hit a roadblock when my customer objected to our acquisition process because of RFP requirements on his end.

Fortunately, because I was able to uncover the details of the roadblock by active listening and exhibiting empathy, I was also able to come up with a solution and ultimately make the sale.

Step 5: Respond

The final step is to respond. Only once you have a complete understanding of your customer’s objection can you effectively respond with a credible:

Counterargument of how your company can exceed their expectations and deliver measurable value.

Product or service recommendation.

Business proposal that specifically addresses the customer’s concerns and closes the transaction.

Objection handling doesn’t have to be a painful activity for salespeople. Instead, objections should be viewed as opportunities to help your customer and grow your relationship with them.

Why is objection handling important?

Nothing is more dangerous to a deal than letting sales objections go unaddressed until the final stages. When a prospect’s objection goes unaddressed (whether warranted or not), it grows stronger and becomes deep-rooted, making it harder to overcome it.

With this in mind, don’t avoid objections — welcome them. You can proactively find them as well by periodically asking questions like:

“Do you have any concerns about X?”

“Can you see your team making X part of their daily routine?”

“Is X a strategic business goal for your company this year?”

“Are there any obstacles that would stop you from buying X?”

“How confident do you feel you'd see success from [product]? Why?”

“You seem a little worried about X. What are your thoughts?”

“What do you think will happen if X problem doesn’t get addressed over the next few months?”

As I touched on at the beginning of this article, most sales objections stem from some kind of “lack” — and they typically come from a reasonable place. Prospects who raise objections generally point to the fact that they simply can't buy right now.

But those “lacks” are often misplaced, and if you know what you‘re doing, you can usually find ways to work around them. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common types of objections in sales.

1. Lack of Budget

“It's too expensive.”

Objections based on price are the ones you‘ll come across most frequently. That’s because all purchases come with some level of financial risk.

As a sales rep, you'll want to consider the positioning of your product or service and how to demonstrate that value. This turns the conversation into one about risk vs. reward.

By providing value and painting a picture of where your solution will take them, they can be convinced that the reward is enough to justify the risk.

2. Lack of Trust

“I've never heard of your company.”

People do business with people they like, know, and trust.

In an inbound sales conversation, the prospect will have likely interacted with your content or will already be familiar with your organization in some way. This objection could be overcome by jogging their memory, or you might consider your sales cycle and whether it's feasible to nurture them through it.

But not all conversations are inbound conversations, and they may have genuinely never heard of you. It's at this point that you double down on the value you provide with your elevator pitch. Be sure to emphasize the authority your organization has in the market, and share examples of the companies you’ve worked with to gain credibility.

3. Lack of Need

“I don't see how this can help me.”

This may seem like an objection on the surface, but it's actually an opportunity to give information to the prospect (and get information from them in return). Use open-ended and layered questions to qualify the prospect and evaluate their needs. If you find a fit, leverage it to demonstrate value.

4. Lack of Urgency

“[X problem] isn't important for me right now.”

The goal here is to figure out if timing actually is an issue or if the prospect is brushing you off. One way to do that is by asking them to elaborate on why it's not important or what competing priorities currently have their attention.

Listen closely to determine if their response involves concrete timing issues or vague excuses. If they're doing backflips to justify inaction on a real pain point, you may have an opening.

When all else fails, try and schedule an appointment with them at a later date to dive deeper into the issue.

When trying to overcome sales objectives, it’s imperative you respond appropriately and avoid reacting impulsively to your prospect’s objections. Here are some helpful strategies for overcoming objections.

1. Practice active listening.

First and foremost, as your prospect is sharing their concerns with you, make sure you are using active listening skills to take in what they’re saying.

While your prospect discloses their objections, listen to understand, not respond. Avoid interrupting them while they are speaking, and give them space to voice their concerns and objections freely.

2. Repeat back what you hear.

Once your prospect has stated their objections, repeat back what you heard to make sure you are understanding correctly. Not only will this help clarify their points for you, but it will also help your prospect feel heard and valued, which is important for building trust.

3. Validate your prospect’s concerns.

After you have confirmed you understand where your prospect is coming from, continue building trust by empathizing with your prospect and validating their point of view. No, that doesn’t mean you have to talk down on your product or recommend a competitor.

For example, if you are selling automation software and your prospect is worried about their ability to implement your software into their complex system, you could say, “I understand. Implementing new software can feel like a daunting task. Thankfully, we have an incredible tech team that has experience working with similar organizations and can handle a seamless transition for you.”

With this response, you acknowledge that their concern is valid and offer a solution to mitigate their fears.

4. Ask follow-up questions.

When you hear objectives, you want to do all you can to keep the conversation going in a natural way. If you hear your prospect pulling back, asking follow-up questions can be a tactful way to keep them talking.

Don’t ask questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Make sure you ask open-ended questions that allow your prospect to continue expressing their thoughts on your product. The more information they give, the more you have to work with.

5. Leverage social proof.

Depending on the nature of your prospect’s concern, sharing the story of another customer who had similar reservations and went on to see success with your product can be a successful approach.

If you are in B2B sales, you can also share relevant information about your prospect’s competitors and any success they’ve seen from overcoming a similar objection.

AI Agents: What They Are, How They Work, and Why You Should Probably Invest in Them (Especially If You’re An Enterprise-Level Business) [+ New Data]

juthompson@hubspot.com (Justina Thompson) — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0100

Before you start Googling: No, AI agents aren’t secret spies fueled by mysterious government schemes. The AI agents I’m talking about actually serve an entirely different purpose. And I know you’re probably like, “What’s this lady even going on about?” I know I sound cryptic AF, so allow me to explain further.

Despite their misleading name, AI agents were designed to assist, enhance, and optimize the operations and workflows of various businesses, especially enterprise-level ones. Although they’re a relatively new technology, AI agents are already changing how companies troubleshoot issues, simplify processes, and increase employee productivity.

In this post, I’ll talk about what AI agents are, how they serve different business needs, and (if you’re considering using them) what to expect from their capabilities. Plus, you’ll get some real, unfiltered, industry-informed advice from two very well-versed AI agent experts.

Let’s get into it.

Table of Contents:

What are AI agents?

Statistics You Should Know About AI Usage in Sales

What do AI agents do?

How To Build an AI Agent, According to Wesley Baum, Bluleadz’s AI Specialist

AI Agents Use Cases

AI Agents for the Win?

As I mentioned earlier, AI agents are relatively new to enterprise-level companies. However, their adoption is growing rapidly as enterprise-level businesses recognize their ability to do the things that their human reps either 1) don’t have the time to do or 2) no longer can do (not because they’re not equipped to, but because they’re focusing on more high-impact, strategic tasks and requests).

At the core of all AI agents is the capability to streamline decision-making and problem-solving efforts, making operations — no matter what department they’re happening in — easier, faster, and less time-consuming.

Thus, mostly every AI agent can:

Analyze data

Automate tasks

Make intelligent decisions (based on predefined rules or machine learning models)

Answer common queries

Detect anomalies (like fraud or security threats)

Beyond these functions, AI agents can also learn and adapt over time. Through machine learning, they refine their responses, optimize processes, and improve efficiency based on patterns, feedback, and data. This makes them an ideal investment for businesses looking to enhance productivity, reduce manual work, and make data-informed choices faster.

There’s still much to learn about AI agents, from how they serve businesses and employees to the long-term impact of their integration across industries. But before I dive into the nitty-gritty details, I think it’s important to cover some need-to-know statistics about overall AI usage in sales.

All of this said, visit the following section to explore key insights on how AI is shaping the sales landscape.

Statistics You Should Know About AI Usage in Sales

When it comes to using AI in the enterprise biz world, salesfolks are the most keen on leveraging it to get things done.

Here’s a closer look at salespeoples’ overall sentiments around AI adoption and effectiveness, according to HubSpot’s 2024 Sales Trends Report:

81% of sales pros say AI tools help them in their work

78% of sales pros say AI tools help them be more efficient

66% of sales pros agree that AI tools help them provide better personalization

41% of sales pros use AI to recognize and respond to buyer emotions or sentiment (83% of them say it’s effective)

Additionally, HubSpot’s 2024 AI Trends for Sales Report revealed the following:

43% of salespeople say they’ve been using AI at work regularly (this is a 19% uptick from 2023)

87% of salespeople report increased usage of their CRM tools thanks to AI integrations

42% of salespeople say task automation tools are one of the top ways they use AI at work

69% of surveyed salespeople with an AI-powered CRM say that AI integrations make them more likely to use their CRM

So, what does this all mean? Well, a few things. Here’s my short n’ sweet summary:

This data represents the dawn of a new day in how businesses do sales, customer engagement, and operational efficiency

The impact of AI agents is no longer a “what if” scenario — they’re actively transforming how salesfolks, marketers, customer service representatives, C-suite execs, etc., work, interact with clients and personalize their strategies

AI agents are becoming essential teammates — not replacements — that empower employees to focus on more meaningful, strategic tasks while automating the repetitive ones

With adoption rates rising and AI-driven tools proving their ROI, it’s clear that AI agents are becoming essential assets for modern enterprise businesses. But beyond just the numbers, what exactly are these AI agents doing to drive such impact? And what should enterprise-level businesses know before investing in this new tech?

I tapped Jeannie Jaworski, Senior Customer Success Manager at HubSpot, and Wesley Baum, AI Specialist at Bluleadz, for answers to your (likely) questions, comments, and concerns. Scroll through the next few sections to read what they said.

What do AI agents do?

AI agents can do many things, but their effectiveness in delivering results all depends on how they’re programmed. Still, regardless of their assigned function or industry application, AI agents, ultimately, have been designed to work collaboratively — both with each other and with employees.

I chatted with Jeannie Jaworski, Senior Customer Success Manager (North America) at HubSpot, to get her honest perspective on:

How her clients have been adapting to the emergence of AI agents

What primary concerns she’s come across with her own customers

What she’s been recommending to ensure the businesses she serves engage both AI agents (and human ones) with balance

Check out what she had to say below:

1. AI agents are here to improve how your reps work, not replace them.

When Jeannie and I got to chit-chatting, one of the first things I probed her about was the challenges she’s seen her clients face while onboarding AI agents into their business. She told me (candidly, of course) that the thing folks worry about most is likely the same fear you’ve already seen splashed across tons of news headlines: that AI is going to replace human reps.

“I think there is still a level of concern about people wanting to make sure this doesn’t replace their job,” she told me. And although she acknowledged this widespread concern, Jeannie also made it very clear that she knows there’s a different, more empowering way to look at the rise of AI.

“I think that [AI agents] are really valuable if you can see, like, your employees are already doing things that they don’t like to do because of the repetition involved, so those are the things you can outsource to the agent. So it’s definitely not replacing an employee, it’s just allowing employees to focus on things that do require the human touch, instead of the things that can be automated.”

2. If you collect data now, your AI agents (and your human ones) will reap the rewards later.

Finally, at the tail-end of our conversation, I asked Jeannie about what advice would she give to other enterprise-level businesses considering AI agents, and what factors should they evaluate before implementation.

Her response was indicative of two things: 1) data is everything and 2) you can’t measure AI effectiveness in a vacuum, then expect a clear path to meaningful improvement.

“It’s really important for you to be collecting data, not just about the AI agents’ performance, but the human agents’ performance,” Jeannie shared. She then further explained, “A lot of these tools — like HubSpot’s Breeze AI customer agent — will have built-in analytics to tell you about the quantity of the chats, the amount they were able to resolve on their own … all of that is built in. But if you haven’t built that out for your human agents, you won’t have anything to compare [that data] to.”

Jeannie went on to emphasize how getting granular with these data assessments is crucial to identifying areas for growth, pinpointing performance gaps, and, most importantly, enhancing the overall customer experience. “It’s important to [measure] things like CSAT to understand the satisfaction that your customers have when interacting with both your human and AI agents,” she said.

“If we’re not understanding how our human agents are able to respond and how customers feel about that, we’re missing the opportunity to see the success and the impact of responsiveness that AI agents have on a business’s customer experience.”

How To Build an AI Agent, According to Wesley Baum, Bluleadz’s AI Specialist

Wesley Baum, Bluleadz’s AI Specialist, knows everything there is to know about building and deploying enterprise AI agents. Heck, it’s quite literally what he does for a living.

So when we both had a free moment to connect, I asked him everything (yes, everything) I could about:

Building effective AI agents

What he’s learned about CRM integration and context awareness within AI models

What future trends to expect from the evolution of AI agents

How enterprise businesses should handle AI technology adoption

So, if you’re looking to give AI agents a try but …

Don’t know what it takes to build and sustain them

Have no clue what an AI-powered customer experience will look like for your company

Want further clarity on how to actually ensure the long-term scalability and impact of AI tech overall

Then you’re in the right place. Here’s an overview of the most valuable insights that Wesley shared with me below:

1. The hardest part about building an AI agent? Knowing what’s needed to make it thrive.

During our conversation, I asked Wesley about the key steps involved in building an AI agent and, more importantly, what challenges he’s seen typically arise for businesses as they seek to customize an AI agent for their specific needs and workflows.

He shared that there are a couple of main components when building an agent. They’re as follows:

Picking the right model. According to Wesley, these decisions often come down to an “intelligence versus price ratio.” For example, depending on what you need your AI agent to do, you might not need to spend copious amounts of money on a high-end, more expensive model with extra reasoning capabilities right away.

Prompting. Wesley says “prompting isn’t super important these days, but it still matters.” Prompting success primarily depends on providing context, however, the rules can change based on the model. Wesley recommends building out context through retrieval augmented generation, aka RAG.

Providing a role/use case. As Wesley put it, “You have to give [your AI agent] as much information as you would provide to a human employee.”

Once you have all these pillars in place, Wesley says you can then start building out the AI agent of your dreams. He explained, “Once you have a model selected, you have your prompting and your roll down; you’ve identified a use case, of course, for this agent, you gave it their context using RAG systems, you actually have to build out the tools, right?”

Wesley then went on to share that this component of building an AI agent is more varied but, truthfully, not as complex.

“Really, it’s just certain APIs,” he added. Generative AI APIs are just application programming interfaces that allow developers to integrate AI models capable of creating content — such as text, images, code, or audio — into their own apps, tools, or platforms.

“Most of the agents that [businesses] are going to get value from, that enterprise solutions are going to build upon, will be through orchestrating APIs. Because it’s consistent,” he told me. “And so, those APIs are the tools in which an agent would interact with your text and the same way that you would interact with the UI.”

2. When it comes to building a proficient AI agent, it’s all about data.

When I asked Wesley about what challenges he’s seen his clients face the most when implementing an AI agent, he pointed out (similarly to Jeannie) one distinct thing: Data collection.

“The biggest issue people don’t expect is data. It’s all about data,” Wesley said. He even admitted that when he’s onboarding customers onto HubSpot’s CRM, the first thing he asks about is data architecture.

He also emphasized that he isn’t afraid to ask super specific questions, such as:

Is your data built to handle AI initiatives?

Do you have duplicate properties?

Is your architecture not set up properly?

Do you have quality issues?

Are you integrating all of your different data sources and tech stack software that a human would use into one source of truth?

“All of this is very useful because, without proper data, ChatGPT’s not gonna change your business unless it’s built specifically for that, which is reliant upon your data quality.”

3. There will be a rising demand for customized, business-specific AI agent ecosystems.

Lastly, toward the end of our one-on-one conversation, I asked Wesley about how he anticipates AI agents evolving in the next few years and what emerging trends enterprises should pay attention to when considering AI adoption.

Not only did he keep it real with me but, furthermore, he underscored how personalization and scalability, inevitably, go hand-in-hand.

“[AI agents] have to be customized specifically to how every business does business,” he stated. “One-size-fits-all agents … they’re not going to dramatically change your business with AI. It will have an impact, but it won’t be transformative in the way that an eco-system of multi-agent systems — all working well within your tech stack, for your clients, for your products, communicating with your teams — would. All of it has to be customized.”

AI Agents Use Cases

Just like Jeannie affirmed earlier, AI agents aren’t here to take over the world, steal jobs, or make things harder for sales and customer service folks. However, they are here to simplify experiences, both for customers and employees.

Below is a list of ways AI agents are making things — whether it be your workflow or a customer’s journey — a whole lot easier, whether it be through integrating with other platforms (like your choice CRM software), accessing pre-existing knowledge bases, or diagnosing common issues.

Read through my full breakdown of what AI agents can do — along with customer-facing and employee-facing examples — below:

1. AI agents can answer knowledge queries.

No more digging through old docs or waiting on hold. With AI agents, the info is accessible whenever its needed.

Whether it’s an employee trying to understand internal policy or a customer looking for product support, AI agents can pull from vast knowledge bases to serve answers in real time.

2. AI agents can manage calendars.

AI agents can

Grants for Black Women and Women of Color [+ 2025 Deadlines]

juthompson@hubspot.com (Justina Thompson) — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0100

Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.

If you’re reading this, I can promise you two truths: 1) you probably know how hard it is to find grants for Black women (likely because you are a Black woman seeking funding that actually supports your vision without unnecessary hoops), and 2) you’re not alone in feeling like the system wasn’t built with you in mind.

So, here’s another (undeniable) truth: Black women remain the most dynamic entrepreneurs in the nation, and studies prove it. Besides being the most educated, they own 2.7 million businesses in the U.S. and are the fastest-growing demographic of entrepreneurs, according to an article by J.P. Morgan. Plus, their companies have made a mark on every industry, from beauty and fashion to tech and education.

However, despite their successes, Black women have faced many challenges as founders and CEOs, and a lack of financial support is at the top of the list. Ultimately, Black women deserve more resources to support them through their entrepreneurship journey. Read on to learn about grants that can help you take your business venture to the next level, no matter what or how big it’s gotten.

Table of Contents:

What is a business grant?

Statistics that Black Women Entrepreneurs Should Know About

16 Business Grants For Black Women

More Resources for Black Women Entrepreneurs

Follow Your Dreams, Black Girl

Although there are tons of grant funding opportunities available, as a Black woman, it’s hard (to say the least) to find one that’s:

Specific to you

Not overly competitive or saturated

Aligned with your stage of business or unique goals

That’s why it’s so important to approach funding with both strategy and awareness. Before diving into applications or pitching your business, it helps to understand the bigger picture — where the opportunities lie, how we’re showing up and making space in the business world.

Knowing the stats can give you clarity, motivation, and even an edge when it comes to telling your story and advocating for your business. In the next section, take a look at some key statistics that every Black woman and woman of color entrepreneur should have in her back pocket.

Statistics that Black Women Entrepreneurs Should Know About

Whether you’re new and true to entrepreneurship or just getting started, it’s empowering and essential to stay updated on what the entrepreneurial landscape holds. From funding disparities to the rising number of Black women launching successful businesses, these numbers foreshadow a story — your story.

So, before diving into more resources and opportunities, take a moment to ground yourself in the facts and see just how powerful our presence in business truly is. Check out some data I pulled from GoDaddy’s 2024 U.S. Venture Forward Report:

13% of U.S. micro-businesses are owned by a Black entrepreneur, and of those, 73% are owned by Black women

Source

33% of Black business owners use GenAI for business and more personal use

Source

About 3 out of 10 (31%) women with a micro-business are the breadwinners in their home

Source

75% of business owners who previously closed or sold a business without a profit persevered to create new businesses

Source

About 1 in 3 business owners currently own more than one business

Source

16 Business Grants For Black Women

As a fellow Black girl with big dreams, I know one of the most complex parts about funding your business is knowing where to look. Between navigating limited resources, juggling multiple responsibilities, and trying to turn your vision into reality, it can feel overwhelming even to know where to start.

But trust me, you’re not alone, and there are opportunities out there created with us in mind.

Check out the list I put together below just for you:

1. WomensNet Grants

Source

WomensNet gives away at least $30,000 every month and around $435,000 per year to women-owned businesses in four different grant categories:

Monthly Amber Grant: $10,000 to one recipient

Monthly Startup Grant: $10,000 to one recipient

Business Category Grants: $10,000 to one recipient (monthly business categories are listed here)

Annual Amber Grant: $25,000 to one recipient who has won one of the other monthly grants.

Oh, and want to know the best part? You only need to fill out one application to be considered for all four grants.

Deadline: The next due date is March 31st, 2025, but applications are accepted throughout the year.

Eligibility: You must be a woman 18 years or older with a 50% women-owned business operating in the United States or Canada. Women who haven’t started their business (but are looking to do so) are also encouraged to apply.

2. Galaxy Grant

The Galaxy Grant, managed by the nonprofit Hidden Star, offers $2,750 to women and minority entrepreneurs who run a business or plan to start one.

Source

If you apply and refer a friend who wins, you each receive a $2,750 grant.

Deadline: The 2025 application deadline is March 31st, 2025.

Eligibility: Women and minority founders who are new to or experienced in owning a business, as well as folks thinking about starting a business, are encouraged to apply.

3. FedEx Small Business Grant

FedEx’s Small Business Grant awards innovative small businesses the capital they need to support their businesses.

Source

Ten recipients are selected; one is awarded $50,000, and the remaining nine are awarded $20,000. Recipients are also eligible for various growth-supporting perks, like a $500 print credit and a $300 voucher.

The fund is open to anyone, making it great for Black women at all stages of their entrepreneurial journey. You must have had a FedEx business account open for six or more months before March 1st, 2024.

Deadline: The 2025 deadline is April 1, 2025.

Eligibility: Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, a legal resident of the United States, own a for-profit business that’s been operating for at least six months, and be current shipping customer with FedEx using a FedEx shipping account number.

4. HerRise MicroGrant

HerRise MicroGrant for small businesses offers monthly awards of $1,000 to women of color entrepreneurs.

Source

The financial awards are given to those with businesses that directly impact their community and struggle to secure their funding. Past recipients have used the grants to buy computers, marketing materials, equipment, and more.

Deadline: The application deadline is 11:59 PM on each last day of the month.

Eligibility: Applicants must have a business currently registered in the United States that has made less than $1 million in gross revenue and is 51% women-owned. Non-profit, franchise, direct seller, authorized seller, and independent consultant businesses are not eligible.

5. HerRise Hustlers MicroGrant

Like the HerRise MicroGrant, the HerRise Huslers MicroGrant offers entrepreneurs of color and minority small business owners a $1,000 business grant.

Source

Although this grant is smaller, I think it’s perfect for early-stage entrepreneurs and founders looking to finance the little things — like business licenses, website development, subscriptions, or initial inventory. This grant also requires a $15 nonrefundable fee at the time of application submission.

Deadline: The application deadline is 11:59 PM on each last day of the month.

Eligibility: Applicants must be small business owners (or aspiring ones).

6. Corporate Counsel Women of Color Grants

Corporate Counsel Women of Color awards five $2,500 grants to women entrepreneurs with legal, for-profit businesses.

Source

To qualify, your company has to have generated over $25,000 in revenue since Jan. 2020.

Deadline: Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis, and they apply today to be considered for the Jan. 2025 award.

Eligibility: Applicants must be 18, a woman of color, and own a for-profit business in the United States (with an EIN).

7. SheaMoisture Grants

Source

Shea Moisture offers grants to Black-owned businesses and founders; they are as follows:

The Next Black Millionaires Grant/Program: This grant offers $100,000 in funding, business development services, retail distribution support, and executive coaching and mentorship. You can sign up to be on the program/grant waitlist (and get notified when applications for 2025-2026 officially launch) here.

The Brown Girl Jane Grant: This grant offers $10,000 to $25,000 grants to Black and woman-owned beauty or wellness businesses that have been in operation for at least one year. Applications open

The Blueprint Grant: This grant offers one-time $10,000 grants and 1:1 mentoring support to Black women (aged 18 – 35) in the United States. This grant is awarded to Black women seeking funding for a project or initiative to give back to their community.

The SheaMoisture Community Impact Grant: This grant offers one-time $10,000 grants to Black-owned businesses (registered and based in the U.S.) that have been in operation for at least one year.

Eligibility: Each respective grant has its requirements, but ultimately, the only standing criteria for each is that applicants must be Black women.

8. NAACP Grants

The NAACP partners with organizations like Vistaprint, The Boston Celtics, and BEYGOOD to fund and support Black-owned businesses.

Source

It offers multiple grant opportunities, including:

Keep It Local Business Fund: This one-time grant provides $5,000 (plus additional support opportunities) to small business owners of color.

Certification Boost Grant: This one-time grant offers $5,000 to assist small, minority-owned businesses in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas to get critical business certifications.

Powershift Entrepreneur Grant: This grant awards Black entrepreneurs and black-owned businesses with $25,000 grants. It selects multiple winners per year.

Deadline: Check back for 2025 application dates. All grant applications except the NAACP x Bacardi: Backing the B.A.R. Grant and the NAACP x BeyGOOD: Black Owned Small Business Impact Fund Grant are open.

Eligibility: Applicants must be a Black entrepreneur or business owner.

9. National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) Growth Grants

Since 2006, the NASE has awarded nearly $1,000,000 in small business grants.

Source

Recipients can re

150+ Sales Email Subject Lines That Get Opened, Read, and Responded To

Mark Burdon — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:30:00 +0100

I have always found the best approach to getting the highest email open and conversion rates — all while evading junk folders — is to write a captivating email subject line.

I know I’m not alone in that assessment. Surveys found that 64% of respondents said subject lines determine whether they open or delete an email, and 69% said subject lines determine whether or not they mark an email as spam.

Meeting your goals for open rates, click-through rates, and CTA conversions relies on the power of your sales email subject line. Sounds like a lot rides on 60 characters or less, doesn’t it?

But never fear. Once you understand what makes a great subject line, you’ll know how to craft impactful email subject lines that convert to leads, progress opportunities, and help close deals.

Table of Contents

What makes a good email subject line?

Catchy Email Subject Lines for Sales

Professional Email Subject Lines

Email Subject Lines for Reaching Out

Attention-Grabbing Subject Lines for Sales Emails

The Best Sales Email Subject Lines

Cold Email Subject Lines

Follow-Up Email Subject Lines

Best Email Subject Lines After No Response

Email Subject Lines for Meeting Requests

Your Guide to Writing the Best Sales Email Subject Lines

It may surprise you to learn that the average open rate of emails across all industries is 37.27%. The way to reel in those opens? Write a creative, catchy subject line that identifies:

Why you are emailing the prospect.

When the reader should act on the message (usually, right now).

The benefits the reader can expect to gain by opening the email.

I like to use the following tips to improve my sales email subject lines.

1. Keep it brief.

The ideal length of an email subject line varies between mobile, desktop, and tablet devices, so keep this in mind as you craft the perfect one-liner for your sales email.

On average, the maximum subject line is about 60 characters long before it gets cut off by the email provider. Campaign Monitor recommends a subject line of 41 characters so that each word appears on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. And Regie.ai found that subject lines with seven words have the highest open rates.

But while you’re watching your word and character counts, you also have to spark your prospect’s curiosity and make it clear why they should (nay, must!) open your message.

I like to tailor the subject line to the priorities my prospects care most about:

Their own job security and reputation inside and outside their organization.

Increasing revenue generation, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Boosting employee morale, engagement, and motivation.

Mitigating risk, complexity, and distractions.

Their company’s reputation, competitive positioning, and market viability.

2. Personalize it.

Personalizing the subject line to include the prospect’s name is always a smart way to go. In fact, Campaign Monitor found that 74% of marketers claim to enjoy an average 20% increase in revenue when personalizing emails. People want to hear from, talk to, and buy from other people, not from big brands and companies.

So, before emailing my prospects, I like to put myself in their shoes. Would I be compelled to read the email to solve a problem or gain an advantage? Or would it make me feel like the salesperson is taking a “spray and pray” approach, or is it tailored to me and my business niche?

Here are some more of my personalization tips:

Make your emails feel like an invitation to a one-on-one conversation with a trustworthy advisor who understands their needs and motivations.

Take the time to personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name and other customer-centric messaging. This goes a long way to boosting engagement.

Don’t use generic subject lines like “Meeting Request.” Use “Quick chat to discuss employee retention,” which directly highlights the advantage for the reader.

I suggest using an email address or an alias that includes your first name. It makes your message resonate with more humanity and helps build rapport and trust.

Pro tip: HubSpot’s Sales Hub makes personalizing subject lines easy. Set up automated personalized email sequences, templatize your most effective emails to further streamline your outreach, and more. Campaign Assistant is another great (and free!) tool that uses AI to help with your campaign creation.

3. Make it interesting.

We’ve all been taught not to judge a book by its cover, but sales email subject lines don’t count. (Apologies to Mrs. Walker, my fourth-grade teacher.)

The primary goal of your subject line is to get the prospect to click, read more, and decide if they’re interested enough to respond or take action. However, an interesting subject line means different things for different scenarios.

Here are a few ways to create subject lines that capture the attention and imagination of your audience:

Reference a recent news story in their industry that’s relevant to problems you can help them solve.

Include a new statistic about trends in their industry that helps support your case.

If you know about a project on their agenda, can you help them improve their results, or help them address errors they made along the way?

Ask for their help. Appeal to the prospect’s desire to do a good deed for the day.

The key to each of these angles is this: They’re all about the prospect. You’ll have plenty of time to pitch your product in the body of the email and on future calls.

Pro tip: I like to use A/B testing to verify whether a subject line interests my prospects. There are a lot of great A/B testing tools on the market to help you do this quickly and effectively. AI can help, too!

4. Offer value.

When writing a subject line, I make sure to describe the measurable and intangible benefits of working with me.

I had a sales coach named Marty Nuckles who said this approach works because everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM, or “What’s In It For Me.” The WIIFM sales principle focuses on the value of your offerings to the prospect, and it’s a great way to start building rapport by demonstrating empathy.

Pro tip: I like to personalize my emails by including a specific benefit for the recipient in the subject line. For instance, instead of a generic subject, I use something like “Let’s discuss how [ProspectCo] can increase deal win rates.” This directly highlights the advantage of opening the email and ideally, responding to it.

5. Create urgency.

Time sensitivity is a common filter that many of us use to prioritize our inboxes, so it’s understandable that our prospects operate their inboxes the same way. Even if your prospect isn’t particularly interested in making a purchase right now, there’s still some benefit in knowing that they could miss out on a benefit if they don’t explore the limited-time-only promotions.

I have several emails in my inbox right now with “Don’t miss this deal!” subject lines for promotional pricing. I’ve received other time-sensitive offers for SaaS trials and event registrations.

In my experience, creating urgency — where appropriate — is a tried-and-true tactic to get your emails opened and read, but don’t rely on this all the time. If prospects don’t take you seriously about empty promotional warnings, your overall credibility is compromised.

6. Avoid clickbait.

Using clickbait headlines doesn’t just cheapen your outreach messaging — they increase the likelihood your emails will be caught in spam filters.

Don’t let your email subject lines make claims that your company or its products or services can’t live up to. Falsely insinuating urgency, value, or benefits can damage your reputation as a salesperson, and may even result in your company being fined by regulators.

Pro tip: For an added layer of assurance, cross-check your subject line against our list of spam trigger words to avoid.

7. Include trending keywords.

Keywords are another way prospects filter and organize their inboxes. So, including specific keywords in your email can help yours make it into a folder the prospect will review later.

Google Trends, Search Console, or HubSpot’s Traffic Analysis tool are a few tools you can use to help you generate subject lines that align with how people are finding your company.

Pro tip: Run some A/B tests to determine what keywords result in the highest open rates compared to other versions.

The Best Sales Email Subject Lines

Email subject lines provide vital context to help you prioritize which messages to read immediately, what to file away, and what to send spinning into the digital ether. Your prospects are constantly prioritizing their email inbox, even setting up filters and rules to organize their messages in order to respond to important and urgent notes as efficiently as they can.

Below, I’ve gathered a bunch of proven sales email subject lines from highly successful salespeople and organized them into these categories:

Cold Email Subject Lines

Follow-Up Email Subject Lines

Best Email Subject Lines After No Response

Email Subject Line Examples for Meeting Requests

Cold Email Subject Lines

I know you might be thinking that your cold sales email won’t make the prospect’s priority email list, but the following cold email subject lines can stoke the fire of curiosity and get that prospect to open up your email.

1. “Quick question about [goal]”

Your question will vary widely based on your industry and the goals that drive growth within it. Ideally, the question will pique the prospect’s curiosity and they will open your email to find out what you’re curious about. Make sure the question is relevant and thought-provoking to the target recipient.

You might think (as I once did) that a prospect wouldn’t want to answer such a bold question from a stranger. Yet if a prospect is willing to respond, your icebreaker question may have hit on an issue that is top-of-mind.

Resist the urge to pounce on the reply with a sales pitch. Ease into a dialogue with some more of the questions on this list. Answers to this question are like having a fish nibble at your bait. If you try to haul the prospect into the boat immediately, you’ll probably break the line.

2. “[Mutual connection] recommended I get in touch”

Referrals are a powerful way to break into a prospect’s circle of trust. If you share an acquaintance with your prospect, be sure to put that person's name in your email subject line. The more your prospect trusts your referrer, the more compelling your email will be.

Just make sure you actually have the mutual connection’s consent to drop their name, as it’s unlikely you can rebuild trust after a false claim at the start of a relationship.

3. “Hi [name], [question]?”

This question is similar to the first, but it adds a measure of personalization I described earlier. Questions provoke answers. Emails with question subject lines provoke opens and replies. Incorporating their name makes the email more personal, which will help it stand out in their inbox.

Asking a prospect a question can also be a psychological trigger that compels them to want to demonstrate their expertise and how they’ve contributed to their company’s success.

4. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

I find this one is good to use when following up with an inbound lead or a website visitor. They're clearly looking for information to address a business initiative — so ask how you can be of service.

Be sure to establish standards for how soon to reach out after a prospect visits your website or interacts with gated content. Getting a call or email before you finish reading the first page of a guide or the end of a webinar seems desperate.

When I was following up on inbound leads, I would subtly introduce myself as a resource a day or two after the prospect’s information was captured, and follow up with a stronger pitch a week or so later.

5. [the e.e. cummings subject line]

Most people incorporate title case capitalization when they draft emails (although some go a little CrAzY). In contrast, an all-lowercase subject line will stand out, although you should confirm with your marketing or management team to confirm whether this style is acceptable.

Younger audiences and startups are embracing this style; however, many companies are shifting towards sentence case and only capitalizing the first word in the subject line. Additionally, conservative audiences may not appreciate the tone this style conveys.

6. “Ready to help”

The age of the hard sell and aggressive Always Be Closing mentality is dead; the best salespeople today adhere to ABH (Always Be Helping). Put this sentiment front and center — prospects will appreciate your candor as well as your willingness to be of service.

Advisory sales methodologies like SNAP Selling recommend educating, not pushing aggressively, to move a deal through the pipeline to a close.

7. “A [benefit] for [prospect's company]”

I explored the power of business benefits earlier in this article. Here are some examples of how this subject line might look like in practice:

A new HR strategy for Business Inc.

A savings of $25k for ABC Corp.

An all-time revenue record for Organization Y.

If the prospect sees the value in the benefit you describe and they let their guard down because of the personalized subject line, you have a better chance at “setting the hook” and booking a sales meeting.

Pro tip: Using the prospect name or company name is a great way to set your email apart from generic pitches. When in doubt, personalize — nobody wants to feel like just another email address on a spreadsheet.

8. “X tips/ideas for [pain point]”

People love numbered lists (hence, the rise of the listicle). Insert a number into your subject line to drive interest. Your list should be snack-sized with four or five ideas to whet the prospect’s appetite.

Keep some of your best nuggets of wisdom for your discovery call.

9. “Idea for [topic the prospect cares about]”

A free idea with no strings? The prospect will likely be willing to invest a click to see what you have up your sleeve. This subject line is a good way to extract value from your website, lead, and social sentiment analytics to determine what prospects care about instead of making assumptions.

10. “2x [prospect‘s company]’s pipeline in 10 days”

Throwing out some buzzy numbers can generate some immediate interest. Make sure your company and its products and services can live up to your claims. Customers will often remember the sting of falling for a dishonest sales pitch far longer than they remember passing on an opportunity and staying with the status quo. However, if they realize the benefits of your promotion though, they are a great testimonial candidate.

11. “I found you on LinkedIn through our mutual connection, [mutual connection’s name]”

Again, don't underestimate the power of mentioning referrals in a subject line. Many salespeople leverage second- or third-degree connections as ways to build out their network.

If you haven’t been able to get the mutual acquaintance or friend’s permission to cite them as a referral, be honest about how you discovered them. I’ve always felt that if you connect with someone on LinkedIn, you should be upfront with them as to your motivation.

Send a LinkedIn message with this subject line, or if you can source their email address, send your introduction that way before sending the connection invite.

Nobody wants a cold connection with a sales pitch chaser two minutes later.

12. “We have [insert fact] in common...”

Spend five minutes looking through your contact’s LinkedIn or Facebook accounts. I bet you can find at least one thing you have in common — even if it’s just that you've both been photographed eating spaghetti.

At the same time, be careful. Don’t mention something too personal or something they clearly want to keep private, or it will come off as creepy. Pick something that the prospect made publicly known on their social profiles.

13. “So nice to meet you, [Prospect]!”

Whether they downloaded a piece of content or visited your pricing page, let your prospect know you've noticed their interest and are happy to finally touch base. This is a warm and friendly way to initiate first contact.

Don’t go high-pressure sales inside the email; maybe suggest another content asset that eases the prospect down the sales funnel.

14. “Feeling [insert emotion]? Let me help”

Tap into current events in your prospect's industry. Targeting marketers during the busy weeks before Black Friday? Try “Feeling stressed? Let me help.” Then, share how your product or service can lighten their load.

15. “Hoping you can help”

People generally want to help other people. If you’re reaching out to someone for the first time, ask something like, “I’d like to learn more about your marketing conference schedule this year. Would you be able to connect me with the right person to speak with?”

If you’re looking for a referral to a decision-maker, look for a champion who can help your cause without feeling like they are being drawn into a sales cycle they have no

The Secret to Driving Revenue With Sales Activity Management

bob@leveleleven.com (Bob Marsh) — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0100

As a sales manager, your team’s daily activities are your most powerful performance indicators. Tracking metrics like sales calls, VP-level meetings, and qualified opportunities gives you the insight needed to drive consistent results.

Effective sales activity management helps you make data-driven adjustments to your sales strategy, set clear goals for your team, and directly influence revenue and business outcomes.

In this post, I’ll go over tips for how to manage sales activity (with insight from experts) and recommend software that can help along the way.

Table of Contents

What is sales activity management?

Reasons to Track Sales Activity

3 Steps to Implementing Sales Activity Management

Top 10 Sales Tracking Software

While your reps focus on making calls, scheduling demos, and talking to stakeholders, you’re responsible for determining which activities actually move the needle. Effective sales activity management uses key sales metrics to guide the creation of repeatable processes and clear goals that enable you to predict and improve revenue outcomes.

Nikita Sherbina, Co-Founder & CEO of AIScreen, emphasizes that it’s not just about tracking numbers: “The key to turning [sales] metrics into actionable strategies is to focus on the quality of activity, not just the quantity.”

Sherbina says that this process worked for him when he identified a rep who was putting in the work but not closing many deals. He dug into their process, found areas for improvement, and set up a coaching plan: “The shift from just tracking activity to analyzing the effectiveness of that activity made a huge difference. Since implementing this, we’ve seen a 20% increase in conversion rates across the team.”

Reasons to Track Sales Activity

1. Increased Revenue

Sales activities directly impact your bottom line (revenue). As a sales manager, identifying key daily behaviors, tracking them, and helping reps optimize their processes helps you create a framework for consistent revenue growth.

When your reps know exactly what activities drive success and how they can master them, they’ll close more deals.

Even minor, targeted adjustments based on activity can yield revenue gains: “I once worked with a team struggling to hit quotas. By analyzing their call-to-close ratio, we identified that increasing follow-ups by just 15% lead to a 20% improvement in conversions” says Brandon Leibowitz, Owner of SEO Optimizers.

2. Streamlined Processes

Sales activity management helps you eliminate wasted effort and focus your team on what works. You can pinpoint which activities consistently lead to wins, create clear and repeatable processes that scale, and streamline best practices across your team.

Harmanjit Singh, Founder and CEO of Website Design Brampton, says that looking at top performers is a great way to determine what should be part of your streamlined processes. He calls this creating success patterns: “We discovered our top closers weren‘t necessarily making more calls, but were spending more time researching prospects before reaching out, resulting in more meaningful conversations. We turned this insight into a pre-call research template that boosted our team’s conversion rates by 30%.”

Singh adds, “The key is turning [sales] metrics into stories that reveal what works, then systematizing those successful approaches.”

3. Boost Team Morale

Managing sales activity also boosts team morale and helps reps feel empowered by providing clear direction and allowing them to focus on activities they can directly control.

Joseph Passalacqua, Owner & CEO of Maid Sailors, recommends “[Breaking] large quotas into smaller daily achievements to maintain forward motion.” You empower reps by connecting their daily work to meaningful outcomes, and day-to-day morale becomes more manageable when reps know exactly what to focus on for success. Plus, they get an additional motivational boost as deals start flowing in.

Activity-based contests can even create a sense of healthy competition to energize your team while driving behaviors that lead to sales.

4. Increased Visibility and Reporting

Sales activity management magnifies visibility into overall team (and individual) performance, provides early warning signs when metrics lag, and clearly indicates where coaching is needed.

For example, if you missed a revenue target, activity management would help you identify where the issue arose and implement targeted corrections rather than just a general “we need to do better!” pep talk.

It also gives you cleaner reporting to show higher-ups precisely how your efforts translate to revenue growth.

In other words, getting the business results you want hinges on managing the activities that precede them. Now we’ll go over an easily replicable process for sales activity management.

3 Steps to Implementing Sales Activity Management

1. Determine key selling activities.

To determine your key selling activities, I recommend you:

Lay out the structure of your sales organization. Define the sales activities that lead to won deals and note each selling role and where it fits into the sales process. For example, do your sales development reps generate leads and then distribute those leads to account executives? Or are your field sales reps handling deals from start to finish with their assigned territories?

Define the critical activities for each role. For SDRs, you might have them focused on meetings scheduled and sales accepted opportunities. On the other hand, for a field sales rep, those activities might be opportunities discovered, VP-level conversations, face-to-face meetings, and proposals sent.

Gather input from your team. Interview your sales managers and reps for their perspectives on key activities. You can ask top performers about their daily activities to uncover what’s helping them succeed.

Use all of the information you’ve gathered to analyze best practices, define the core sales activities that drive the most success, develop techniques and strategies for mastering them, and share that information with your team.

Ryan Moore, Founder & CEO of Pheasant Energy, emphasizes the importance of looking beyond sheer volume when determining key activities. “In the energy sector, where sales cycles are long, and deals are complex, focusing solely on activity volume like call counts is shortsighted. Instead, I've learned that metrics like qualified meetings, site visits, and offers made are the true leading indicators that eventually drive revenue.”

His tip applies, regardless of industry: identify the meaningful activities that genuinely move deals forward, and emphasize their importance.

2. Reverse-engineer your sales process.

“Sales activity metrics are only valuable if they translate into smarter actions. The real differentiator isn’t just tracking calls or deals closed…Sales is a numbers game, but smart sales is about playing the right numbers,” says Anupa Rongala, CEO of Invensis Technologies.

How does that translate? To me, it means using your historical sales activity data to reverse engineer your sales process and pinpoint the activities required to meet your goals.

Here’s an example of how to do this, starting with your highest-level goal: Revenue.

Let’s say your annual target is $70 million in bookings, and your average deal size is $35,000.

$70 million (revenue needed) ÷ $35,000 (average deal size) = 2,000 deals

If you have a 25% proposal-to-deal conversion rate, your salespeople will need to send out 8,000 proposals. That, in turn, requires 2,000 meetings. For those meetings to occur, your reps must have 128,000 conversations.

Now break down the activity metrics by timeframe:

2,000 deals ÷ year = 167 deals per month

8,000 proposals ÷ year = 667 proposals per month

32,000 meetings ÷ year = 640 meetings per week

64,000 calls ÷ year = 256 calls per day

Assign a corresponding number of activities to each salesperson. Let’s assume you have 100 reps on your team.

167 deals per month ÷ 100 reps = 2 deals per month

667 proposals per month ÷ 100 reps = 7 proposals per month

640 meetings per week ÷ 100 reps = 7 meetings per week

256 conversations per day ÷ 100 reps = 3 calls per day

3. Monitor metrics and course-correct performance.

Proactively manage sales activity metrics by monitoring them daily and reviewing them in one-on-ones and team meetings. I suggest using a sales activity management system (I recommend a few options later on) because it automates tracking, calculates pacing, and gives you an overview (sometimes in real-time) of sales activities and what reps are accomplishing.

You can also use the data from your activity tracking tool to find bottlenecks in your pipelines. For example, if reps send the right number of proposals but don’t win deals, you might want to host training on writing high-impact proposals.

When Shankar Subba identifies a problem area, he takes a step-by-step approach: “If discovery calls aren’t converting, I listen to recordings to spot where the pitch needs improvement. If proposals keep getting rejected, I adjust how we present value to make it clearer and more persuasive. When close rates drop, I don’t just tell my team to make more calls; I work with them to refine their approach so every conversion moves the deal forward.”

Top 10 Sales Tracking Software

I’ll get right to the point: manually tracking your team’s sales activities can be a monumental task, and I wouldn’t recommend it. Instead, use an automated tool that logs sales activities as they happen to help you track, analyze, and optimize your team’s performance.

Here are my favorite software picks for sales activity management.

1.HubSpot

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: HubSpot’s Sales Tracking Software gives you complete visibility into your pipeline to help you understand performance, and custom reports make tracking rep activity straightforward.

Key Features

Reporting dashboard gives visibility into rep activities and tasks

Easily measure team performance against goals

Pipeline performance reports to quickly identify bottlenecks within your cycle so you can implement further coaching

Free Trial: Free forever tools (max two users)

Price: Paid plans start at $20/mo/seat billed monthly or $15/mo/seat billed annually

2.Pipedrive

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Pipedrive’s Sales Dashboard gives you insight into rep performance, making it easy to analyze critical activities and identify wins in a no-frills pipeline management dashboard.

Key Features

Dashboard to track team activities (calls made, emails sent, etc.) in real-time

Customize reports to the key activity metrics that matter most for your reporting (i.e., new deals, number of activities completed)

Measure activities against goals to quickly identify coaching opportunities

Free Trial: Yes

Price: Paid plans start at $24/mo/seat billed monthly or $14/mo/seat billed annually

3.Salesforce

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Salesforce’s robust customization options let you create a reporting and activity tracking dashboard that aligns with your team's needs.

Key Features

Advance customization options make tracking pipeline activities that matter most for your goals easy

Show reps key insights deal insights to help them plan accordingly and move the process forward

Weekly pipeline change signals help you spot risks early to provide coaching

Free Trial: Yes

Price: Plans with tracking and management capabilities start at $100/mo/user billed annually

4.Monday.com

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Monday.com’s intuitive and customizable CRM makes it easy to track sales activities to stay on top of performance; no technical expertise required to set up or maintain.

Key Features

Activity and performance tracking dashboard updates activities and deal progress in real-time

Visual progress indicators make it easy to spot potential issues and provide guidance to reps before deals are impacted

Team goal monitoring can help you set healthy competition among reps

Free Trial: Free forever plan (max two seats)

Price: Paid plans starting at three seats max start at $12/mo/seat billed annually

5.Nutshell

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Nutshell comes loaded with valuable sales reporting features for intuitive activity management and no steep learning curve.

Key Features

Built-in reports help you see how reps spend their days

Activity outcome reports show what actions have the most impact on won leads and closed deals

Performance trend visualizations and loss reports help you spot what works and keep reps on track

Free Trial: Yes

Price: Paid plans with activity tracking begin at $32/mo/user per billed monthly or $25/mo/user(billed monthly

6.Copper

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Copper, a CRM designed for Google Workspace users, automatically captures lead data and sales activities and synthesizes them into easily digestible dashboards for monitoring performance.

Key Features

Real-time activity feed gives insight into what’s going on with all contacts and accounts

Customized reporting tools allow you to build a visual of your pipeline to see how deals progress

Sales activity-based leaderboard can help you spark healthy and motivational competition among your team

Free Trial: Yes

Price: Paid plans start at $12/mo/seat billed monthly or $9/mo/seat billed annually

7.Close

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Close automatically logs sales activities and turns them into easy-to-read reports to help you focus on encouraging behaviors that move the needle.

Key Features

Activity overview report gives you a holistic view of team or individual rep progress

Opportunity funnel reporting to track sales velocity and quickly identify coaching opportunities

Sales leaderboard to inspire and motivate reps

Free Trial: Yes

Price: Paid plans start at $29/mo/seat billed monthly or $19/mo/seat billed annually

8.Ambition

Source

Why I like it for sales activity management: Ambition is poised towards sales management, with powerful tools for tracking, coaching, and gamifying sales activities.

Key Features

Real-time activity and performance visibility show team progress-to-goals

Create activity scorecards to help reps understand target metrics and link them to monthly objectives

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9.Freshsales (by Freshworks)

So, to save you the headache, I’ve done a deep dive on price elasticity. In this piece, I’ll tackle the big questions, including: How do you calculate price elasticity? What are the different types, and what do they mean for your business? Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

Price Elasticity of Supply Formula

What is price elasticity?

How to Calculate Price Elasticity

Price Elasticity of Demand

Price Elasticity of Supply

Cross Price Elasticity

Practical Economics: The Case Understanding Price Elasticity

What is price elasticity?

Price elasticity measures how sensitive the demand and supply of your product are to changes in price. For example, the price elasticity of demand measures how many customers will continue to purchase your product or service if you increase the price.

Price elasticity can fall into one of three buckets:

Price elastic — where price changes greatly affect the supply or demand of a product or service.

Price inelastic — where price changes have a minimal effect on supply and demand

Price unit elastic — where a price change is proportional to the change in supply and demand, and they move at the same rate

How to Calculate Price Elasticity

To calculate price elasticity, I divide the change in demand (or supply) for a product, service, resource, or commodity by its change in price. This figure tells me which bucket my product falls into.

A value of one means that my product is unit elastic, and price changes reflect an equal change in supply or demand.

A value of greater than (>) 1 means that my product is elastic, and price changes will cause a greater-than-proportional change in supply or demand.

A value of less than (<) 1 means that your product is inelastic, and price changes will result in a smaller change in the supply or demand for your product.

Worth noting? Using this formula may produce a negative number. However, that doesn't matter when it comes to price elasticity of supply or demand. Instead, answers are reported as their absolute value, which just means you’re removing the negative sign.

For example, let’s say I do my calculations and get a value of -1.5 for my price elasticity of demand. In typical mathematics, this number is less than one. When calculating price elasticity of supply and demand, however, we drop the negative sign and get 1.5, which means the demand for the product is elastic.

Here’s a chart that shows all three buckets:

Source

How can you apply price elasticity?

Price elasticity provides useful information on how to best price your products and services.

If you have an elastic product:

Be cautious about raising prices since a price increase will greatly impact purchases (demand) and production (supply).

If your offering is price inelastic:

You can adjust your prices more frequently since you know that the change will have a smaller impact on supply and demand.

Now that we’ve covered how price elasticity impacts your business, let’s break things down even further into price elasticity of demand and price elasticity of supply.

Price Elasticity of Demand

The formula below (also known as PED) is used to identify how a change in price affects the supply or demand of an offering or commodity. If people still buy a product, service, or resource when the price is raised, it is inelastic. A product is elastic when demand changes due to price fluctuations.

For example, research shows that rising fuel prices don’t change demand in the trucking industry — making fuel an inelastic commodity. Cable television, however, is a very elastic product. As the price of cable has increased, demand has decreased as more consumers “cut the cord.”

Substitutions like Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services have made the cable industry elastic.

Let’s say I sell 5,000 electric toothbrushes at $25 per toothbrush and then raise the price to $30 per brush and sell 4,000. This means my elasticity of demand is -1.22. This would be considered elastic because the absolute value of -1.22 is greater than 1.

Broken down even further to include the calculation of percent change, this formula looks like:

((QN - QI) / (QN + QI) / 2) / ((PN - PI) / (PN + PI) / 2)

QN = New quantity (4,000)

QI = Initial quantity (5,000)

PN = New price ($30)

PI = Initial price ($25)

Our numbers plugged into this formula would be:

(4,000 - 5,000) / (4,000 +5,000) /2) / (30 - 25) / (30 + 25) / 2)

Head spinning? Check out this free calculator.

This formula helps determine if a product or service is price-sensitive. Ideally, you want your offering to be a must-have (inelastic) that consumers consider non-negotiable during price fluctuation, not a nice-to-have (elastic).

Types of Price Elasticity of Demand

1. Perfectly Inelastic Demand

If your PED equals 0, price changes do not affect your product’s demand. Generally speaking, only essential items and services have perfectly inelastic demand. Very few — if any — products or services like that exist, making perfectly inelastic demand a mostly hypothetical concept.

For instance, if there were a life-saving drug on the market that people would pay any price to obtain, demand would remain the same no matter how much the price might rise.

Source

2. Relatively Inelastic Demand

If the percent change in demand is less than the percent change of the product’s price, the result is relatively inelastic demand. Necessary goods and services that people would be willing to pay more for have relatively elastic demand — in most cases.

This often includes goods or resources with no close substitutes, like gasoline which is a requirement for you to drive your vehicle. Losing access to it would have massive implications on your daily life.

For the most part, people are willing to pay price increases and keep their cars fueled up. That said, however, gas isn't as critical as a life-saving drug, so some people would be willing to make the switch to taking the bus or riding their bike (if possible). This means demand for it is relatively inelastic.

3. Unit Elastic Demand

If the change in demand for a product or service yields a proportional change in price — meaning a price raise of X% leads to an X% decrease in demand — it unit elastic demand.

This type of price elasticity of demand is purely hypothetical. There are no actual examples of unit elastic demand in practice. Demand is never completely linear. Though there is a direct relationship between price and demand, that relationship is never exactly one-to-one.

Let’s say I run a shoe company and raise prices by 10% due to increased manufacturing costs. If I’ve established a loyal customer base, there will still be consumers who prefer my shoes to the alternatives and are willing to pay an extra 10%. As a result, a 10% raise in price won’t mean exactly 10% of existing customers jump ship. The real number might be closer to 6% or 7%.

Now, imagine I abruptly raise the price by 40%. This will likely anger a larger number of customers relative to the percentage change in prices. In other words, a 40% price increase might lead to 60% customer churn.

4. Relatively Elastic Demand

If demand change is greater than the change in your product’s price, you have relatively elastic demand. Here, a relatively small price change leads to a large change in demand. Relatively elastic demand is typically associated with items that have several substitutes.

For instance, let‘s say I run an electronics company that sells 40-inch smart TVs for $250. All of my competitors sell similar products for the same price — and those competitors’ TVs have virtually indistinguishable resolutions and features from mine.

If I decide to raise my price from $250 to $275, consumers would likely be less inclined to pay an additional $25 for a product that's so fundamentally similar to its slightly less expensive competition. This means demand for my TVs would drop significantly, making demand relatively elastic.

5. Perfectly Elastic Demand

If demand falls to zero at the slightest price increase or demand becomes great with a slight price decrease, the result is perfectly elastic demand. This type of demand demonstrates that the demand for a product is 100% directly tied to its price.

Like unit elastic demand, there are no actual examples of perfectly elastic demand in practice. Demand for a product or service is never linear enough to make any change in price prompt an absolute drop in demand.

There will always be some people who have preferences that are often unshaken by slight price changes. If the price of a bottle of Sprite increased by $1, there would still be consumers willing to pay more for it over alternatives like Sierra Mist or 7Up.

While some offerings have particularly price-sensitive customer bases, there aren't any that consumers will completely abandon as soon as that good costs even one cent more than it did before.

Source

Price Elasticity of Supply

The price elasticity of supply (PES) measures how responsive the supply of a product or service is when there is a price change.

If supply is inelastic, it might mean a company is too short-staffed to keep up with demand, needs a longer lead time to produce more of its product, or doesn't have the resources to expand its facilities.

If supply is elastic, a company might have a surplus of available staff to increase supply. Knowing PES allows businesses to determine whether a price change will negatively or positively affect the demand for its product or service.

If supply is inelastic, an increase in price leads to a change in supply that's less than the increase in price, meaning the PES is less than one. If supply is elastic, the price change yields a larger increase in supply, making the PES greater than one.

Let’s use the toothbrush example above to illustrate PES. We already know that the price changed from $25 to $30, which represents an increase of 20%. If we’re given data that shows available supply dropping from the initial 5,000 to 4,500, this gives a supply decrease of 10%.

Therefore, PES = 10% / 20%, or 0.5, which means that the price elasticity of supply is inelastic.

Cross Price Elasticity

The cross-price elasticity of demand measures how responsive the demand for a product or service is when the price for another product or service changes. For example, if Hulu with Live TV raises its prices to $45 per month, will customers leave the service for YouTube TV — a similar streaming service charging only $40 per month?

As the price of Hulu Live rises, the demand for its competitor’s service rises. Within cross-price elasticity, YouTube would be considered a “substitute good.”

If, however, the cost of televisions increased and the number of customers using subscription services like Hulu or YouTube decreased because of the price increase of televisions, this would be called “complementary goods.”

Cross-price elasticity allows businesses to price their products or services competitively, plan for risks, and map their market. If your product or service has no real competitor, you don't need to consider cross-price elasticity because there is no substitute for your offering. However, if a complementary product or service sees a market fluctuation, you might need to prepare for cross-price elasticity.

In the case of cross-price elasticity, we don’t use absolute values. If the value of cross-price elasticity is positive, it means that changes in product B’s price increase demand for product A. If the value is negative, it means that price changes decrease the demand.

The value can also be zero, which means there is no correlation between the demand for product A and the price of product B.

Consider the streaming example above. If Hulu (product B) increases its price from $40 to $45 per month, this represents a 12.5% change. If Netflix (product A) sees a 20% jump in demand, the cross-price elasticity is 1.6. This means changes in the price of Hulu cause an increased demand for Netflix.

Practical Economics: The Case Understanding Price Elasticity

I’m still not an economics expert, but after my research, I’m confident I have a solid grasp on the price elasticity of demand and supply, with a bonus thrown in for getting the hand of cross-price elasticity.

The same applies to you. There’s no need to know everything about economics — you’d have to give up running your business if that was your goal. But, it is worth knowing how to calculate price elasticity and use this data to ensure your products or services are competitively priced.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in April 3, 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

When Business Is Slow, It's Time to Work on These 16 Things

Jenny Bergen Clark — Fri, 28 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

When slow business hits, that simple “How’s business?” question feels like a punch to the gut. As someone who’s navigated slow business from every angle — in content marketing, sales, and freelancing — I know that pit in your stomach all too well. The casual “Great!” response feels a bit forced, doesn’t it? Especially when you’re secretly refreshing your inbox every five minutes, hoping for new leads or client responses.

Here’s the thing: Slowdowns happen to everyone. I’ve seen it working with sales teams, watching their pipelines dry up, marketing departments struggling to generate leads, and as a freelancer dealing with quiet periods. Whether it’s seasonal changes, market shifts, or bigger economic factors, the key isn’t just surviving the slowdown — it’s using it to come back stronger.

Jehann Biggs, president of sustainable luxury brand In2Green, puts it perfectly: “Slow periods offer a natural time for introspection, allowing teams to focus on long-term growth initiatives. By approaching slowdowns as a time to optimize and innovate, businesses can use these lulls to emerge stronger.”

In this post, I’ll share what I’ve learned about spotting slowdown patterns, understanding what’s really causing them, and — most importantly — how to use downtime strategically to fuel long-term growth.

Table of Contents

What To Do When Business Is Slow

What is slow business?

Could a slow business ever be good?

Symptoms of a Slow Business

Why Is Business Slow Right Now?

Turning Slow Periods Into Growth Opportunities

What is slow business?

A slow business period is when sales, customer inquiries, or overall business activity drop below normal levels. This can be caused by seasonal trends, economic downturns, shifts in consumer behavior, or internal inefficiencies.

While some slowdowns are expected — like retail dips after the holiday season — others may signal deeper problems. Understanding whether your slowdown is temporary or a sign of structural issues is key to making informed business decisions.

Iqbal Ahmad, founder and CEO of Britannia School of Academics, explains: “When investigating the root cause, we need to consider a range of factors — both internal and external — to truly get a holistic view of what has changed.”

Could a slow business ever be good?

In a world that glorifies rapid growth, scaling fast, and maximizing profits, the idea of intentionally slowing down can seem counterintuitive. But, not all business success is defined by speed. Some entrepreneurs are pushing back against the “hustle culture” mentality and are embracing slow business as a sustainable and intentional approach to work and life instead.

I’ve found that when business slows down, it’s easy to panic — but sometimes, those slow periods create space to step back and make more intelligent, more strategic moves. Rather than measuring success purely by revenue growth, slow business prioritizes thoughtful decision-making, work-life balance, and long-term stability over aggressive expansion. This philosophy aligns with the broader “slow living” movement, which encourages mindfulness, sustainability, and quality over speed.

Nicole Magelssen, founder and CEO of Alpine Virtual, a virtual staffing solutions company, puts it this way: “When you’re in the thick of running a business, it’s go, go, go all the time. But constant motion doesn’t always mean that you are making forward progress. A slowdown forces you to pause and actually work ON your business and not just IN your business.”

Similarly, Joy Gendusa, CEO of PostcardMania, a direct mail marketing company serving over 96,000 customers, has seen firsthand how resisting the urge to panic during a slowdown can lead to growth. “During the 2008 recession, we made the mistake of cutting back on marketing, and our revenue suffered,” she explains. “In 2020, we did the opposite — we doubled down on marketing and saw our revenue recover almost instantly.”

It’s important to note that rapid growth isn’t always sustainable. Recent data indicates that 90% of startups fail, with a significant number due to premature scaling. This statistic underscores the potential risks of prioritizing speed over stability.

I’ve also noticed that slow business isn’t the right approach for everyone, but it can be beneficial for:

Creative entrepreneurs who want to focus on craftsmanship over mass production.

Sustainable brands that prioritize ethical sourcing and mindful growth.

Consultants and service providers who prefer deep, meaningful client relationships over high churn.

Small businesses and solopreneurs looking for a balanced, intentional approach to work.

Embracing a slower approach doesn’t mean giving up on growth — it means defining success on your own terms.

Symptoms of a Slow Business

While embracing a slow business model can be a deliberate and strategic choice, not every slowdown is intentional — or beneficial. In some cases, a drop in activity signals deeper issues that need to be addressed. I’ve learned that it’s easy to brush off a slowdown as just a rough patch, but sometimes, small dips can snowball into bigger problems if you’re not paying attention.

The key is to recognize the signs early and figure out whether it’s just a temporary slump — or a red flag that something needs to change. Here are some of the biggest indicators that a slowdown might be more than just a passing phase.

Reduced Revenue

One of the first signs that something is off is a noticeable drop in revenue. While minor fluctuations are normal, a steady drop over multiple months could mean a bigger problem. Here’s what to look for:

If revenue is down but expenses are steady (or increasing), it’s worth digging into which products or services are underperforming.

I’ve found that looking at year-over-year trends (rather than just month-to-month) gives a better picture of whether it’s seasonal or a bigger shift.

If your revenue is stable but profit margins are shrinking, it might not be a demand issue — it could be rising costs eating into your bottom line.

A 2023 CB Insights study found that 38% of startups fail due to running out of cash, making revenue tracking a critical early warning sign.

Reduced Profitability

Even if revenue looks fine, profitability might tell a different story. If profits are shrinking while sales stay the same, it’s time to take a closer look at expenses and margins.

Reilly James Renwick, Chief Marketing Officer at Pragmatic Mortgage Lending, a leading mortgage solutions provider, advises: “One of the first things to track is sales data over multiple seasons. Changes in lead velocity and analysis of your customer segments can reveal whether pockets of customers are becoming disengaged.”

From my experience, here’s what to watch for:

Have you added new costs (new hires, software, operational expenses) that haven’t yet paid off?

Are your highest-margin products or services underperforming while lower-margin ones sustain revenue?

I’ve personally seen businesses struggle when they start discounting too much to attract customers — what seems like a quick fix can train your audience to expect lower prices, which ultimately hurts profitability.

According to Olivia Tapper, co-founder and COO of DTC SEO Agency, a specialized ecommerce growth agency, a key metric to consider is customer acquisition cost (CAC). “If your CAC is rising while revenue stays flat, your business is becoming less profitable — even if sales volume hasn’t dropped yet,” Tapper explains.

You’ll want to investigate the performance of your more profitable products against those less impactful ones. It’s possible that business is slowing for your “money makers” but staying the same or increasing for other offerings.

Dry Sales Pipeline

If revenue is down, the next step is to figure out why, and that starts with your sales pipeline. Here’s something I learned working with sales teams: A dry pipeline isn’t always about market conditions. Sometimes, it’s telling you something important about your sales process.

Start by checking your sales team’s closing rates against previous periods. Are your reps closing the same percentage of deals, just with fewer leads? Or has their success rate dropped? This distinction matters — a lot.

Andres Lares, managing partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute, a global sales training and consulting firm, suggests looking deeper: “If leads are taking longer to respond or failing to convert, map out decision-maker involvement — are you still speaking to the right people?”

I’ve seen this firsthand. One sales team I worked with was struggling with conversions, but when we dug into the data, we discovered they were spending too much time nurturing cold leads instead of focusing on warm ones. Their pipeline wasn’t really dry — it was just clogged with the wrong prospects.

Before you conclude it’s a slowdown, check these pipeline health indicators:

Are your reps maintaining the same level of prospecting activity?

Has your lead qualification process changed?

Are deals getting stuck at specific stages?

Have you adjusted your definition of a qualified lead?

Reduced Website Traffic

For businesses that rely on organic traffic, search rankings, or digital ads, declining web visits can be a huge warning sign. I’ve spent years in content marketing, and I’ll tell you this: If fewer people are finding your business online, it’s worth investigating why.

Here’s the thing about website traffic: It’s not just about the numbers. A 20% drop in traffic might sound bad, but if your conversion rate is steady, maybe those missing visitors weren’t your target audience anyway. The key is understanding the story behind the stats.

Start by checking these basics:

Use Google Analytics or other marketing analytics software to compare website traffic trends over time.

Look at your search rankings. Have competitors outranked you?

Check your content calendar. When was the last time you published something new?

Review your paid campaign performance if you’re running ads.

For brick-and-mortar businesses, measuring foot traffic is trickier, especially if you don’t have previous benchmarks. But you can start tracking now to spot patterns going forward.

Pro tip: Don’t just look at overall traffic numbers. Dig into your traffic sources. I’ve seen businesses panic over a drop in social media traffic only to discover their organic search traffic was actually growing — they were just looking at the wrong metrics.

Business Trends Are Negative

Sometimes, the issue isn’t internal — it’s the market itself. Even the best businesses feel the effects when customer demand drops across their industry. But I’ve learned that not every negative trend means your business is in trouble. Here’s what to watch for:

Industry disruption from new technologies.

Shifts in competitor strategies or pricing.

Declining interest in your type of offering.

Wider economic factors affecting buying behavior.

Changes in how customers prefer to buy.

Pro tip: Use Google Trends to spot bigger patterns in your industry. It won’t tell you everything, but it can help confirm whether you’re dealing with a broader market shift or just an internal hiccup.

Jehann Biggs of In2Green notes that external trends often drive slowdowns more than internal inefficiencies. “We track repeat customer rates, social media sentiment, and industry-wide demand signals to determine if our slow periods are seasonal or a sign of deeper market changes,” she shares.

Final Thoughts on Diagnosing a Slow Business

Yes, seeing your numbers drop is scary. But I’ve learned that although slowdowns rarely fix themselves, they’re almost always fixable if you spot them early enough.

The key is staying curious instead of panicking. Ask questions. Dig into your data. Talk to your customers. The sooner you understand what’s really causing your slowdown, the sooner you can do something about it.

Remember that sometimes what looks like a crisis is actually an opportunity to make your business stronger. In the next section, we’ll explore why some slowdowns might actually be good for your business — and how to tell the difference.

Why Is Business Slow Right Now?

Not every slowdown is a crisis. Some industries naturally experience peaks and valleys, and even the most successful businesses go through slower periods. If you’ve planned for seasonality or are using this time to improve your processes, then a temporary slowdown isn’t necessarily bad.

That said, not all slow business is harmless. A downturn can be an opportunity — or it can be a warning sign. The key is knowing why business is slow and whether you need to adjust. I've learned that jumping to conclusions about a slowdown can lead you down the wrong path entirely.

Kristin Marquet, founder of Marquet Media and FemFounder, puts it perfectly: “The first instinct might be to panic, but the real key is to diagnose the root cause quickly and strategically. Slow periods can happen for various reasons — external (economic downturns, seasonal shifts, industry disruptions) and internal (marketing gaps, operational inefficiencies, shifting customer needs).”

Below, I’ll break down the most common reasons businesses slow down — and how to respond.

Holidays and Seasonal Patterns

Some industries naturally ride the waves of seasonal demand. I see this every year in content marketing — B2B content engagement typically dips during the summer months and holiday seasons. It’s not a crisis; it’s a pattern you can plan for.

According to Joy Gendusa from PostcardMania, “Summer is always slow for us. We’re B2B, and I believe this is common for B2B businesses. Our summer leads dip about 15%, and we go from averaging around 3,200 leads to 2,700 in the summer.”

Jehann Biggs highlights how recognizing seasonal trends can help businesses adapt. “One of the first things I track is sales data over multiple seasons,” she explains. “If sales typically dip at the same time each year, it’s a clear indication that the slowdown is seasonal, and I can adjust my marketing strategies or inventory planning accordingly.”

Here’s how to handle seasonal patterns:

Compare performance to the same period last year, not to peak seasons.

Adjust sales targets and forecasts for known seasonal patterns.

Use slower periods to prepare for upcoming busy seasons.

Track year-over-year data to spot true seasonal trends.

Harrison Tang, CEO and co-founder of Spokeo, a people search engine, adds valuable insight: “To pinpoint the causes of slow periods, we analyze six months’ worth of data. This timeframe allows us to detect anomalies and correlations.”

Weather and External Events

Weather patterns can dramatically impact consumer behavior and business performance. I’ve seen this firsthand while working with various industries. For example:

HVAC services see spikes during extreme temperatures.

Roofing companies often experience increased demand after storms.

Retail foot traffic typically drops during bad weather.

Seasonal products (like sunscreen) show predictable demand patterns.

In January 2025, U.S. retail sales experienced a significant decline, partly attributed to extremely cold weather conditions. “The wildfires in Los Angeles, the second-largest metro area in the U.S., and severe winter weather in other parts of the country may have limited face-to-face shopping activity,” Jay Hawkins, a senior economist at PNC Financial, told Reuters.

Pro tip: Use tools like Google Trends to anticipate and prepare for seasonal fluctuations in your industry. I’ve found it especially helpful for content planning — you can see exactly when interest in certain topics starts to rise.

Economic Factors

The economy is probably the biggest factor on this list for affecting business right now. During economic downturns, consumer attitudes change. Those who lose jobs have less money to spend, and even those who retain work may change their consumer behavior as their positions seem less secure. The average buyer may make fewer luxury purchases and try to extend their dollars the best they can.

Olivia Tapper recommends watching these key metrics during economic slowdowns:

Lifetime Value (LTV) changes.

Average Order Value (AOV) trends.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) fluctuations.

Conversion rate variations.

New versus returning customer ratios.

She emphasizes, “If your LTV has decreased but AOV stays the same, it means that your customer isn’t coming back to buy more. Then ask yourself if something has changed with your offering or its delivery.”

These metrics tell a story. For example, if your CAC is rising but conversion rates stay steady, that might signal broader market competition rather than internal issues.

Consumer Trends and Market Shift

Through my work with various sales teams, I’ve watched consumer preferences shift faster than ever before. One quarter, you’re on top of the world; the next, you’re scrambling to understand why your tried-and-true approach isn’t working anymore.

An interesting example is the case of fidget spinners. Its popularity skyrocketed in late 2016, eventually accounting for 17% of online toy sales. But as competition grew and consumer interest fell, the craze quick

Frictionless Selling: Don't Sell to People, Collaborate With Them

Michael Welch — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I stumbled into a sales career by accident. After a few years of freelancing, I realized my favorite part of work was meeting business owners and helping them figure out ways to overcome their biggest obstacles. Is that sales? It’s never felt like it — which is probably why I’ve always enjoyed it.

To say nothing of the really negative stigmas, there’s a common mentality in sales that success requires a grind. While I can certainly respect hard work, there’s another tactic that’s just as important to employ to see sustainable, long-term success: frictionless selling.

I’ll take you through what frictionless selling is, how you can reduce friction in sales, and why you should use this method.

Table of Contents

What is frictionless selling?

The Frictionless Selling Framework

How to Reduce Friction in Sales

Why Use the Frictionless Selling Method?

What is frictionless selling?

In case the name didn’t tip you off, frictionless selling is an approach to sales centered around — you guessed it — minimizing friction. That means implementing strategies to mitigate the objections, obstacles, complexities, and distractions that threaten to derail deals as they flow through the sales funnel.

The idea is to make the sales process as easy and helpful as possible for the customer, which is why frictionless selling is built around a consultative, collaborative approach instead of a transactional one.

Of course, you’ll never be able to achieve 100% frictionless selling, but the goal here is to remove as many hurdles as possible. By decreasing friction, you multiply the output of your sales reps without demanding more input — which can have a significant impact on their close rates.

If you’re already sold on frictionless sales, I highly recommend taking a deep dive into HubSpot’s Frictionless Sales Course and earning a certification. Otherwise, read on for a quick overview of the three phases of implementation, a few examples from my own experience, and a brief exploration of the benefits.

The Frictionless Selling Framework

Whenever I see the word “framework,” I’m ready for things to get overly complicated. Luckily, that’s not the case, according to HubSpot’s frictionless selling framework. What are the phases of the frictionless selling framework? Simple:

Let’s take a closer look at these individual stages and discuss specific tips you can apply in each one.

1. Enable

In many sales teams, reps — particularly less experienced ones — struggle to allocate their time in the most efficient way. Without clear strategies, their random and start/stop outreach is essentially looking for a needle in a haystack.

The best way to remove this type of friction is to help salespeople prioritize their efforts and spend more time selling effectively. How do you do this?

Scrutinize your sales processes. Do they need to be updated? How can they be improved to maximize productivity?

Evaluate your sales tools and technologies. Are there any redundancies? Are there any gaps that are compromising the team’s effectiveness? Are there any integrations that the team should be relying on to streamline the process?

Take a closer look at reps’ day-to-day activities. What tasks are reps spending the most time on? What are the most painful parts of the sales process? What basic tasks can be automated so that reps can focus on more important revenue-generating or relationship-building activities?

Pro tip: Self-reporting (i.e., getting reps to provide feedback on what activities they spend the most time on) might be an easy option, but it isn’t always the most accurate. In my own experience, boring tasks like updating my CRM feel like they take forever, but in reality, it’s a blip.

For more sophisticated insights, get your reps to start using a time tracker app such as HubStaff. These kinds of solutions enable your team to track their hours more reliably and improve their time management skills. Armed with good data, you can also quickly step in to troubleshoot unproductive tasks or processes.

2. Align

Once you’ve enabled your team with the right processes, tools, and technologies, the next step is to align them with your target buyer. The goal here is to reduce friction and make it easy for your buyer to say “yes” to a sale — or “no” if they’ve been misqualified and aren’t the right fit.

You can do this by:

Ensure that your team is available 24/7. Instead of only providing support during working hours in your time zone, set up live chat on your website and train freelancers from different countries to work as off-hours sales reps. If your team is always available, you’ve already removed a major source of friction.

Make it easy for your clients to schedule meetings with you. Use a tool such as Calendly to minimize long email chains about finding time to meet. If you’re a HubSpot user, you can also use the built-in meeting scheduler to create a booking page like mine — it’s free and easy!

Provide transparent pricing and discounts. The more open and upfront you are about pricing, the more trust you build with your prospect. You also help prospects with insufficient budgets opt out if they slipped through the cracks of your qualification process.

Make it simple for buyers to cancel. Unless you’re selling something like enterprise software, trying to lock your buyer into a multi-year contract will be a major red flag. Outline clear, reasonable terms and give buyers an out if you don’t deliver what you promise.

Pro tip: I would start with the suggestions above, but they’re by no means the finish line. For more ideas on how to align your team with your target buyer, look through old prospect inquiries and identify which ones turned into quality customer relationships.

For instance, if you identify that many prospects have been asking whether your product can be integrated with another solution, there’s clearly a demand for it. Consider having your product teamwork on that integration so that you can provide a better user experience for your customers — and be able to say “yes” to more high-quality prospects.

According to Burt Lancaster, founder and CEO at edtech provider One to One Plus, “When our customers told us their schools were increasingly reliant on Google for devices, management, and professional development, we responded by building seamless integrations between our software and Google’s suite of education products.”

According to Lancaster, this approach ensures our clients benefit from a fully connected and efficient solution that maximizes their investment.”

3. Transform

The last stage of frictionless selling involves transforming your team by creating a company culture of learning.

Here, you’ll want to:

Become data-driven. Stop using spreadsheets and start using more sophisticated data reporting tools that give you access to real-time data. Good reporting should be generated automatically — otherwise, it won’t happen at all.

Encourage mentorship. Provide new or struggling reps with a more experienced mentor. At the very least, they should be equipped with playbooks and other training materials.

Incentivize internal collaboration. Encourage all your reps to share their learnings and best practices with the rest of the team. Don’t expect this to happen organically — actively incentivize it. I suggest tracking the cost of the initiative and calculate its ROI each quarter.

Manage less and coach more. Good sales reps don’t need micromanagers to look over their shoulders and confirm they’re hitting arbitrary activity benchmarks. They need coaching to help them shore up their weaknesses and leverage their strengths so they can achieve their goals.

Pro tip: If you want to encourage a culture of learning, it can’t be a top-down decree. Get in the trenches and help your reps identify which parts of the sales process are causing hang-ups (literal and figurative), and then work with them to come up with solutions.

If the sales team owns decisions like software investments, they’re more likely to put in the effort necessary to ensure those investments pay off.

How to Reduce Friction in Sales

The best way to reduce friction in your sales process is to identify the areas that cause delays or leakage in the sales funnel. Once you’ve spotted potential sources of friction, simply prioritize the ones that deliver the most bang for your buck.

Shortly after I started in my current role, I set up a meeting scheduling page. After just one or two occasions going back and forth via email and adding extra days to the sales cycle, I made this a priority. This change would deliver groundbreaking results, but it would deliver positive results in the 15 minutes it took to configure in HubSpot and integrate my Google Calendar. Plus, it was free!

Other improvements simply require your team to adopt sales best practices. Are your reps scheduling follow-up meetings while on the call with a prospect? If not, make this a priority. When I was first starting out in sales, a mentor made this recommendation. I was stunned that I hadn’t thought of it on my own. Don’t take for granted that all your reps know the basics.

As you chip away at the low-hanging fruit, the sources of friction will become more and more complex. Today, our marketing proposals are made pretty much entirely from scratch because we serve lots of different industries, and each client is unique.

As a result, it can take me a few days of back and forth with different specialists on the digital marketing team to deliver a polished and thoughtful proposal. That’s valuable time that should be used to identify and connect with the next prospect. I’m already building templates and investigating dedicated tools like PandaDoc to get from proposal to signature in record time.

Because your sales funnel is unique to your own organization and industry, it will have its own points of friction. Maybe you’re selling in the public sector and need to go through certain government hoops to get a signoff, or maybe you’re selling in a space where a single individual has purchasing authority. Regardless, there will be ways to optimize and improve your processes in service of that lofty aspiration, frictionless selling.

Why Use the Frictionless Selling Method?

I am a strong advocate of this method because of the benefits I’ve personally seen in my own sales career. It’s common sense that salespeople and prospects will be happier with a smoother sales process. Nevertheless, here are a few data-backed reasons to intentionally implement frictionless selling if you’re still on the fence.

You’ll build a more efficient sales team.

With reps spending 70% of their time on non-selling tasks, there’s a lot of room to decrease the friction on the seller’s side to increase their efficiency. If you can find the gaps, redundancies, and areas where automation can take over for your team, you will create a more productive sales team.

You’ll improve conversion rates.

Overly complex selling processes cause friction and turn prospects away. In fact, over 70% of B2B buyers report feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information they receive, the number of reps they talk to, and the various package and pricing options available. If you simplify your sales process, buyers are more likely to follow through, and your conversion rates will improve.

You’ll enhance customer loyalty.

If you provide a frictionless experience, customers are more likely to stick around. We found that 75% of customers will continue doing business with a company that provides excellent service — even after making a mistake.

Not only will your customers stick around, but 75% of them will give positive recommendations to others, keeping your funnel full.

You’ll generate more revenue.

Friction during the selling process leads to prospects giving up and lost sales for companies. In fact, it’s estimated that $22 billion in revenue is lost each year due to friction. By reducing the friction in your sales cycle, you’ll likely capture more business and increase your revenue.

Frictionless selling operates on this simple equation:

Start lowering sales friction today.

In my experience, sales can be fun and rewarding — provided I’m spending my time solving interesting, complex problems.

On the other hand, if we’re not careful, we can find ourselves in a real-life Office Space, spending hours meeting meaningless activity quotas, cross-referencing calendars to find viable meeting times (none of which turn out to work for the prospect), and repeatedly copy-pasting parts of one Google Doc into another until our eyes glaze over.

When I was introduced to the notion of frictionless selling, it immediately resonated. This North Star isn’t something that can be achieved overnight, but I try to make some small bit of progress each week toward a more frictionless process for myself, my team, and my prospects, and I would strongly encourage you to do the same.

What Is Cross-Selling? Intro, Steps, and Pro Tips [+Data]

Sophia Bernazzani Barron — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through my experience in sales, it’s that it’s a mistake to assume that a customer’s revenue potential ends after their order. Cross-selling unlocks a lot of opportunities for extra revenue — and increased customer satisfaction.

I’ve worked in sales and marketing long enough to contribute to numerous cross-selling campaigns. I’ve witnessed firsthand its profound impact on companies’ revenues and customer relationships.

In this guide, I’ll break down cross-selling as a sales tactic, highlighting how it works, its benefits, and its challenges. I’ll also share some proven cross-selling strategies you can implement today to start driving revenue growth.

In total, here’s what you’ll learn:

Table of Contents

What is cross-selling?

Cross-Selling vs. Upselling: What’s the difference?

Advantages of Cross-Selling

Disadvantages of Cross-Selling

Preparing to Cross-Sell

Effective Cross-Selling Strategies

How to Cross-Sell Ethically

Cross-selling opportunities are available at various points of the sales process. For example, some of my favorite places to cross-sell are product pages, checkout pages, thank you pages, and post-purchase emails.

A 2024 HubSpot survey of more than 1,400 sales professionals across North America, Europe, and Asia reveals that 87% of salespeople try to cross-sell customers and prospects during the sales process.

To start a cross-selling strategy, I first recommend identifying products that satisfy additional or complementary needs not fulfilled by the initial purchase — or that increase its value or utility. Next, encourage the customer to purchase these additional products.

Cross-Selling vs. Upselling: What’s the difference?

Cross-selling and upselling are sometimes used interchangeably, but the approaches are quite different.

While cross-selling involves offering customers additional related items, upselling involves offering them an upgraded, more expensive version of the product they selected. To upsell, you need to convince the customer that the higher-priced version is worth it.

Returning to the customer who just ordered a burger: To upsell, I’d offer options to create a more elaborate burger — adding pickles and cheese slices, let’s say — for an additional fee.

In short:

Cross-selling adds to a sale via additional, lateral products that complement the original purchase.

Upselling enhances the original product by offering an upgraded or feature-rich version.

Examples of Cross-Selling vs. Upselling

Here are a few realistic scenarios highlighting the difference between cross-selling and upselling.

Mobile Phone Retailer

Cross-selling: Suggesting a screen protector, case, and travel charger when a customer buys a smartphone.

Upselling: Offering the same phone model but with a bigger screen and longer battery life.

Web Hosting Provider

Cross-selling: Offering domain registration and SSL certificates to customers who sign up for hosting plans.

Upselling: Recommending a higher-tier hosting plan with more bandwidth and storage.

CRM Software

Cross-selling: Encouraging a customer to purchase a subscription to your CRM tool after they have purchased a subscription to your marketing newsletter.

Upselling: Suggesting a higher lever subscription to your CRM with more seats and features.

Project Management Software Provider

Cross-selling: Proposing training workshops and consultation services to corporate clients looking to improve team productivity.

Upselling: Suggesting an enterprise-level subscription with advanced collaboration features, better integration capabilities, and dedicated customer support.

Air Conditioning Sales

Cross-selling: Recommending a voltage stabilizer to protect the purchased unit from unstable current surges.

Upselling: Offering a newer model of the same unit with smart technology integration and greater energy efficiency.

Advantages of Cross-Selling

Here are the main perks of cross-selling that I’ve personally discovered.

Increased Revenue

The most direct and immediate benefit of cross-selling is an increase in sales revenue. McKinsey reports that cross-selling can increase sales and profits by 20% and 30%, respectively. Furthermore, HubSpot research found that cross-selling accounts for 21% of their organizations’ revenues, on average.

This valuable source of revenue makes sense when you look at the numbers. The typical odds of closing a sale are 60-70% with an existing customer while it’s only 5-20% with a new one.

So, encouraging customers to buy complementary products typically boosts the average order value (AOV). If your current customers are spending more, your need to constantly acquire new customers will decrease. This is also good news because it costs 5 to 25 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain a current one.

Higher Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

One of the biggest benefits I’ve seen while cross-selling is it helps me maximize customer lifetime value (CLV), which is the total revenue generated from each customer over the course of their relationship with my business.

I’ve found that when customers perceive my business consistently meets their needs via relevant product suggestions, they’re more likely to develop loyalty and trust. This encourages more purchases over time, meaning a higher CLV — meaning more long-term revenue.

Greater Customer Satisfaction

As a sales technique, cross-selling relies on products that enhance the overall utility, enjoyment, or longevity of the primary buy. A customer who just bought their first camera from me will probably benefit additionally from a tripod and a camera bag. Having those extra products will make their overall experience more satisfying.

When I’m a customer, discovering relevant offerings via expert cross-selling is a pleasant surprise that makes me feel more understood and appreciated by the business. If there’s one thing I know, a smooth and satisfying shopping experience breeds customer loyalty.

More Product Visibility

Cross-selling involves strategically placing related products in the customer’s line of sight during their purchasing journey — products they might not have been aware of. From impulse buys to newbies experimenting, I’m able to get more attention for my offerings and more purchases this way.

Disadvantages of Cross-Selling

Like any other sales tactic, cross-selling comes with some hurdles.

Annoying Customers

A pitfall I often see is annoying the customers. The line between making a helpful suggestion and unsolicited nagging is very thin.

To avoid this, what I do is closely observe customer reactions and engagement levels during the interaction. If I sense any hesitation or disinterest, I immediately ease off the pressure.

You don’t want customers to feel like every transaction is an attempt to sell them something more. If so, they are more likely to view your business as purely profit-driven, damaging their trust in the brand and reducing the likelihood of future engagement.

Catering to “Problem Customers”

Another disadvantage is that cross-selling can ironically be less profitable, even when used successfully.

A Harvard study found that the costs of cross-selling to certain “problem customers” — such as people who frequently return products, overuse customer support, and primarily avoid regularly priced items — can actually overshadow extra revenue generated from them because these types of customers account for as much as 70% of the average company’s customer loss (which is when the cost of goods and marketing exceeds the revenue generated).

To overcome this problem, Harvard suggests thoroughly examining your business practices, identifying any that may unintentionally attract or encourage problem customers, and making adjustments.

Additionally, analyzing each customer’s transaction data can help determine whether they fall into one of the problematic categories. Depending on what I find out, I tweak my sales strategies, like upselling them instead or choosing to focus on other customers.

Preparing to Cross-Sell

Effective cross-selling begins with thorough preparation. Specifically, you must take time to learn about your customers, map out their buying journey, and know your products inside and out. Here’s how to go about it.

1. Get to know your audience.

You may already know about buyer personas. But one area I think is often overlooked is getting to know your audience after they have purchased your product. Their needs and expectations may evolve significantly after the purchase, so it’s crucial that you keep up with them if you want to do business with them again.

I recommend you create updated personas for post-purchase customers with:

Demographic information.

Psychographic information.

Direct customer feedback.

Service software helps you easily deploy, manage, and gather data from customer feedback surveys. Plus, it can give you additional insights regarding your audience’s main pain points by learning how customers interact with your knowledge bases and service agents.

I’ve found that taking time to get to know my audience helps me identify not only which cross-sell products are most likely to appeal to them, but also how to communicate the offers in a way that resonates.

2. Build out your customer journeys.

The customer journey refers to the path a person is most likely to take from initial awareness of your brand to purchase and beyond.

According to Up Inc., mapping out the customer’s journey is one of the most effective cross-selling strategies, leading to increased customer retention and fewer complaints — plus higher revenue.

Cross-selling can happen at any point in the customer’s journey; it’s just easier to cross-sell at some points than others.

Mapping the customer’s journey helps me identify the sweet spots of cross-selling. For example, I find that customers are most receptive to my cross-selling pitches after they’ve seen results from my products. Plus, they’ll naturally talk to other people about it, potentially driving referrals.

3. Learn your products.

You can’t be an effective salesperson if you’re not an expert on your entire product range. Identify each offering’s respective strengths and weaknesses. How do they address specific customer needs? Most importantly, learn how different items complement one another.

If I tried cross-selling without comprehensive knowledge and understanding of my products, I’d risk suggesting combinations that don’t make sense to the customer and don’t bring any value. That would erode customer trust by leading them to believe that my primary goal is to increase sales rather than meet their needs.

In contrast, since I thoroughly understand how my products interconnect, I’m able to make informed recommendations that genuinely enhance the customer’s initial order.

4. Enhance your listening and analysis skills.

Sometimes, opportunities to cross-sell can arise unexpectedly, such as during an unrelated phone call or email exchange with a client. Therefore, another move I recommend is identifying receptive signals from customers. This involves active listening.

These are the best practices I employ when speaking with customers:

I pay close attention to their voice and tone. It provides insight into their emotional state and readiness to engage.

I listen to what customers don't say explicitly. Pauses, hesitations, and indirect comments can all provide clues for areas where your products or services can offer additional value or support.

I encourage dialogue by asking customers open-ended questions instead of yes or no questions. Letting people express their needs and concerns fully allows me to see the bigger picture and to discover opportunities to serve them even better.

Effective Cross-Selling Strategies

Now that you know how to prepare for cross-selling, let’s explore a few top strategies to use once you’re ready. These are tactics I’ve personally used with tremendous success.

Personalize your cross-sale offers.

According to Forbes research, 81% of modern customers expect brands to deliver a personalized experience — with up to 70% of people expressing frustration when a company doesn’t know their history with the company.

When it comes to cross-selling, ensure that you tailor your recommendations to each customer based on their preferences, purchase history, and behavior. Just be sure not to violate customers’ data privacy.

Data analytics tools and AI have made that much easier to do. In fact, HubSpot research reveals that 86% of U.S. salespeople say leveraging AI helps them suggest the right products and services to customers at the right time.

Personalized cross-sales make your clients feel understood and appreciated by your business, which increases the likelihood of acceptance. But don’t just take my word for it.

Lisa Richards, CEO and founder of Candida Diet, tells us that sending automated, personalized product suggestions to customers (based on their initial purchases) is one of their most successful cross-selling strategies.

“Paying customers who received our personalized recommendations were 37% more likely to add at least one additional product to their basket and 25% more likely to increase their average order value,” she shares.

Richards further notes that these customers typically return to make subsequent purchases more frequently than general website visitors. The result is an impressive 12% more CLV from those who get personalized product recommendations.

Segment your customers.

I think segmenting your customers is an important step in personalizing your offers. Different selling strategies work better for different customer segments. Ryan Miller, founder and CEO of Etna Interactive, uses Sales Hub to segment his customers so he can better reach them with timely and relevant product recommendations.

Justin Mauldin from Salient PR is also a Sales Hub user and emphasizes the value of the data and analytics HubSpot provides for segmenting his customers:

“We focus on creating personalized campaigns by utilizing CRM data and setting up automated feedback loops for continuous sales insights, which help us tailor relevant offers to specific client segments, and integrating these elements provides us with a cohesive sales message.

“Our company traces patterns through HubSpot’s data-driven insights allowing us to identify high-opportunity areas and improve cross-sell strategies. This data-driven approach makes our campaigns more dynamic and impactful.”

Offer discounted add-ons.

HubSpot research from 2024 shows that 37% of U.S. sales reps who cross-sell cite offering discounts and promotions as one of their most effective cross-selling techniques.

Furthermore, 82% of online shoppers are more likely to complete a purchase if they have a discount code and coupon. Who’s surprised? Everyone loves a discount.

While I absolutely recommend you highlight the cost-saving benefit of your promotional offers or discounts, I think it’s even more important to emphasize how the add-on product enhances the customer’s experience and provides extra value.

Offer exclusive bundles and packages.

Another top

The Power of AI in Sales: How Teams Partner With AI to Boost Revenue

jfuchs@hubspot.com (Jay Fuchs) — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Now that AI has been mainstream for over two years, you may be wondering: How is artificial intelligence changing sales? I’m here to give you the lowdown on how sales teams are using AI, how it has changed the sales landscape, and how you can use AI in sales, too.

I have mixed feelings about AI — I think it’s equal parts exciting and alarming — and I know many others do, too. But regardless of whether you feel AI is good for sales, your role, or humanity at large, the fact remains: It’s only getting more sophisticated and ubiquitous as time goes on.

So, it serves you, whether you’re a sales rep or leader, to understand how to leverage artificial intelligence in sales. That’s why I’ve compiled this handy guide to help you out on that front. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

What is AI in sales?

The Need for Artificial Intelligence in Sales

The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Sales

11 Ways Your Team Can Use AI in Sales

I’ll preface this whole piece by saying that I’m extremely wary of AI.

Ever since the first time it had the audacity to autocorrect one of my texts, I’ve been convinced that it’s going to lead to mass professional displacement and/or humanity’s downfall — but until those things happen, I’ll try to be objective about its benefits and pitfalls.

Frankly, it has plenty of both for salespeople. Let’s take a look at some of them.

AI is further empowering buyers.

We’ve been living in the era of the empowered buyer for quite some time now. Prospects are as well-informed, confident, and independent as they’ve ever been — and AI is only expediting that trend.

Self-service resources for product research (most notably search engines) are already a staple of the modern buyer’s journey, but generative AI is becoming an increasingly prominent resource, shaping how consumers understand the products and services they invest in. Here’s how I see it changing the buyer and seller experience:

Google is in the process of augmenting its search results with generative AI. This means more people will find the answers to their searches in AI responses.

AI chatbots are growing in popularity with younger generations for consumer queries. In HubSpot’s State of Consumer Trends Report, 13% of Gen Z respondents cited it as their preferred method for finding answers to their questions online, compared to just 2% of Boomers.

As AI’s popularity as a resource for product research grows, I think it could potentially undermine the salesperson’s traditional position as the more informed, consultative guide in a sales engagement.

As a salesperson, this shift could be helpful or frustrating, depending on how that research casts your offering. A prospect’s AI-powered research might frame your product or service in a positive light — immediately establishing it as a good fit for a prospect and offering you a leg up. Or AI’s take on your offering might be less than flattering, forcing you to sell from a more compromised position.

Salespeople are concerned about job displacement.

Beyond empowering buyers, AI’s emergence has some wide-reaching implications in sales — some of which can be unnerving. I touched on this at the beginning of this section (a bit tongue-in-cheekily), but AI has led to some real concerns about job displacement in the field.

That trend isn’t exactly specific to sales, but it still has a lot of sales professionals particularly worried. Our 2024 State of AI in Sales survey found that 59% of sales professionals are concerned about AI replacing their jobs in the next few years.

AI can free up salespeople to sell more effectively.

But even with job displacement fears looming, several salespeople still see AI as an invaluable resource in the modern sales landscape — one that supports their professional responsibilities as opposed to undermining them.

That same survey found that 78% of sales professionals believe AI can help them spend more time on the most critical aspects of their role, and 74% agree that AI can help them spend more time on the parts of the job they enjoy most. We also found that 43% of sales reps are now using AI in their jobs (up from 24% in 2023), but sales is still lagging in adoption behind other sectors (consider marketing at 74%).

I think there’s a growing need for salespeople to understand and adopt AI-related resources — let’s take a closer look at the “why” behind it.

The Need for Artificial Intelligence in Sales

Regardless of how you might feel about AI, the fact remains: AI is not going to un-invent itself. It’s already a staple of several fields — especially sales — and its role is only going to grow.

The way I see it, adopting AI-powered resources has transitioned from a nice-to-have to a need-to-have in sales. Our 2024 State of AI in Sales survey found that 76% of sales professionals predicted that most of the software they use will have built-in AI capabilities by 2030.

Notably, 87% say they’ve started using AI because it’s integrated with tools they already use, like the AI in HubSpot’s Sales Hub. This has led to better data analysis, forecasting, and overall sales efficiency.

While being extremely wary of AI, I’ve caved to using it — not because I wanted to, but because I came to understand that my position wasn’t practical. And a lot of salespeople are hitting that point as well.

AI is here to stay, and refusing to adopt it means you run the risk of being left behind. It serves everyone, from BDRs to CSOs, to start taking AI seriously and learning to leverage it, both individually and organizationally.

The “need for artificial intelligence” in sales boils down to this: not letting stubbornness interfere with organizational efficiency and effectiveness. I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s no real reason to avoid embracing AI in sales.

The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Sales

I’ve come to see that AI does actually offer some very real benefits in sales — and salespeople generally recognize those.

Overall, our 2024 State of AI in Sales survey revealed that AI offers time-saving capabilities, deeper data analysis, and stronger forecasting potential. Here are some other findings and the figures to support them.

AI can help automate tedious tasks to free salespeople up to sell.

The number one use of AI is to automate manual processes, such as manual data or information entry.

64% of sales professionals save one to five hours per week using AI to automate manual tasks.

78% say that AI can help them spend more time on the most critical aspects of their role.

73% state that AI tools have increased their team’s productivity.

AI can support more thoughtful customer insight.

73% of sales professionals agree that AI can help them pull insights from data they otherwise wouldn’t be able to find.

65% say AI will help them understand their customers better.

52% use AI for data analysis, lead scoring, pipeline analysis, and forecasting.

AI can enhance personalization in sales.

69% of sales professionals strongly or somewhat agree that AI can help them personalize the customer experience.

61% also agree that AI can make prospecting more personalized.

22% actively use AI to personalize their outreach.

70% say that using AI increases their response rates.

Obviously, that list of benefits isn’t exhaustive, but you get the idea. AI expedites aspects of sales that many salespeople often find tedious or challenging. It helps structure better-informed, more streamlined sales efforts — even if its presence presents some reasonable, serious concerns.

11 Ways Your Team Can Use AI in Sales

Artificial intelligence in sales can be leveraged in many different ways. However, here are 11 applications that I think can transform your sales process.

Source

1. Access to advanced data enrichment, analysis, and applications.

Sound data enrichment — the process of pulling data into an organization’s database (typically a CRM) from third-party sources — is transitioning from an asset to a necessity for sales orgs. It allows you to create a more holistic, comprehensive, and accurate understanding of your prospects, leads, customers, and processes.

HubSpot’s Sales Hub is a robust customer relationship management (CRM) tool for salespeople and sales teams. I love how this platform offers a comprehensive solution. From forecasting to prospecting and even scheduling meetings, I guarantee you’ll find ways to improve your workflow.

Get started with Sales Hub today.

Sales Hub also leverages artificial intelligence to gather data from your prospects and customers.

Key features include:

Data capture through the mobile business card scanner. This uses machine learning to pull contact data directly into your CRM from a business card.

Data enrichment. AI automatically populates your CRM by pulling contact properties from email conversations with prospects, leads, or customers. This data could be phone numbers, geographical locations, job titles, and more.

Another interesting application of AI in data enrichment is Zoho’s DataPrep solution, which analyzes and transforms data into new “types.”

Source

Zoho uses AI to extract “meaning” from existing information in a CRM and uses its findings to create new data points, such as lead sentiments and topics of interest. These “new” data points can then be leveraged across several use cases. That includes lead scoring, lead prioritization, and outreach personalization.

2. Summarize meetings and calls with conversation intelligence.

Salespeople spend lots of time in meetings and on calls with prospects and customers. These are the most valuable touchpoints because you’re in live contact with your clients. After each call, it’s crucial to summarize what was discussed and highlight action items.

AI can now do that for you — with a high degree of accuracy.

Most sophisticated conversation intelligence software leverage some form of artificial intelligence to analyze sales calls and pull key insights.

A great example of one of these tools is HubSpot’s conversation intelligence solution. This platform uses AI to “uncover the why behind sales performance.”

Source

The program identifies key insights, such as trends and objections. This data can then be used to easily pinpoint areas of weakness or underperformance.

Another example of an AI-powered conversation intelligence tool is Chorus. This platform leverages artificial intelligence to recognize the context within a conversation, identify key moments within sales calls, and even note competitor mentions.

Source

3. Improve pipeline management and forecasting.

Although most sales reps follow best practices and periodically run sales forecasts, recent data has found that the majority of sales reps inaccurately forecast their pipeline. However, leveraging artificial intelligence allows you to significantly reduce the probability of inaccuracies in your sales team.

Consider Aviso, an AI-driven forecasting solution, to understand how this works.

Source

Aviso uses AI to analyze data and produce insights into deals and the overall pipeline. Some of these AI applications include:

WinScore Insights. This is a score that represents the likelihood of successfully closing a deal.

AI-powered forecasts. This can be used to predict the total number of new deals, renewals, and churn within a fixed period.

Scenario forecasting. These dynamic forecasts take “what if” scenarios into account.

AI-powered suggestions. These insights account for historical and current performance.

I think these AI-powered features can be the key differentiator in how well a sales team can build forecasts, draw insights from these forecasts, and make decisions.

4. Create and repurpose sales content.

Generative AI can be super helpful in creating and recycling sales content for a different purpose, a new audience, or a different format. We found that 47% of respondents use generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Jasper, and DALL-E to help write sales content or prospect outreach messages. Check out these prompts if you’re interested in exploring this use case.

HubSpot offers a generative AI tool that can help write, expand, or change the tone of your copy across your sales materials.

Source

Another helpful toolkit is Canva’s Magic Studio. It uses AI to help you in the content creation process, from writing to design. One tool I think is especially relevant here is Magic Switch, which can repurpose your content in seconds, whether you need a different format or to share content with a different prospect.

5. Recommend next steps for sales reps with AI-guided selling.

AI can help find and recommend the next best action for sales reps to take with every prospect in their pipeline. Instead of having to keep track of each relationship and every move each prospect makes, AI can take care of that for you. It can nudge you when it sees a prospect is ready for the next step or prompt you to reach out if a prospect is getting cold.

HubSpot’s AI-guided selling software helps you work with the right leads on the right deals at the right time. It helps you prioritize which actions to take with which prospects.

I find it helps sales reps take impactful actions and increases their overall efficiency.

6. Monitor your competitors.

Stop monitoring your competitors manually and set AI to keep an eye on them. It can scrape competitor websites, social media, and news sites for pricing, announcements, new offerings, marketing campaigns, and performance. It will then notify you with relevant updates and provide analyses on how they’re performing.

You will be able to identify emerging trends faster and make strategic decisions sooner. In other words, you’ll have an edge over your competitors with the real-time data AI can provide 24/7.

Source

Crayon, for example, uses AI to summarize any news about your competitors and analyzes changes in your competitive landscape with scores to help you know which are the most important — all delivered to your inbox daily.

7. Enhance lead scoring and qualification.

Knowing which leads are more likely to buy and which prospects fit within your targ

How to Find a Meeting Time That Works for Everyone [+ Tools]

Saphia Lanier — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Last week, I spent nearly two hours trying to schedule a single meeting with team members across three time zones. After countless back-and-forth emails and calendar checks, I finally landed on a time that worked — only to have someone realize they had a conflict.

Finding a meeting time that works for everyone is a universal challenge that even the most organized professionals face daily. As someone who coordinates dozens of weekly meetings with prospects, clients, and colleagues, I've learned that scheduling can eat up hours of productive time without the right approach — and the right meeting scheduling tools.

In this comprehensive guide, I'll share the exact strategies and tools I use to find a meeting time that works for everyone. Spoiler: I really like HubSpot’s free meeting scheduler tool.

Table of Contents

Tips for Finding a Meeting Time That Works for Everyone

Tools to Find a Time to Meet

How to Find a Meeting Time That Works for Everyone

Find a Meeting Time With Google Calendar

How to Find a Meeting Time That Works for Everyone

1. Use a meeting scheduling tool.

As someone who schedules 5+ meetings per week with clients across multiple time zones, I‘ve learned that automated scheduling tools are non-negotiable. After trying nearly every option on the market, I’ve found that meeting scheduling software cuts my coordination time from 15-20 minutes per meeting to just 2-3 minutes.

I personally use HubSpot's free meeting scheduler for most of my meetings. Here's my exact process:

I set my availability preferences once (9 AM - 5 PM EST; no meetings on Fridays).

I create different meeting types (30-min intro calls, 60-min deep dives).

I send my booking link to the attendees.

They pick a time that works for them.

The meeting automatically appears on both of our calendars.

What I love about this approach: It eliminates the back-and-forth emails completely. Plus, it automatically handles time zone conversions, which saved me from an embarrassing situation last month when I almost scheduled a 3 AM call with a client in Singapore.

Pro tip: I always customize my booking link settings for different types of meetings. For example, I add buffer time between sales calls to prepare, but keep my internal team meetings back-to-back to maximize efficiency.

2. Offer some multiple meeting time options via an email thread.

I‘ll be honest — I avoided email scheduling until last month when I had to coordinate with a client who preferred direct email communication for their executive team. While I’m a huge advocate for scheduling tools, I've learned that some senior executives and VIPs still prefer the personal touch of direct email coordination.

Here's what I learned works best:

Offer three time slots within the next five business days.

Include time zones for each option.

Give a clear deadline for responses.

Here's my tested email template below.

Hi [Name],

I'd love to connect about [specific topic]. Would any of these times work for you?

Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 10 AM EST / 3 PM GMT

Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 2 PM EST / 7 PM GMT

Thursday, Jan. 25 at 11 AM EST / 4 PM GMT

Please let me know by end of day Monday which time works best, or if you need additional options.

Best,

[Name]

Pro tip: I always add a calendar reminder to follow up if I don't hear back within 24 hours. This simple step has increased my response rate by 40%.

What I've learned to avoid: Sending more than three options or asking an open-ended “When are you free?” These approaches typically double the number of emails needed to finalize a time.

3. Leverage a meeting poll resource.

When I‘m coordinating meetings with more than three people, I’ve found that polling tools like Doodle are a lifesaver. Last quarter, I needed to schedule a quarterly planning session with team members across three departments. Instead of dealing with 15+ reply-all emails, I created a poll that aligned us in under an hour.

Here’s how this may look on Doodle:

Source

What I've found works best:

Share no more than 5-6 time slots.

Set a clear poll deadline (I usually give 24-48 hours).

Include a note about the meeting length and any prep work needed.

I always block off the proposed times on my calendar while the poll is active. Nothing's worse than restarting the process because your top-voted time slot is no longer available!

Best for:

Team meetings with 4+ people.

Recurring meetings that need to be rescheduled.

Cross-departmental coordination.

Event planning with external stakeholders.

4. Find common free time on Google Calendar.

I occasionally manage a remote team across multiple time zones, so I‘ve become a power user of Google Calendar’s “Find a Time” feature. This tool has become my secret weapon for internal meetings, saving me hours each month in coordination time. (Psst: More instructions on this later on!)

What I love about this method:

You can see everyone's availability in a single view.

It automatically accounts for time zones.

You can quickly spot common free times.

It respects people's working hours and busy/free settings.

Pro tip: I‘ve found the most success using the "week" view rather than "day" view when scheduling team meetings. It gives me a broader picture of everyone’s availability and helps me spot patterns (like when team members typically block focus time).

Best practices I've learned:

Always check the time zone indicator for each participant.

Look for at least 15 minutes of buffer on either side of the meeting.

Double-check against holidays in different regions.

Consider setting up working hours in your calendar to make scheduling even easier.

Source

5. Record a meeting or async video and send it to stakeholders who couldn't make it.

After struggling to find meeting times that worked for our APAC team members, I've become a huge advocate for async video recordings. I estimate this approach saves our team about 10 hours per month in coordination time, while ensuring everyone stays informed.

My async video workflow:

Record a 5-10 minute video covering key points.

Add timestamps in the description for easy navigation.

Share the recording with a brief written summary.

Set a clear deadline for questions or feedback.

What I've found most effective:

Keep videos under 10 minutes (engagement drops significantly after that).

Start with the most important information.

Use screen sharing for visual demonstrations.

Enable video playback speed options.

Best for:

Status updates

Product demonstrations

Training sessions

Project kickoffs

Team announcements

Pro tip: I use Loom for most recordings because it automatically generates transcripts and allows viewers to leave time-stamped comments. This has increased our team's engagement with async updates by roughly 60%.

Here's what that can look like:

Source

6. Book a recurring meeting time.

After years of scheduling headaches, I've found that recurring meetings are the ultimate “set it and forget it” solution. When I took over managing our content team last year, I replaced ad hoc meetings with strategic recurring slots, reducing our scheduling-related emails.

My framework for recurring meetings:

Weekly. Team standups and 1:1s.

Bi-weekly. Project check-ins and sprint planning.

Monthly. All-hands and strategy reviews.

Quarterly. Planning sessions and reviews.

Pro tip: I always schedule recurring meetings for 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60. This built-in buffer prevents back-to-back meeting fatigue and gives everyone time to prepare for their next call.

What I've learned works best:

Pick a consistent day and time (e.g., “Marketing Sync every Tuesday at 10 AM”).

Set clear cancellation policies (we cancel if 50% of key stakeholders can't attend).

Review and adjust recurring meetings quarterly.

Include a standard agenda template in the recurring invite.

After coordinating hundreds of meetings across multiple time zones, I've developed a reliable system that works consistently. Here are my top tips, refined through real-world experience:

1. Provide meeting details.

I‘ve learned that clear meeting details are essential — nobody likes that awkward moment where everyone spends the first few minutes figuring out the meeting’s purpose.

I always include a quick objective statement in the invitation to avoid confusion and get things moving efficiently. For example, I might write: “During this meeting, we're going to cover key adjustments in our tech stack we're making in Q1 — specifically our new CRM and conversation intelligence platform.”

Pro tip: I keep a common meeting objective template in my notes for quick reference. This saves time while ensuring I maintain consistency in how I communicate meeting purposes.

2. Prepare an agenda.

As 13-time World Series champion Yogi Berra wisely said, “If you don't know where you're going, you'll end up someplace else.” I've found this especially true in business meetings — without a clear agenda, even the most promising meeting can go off track.

We all know tangents happen, but you need a framework that allows you to bring things back on topic when the conversation starts to go off the rails. It‘s the best way to respect everyone’s time, avoid irrelevant talking points, and remind everyone of the most pressing matters at hand.

Pro tip: I create my agendas with clear time allocations for each topic. For a 30-minute meeting, I typically reserve five minutes for updates, 20 minutes for core discussion, and five minutes for next steps.

Every meeting should have a purpose, and a thoughtfully constructed agenda is the best way to clearly outline what that looks like. Agendas also let you dictate the preferred pace of your meeting — you can allocate certain amounts of time for specific action items, ensuring that things stay buttoned-up and timely.

3. Communicate value.

Every meeting you schedule needs to have a purpose — otherwise, you‘re just wasting everyone’s time. I always ask myself, “What will the other stakeholders get out of this?” before sending any calendar invite. If I can't identify clear value, I know the meeting should probably be an email.

Before scheduling, I make sure I can articulate the specific outcome we‘re working toward, whether it’s:

Revealing a new process.

Developing a strategy.

Welcoming a new team member.

Making a key decision.

Pro tip: I include a clear “Meeting Outcome” section in my invites. For example: “Outcome: By the end of this meeting, we'll have our Q1 content calendar finalized and responsibilities assigned.”

Regardless of what the “why” behind a meeting might be, make sure it‘s actually worth everyone’s time. I've learned the hard way that being known as the person who calls unnecessary meetings can damage team relationships and effectiveness.

4. Determine the meeting type.

Will the meeting be a conference call, a video chat, or in-person? I've found that having this information clearly stated in the invite prevents confusion and helps everyone prepare appropriately.

What I include in every invite:

Meeting format (video, phone, or in-person).

Connection details (video link or dial-in number).

Location details (conference room or virtual meeting link).

If you're using Google Calendar, you can easily add a video link to the meeting by pressing the “Add Google Meet video conferencing” button. I also regularly use other platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, which integrate smoothly with Google Calendar.

Pro tip: For in-person meetings, I always double-check room availability and include the floor number or room location in the invite. This small detail has saved countless minutes of people wandering around looking for the right space.

5. Consider all time zones.

Working with global teams has taught me the importance of time zone coordination. I learned this lesson after accidentally scheduling an 11 PM meeting for our Australian team members. Now, I rely on a combination of tools to get it right:

Google Calendar's built-in time zone display.

Slack's local time indicators.

My go-to time zone converter for complex scheduling.

Pro tip: I maintain a simple document listing my regular collaborators' time zones and preferred meeting hours. For example, I know our APAC team prefers early morning EST meetings, which align well with their afternoon hours.

Source

6. Schedule the meeting in advance.

Fun fact: Exactly zero people on planet Earth like being notified of a meeting without enough time to prepare for or plan around it — I learned this lesson quickly after seeing the panicked responses to my same-day meeting requests when I first started managing projects.

Here are my advance scheduling guidelines:

Regular team meetings - At least 1 week's notice.

Strategic planning sessions - 2-3 weeks’ notice.

Client presentations - Minimum 3-5 business days.

Quick updates - 24 hours when possible.

Pro tip: I've found that sending a meeting invite with a draft agenda at least 48 hours in advance increases participation and leads to more thoughtful discussion points from attendees.

That‘s not just for their benefit — if you give meeting attendees preparation time, they’ll likely make more meaningful contributions and ask better questions. I always include any pre-reading materials in the initial invite to give everyone time to review.

7. Block off “no meeting” time on your calendar.

If you‘re the one getting invited to a ton of meetings, you’ll find it helpful to block time off of your calendar where meetings can‘t be scheduled. I’ve made this a non-negotiable part of my week, blocking off my most productive morning hours (9-11 AM) for focused work.

Some organizations even have weekly no-meeting days to provide uninterrupted focus time and reduce fatigue. At HubSpot, we have “No Internal Meeting Fridays” to combat burnout, which I've found dramatically improves my end-of-week productivity.

Pro tip: I color-code my blocked time differently from regular meetings, making it easier to spot my dedicated focus periods at a glance. This visual cue helps me protect these time blocks more effectively.

8. Don't schedule a meeting when an email will do.

We‘ve all heard the phrase, "This meeting could’ve been an email," and I’ve made it my mission to prevent my team from saying this about my meetings. Before scheduling any meeting, I ask myself: “Could I communicate this effectively in writing?”

When I choose email over meetings:

Sharing status updates.

Distributing reports or metrics.

Providing straightforward instructions.

Announcing minor changes.

Pro tip: When I need to explain something visually but don't need real-time discussion, I use Loom to record a quick video walkthrough. This approach cut our team's meeting time while maintaining clear communication.

After testing dozens of scheduling tools over the years, here are the ones I consistently recommend to my team and clients. Each has unique strengths for different scheduling scenarios.

1. HubSpot Meetings Tool

Price: Free

HubSpot’s free meeting scheduler connects with your calendar to automate meeting scheduling. Sales teams can create booking links for prospects, manage team availability, and track all scheduling activity in the CRM.

Doug Spencer, a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Bold Xchange, an online gifting software tool, secure roughly $1 million in outside capital. Some of his proudest moments include securing funding after only one conversation.

“With sales, you’ve got to know their language,” says Spencer, “so that you can speak to what they’re looking for.”

Whether it’s with a prospective investor, customer, or partner, understanding the needs and requirements of the person you’re selling to (plus, how you’re uniquely able to serve these needs) is the key to closing a deal.

Table of Contents

What is a sales presentation?

Best Practices for Planning a Sales Presentation

Essential Steps to Help You Practice Your Presentation

Tips for Delivering Your Sales Presentations

What is a sales presentation?

Think of a sales presentation as the ultimate pitching opportunity. It’s your chance to prove to your potential customer that your service or product is worthy of investment. It should include granular detail around the specific problem you’re aiming to solve, often with the support of visuals, case studies, and other relevant data.

Also, a sales presentation isn’t complete without a value proposition: Make sure you’re clear on what you’re offering, why you’re the right person to offer it, and exactly how you plan to execute.

Best Practices for Planning a Sales Presentation

1. Study your potential client and the industry.

I know internet stalking isn’t typically condoned, but when you’re planning your sales presentation, a deep level of research is crucial.

“The research step is really, really important, because then [the customer] is going to be like, ‘Hey, this person knows me,’” says Spencer. Your prospective client also wants to see that you have an understanding of the respective industry as a whole.

In addition to knowing the ins and outs of their company’s leadership and employees, “get acquainted with educating yourself about current trends, recent news, and your company’s competitors,” adds Erica Franklin, founder of EVF Consulting and global director of dales for Sistas In Sales.

2. Tell a story.

“Storytelling is winning,” says Franklin. While only 5% of people remember statistics during a presentation, 63% remember stories.

One of the best ways to storytell in a presentation is to incorporate case studies and real-world examples — especially ones that involve use of your product.

“I enjoy seeing presentations from companies that use their own products to convince customers to purchase those same products, like Monday.com and Gong.io,” says Franklin. “They are literally able to show you repeatedly why their products are successful.”

Storytelling is also what helped Franklin land a repeat client who was mulling over whether or not to renew the service. “Instead of accepting their hesitation, I crafted a renewal and upsell proposal that (I believe) shifted their perspective — not just on the current products but also on the future possibilities,” says Franklin.

She did this by showcasing the success of partnership via strategic storytelling and hypothetically presenting what growth would look like if they remained a customer. “They ended up not only renewing but also expanding their partnership,” shares Franklin.

3. Do the leg work — if you can.

Especially if your budget is tight, Spencer suggests putting together the presentation yourself rather than paying someone else to do it, and better allocate those funds to serve a business need elsewhere. It’s also how you get closest to the material you’ll be presenting.

Consider free resources from platforms like Canva, Keynote, Google Slides, and PowerPoint, many of which offer customizable templates.

AI, when used responsibly, can also be a help reviewing and formatting aid. Gamma is a new AI-powered platform on the market that I think is worth testing out.

4. Don’t go too text-heavy.

Forty percent of people prefer non-written visual forms of communication, so charts, graphics and other imagery are ideal.

Videos are even better. Plus, the more copy you add to your slides, the more inclined you’re going to be to read directly from the presentation. Text can be a crutch. Visuals are more of a guide. Likewise, “the more people are trying to read, the less they're listening,” says Spencer.

Another benefit of non-wordy slides is that they also make for a more concise presentation. When it comes to ideal length, Franklin says, “Depending on the product, I would say 20-30 minutes, leaving a few minutes for discussion, so 45 minutes max.”

5. Remove the excess.

Another rule of thumb? Each slide should convey exactly one point, says Spencer. That way you’re staying on track and keeping the customer engaged.

He suggests thinking of it like this: “What are the chapters in my story?” Each slide should be a “chapter.” You don’t want to muddle your chapters with excess, so take note of any information that’s not pertinent. If it’s not adding to the story, it probably doesn’t need to be included. If it must stay, include it as an add-on or reference point, like a book’s appendix or bibliography, that you don’t necessarily need to present.

Essential Steps to Help You Practice Your Presentation

1. Repetition is key.

The more you practice, the more nuances you’re able to consider — and that will make your presentation more interesting.

Repeated practice will also prepare you to be unfazed by any curve balls thrown at you the day of. The more you know your stuff, the less you’ll need to rely on a script. You’re able to deliver a more natural presentation, and I think it makes you more confident when you need to improvise as well.

2. Practice with someone foreign to the project

When you’re the closest to the concept, it’s easy to miss what requires more explanation. Try practicing on someone who has zero or very minimal knowledge of what’s being presented. This was, you can ensure your pitch is clear and thorough no matter who’s on the receiving end.

“You always want to assume that the person you‘re presenting to doesn’t have the level of detail that you have,” says Spencer. “And that they’re not an expert, because often they're not.”

Tips for Delivering Your Sales Presentations

1. Approach it like a conversation.

A sales presentation doesn’t have to feel like that boring lecture every student dreaded attending. Your client wants to learn, but they also want to feel included and engaged.

“Sales presentations have become much more conversational and less scripted or tied to a specific selling process,” says Franklin.

“While selling methodologies are great, sometimes just having real conversations about what is going on and what is needed wins. Trust-building is the key to closing deals.”

Building trust also means approaching the presentations like there’s an already-established partnership. Successful sales reps are 10 times more likely to use collaborative words like “us,” “we,” and “our.”

2. Allow the customer to speak.

Part of engaging your customer means allowing them to participate. Encouraging them to weigh in on the conversation positions you to address anything you may have missed, and you can sometimes drive your point home even further.

Franklin suggests asking your potential client open-ended questions like, “What does success look like for you?” or “What other products have you used in the market to address your pain points?”

3. Make sure your potential customer has a copy of the deck.

While the hope is that your presentation is clear — and that your prospective customer is taking notes — it’s important that they have reference points to refer back to later while deliberating.

“Presentations (even shorter versions) are helpful to your contacts after the meeting as they usually need something tangible and concise to help them sell internally,” says Franklin.

Send them an email with your slides before or after the meeting.

4. Wrap up with clarity around numbers and next steps.

Numbers are important. Always be clear on what yours are.

By the end of the presentation, your client should know exactly what you’re asking for and what the next steps are, should they choose to move forward.

Spencer says it’s important to be confident in the number you're presenting. You should have already done your homework, so “don’t negotiate against yourself,” he says, and be sure to give your potential client room to think.

Equally as important, he adds: “Remember that you’re going to hear no.” Sometimes, it’s a firm no (which happens to the best of us); sometimes, that “no” means not right now, or not in this way. After all, 83% of potential clients won’t initiate a sale for 3-12 months.

“If they cannot buy everything right now, make a long-term plan,” says Franklin. Sometimes it’s about playing the relationship game.

Ready To Present

While sales presentations generally aren’t generally a rep’s favorite part of the job, the best sales reps know that, when done right, sales presentations are a high-earning skill.

After I spent time talking with experts for this post and reviewing their tips and techniques, the one that stands out the most for me is: practice. It might not prepare you for every scenario, but it’ll prepare you for most of them. Best of all, you’ll be confident in your talking points — and your product. There’s no better way to go into a sales presentation.

5 Best Sales Enablement Platforms of 2025

Taylor Cromwell — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

I hate to break it to you, but having a great product or service alone is not enough to succeed in today’s marketplace. Sales teams need the right tools, content, and data to talk to customers and close deals faster. That’s where sales enablement platforms help.

I’ve worked with businesses that spend thousands on software that sales teams end up barely using. Other tools? They become an indispensable part of the workflow — automating tedious tasks, surfacing key insights, and helping reps hit quota.

If you want to make your sales process easier, this guide will introduce you to five of the best sales enablement platforms in 2025. These tools help teams work better, close more sales, and make more money. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

What is a sales enablement platform?

What do sales enablement platforms do?

Revenue Enablement vs. Sales Enablement

5 Best Sales Enablement Platforms

My Favorite Picks for Sales Enablement

According to HubSpot’s Sales Trends report, 52% of sales pros use sales enablement content and 79% of them say it’s important to making a sale.

What do sales enablement platforms do?

Sales enablement platforms can help sales teams in many ways — from content to analytics and more.

Content Management. Keeping all sales materials (like slides, brochures, and case studies) in one easy-to-find place.

Analytics & Reporting. Showing which sales content works best so teams can make better choices.

Training & Coaching. Providing guides, videos, and coaching to help sales reps improve.

CRM Integration & Automation. Automating follow-ups and keeping track of customers in one system.

Expert insight: According to Daria Shevchenko, CMO at Snov.io, data is one of the biggest reasons businesses use these tools. “Nowadays, all the decisions businesses make need to be based on evidence if they want to avoid losing time, money, and effort on things that don’t perform well,” she says.

“These platforms help track the performance of campaigns and content, which becomes useful in the future when you need to make budget allocation decisions. For example, if you see that one channel is bringing in good numbers, you would allocate a bigger chunk of the budget on it in the next quarter.”

For a deeper dive into how to apply these features, check out HubSpot’s Sales Enablement Training Workbook.

AI Integration and Sales Enablement

The elephant in any room when discussing software is of course… What is the impact of AI in this area? Sales enablement is no different.

According to several of the sales experts I spoke with, AI integration is one of the most powerful features that several sales enablement platforms offer — but still it’s not something talked about enough.

“One very important, almost ignored aspect involves AI integration. Most sales enablement tools, HubSpot included, have AI-driven features that make automatic recommendations of content to sales representatives based on lead behavior,” says Reilly James Renwick, CMO at Pragmatic Mortgage Lending.

“This personalization at scale ensures that reps are always using the most relevant materials, which can be a huge time-saver. In addition, AI keeps tabs on buyer intent and engagement for sales teams so reps can strike when a lead is in the perfect stage of their journey. It’s a game-changer for boosting productivity and upping sales.”

Revenue Enablement vs. Sales Enablement

While sales enablement tools focus on helping sales teams close deals, revenue enablement takes a broader approach.

Sales enablement supports sales teams specifically by providing tools, content, and automation to improve close rates.

Revenue enablement aligns sales, marketing, and customer success teams to optimize the entire revenue cycle.

As Renwick puts it, “If enablement as such focuses mainly on equipping a sales team with content and tools to actually close deals, then revenue enablement extends that support to the whole process of creating revenue, inclusive of marketing and customer success.

“Revenue enablement focuses on selling, marketing, and customer success alignment with seamless communication at each touchpoint in the Customer Life Cycle with consistent messaging across.”

Now, let’s dive into the top sales enablement platforms.

5 Best Sales Enablement Platforms

Instead of just listing features, I went straight to the source — real sales reps — to get their take on which sales enablement platforms actually make a difference.

1. HubSpot

Best for: Seamless Sales & Marketing Alignment

HubSpot Sales Hub is more than just a CRM — it’s an all-in-one AI-powered sales enablement platform designed to help teams work smarter, not harder. What makes HubSpot stand out is its seamless integration of marketing, sales, and automation, allowing businesses to track leads, automate follow-ups, and personalize outreach all in one place.

Source

Sales reps love that they can see a prospect’s entire engagement history, including what emails they’ve opened, what pages they’ve visited, and what content they’ve engaged with.

Core features:

CRM with built-in sales enablement tools.

AI-powered content recommendations.

Automated follow-ups based on customer behavior.

Deep analytics and personalized dashboards.

Easy to use — intuitive UI and minimal setup time.

Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $20 per seat/month (Starter) and go up to $150 per seat/month (Enterprise).

What I like: HubSpot’s integration between sales and marketing makes it a powerhouse for tracking lead behavior and personalizing outreach. It’s also extremely easy to use — which is why it’s a favorite for me.

Shevchenko tells me her favorite feature of HubSpot is its in-depth analytics, like the ability to track conversions. These allowed her to visualize the data with personalized dashboards with the metrics that mattered most.

2. Highspot

Best for: Sales Content Management

Highspot is a content-first sales enablement platform that helps teams create engaging, interactive sales materials. If your team struggles with finding the right content at the right time, Highspot is a game-changer. It centralizes all sales materials — presentations, case studies, one-pagers — so reps don’t have to waste time hunting for them.

Here’s a look at their approach to sales enablement.

Source

Core features:

All-in-one GTM enablement platform that makes it easy for reps.

AI-driven recommendations help reps pick the best content for each prospect.

Interactive sales presentations with real-time tracking.

Content analytics for sales engagement.

Simple drag-and-drop editor for customization.

Pricing: Custom pricing based on team size. (Side note: I don’t love how complicated it is to find pricing information.) According to arrows.to, however, the average contract value for the platform is more than $90,000.

Source

What I like: Highspot is perfect for teams that rely heavily on sales content — it makes delivering polished, interactive sales materials effortless.

Renwick tells me that Highspot has helped his company improve sales productivity. “Highspot allowed our team to get to the right content for each prospect and present it in record time. Not only did this save hours for reps, but it also yielded higher engagement and a 15.47% increase in conversions,” he said.

3. Zendesk

Best for: Customer-Centric Sales Teams

If your business relies on great customer support, Zendesk Sell ties sales and support together seamlessly. It’s an ideal choice if you need a CRM that integrates with customer service tools.

Source

Core features:

AI-driven sales automation.

Omnichannel sales tracking (email, phone, chat, social).

Seamless CRM and customer support integration.

Pricing: Starts at $19 per user/month.

Source

What I like: The support-to-sales handoff is seamless, ensuring no customer falls through the cracks.

4. Outreach

Best for: Sales Automation & Email Sequences

Source

Outreach is built for sales automation at scale. If your team sends lots of cold outreach emails, this platform optimizes sequences, tracks engagement, and automates follow-ups to save time.

Core features:

AI-powered email sequencing and task automation.

Deep sales analytics and forecasting tools.

Built-in call recording and coaching.

Great for outbound teams that rely on email sequences.

Integrates well with most CRMs.

Pricing: Unfortunately you have to reach out for pricing on this one, too. Outreach does offer several different packages depending on what features you really need. However, some sales reps say that price is a downside to using this tool — and many email sequencing features, for example, can be found with a more affordable tool like Apollo.

Source

What I like: Outreach excels in automation, helping sales teams work smarter by prioritizing high-value prospects.

5. Seismic

Best for: Large Sales Teams

Source

Seismic is a direct competitor to Highspot, but users say it’s easier to use and has better training features. If you need sales content management + coaching tools in one platform, Seismic is a strong choice.

Core features:

More intuitive UI than Highspot.

AI-driven content personalization.

Great training/coaching tools alongside content management.

Engagement tracking for sales materials.

Pricing: Custom pricing available. Like Seismic, sales reps say that Seismic is expensive, and it’s one of the highest-priced options on this list.

What I like: Seismic’s AI recommendations ensure sales reps always use the most effective content, making outreach more strategic.

My Favorite Picks for Sales Enablement

If your team needs a simple, all-in-one system, HubSpot is my top choice. If you rely on sales content and presentations, Highspot is a great tool. For AI-powered automation, Outreach and Seismic are my top picks.

No matter which tool you choose, investing in a sales enablement platform can save time, improve sales, and help your business grow.

Want to Create a Sales Plan? Let Me Show You How [+ 10 Sales Plan Examples]

jfuchs@hubspot.com (Jay Fuchs) — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000
Sales planning is a fundamental component of sound selling. After all, you can’t structure an effective sales effort if you don’t have, well, structure .

In my experience, everyone — from the top to the bottom of a sales org — benefits from having solid, actionable, thoughtfully-organized sales plans.

But putting together a sales plan isn’t always straightforward. It can be kind of complicated; involves tons of steps. But there is good news: you don’t have to make a sales plan with zero help. To guide you through this partly-intense process, I’ve assembled this detailed blog post that reviews everything you should know about sales planning (and will ensure your next sales plan is practical, produces results that you want to see, and detail-oriented).

Table of Contents:

What is a sales plan?

Sales Planning Process

Importance of the Sales Planning Process

What goes in a sales plan template?

How to Write a Sales Plan

How to Write a Sales Plan

Tips for Creating an Effective Sales Plan

Types of Sales Plans

Strategic Sales Plan Examples

Create a Sales Plan That Grows With Your Business

What is a sales plan?

A sales plan outlines your objectives, high-level tactics, target audience, and potential obstacles. It’s like a traditional business plan that focuses on your sales strategy. A business plan lays out your goals — a sales plan describes precisely how you’ll make those happen.

Sales plans often include information about the business’s target customers, revenue goals, team structure, and the strategies and resources necessary for achieving its targets.

What are the goals of an effective sales plan?

The purpose of your company’s sales plan is to:

Communicate company goals and objectives

Provide strategic direction

Outline roles and responsibilities

Monitor your sales team’s progress

1. Communicate your company’s goals and objectives.

Goals and objectives are the lifeblood of successful sales efforts. You can’t know what you’re working for or whether you‘ve achieved anything meaningful if you don’t have them in place.

Your sales reps need a solid sense of what’s expected of them. You can’t go to your team and just say, “Sell.” In my experience, you have to establish clear, practical, and ambitious benchmarks.

And if — or more likely when — those goals change over time, you need to regularly communicate those shifts and the strategic adjustments that come with them to your team.

2. Provide strategic direction.

Your sales strategy keeps your sales process productive. It offers actionable steps your reps can take to deliver on your vision and realize the goals you set. So naturally, you need to communicate it effectively. A sales plan offers a solid resource for that.

For instance, your sales org might notice your SDRs are posting lackluster cold call conversion rates. In turn, they should focus primarily on email outreach. Or you could experiment with new sales messaging on calls. Or you could test a multi-channel approach by incorporating social media outreach and personalized video sales letters.

There’s many approaches to take, but here’s the core of my advice: Don’t force it. Do what feels most organic for you and your sales team. Regardless of how you want to approach the situation, a thoughtfully structured sales plan gives both you and your reps a high-level perspective that would inform more cohesive, authentic team efforts.

3. Outline roles and responsibilities.

An effective sales org is a machine, where each part has a specific function that serves a specific purpose that needs to be executed in a specific fashion. Everyone who comprises that org needs to have a clear understanding of how they specifically play into the company’s broader sales strategy.

In my opinion, outlining roles and responsibilities while sales planning lends itself to more efficient task delegation, overlap reduction, and increased accountability. All of which amount to more streamlined, successful sales efforts.

4. Monitor your sales team's progress.

Sales planning sets the framework for gauging how well your team delivers on your sales strategy. It informs the benchmarks and milestones reps use to see how their performance compares to your goals and expectations.

I’ve also found it gives sales leadership a holistic view of how well a sales org is functioning, giving them the necessary perspective to understand whether they have the right people and tools to thrive.

Sales Planning Process

Sales planning isn’t (and shouldn’t) be limited to the actual sales plan document it produces. If that document has any substance or practical value, it should be the byproduct of a thorough, well-informed, high-level strategy.

In my experience, there are some key steps you need to cover when planning sales. These include:

Gathering sales data and searching for trends

Defining your objectives

Determining metrics for success

Assessing the current situation

Starting sales forecasting

Identifying gaps

Ideating new initiatives

Involving stakeholders

Outlining action items

When putting this list together, I tapped Zach Drollinger, Senior Director of Sales at Coursedog, to ensure the examples below were sound and accurate. (I won’t lie: The expertise Zach offered took what I already knew from well-informed to exceptionally well-rounded. He really knows his stuff.)

Take a look through the step-by-step sales planning guide I assembled below:

Step 1: Gather sales data and search for trends.

Your company needs to look to the past to plan for the present and future. Ask yourself questions like:

What did sales look like during the previous year? What about the last five years?

Which strategies and tactics drove the most revenue, and which ones fell flat?

How have market conditions or customer behaviors shifted over time, and what impact has that had on sales?

Using this information helps you identify trends in your industry. While it’s not entirely foolproof, it does help establish a foundation for your sales planning process; that’s the stability we need to get started.

How to Collect Sales Data

Let’s say I’m a new sales director for an edtech company that sells curriculum planning software to higher education institutions. My vertical is community colleges, and my territory is the East Coast.

Once I assume this new role, I’ll want to gather as much context as possible about my vertical and how my company has approached it historically. I’ll pull information about how we’ve sold to this vertical:

How many new businesses have we closed within it in the past five years?

How does that compare to how we perform with other kinds of institutions?

Are we seeing significant churn from these customers?

I'll also want context about the general needs, interests, and pain points of the institutions I’m selling to. I’ll also look for insights into degree velocity, staff retention, and enrollment.

The idea is to have a comprehensive perspective on my sales process — you should walk away from your data exploration efforts with a thorough understanding of where I stand and what my prospects deal with.

Step 2: Define your objectives.

How do you know your business is doing well if you have no goals and objectives? Once you’ve defined them, you can move forward with executing them.

How to Determine Sales Objectives

Extending the example from the previous step, I’d leverage the context I gathered through the research I conducted about my and my prospect’s circumstances. I’ll start setting both broader goals and more granular operational objectives.

For instance, I can set a goal of increasing sales revenue from my vertical. From there, I’ll start assembling the specific objectives that facilitate that process. Think: connecting with administrators from at least 30 community colleges, booking demos with at least 10 schools, and successfully closing at least five institutions.

Obviously, those steps represent a super streamlined (and unrealistically straightforward) sales process, but you get the idea.

Additionally, I’ll set a concrete goal, supplemented by SMART objectives, to serve as a solid reference point for my org’s efforts as the sales process progresses.

Step 3: Determine metrics for success.

Yes, every business is different. However, we can all agree that every business needs metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) for success.

What metrics will you use to determine whether your business is successful? KPIs differ based on your medium, but standard metrics are gross profit margins, return on investment (ROI), daily web traffic users, conversion rate, and more.

Sales Rep KPIs vs. Sales Manager KPIs

For sales reps, KPIs zero in on metrics that shape their daily grind and productivity. Like these:

Number of calls made: This one keeps reps on their toes, ensuring they’re hustling and maintaining a high level of outreach

Conversion rate: Tracks how many prospects become customers, revealing the power of their pitches

Average deal size: Monitors the average revenue per deal, pushing reps to close bigger, better sales

Sales cycle length: Helps reps streamline their processes and identify ways to speed things up

For sales managers, KPIs take a broader, more strategic view of team performance. Key metrics include:

Total revenue: Measures the team's overall revenue, monitoring progress towards sales targets

Pipeline value: Shows the total value of deals in the pipeline, giving insight into future revenue

Win rate: Indicates the percentage of deals closed successfully, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement in the sales process

Employee retention rate: Keeps track of team stability and satisfaction — crucial for long-term success

Training and development progress: Monitors the effectiveness of training programs, ensuring continuous skill development

How to Identify Sales Metrics

I kind of covered this step in the previous example, but it still warrants a bit more elaboration.

The “M” in SMART goals (“measurable”) is there for a reason. You can’t tell if your efforts were successful if you don’t know what “successful” actually means.

In my edtech sales example, I’m assuming ownership of an existing vertical and getting more out of it. So, it’s fair to assume that sales growth rate — the increase or decrease of sales revenue in a given period, typically expressed as a percentage — would be an effective way to gauge success.

I can also structure my goals and objectives around a sales growth rate of 20% Y/Y within my vertical. I’ll make sure my org is familiar with that figure and offer some context about what it would take to reach it — namely, how many institutions we would need to close and retain.

Step 4: Assess the current situation.

How is your business fairing right now? This information is relevant to determining how your current situation matches the goals and objectives you set during Step 2. What are your roadblocks? What are your strengths?

Create a list of the obstacles hindering your success. Identify the assets you can use as an advantage. These factors will guide you as you build your sales plan.

How to Evaluate Current Business Standing

Continuing the edtech example, I'll use the historical context I gathered and the objectives I set to frame how I look at my current circumstances.

For instance, consider my goal of increasing revenue by 20% Y/Y. In that case, I’d look at the company’s retention figures. Ideally, this would give me a sense of whether that needs to be a significant area of focus.

I‘d also try pinpointing trends in the colleges we’ve already closed. Are there any pain points we consistently sell on? I'll take a closer look at how we demo to see if we might be glossing over key elements of our value proposition. Maybe I can use conversation intelligence to get a better sense of how reps are handling their calls.

Ultimately, I would identify why we’re performing the way we are. These inefficiencies might result from our current strategy and how my team can best set ourselves up to sell as effectively as possible.

Step 5: Start sales forecasting.

Sales forecasting is an in-depth report that predicts what a salesperson, team, or company will sell weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. While it's finicky, it helps your company make better decisions when hiring, budgeting, prospecting, and setting goals.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, economics have become less predictable. StrActGro owner Claire Fenton states, “Many economic forecasters won't predict beyond three months at a time.” This makes sales forecasting difficult.

Luckily, there are tools at your disposal to create accurate sales forecasts.

For sales managers, I find HubSpot’s forecasting tool invaluable for tracking team progress toward goals. It forecasts revenue based on deal stages and their likelihood of closing. Plus, you can set up forecast categories to group deals and adjust them based on your team's insights.

How to Forecast Sales

Following our edtech example, I’d approach this step by estimating how my sales org might perform in the allotted time window with the specific vertical we’re pursuing.

The method I choose will depend on several factors, including the number of concrete opportunities, available historical data, reps’ performance, and our insights about potential customers.

Let’s say I consider those factors and decide to run a multivariable analysis. Here’s how I’d go about it:

First, I’d take stock of the opportunities my reps have lined up. Then, I’d examine the reps working on those deals, their typical win rates, and their time to close. For example, if a rep works with a large institution and has a 50% chance of closing within the timeframe, I’d attribute 50% of the potential deal size to our forecast.

By repeating this process for all opportunities, I'll get a solid sense of the expected revenue within the allotted window.

Step 6: Identify gaps.

When identifying gaps in your business, consider your company's current and future needs. First, identify the skills your employees need to reach your goal. Second, evaluate the skills of your current employees.

Once you have this information, train employees or hire new ones to fill the gaps.

How to Identify Selling Gaps

In our edtech example, let’s say my forecast yielded results that didn’t align with what we needed to achieve our goals. To tackle this, I’d take a holistic look at our process, operations, and resources to find inefficiencies or areas for improvement.

Say I discover that our sales content and marketing collateral are outdated, with case studies missing our product’s newest and most relevant features. Meanwhile, our reps are booking demos, but the demos aren’t converting because of a lack of training and inconsistent messaging.

Finally, I notice that misalignment with marketing leads to prospects expecting unrealistic outcomes that our sales team can‘t deliver. Once I’ve identified those gaps, I’ll focus on ways to remedy those issues and improve those elements.

Step 7: Ideate new initiatives.

Many industry trends are cyclical. They phase in and out of “style.” As you build your sales plan, consider initiatives you might have overlooked.

Has your business relied solely on word-of-mouth and social media marketing? Now might be the time to try webinars or special promotions.

How to Ideate New Sales Initiatives

In our ongoing edtech example, I would ideate initiatives based on the gaps I identified in the previous step. This might involve updating our sales content and marketing materials to make them top-notch.

Next, I’ll introduce new training programs to help our team excel at conducting effective demos. Finally, I'll start working on a plan with marketing to ensure our messaging is aligned with theirs — so our prospects have realistic and clear expectations.

The key is to turn gaps into concrete, actionable plans. Just saying, “We’re going to be better at demos,” isn’t a plan — it’s a sentiment, and sentiments don’t translate into sales.

Step 8: Involve stakeholders.

Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organizations with a vested interest in your company. They are typically investors, employees, or customers and often have deciding power in your business.

Towards the end of your sales planning process, involve stakeholders from departments that affect your outc

Using AI Agents to Increase Your Productivity and Drive Sales [All the Pros and Cons]

Zoe Ashbridge — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

For businesses, AI agents can sound like a dream come true: increased productivity, reduced administration on internal teams, and humans outsourcing repetitive tasks in favor of the ones they love.

As a consumer, I personally love it when I can self-serve efficiently through an AI agent. It saves time, bypasses the need to listen to tinny hold music on the phone, and I don’t disrupt a hard-working human’s day with my easy-to-solve query. Win-Win.

So, where’s the rub?

Well, as a consumer, you probably already know. AI agents aren’t always as helpful as we want them to be. They can feel impersonal and waste time when you just want human engagement. Not to mention, it’s reported that Americans are concerned about the future of AI. Bentley University and Gallup found that 75% of respondents said that AI would reduce the number of jobs, and 77% of respondents don’t trust businesses that use AI.

That said, I’m an optimist in every sense of the word and don’t think we need to worry about our jobs or AI agents. This article is all about AI and AI agent usage. I’ll explain what an AI agent is, how it works, the benefits, drawbacks, and types, and how to use AI agents in a way that actually works. This article leans into AI agents positively, finding solutions to potential drawbacks. It helped me see how many AI agents are already in my life, with no disastrous consequences.

Table of Contents

What is an AI agent?

How do AI agents work?

Benefits of AI Agents

Drawbacks of AI Agents

Types of AI Agents

How to Use AI Agents That Work

Trial an AI agent. It might surprise you!

What is an AI agent?

An AI agent is software that can interact with its environment or the data input. The AI agent can process information and then provide solutions.

To help understand what an AI agent is, see the screenshot below. It demonstrates an AI agent, in the form of a chatbot, at work.

The chatbot has processed its environment and the data input (the question I asked), then responded with a relevant and helpful reply.

Later, I’ll break down the types of AI agents, how they work, and what they can be used for.

How do AI agents work?

Source

As demonstrated in the helpful infographic above, there are four main components in the AI agent:

The agent itself and its environment.

Perception covers the AI agent’s ability to interpret inputs.

The brain is where decision-making, planning, and reasoning take place.

Action means the output or literal action.

The steps are:

Receiving the input.

Perceiving the information.

Processing the information.

Providing the output.

AI agents are not something to be daunted by. In fact, many AI tools are used by both small businesses and large, not to mention your personal life (I’ll show you how later).

Let’s understand how AI agents work using my HubSpot Chatbot example above.

I gave the chatbot an input. I said: “Hello, where can I find pricing information?”

The chatbot perceived and processed the information I had provided, even contextualizing the query and “understanding” this isn’t a simple answer.

The output was a message and a question. The chatbot said, “Hi there

Purchase Order: What It Is & How to Create One [+ Template]

lalfred@hubspot.com (Lestraundra Alfred) — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Outside of marketing, I’ve worked as a trainer and business owner. While I love the work I do, it’s just as important that I get paid for my efforts, so purchase orders (POs) are a big part of my day-to-day. A purchase order is a document that buyers send to suppliers to confirm their intention to move forward with their goods and services.

But, how do purchase orders work? Well, a PO lays down an agreement, which establishes the expectations of the transaction, as well as the buyer’s approval of the terms of payment. Purchase orders are commonly used for bulk orders involving larger transactions, or when buyers are involved in recurring relationships with the supplier.

To help you learn about purchase orders and successfully create your own, I’ll cover the following topics in this article:

Table of Contents

What is a purchase order?

Types of Purchase Orders

How does a purchase order work?

Advantages of Purchase Orders

Purchase Order Format: What to Include on Your PO

Purchase Order Template

How to Create a Purchase Order

How to Create a Purchase Order System

Purchase orders are beneficial for both the buyer and seller. By issuing purchase orders, small businesses can specify what goods and services they need from their suppliers and when they’re needed by. A PO also allows the seller to ensure it can provide the goods and services requested before committing to fulfillment, giving the buyer time to plan accordingly.

Purchase Order vs. Invoice

So, is a purchase order the same as an invoice? No. But the two are often confused.

While purchase orders show the intent to make a purchase — and are created by a buyer — invoices outline the terms of payment and are created by a seller.

Both the purchase order and the invoice are legal documents that define the terms of the sale, but purchase orders are issued before a purchase is made, while invoices are issued afterward to confirm delivery of items, along with price and payment date.

To keep the two separate, here’s a list of features:

Purchase orders:

Are created by the buyer.

Are issued before a purchase is made or delivered.

Specify the items to be purchased and at what price.

Invoices:

Are created by the seller.

Are issued after the products or services are delivered.

Confirm delivery of items, along with price and payment date.

How does a purchase order work?

Now that we know what a PO is — and how that differs from an invoice — I can explain how businesses use these documents in their accounting practices. While this is a realm filled with jargon, I’ll break it down in plain, simple English.

Before purchase orders are created and submitted, employees must get approval for an order from their organization, usually from the purchasing department. Once reviewed and approved, the PO can be created and sent to the vendor. And even if your company doesn’t have a formal procedure for creating a PO, you may still need to generate a PO to serve as a form of contract for your purchase.

Here’s how the purchase order process works.

1. First, the buyer creates a PO and generates a PO number.

After the approval of the purchase requisition (PR), the buyer creates a purchase order containing the details of the product, including the quantity, per-piece pricing, total pricing, and expected date of delivery.

For example, if you need to order new boxes to ship your products, you’ll calculate how many boxes you need and when you need them — and that information goes on your PO.

Next, the buyer generates a PO number. With the PO number and the information above, the buyer drafts the purchase order and sends it to the seller for approval, making sure to indicate the date that approval is needed by.

This date should give the seller ample time to deliver on schedule, and also give the buyer sufficient time to source from another seller if the PO is not approved.

2. Next, the seller reviews and approves the PO.

When the seller receives the PO, they review it for approval. If the request can be fulfilled, they approve the purchase order, which becomes legally binding for both parties.

Sellers can ask for amendments, for example, if the information is incomplete or they’re not satisfied with the terms of the PO. They also have the right to cancel the PO if it doesn’t meet their policies.

3. After approval, the seller creates an invoice.

Here’s where the invoice comes in. If the purchase order is approved, the seller issues an invoice with the terms of payment, including price breakdown, goods provided, quantity, and total amount owed.

Invoices should be standardized to ensure consistency, making sure no critical details are accidentally omitted. Tools like HubSpot’s free Invoice Generator do just that — just use the provided template, fill in the blanks, and have your invoice ready in a matter of minutes.

Regarding payment, the seller may request it before, during, or after the delivery date, depending on the terms.

To go back to the example of boxes, if the vendor has a net 30 payment term, it means that when the boxes are delivered, you’ll receive an invoice with your shipment, and then you have 30 days to pay from the date of the invoice.

4. Next, the buyer conducts purchase order matching.

When the buyer receives the invoice, they’ll review it to ensure that the information on the invoice matches the information on the purchase order. This process of comparing the invoice and PO is called purchase order matching.

5. Finally, the invoice is sent for approval.

Once the matching process is complete, and any discrepancies corrected, the invoice is sent for approval to the accounts payable (AP) department, where payment is released to the seller. It will depend on the terms of the payment agreement when payment is released (for example, now or in 30 days).

With this, the PO is closed, unless the seller has more items to deliver to fulfill the order.

Advantages of Purchase Orders

Why would you want to use a purchase order? There are many reasons, but here are the highlights of how using purchase orders can help your business.

Buy now, pay later. A PO lets you place an order for products and pay for them during or after delivery.

Saves time for both parties. Digital POs and a PO system with automated workflows (both discussed below) mean a quick and seamless process.

Provides legal protection. Purchase orders work as a legal document for buyers and sellers. Both parties can refer to this document if any concerns arise over the quantity of items, the pricing, the date of delivery, and so on.

Manage budget spend. Businesses can use software to automate their workflow and track business spending. Most software updates in real-time so that the buyers can manage their spending right away.

Purchase Order Format: What to Include on Your PO

Ready to create your own purchase order? Here is the information you need to include.

1. Header. Provide your company details, including the company name, business address, purchase order date, and purchase order number.

2. Vendor information. Indicate the proper recipient for the purchase order. This is where you list the name of the seller company, your specific contact name, and the address of the seller company.

3. Ship to. Specify where the order should be sent, the shipping method, the shipping terms, and the intended delivery date.

4. Order details. For each product included in the order, provide a line item with the product code or SKU number, item name or description, quantity of units requested, the price per unit, and the delivery date of each item.

5. Summary. Complete the purchase order by providing a subtotal, any applicable discounts, taxes, shipping costs, and grand total.

Below, I’m sharing an example purchase order with all of these categories to help put the pieces together.

As you can see, you have the option of adding multiple products, so there’s no need to create different purchase orders per product. In addition, you can take discounts out of the final cost and take into account shipping and handling.

Purchase Order Example

Not sure what a purchase order should look like when all filled out? The PO example below checks all the boxes — it includes the customer’s information, the desired products, the shipping terms, and the PO number. Plus, it includes a note for the vendor. From what I’ve seen, this is a pretty standard PO and a great reference point to come back to if you need it.

Source

Purchase Order Template

If you want to create your purchase order following the above format, download our easy-to-use purchase order template.

This template comes in two versions: an Excel version and a fillable PDF. I recommend using the Excel version to create multiple POs for a single supplier and the fillable PDF for one-off purchases.

The Excel template will automatically calculate the final cost for you, making it easy and simple to see your totals and discounts.

Source

At this point, you might be thinking, “If you‘ve seen one purchase order, you’ve seen ‘em all,” but that’s just not true. I learned that there are actually five types of purchase orders, and they differ by how much information is included. I’ll explain them below.

1. Standard Purchase Orders

Standard purchase orders (like the example above) are the most widely adopted and are the easiest to use. In this situation, as the buyer I’m clear on the details of the purchase and can identify what item or service I’m buying, the quantity, delivery schedule, and payment terms.

Standard purchase orders should include the following:

Delivery date.

Number of items.

List of items to be purchased.

Terms and Conditions.

Best for: Standard purchase orders are best when sellers don’t expect to enter into a long-term contract with the buyer.

Standard purchase orders can be tailored to your needs, and could be adjusted for:

Services to be rendered.

Subcontracting.

Consignment.

2. Planned Purchase Orders

When placing a planned purchase order (PPO), a buyer is estimating the future needs of their company for the item in question by submitting a purchase order in advance. Planned purchase orders are usually preferred for long-term contracts where the vendor provides items to the buyer at irregular intervals.

In this case, I’d be sure to detail items such as the item, price, and payment terms, but the quantity is based on an educated guess, and the delivery date is tentative.

Here’s what a PPO includes:

Terms and conditions.

List of items.

Quantity.

Price.

Tentative date of delivery.

Tentative location of delivery.

Best for: PPOs are considered best when a buyer expects delivery in parts from the seller. This could be because of a temporary contract, or perhaps if the buyer needs to plan their purchases and break down the payments into smaller installments. PPOs help with cost management since the buyer pays at the time of delivery.

Source

3. Blanket Purchase Orders

A blanket purchase order (BPO) is also called a “standing order” where vendors enter into a recurring relationship with their buyers. BPOs are less precise than the standard purchase order since they contain unspecific delivery dates and quantities of the items.

A typical blanket purchase order includes:

Terms and conditions.

Discounts.

List of items.

Pricing.

Best for: Blanket purchase orders are used for future purchases or ones that involve consistent purchases from the vendor, and are best for simplifying the purchases and reducing the administrative costs.

Source

4. Contract Purchase Orders

Contract purchase orders (CPO) are more of a legally binding contract between the vendor and buyer for future purchases. In this case, the buyer and seller sign a contract outlining the terms of the purchase before a purchase order referencing the contract is issued. This type of purchase order offers the most legal protection for those involved.

A CPO is often just an outline that lists the negotiated terms and all the necessary details between the two parties.

Best for: I’d say CPOs are best for creating a procurement contract between two parties that outlines the negotiated terms and conditions. Businesses should use CPOs when they enter into a long-term relationship with the vendor.

Source

5. Digital Purchase Orders

Having a set process in place for purchase orders can help the procurement process move efficiently and be mutually beneficial for both buyers and sellers. I think digital purchase orders are a great way to accomplish this.

One easy way to create and share a digital purchase order is in Microsoft Excel or Open Office. You can find pre-existing templates when you open a new spreadsheet, click on More Templates, and search “invoice.” I already made the distinction between invoices and purchase orders, but you can find both under this keyword in Excel.

And, of course, you can also download HubSpot’s purchase order template a well.

Now that we’ve gone through the different types of purchase orders, let’s talk about what one process of purchase order creation can look like.

How to Create a Purchase Order

While there are many variations in PO systems, there are some general steps you can follow to create a new purchase order. Here’s my quick, painless guide to creating POs.

1. Submit banking details to your system administrator.

The first step of the purchase order process happens before you even touch your computer. Your accounting team needs to load your vendor’s details into the system. That includes their address and any banking information for direct deposit. You may need to collect this information yourself, or your accounting team may gather these items, depending on your company.

Example of this step: Kaitlin Milliken, program manager of the Freelance Network here at HubSpot, says, “When working with freelance writers at HubSpot, our team gathers the writer’s payment details. Then, the accounting team loads this information into the system.”

2. Make sure you have the right level of access.

Not every user has the ability to make PO requests. If you don’t have access, you’ll need to contact your account administrator for this.

Example of this step: Milliken shares that, “On my first day at HubSpot, I had to reach out to our IT team to get the right access. So, there’s a possibility you’ll need to swap your settings.”

3. Add in your purchase details.

Once you’ve entered the system, you’ll start adding details, like who the vendor is (usually from a drop-down menu), what type of work they’ll be doing, and your estimated spend. Once you fill everything out, save and send the request.

Example of this step: Milliken describes her process: “When onboarding a new external writer, I put in the information related to their business and note they’ll be working on content. From there, I estimate how much we’ll spend with them annually and set the end date for the PO to the last day of the fiscal year.”

4. Add in additional information requested by your company.

In some systems, you’ll get a summary of your request, and there may be additional fields that your company requires you to complete. If so, fill out these sections to the best of your ability. Once all the fields are filled out, save and submit.

5. Submit and watch your request go up the chain.

That’s it for your part! From here, you get to watch the request go up the chain of your organization until it has reached final approval.

How to Create a Purchase Order System

Business doesn’t end after one purchase order is fulfilled. In supply chain management, there will always be an ongoing process to track. This is where I’ve seen how having a purchase order system eases the process.

A purchase order system is software that generates, tracks, and manages digital purchase orders in a streamlined and secure network. Without a system in place, important agreements can be lost in transition and cause friction between buyers and sellers dependent on one another.

To create a purchase

6 Reasons Prospects Ghost You (& What to Do When It Happens), According to Experts

jfuchs@hubspot.com (Jay Fuchs) — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Getting ghosted in any facet of life is pretty brutal, and sales is no exception. Nobody likes thoughtfully prospecting, conducting thorough discovery, and maintaining what feels like a productive conversation only to hear radio silence. But that's often how it goes.

Nobody bats 1.000. A 100% close rate doesn‘t exist, but having a deal cut short with no response is especially tough. That’s why you need to have a pulse on why that might happen and how you can handle those situations as they arise.

So to help you maximize your chances of bringing dead sales conversations back to life, we here at The HubSpot Sales Blog — the most trusted, “finger on the pulse” outlet in the wild world of sales-related and sales-adjacent media — reached out to some sales experts for their takes on how to handle being ghosted by prospects.

6 Reasons Prospects Ghost You and What to Do When They Do

1. They‘re feeling overwhelmed with choices and don’t know how to move forward.

Jehann Biggs, President & Owner of In2Green, says, "A prospect may ghost you because they‘re feeling overwhelmed with choices and simply don’t know how to move forward. When faced with too many options or an overabundance of information, people sometimes disengage because they fear making the wrong decision. The decision-making process becomes paralyzing, and they retreat rather than risk choosing poorly.

"I‘ve encountered this before when potential customers have been interested in our sustainable products but were unsure which option would best fit their needs. In these situations, I don’t push for a quick decision.

“Instead, I simplify the process for them by offering a side-by-side comparison of options or suggesting a clear next step. I may even offer to walk them through the selection process. Taking the complexity out of the decision-making equation gives them a clearer path forward and often brings them back into the conversation when they've felt less overwhelmed.”

2. They're overwhelmed with other priorities.

Katie Breaker, Sales Director at BirdieBall, says, "One big reason prospects ghost you is that they‘re simply overwhelmed with other priorities. In B2B, it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks, especially if you‘re not the only one they’re evaluating. Sometimes, they‘ve gotten busy or even moved on to other potential solutions … When this happens, don’t take it personally.

"Instead, send a follow-up email or message that‘s friendly and non-pushy. Acknowledge that you understand things can get busy and ask if they need more information or time. It’s also helpful to reframe the conversation by asking if there's anything about your product they need clarification on or if their needs have changed.

“Being empathetic and offering value will keep the door open. And if they still don't respond, sometimes it's best to let them be for a while, then check back in after a few weeks or months. Timing can make a huge difference when they're finally ready to re-engage.”

3. There's a lack of perceived value or urgency.

Samir ElKamouny, Founder & CEO of Fetch & Funnel, says, "When prospects ‘ghost’ you in the B2B SaaS space, it‘s often due to a lack of perceived value or urgency. From my experience scaling businesses, a crucial step is ensuring your messaging resonates with the prospect’s pain points and aligns with their current priorities.

"For instance, at Fetch & Funnel, we've seen success by applying custom retargeting strategies that dive deep into specific product benefits, reaffirming the value proposition at crucial stages of the buying journey.

"One effective tactic is leveraging social proof through testimonials. In one campaign, showcasing real customer success stories for a SaaS product significantly increased engagement. Prospects often hesitate due to trust issues, so hearing how others have succeeded can be a game-changer. Testing different message variations also helps refine the approach until it resonates.

“It's equally important to maintain a follow-up process that keeps you top of mind without being intrusive. Creating a sequence that offers valuable insights or problem-solving tips custom to your prospect not only adds value but also keeps the conversation open. This approach consistently helps in re-engaging leads who initially disappeared.”

4. They don't fully grasp how your solution will fit into their current workload.

Kacper Rafalski, Demand Generation Team Leader at Netguru, says, "One reason a prospect might ghost you is they don‘t fully grasp how your solution will fit into their current workflow. It’s easy to assume they‘re not interested, but in reality, they’re just unsure how it‘ll align with what they already use. And honestly, it happens all the time — prospects seemed engaged but then vanished after the demo. But the issue isn’t price or competition. In most cases it was clarity on implementation.

"To break the silence, I've learned to approach it differently. Instead of pushing for a close, I offer value through resources that specifically address their concerns. Even a quick message like ‘Hey, I thought this case study might help you see how our solution actually fits with your current setup’ can make all the difference.

“In my experience, once you give them that 'aha moment' about how your solution works in their world, they often come back to the conversation. And it's not even about chasing them down with follow-ups. You simply help them see your product solving their actual day-to-day problems. Once that clicks, the ghosting usually stops.”

5. You rushed through discovery and missed what actually matters to them.

Shantanu Pandey, Founder & CEO of Tenet, says, "When a salesperson rushes through discovery, they miss what actually matters to the prospect. They end up pitching a solution to a problem the prospect doesn't have or care about.

"If this happens, go back to basics with what we call a ‘reset’ email: ‘I’ve been reflecting on our conversations and realize I may have missed understanding your core challenges. Could we schedule a quick 15-minute no-commitment call where I ask just three questions about what success actually looks like for you?'

“This gives them permission to correct your course without making them feel like they've wasted time. When they respond, shut up and listen twice as much as you talk.”

6. You've overloaded them with information.

Stephen Dominic Giuttari, Founder & CEO of Market Boxx, says, "Prospects can get overwhelmed if bombarded with too much technical jargon. I mitigated this by ensuring our communication was clear and focused. During onboarding, we break down strategies into digestible steps, avoiding technical overload, which keeps the prospects engaged without losing interest.

“When prospects ghost, I re-engage by tapping into competitive insights we have on the market. Recently, I reignited discussions by sharing industry-specific trends and competitor analyses, providing actionable insights. This approach consistently sparks renewed interest, proving that delivering relevant, strategic insights can effectively pull them back into the conversation.”

I discussed it at the beginning of this post, and I‘ll say it again: Getting ghosted is often a fact of sales life. It’s rude, frustrating, and unfortunate — but it's more or less bound to happen from time to time.

While there's no remedy that guarantees every prospect who leaves you on read will respond with, “Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry for ignoring you! Let's get back into it! Bless your heart for touching base again,” you can still put yourself in a solid position to get your sales conversations back in motion if you play your cards right.

Hopefully, this article offers enough perspective for you to avoid getting ghosted in the first place and thoughtfully navigate it when it happens.

The Best Cold Calling Script & How to Make Your Own [Template]

dtyre@hubspot.com (Dan Tyre) — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

You have a list of names and phone numbers. Before the end of the day, you need to make 100 calls. Your sales manager has given your team a big pep talk encouraging you to dial, dial, dial.

Imagine picking up the phone with no idea what you’ll say or how prospective customers will respond. Yikes!

Now, imagine what you could accomplish with a clear and persuasive script. In this piece, I’ll share more about cold calling and show you what a typical cold call looks like — plus what I consider to be the best cold call script ever.

(If you're in a hurry, skip to the script or download free sales call templates.)

Table of Contents

What is a cold call?

25 Cold Calling Tips

Cold Call Script Examples

How to Create a Cold Call Script

The Best Cold Calling Script Ever To Warm Up Leads

Cold Calling Script Variation

Cold Calling Script Templates

7 Techniques to Master Cold Calls

What is the purpose of cold calling?

I’ve found that cold calling is an excellent way to engage prospects one-on-one and move them to the next step in the buying process.

In the past, cold calling meant using a “spray and pray” method, spending time making intrusive calls with no prior qualification. You hoped that your message would resonate with someone, but there were no guarantees.

Thankfully, there’s a better way.

Cold calling is most effective when paired with strategies such as prospecting and sales qualification. It can also be used with the inbound methodology.

In inbound sales, prospects willingly “opt in” and become a lead after encountering your website or campaign. Digital channels, however, may not be enough to close a sale. Prospective buyers may need a “cold call” that helps them make a decision. As a result, inbound sales calls aren’t entirely cold. Instead, they’re lukewarm. Customers have some knowledge of an interest in your product — you’re just providing more data.

Outbound sales happen when you reach out to prospects who have never interacted with your company or your website. Research helps narrow your focus and increase the chances of a sale, and enterprise communication solutions help simplify your outbound communications by connecting your telephone sales with your other digital channels.

This means that with enough research and qualification, a cold call can be executed in a way that's no longer “cold.”

So, what does a typical cold call look like in sales?

Cold Call Script Examples

1. The “Introducing a New Offering” Call

During a cold call, you‘re working from an inherently disadvantaged position. Your prospect can hang up at any point — and you don’t have that luxury.

It‘s on you to keep the conversation going, so having an incentive in your back pocket is a big help. One of the better selling points you can reference is a new offering. Pique your prospect’s interest by referencing the amazing, cutting-edge, or novel game-changer of a new product or service your company just released.

Here's what that call might look like:

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. I wanted to introduce you to our latest product/service, [Product/Service Name] — which has been extremely well-received by early users. It’s designed to [brief description of the product's purpose].

I’d love to schedule a brief call or meeting to show you how [Product/Service Name] can benefit your business. Would you have some time this week to discuss further?

2. The “Referral Introduction” Call

Customer referrals are one of the most — if not the most — effective avenues sales professionals have for warming up leads and successfully converting cold calls.

With that said, you can't just call up a referred prospect and say, “One of your friends said I should call you, so I‘m calling you. As someone who was referred, you are obligated to buy my product or service by default. You’re welcome.”

You need to be a little more tactful than that. Here's a look at how you could structure that call:

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. [Referrer’s Name] suggested I reach out to you. They mentioned you might be interested in [specific area related to your product/service].

I’d love to share more about how we’ve helped other businesses like yours and explore if we might be a good fit. Could we set up a quick call this week?

3. The “Offering a Free Trial” Call

You always benefit from having some sort of incentive to back your cold call. The object of cold calling is to create and capitalize on urgency in a tight window — and sometimes, offering a little reward can help that case.

One of the more common “little rewards” sales organizations offer is a free trial. Here's a script that plays into that:

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. I’m excited to let you know about a free trial we’re offering for [Product/Service Name]. It’s a great way to experience the benefits firsthand without any commitment.

Would you be interested in giving it a try? I can help you get started and answer any questions you might have. How does that sound?

4. The “Requesting Feedback” Call

Sometimes, you can pique a prospect‘s interest by asking for their expertise. It’s a great way to connect and quickly build rapport with a potential customer. The caveat? Aim for sincere rather than “schmoozy.”

Here’s how to tell the difference: If you ask for expertise but then launch directly into your sales pitch, you’re schmoozing. If you take time to consider and respond to honest feedback, you’re being sincere.

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] from [Company]. We’re in the process of developing [Product/Service Name], and I’d love to get your expert feedback on it. Your insights would be incredibly valuable to us.

Would you be open to a brief conversation to share your thoughts? I promise it won’t take more than 15 minutes of your time.

5. The “Event Invitation” Call

In-person or virtual events are another way to add value for prospects and develop rapport. In some cases, the best way to raise awareness of these events is through direct contact via cold calls.

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. We’re hosting an exclusive event on [Date] that I think you would find very valuable. It’s focused on [Event Topic] and will feature industry leaders like [Speaker’s Name].

I’d love for you to join us. Can I send you more details and register you for the event?

6. The “Special Offer Introduction” Call

Remember the first and third scripts on this list? The ones where I talked about how having some sort of incentive makes a cold call script even more compelling? This one is also in that wheelhouse. A special offer is an excellent centerpiece to a thoughtful, effective cold call.

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. We’re currently offering a special promotion on [Product/Service Name] for a limited time. It’s a great opportunity to [describe the offer’s benefits].

Would you like more details on how you can take advantage of this offer? I’d be happy to help you with that.

7. The “Network-Building” Call

Prospects make invaluable additions to your broader network, even if you don't hard sell them right away. This call script gives you an approachable, not-too-intrusive avenue to connect and develop rapport with prospects.

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. I’ve been following your work at [Prospect’s Company], and I’m very impressed with what you’re doing in the [Their Field/Industry] space.

I’d love to connect and see if there are any opportunities for us to collaborate or share insights. Would you be open to a brief call sometime this week?

8. The “Customer Success Story” Call

Social proof can be a huge asset in sales. If you can demonstrate that your prospect’s peers have been successful with your offering, you can establish trust. Use this script to help you get there.

Hi [Prospect’s Name],

My name is [Your Name] from [Company Name]. I wanted to share a success story about how we helped [Another Company’s Name] achieve [specific result]. I thought you might find it relevant given your focus on [specific area].

Could we schedule a call to discuss how we might be able to achieve similar results for you?

9. The “Complimentary Consultation Offer” Call

The incentive is back again. This time, I’m suggesting a free consultation to help a prospect identify and remedy issues relevant to your expertise.

Hello [Prospect's Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. We're offering complimentary consultations to help businesses identify key areas for improvement with [specific focus].

I think you’d find this extremely valuable, and I’d love to arrange a time for us to discuss how we can help. Are you available for a quick call?

10. The “Discount Offer” Call

Discounting is another form of incentive. While it remains a contentious concept among salespeople, reduced prices can help pique customer interest. Curious about trying a discount call? Go with a script like this.

Hello [Prospect's Name],

This is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. We’re currently running a special promotion on our [product/service] that I think could be a great fit for your needs.

I’d love to provide you with more details and see how we can help you take advantage of this offer. Can we schedule a brief call?

How to Create a Cold Call Script

In my experience, the typical, cold calling script most salespeople use doesn’t work. Here's how to create a standout cold call script to improve your connect rate.

1. Identify 2-3 verticals.

First, you need to cherry-pick who you‘ll call. Your time is valuable — don’t waste it on prospects that aren‘t a good fit for your product. Think about who your best customers are (or who you’ve had the most success calling in the past) and look for common attributes.

Industry verticals are a good place to start. For example, maybe you deal exclusively with hospitality and retail companies. Or, your target markets could be finance and banking. Once you’ve figured out which verticals to target, you're ready for step 2.

Cold calling expert Alex Hobbs describes identifying verticals for outbound sales as “critical to revenue attainment today ... even inbounds need to be worked with an outbound motion! You can't just be an order taker/the fish are not jumping into the boat anymore!”

2. Identify 20 good-fit prospects.

I’ve found that it’s easier to find specific companies or people who could use your product or service using a tool like LinkedIn.

Let‘s say you’re looking for US-based hotel companies who might benefit from your on-site goat yoga classes (I mean, who doesn‘t want to do Shavasana with a baby goat while they’re on vacation?).

Search “General manager” with the “Hospitality” filter.

Voila — a list of potential customers.

I’ve also found that regional companies are a great start to your list, as people love to do business with other locals.

3. Research each prospect.

I know, I know, you'd rather just pick up the phone and call. But, spending just a few minutes on research can significantly increase your success rate.

Since you‘re already on LinkedIn, check out each prospect’s profile to personalize your approach. You'll want to know:

What the company does.

What the prospect does specifically.

If you've helped a similar company in the past.

One “fun fact” about them.

Here‘s one thing I never fail to do: Look up how to pronounce the prospect’s name.

Nothing makes people more annoyed and less likely to listen than hearing their name butchered by some fast-talking rep, so this step is crucial.

Some people add how they pronounce their name on Facebook and LinkedIn. If your prospect hasn't added this feature to their profile, try using PronounceNames to get an idea.

And if you‘re still out of luck? Be honest. When you start the call, say: “I want to be sure I’m saying your name correctly. How do you pronounce it?”

You should also follow their pronouns if they are listed in their LinkedIn bio. If you’re not familiar with how to use gender-neutral pronouns, here’s a great blog on the topic.

The Best Cold Calling Script Ever To Warm Up Leads

If you're having trouble coming up with a cold call script of your own, try this one. I’ve used this script before, and it works because it focuses on a simple introduction, rapport, and then a positioning statement. I also think it works because your research helps establish immediate value.

Sample Script

Hi [prospect's name], this is [your name] from [your company name].

I‘ve been doing some research on [prospect’s company name], and I‘d love to learn more about [challenge you’ve discovered in your research].

At [your company name], we work with people like you to help with [value proposition 1, value proposition 2, and value proposition 3.]

Is this something you think could help with [common challenges/pain points]?

Option 1: Yes, tell me more.

Great! [This is where you're going to ask them to attend a demo, or continue the conversation with an Account Executive, or take whatever next steps are part of your sales process.]

Option 2: Objection

I understand. Is it okay if I send you a follow-up email to review at your convenience? Then, I can follow up with you tomorrow.

If yes, send the email and set a reminder to follow up. If not, thank them for their time and ask if there's another point of contact they can connect you with. Make sure to include resources that clearly explain what your company does and ask to continue the conversation.

You may have noticed you‘re not really cold calling anymore, as you’ve already winnowed down your list and done some homework all before picking up the phone. I’ve found this extra work to be well worth it in securing customers.

Now, let's get to the script.

1. Introduce yourself.

First, state your name and the company you work for. You need to be clear, confident, and energetic. I can't tell you how many cold calls I listen to that begin with, "This is mumbles from ‘mumbled company name.’"

The confused prospect goes, “What? Who?” and you’re already off to a rough start.

You don't need to yell your greeting, but you do need to articulate the words.

After you say, “This is [name] from [company],” pause.

This is hard for cold callers. They want to jump straight into their pitch because they’re afraid of rejection. However, I caution you to take a deep breath and say nothing for eight whole seconds. Count it off, and it doesn’t seem like a long time. But trust me, during a cold call, it feels like an eternity. Hold the line, though, and it will be worth your while.

Why? Because when you pause, your prospect is searching their brain for who you could be. It sounds like you know them — are you a client? A former coworker? A current one?

2. Establish rapport.

Our call is already deviating from the standard cold call script, so why not ask them a question to establish some rapport? Your goal here is to get them talking and prove you're familiar with them and their company.

Here are some sample questions:

I see you've been at [company] for [X years]. What do you enjoy about your role?

Congrats on your recent promotion. How is your new position going?

I’ve always been fascinated by the [enter industry they work in] industry. Can you tell me more about what your company does?

A good question is topical and makes someone smile. If they seem receptive to chatting, ask them a follow-up question. You don’t want to ask something too personal since this is likely the first time they’ve spoken to you, so stay away from information that’s not readily available on LinkedIn.

For instance, if they say, “I’m enjoying my new promotion; I’m able to get a lot more done,” you can respond, “That's great. How did you get started in this industry?” Maybe comment on a post they’ve recently made and how it made you think.

Eventually, they'll ask, “Alright, why are you calling?”

Acknowledge that their time is valuable and you have a pitch for them while still keeping the mood light. Be cordial and merry on the phone. This will change the energy from one of awkwardness to lightheartedness.

3. Use a positioning statement.

A positioning statement shows your prospect that you work with similar companies and understand their challenges. You're not talking about yourself, which is what most cold callers do. Keep the conversation focused on them and have a genuine discussion.

Here's a hypothetical positioning statement:

“I work with sales managers in hospitality with five to eight reps on their team. My customers are typically looking to increase rep productivity. Does that sound like you?”

Since you‘ve pre-qualified them, they’ll likely say “yes.”

Simply say, “Tell me more about that.”

Now, it‘s all about them! They’ll explain their pain points and objectives, which is valuable information you can use to build your shifted from the sales rep to the buyer in most sales conversations. This is why pushy sales tactics aren’t as effective as they used to be.

Instead, to be successful in sales today, sales reps must adapt their mindset from selling to helping. The best way to start this process is to become intimately familiar with the buyer and the journey they take on their path to purchase: the buyer’s journey.

In this post, I’ll cover everything you need to know about the buyer’s journey, what it looks like in B2B versus B2C spaces, and how to apply it to your sales cycle.

Let's get into it.

Table of Contents:

What is the buyer's journey?

Difference Between the B2B Buyer’s Journey and the B2C Buyer’s Journey

Buyer’s Journey vs. Customer’s Journey

What are the three stages of the buyer’s journey?

Tips for Applying the Buyer’s Journey to the Sales Cycle

Final Thoughts: Making the Buyer’s Journey Work for You

By understanding the buyer’s journey, the pains and problems they experience as they navigate a potential purchase, along with the influencing factors that shape their thinking, salesfolks can better empathize with the buyer and position their product or service along that path.

However, not all buyer’s journeys look the same. Each process varies significantly depending on whether the buyer is an individual consumer or a business decision-maker. B2B and B2C buyers have different motivations, timelines, and decision-making processes, which impact how sales teams should approach them.

In the next section, I’ll break down the key differences between the two journeys so you can modify your sales strategy accordingly.

Difference Between the B2B Buyer’s Journey and the B2C Buyer’s Journey

The B2B buyer’s journey and the B2C buyer’s journey may sound the same, but, in practice, they’re entirely different. Like I previously shared, the decision-making process, sales cycle, and customer motivations vary, ultimately shaping how businesses approach their sales and marketing strategies. If you want to understand the ins and outs of either, it starts with distinguishing the two.

Check out the list I put together of how each process compares (with examples of what their respective buyer’s journey might look like) below:

1. Length of the Decision-Making Process.

Typically, the B2B buyer’s journey is longer and more complex than the B2C buyer’s journey. The B2B buyer’s journey involves multiple stakeholders, from C-suite executives to finance departments, so getting folks fully aligned on decisions takes some time.

Oppositely, the B2C buyer’s journey is quicker, primarily because it’s a process sustained on emotion. Customers make purchase decisions based on personal needs, desires, or impulses. While some B2C products (i.e., cars or real estate) require research and additional time, most B2C decisions involve fewer people and less deliberation.

2. The Sales Cycle Length.

As I previously mentioned, the B2B buyer’s journey involves multiple people from start to finish. Thus, it takes longer; sometimes, the B2B buyer’s journey can take weeks, months, or even years. It involves multiple touchpoints, such as:

Lead nurturing

Consultations

Product demonstrations

Proposals

Contract negotiations

Because the B2C buyer’s journey operates more quickly, its sales cycle is shorter. It ranges from instant (i.e., e-commerce purchases) to a few days or weeks (i.e., renting an apartment). The journey moves quickly from awareness to purchase, often influenced by mass marketing, accessible customer reviews, or word-of-mouth (WOM) recommendations.

3. The Marketing and Sales Approach.

If you’re ever struggling to fully remember how the B2B buyer’s journey and B2C buyer’s journey compare, take a moment to reflect on the differences between the two through their designated approaches to marketing and sales efforts.

In the B2B buyer’s journey, marketing and sales efforts often hyperfixate on relationship-building, education, and value-driven content (i.e., case studies, webinars, email nurturing, etc.). However, in the B2C buyer’s journey, there’s a reliance on brand awareness through ads, social media, influencer marketing, and promotional strategy.

For example, a B2B tech company might generate leads through LinkedIn outreach; a B2C fashion brand may focus on Instagram influencers and flash sales to drive conversions.

4. Pricing and Negotiation.

In the B2B buyer’s journey, prices are usually customized and involve lots of negotiation, not just over price but over contracts and other long-term agreements (i.e., volume discounts, service-level agreement, recurring subscriptions, etc.).

Conversely, the B2C buyer’s journey takes a more rigid, non-negotiable approach to pricing and negotiation. Usually, prices are fixed (with the exception of discounts, sales, or loyalty programs) and clearly communicated upfront to consumers.

For example, a B2B SaaS provider may offer custom pricing based on a company’s size and needs, while a B2C subscription service (i.e., Hulu or Netflix) has set monthly pricing.

Buyer’s Journey vs. Customer’s Journey

Now that I’ve covered the key comparisons between the B2B buyer’s journey and the B2C buyer’s journey, I think it’s only fitting that I transition to talking through some of the distinctions between the buyer’s journey and the customer’s journey.

Take a glance at the list I assembled below for some further clarity on both journeys, their unique stages, and how each individual journey impacts the overall customer experience:

1. Definition and Focus.

Let’s start with the basics, shall we? If you want to know why the buyer’s journey and the customer’s journey are disparate, this understanding begins with having clarity on how each journey is actually defined.

The buyer’s journey is the process in which a potential customer goes through before making a purchase decision. It focuses on awareness, consideration, and decision-making prior to becoming a paying customer.

The customer’s journey, however, represents the entire experience a customer has with a brand after making a purchase, including onboarding, support, retention, and advocacy. The customer’s journey focuses on building loyalty, satisfaction, and long-term relationships; it’s about turning buyers into repeat customers and, hopefully, brand evangelists.

2. Different Stages.

I briefly mentioned the stages of the buyer’s journey and the customer’s journey above. Here’s what each stage really means in a bit more detail:

The Buyer’s Journey Stages (Pre-Purchase)

Awareness: The buyer realizes they have a problem or need

Consideration: The buyer researches possible solutions

Decision: The buyer evaluates options and makes a purchase

The Customer’s Journey Stages (Post-Purchase)

Onboarding: The customer gets started with a product or service

Adoption: The customer actively uses the product or service

Retention: The company engages with the customer to prevent churn (i.e., sending post-purchase emails and details, etc.)

Advocacy: The customer is satisfied and refers others

3. Different Primary Goals.

As the buyer’s journey and the customer’s journey are separate processes, they have different goals.

The buyer’s journey prioritizes converting potential customers into paying ones. At this stage, businesses focus on educating prospects, addressing pain points, and positioning their product or service as the best solution. Strategies like content marketing, personalized outreach, and product demonstrations play a huge role in moving buyers toward a purchase.

The customer’s journey, on the other hand, is all about maintaining and strengthening the relationship after the purchase. It aims to always keep customers happy, engaged, and loyal to a brand. This phase often includes customer service interactions, loyalty programs, upsell opportunities, and encouraging brand advocacy through referrals and reviews.

When in doubt about specifying how these two journeys apart from one another, just remember: While the buyer’s journey ends at conversion, the customer’s journey is an ongoing process.

4. Different Metrics of Success.

The buyer’s journey centers the following metrics:

Conversion rates

Lead-to-customer ratio

Sales cycle length

These metrics help businesses evaluate how effectively they attract, nurture, and convert potential customers into paying ones.

The customer’s journey relies these metrics:

Customer retention rate

Net promoter score (NPS)

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

These indicators help businesses assess the efficiency of their sales funnel and identify areas for improvement in the acquisition process.

What are the three stages of the buyer’s journey?

If you want to understand the buyer’s journey in its simplest form, I suggest thinking about the three stages that make the buyer’s journey flow seamlessly.

To help you grasp them more clearly, review my step-by-step breakdown of the buyer’s journey below:

1. Awareness Stage: The buyer becomes aware that they have a problem.

During this stage, the buyer is experiencing a problem or symptoms of pain, and their goal is to alleviate it. They may be looking for informational resources to more clearly understand, frame, and give a name to their problem.

2. Consideration Stage: The buyer defines their problem and considers options to solve it.

Next, the buyer will have clearly defined and given a name to their problem, and they are committed to researching and understanding all available approaches and/or methods to solving the defined problem or opportunity.

3. Decision Stage: The buyer evaluates and decides on the right provider to administer the solution.

Finally, the buyer has decided on their solution strategy, method, or approach. Their goal now is to compile a list of available vendors, make a short list, and ultimately make a final purchase decision.

If you don’t have an intimate understanding of your buyers, it may be difficult to map out the buyer’s journey in a way that will be helpful from a sales perspective. In this case, be sure to conduct a few interviews with customers, prospects, and other salespeople at your company to get a sense of the buying journey.

Tips for Applying the Buyer’s Journey to the Sales Cycle

Simply put, buyers don’t want to be prospected, demoed, or closed when they’re not ready. When offered at the wrong time, these steps add zero value from their perspective. However, a sales rep can shine when buyers seek additional information about your product that can't be found online.

When it comes to mastering the buyer’s journey, timing is truly everything, so here are my suggestions for how to engage buyers at the right moment:

1. Awareness Stage

When buyers are in the awareness stage, they recognize a challenge or opportunity that needs attention. They also decide whether the challenge or opportunity should be a priority.

Because of this, sales folks must approach potential buyers with sensitivity, not sales pitches. As I mentioned above, instead of pushing a product or service, the goal should be to help buyers articulate their problem, explore potential impacts, and guide them toward the next steps in their journey.

In short, at this stage of the buyer’s journey, don’t expect customers to choose your brand because its the first option they come across. Buyers will take their time to think on what to do next; all you can do is provide resources that give them more insight about your offering.

Take a look at this chart I assembled to help you think through how you want to go about capturing buyers’ attention effectively during this stage:

What You Should Be Asking

Actions You Should Be Taking

How do buyers describe their goals or challenges in the context of our business?

How are our buyers educating themselves on these goals or challenges?

What are the consequences of buyer inaction?

Are there common misconceptions buyers have about addressing the goal or challenge?

How do buyers decide whether the goal or challenge should be prioritized?

Creating informational, not sales, sales collateral that educates them along their path to purchase.

Providing them with resources to help them define the problem.

Helping, helping, helping.

Here are a few other tips to consider:

Offer different types of engagement to customers based on readiness. Think low-commitment webinars for early-stage buyers, free product trials for those closer to a decision, and personalized consultations for customers who need some extra reassurance before making a purchase.

Use lead storing whenever you can. Lead scoring will help you identify when a customer is actively researching vs. just starting their buyer’s journey.

2. Consideration Stage

By this point, buyers have clearly defined the goal or challenge and have committed to addressing it. They are now evaluating different approaches or methods to pursue the goal or solve their challenge.

This is a high-stakes, particularly fragile part of the buyer’s journey. Why? Because buyers are actively comparing solutions, possibly making a pros/cons list to help them choose what’s the best fit for them, and, all-in-all, seeking any final signs of validation for the decision they’ll make. Most likely, buyers are using these moments to:

Scour social media for demos

Look for testimonials/reviews from real customers

Analyze case studies to see how others have successfully used the product or service

At this stage, salesfolks must position themselves as trusted advisors, not just sellers. Instead of pushing a one-size-fits-all solution, sales teams should provide as many value-driven resources as possible that help buyers confidently choose an approach — whether that includes their product or not.

Here’s another chart I organized to guide you through how to navigate this stage:

What You Should Be Asking

Actions You Should Be Taking

What categories of solutions do buyers investigate?

How do buyers educate themselves on the various categories?

How do buyers perceive the pros and cons of each category?

How do buyers decide which category is right for them?

Understanding exactly how our product or service solves their problem compared to our direct and indirect competitors.

Considering how our direct and indirect competitors show up in the marketplace and how they influence perception.

Providing the buyer with resources to help them determine the right solution for them.

3. Decision Stage

Finally, when buyers make it to this part of their journey, they’ve decided on a solution category and are now evaluating providers.

This is a crucial part of the buyer’s journey because they’re on the verge of making a final commitment. Buyers are comparing features, pricing, implementation processes, and overall satisfaction with the product or service they’re considering. Trust and credibility play a huge role here; buyers want reassurance that they’re making the right choice.

So, what should salesfolks do when they’ve arrived to this stage of the buyer’s journey? Well, in my opinion, it’s all about eliminating friction and reinforcing confidence by addressing lingering doubts and offering tailored recommendations.

To figure out what to ask and what to do as a salesperson seeking alignment with this stage, review my list of recommendations below:

What You Should Be Asking

Actions You Should Be Taking

What criteria do buyers use to evaluate the available offerings?

When buyers investigate our company's offering, what do they like about it compared to alternatives? What concerns d

Partner Ecosystems: How Partnerships Can Help You Expand Your Offerings and Retain Business

kmilliken@hubspot.com (Kaitlin Milliken) — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

When I think of ecosystems, I picture the rainforest, and I’m not too far off. Sure, in the business world, there are fewer plants and animals. However, there are still interconnected entities that coexist, compete for resources, and work symbiotically.

Some members of your ecosystem are your competitors. Others are partners who can work with you to enhance your offering. In the B2B space, partner organizations may offer additional software solutions that extend your platform. They may also provide services that help customers get the most out of your product.

These companion offerings are a win for you — allowing your team to expand your reach without investing R&D dollars and people power. Product extensions also allow customers to customize the platform beyond what's available in the core product itself.

So, how can you leverage partners in your strategy and create business wins? Below, I’ll explore how partnerships can unlock the power of your ecosystem and share wisdom from HubSpot’s partner program.

What is an ecosystem?

A business ecosystem is a network of connected organizations that collaborate, compete, and coexist in the same market. Your company, competitors, customers, and partners all work in the same ecosystem. Savvy businesses know which organizations pose a threat, present healthy competition to monitor, and may prove a close ally.

In my experience covering businesses and writing case studies, I’ve noticed that most organizations keep a close eye on competitors. These teams run analyses to see their business’ strengths, weaknesses, and differentiating factors, so they know how their offerings measure up.

However, I’ve noticed that top-performing companies also identify which organizations align with their goals. These businesses can then partner with outside organizations to improve their outcomes.

What is a partner?

A partner organization forms a strategic relationship with a business to create mutual benefits. Ecosystem partners offer complementary products, services, or both to improve the experience for shared customers, creating more value for everyone involved.

The Benefits of Partnerships

The most important benefit of a partnership is mutual growth. Additional partner services and integrations allow B2B companies to expand their offerings. Meanwhile, partners can tap into an existing market for their services or products. All the while, customers have access to a wider array of options meeting their unique needs.

But, let’s get granular. Here are some of the benefits of partnerships.

B2B SaaS companies can extend offerings without massive investments.

Ecosystem partners provide complementary offerings that enhance a customer’s user experience. That offers a huge cost-saving opportunity for your business. You can increase the types of services you offer and the power of your platform without massive R&D investment. Instead, you can benefit from innovations created by partner organizations.

B2B companies see improved customer retention.

When a partner organization delivers exceptional implementation services, customer outcomes improve significantly. Users are more likely to adopt new tools on the platform and see value in the tools they're using to drive outcomes.

App partners providing integrations take those improved outcomes even further. The data is clear, customers with integrations have significantly higher retention rates. Even in challenging economic environments, software implemented with even one integration have over 10% higher retention rates than those with none.

Partners grow their businesses, too.

By tapping into your customer base, your partners have the ability to grow their revenue. To demonstrate, we’ll dive into HubSpot’s partner program.

According to a 2025 IDC analyst brief on the HubSpot ecosystem, nearly one-third of solutions-partner revenue now comes from more technical services like integrations or data migrations. The analyst brief also highlights that for every dollar a customer invests in HubSpot software, partners generate multiples of that in services revenue.

For partners looking to scale, this means a huge opportunity to specialize in areas like AI model training, data optimization, and cross-platform automation, offering deeper value to clients while increasing profitability.

You’ll build a sustainable growth cycle that benefits everyone.

Remember, effective ecosystems facilitate mutual growth. When partners deliver exceptional implementation and service, customer outcomes improve significantly.

When our partners expand their businesses, HubSpot grows as well. This creates a sustainable growth cycle that continuously reinforces value across the ecosystem. The goal here is to build a comprehensive customer experience that generates value for all.

Partnerships In Action: How HubSpot’s Partner Program Drives Value

Before we move on to advice, I want to dive deeper into how HubSpot approaches ecosystem partnerships. Our team has two primary types of partners:

Solutions Partners provide services that complement HubSpot’s platform offerings. That includes onboarding,implementations, migrations, SEO, advertising, AI-driven analytics, advanced custom integrations, and far more.

Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partners build and sell apps that enhance our software’s capabilities.

Offerings from both of these partner types allow HubSpot to enhance our product suite with built-in AI features, advanced integration capabilities, and expanded global support. That comes with a dollar value.

Looking ahead, an analyst brief from IDC projects our partner ecosystem is on pace to surpass $30 billion in potential partner revenue globally by 2028. That’s huge. It means we’re well beyond a marketing automation tool or a standard channel program. HubSpot is a customer platform of solutions, spanning technical services, creative services, custom AI solutions, and more.

To help make that value tangible, let‘s dive into how a few partners operate within HubSpot’s ecosystem.

Consider Huble Digital, our Global Partner of the Year. Huble Digital helped the British Council modernize its fragmented marketing processes by implementing HubSpot. By leveraging Marketing Hub, the organization unified operations across 100+ countries through a phased, strategic approach.

Within months, the British Council achieved remarkable results: The organization saw a 178% reduction in email lag time and open rates of 48.9% (much higher than the 29.5% industry benchmark). Email click-through rates reached 34.2%, compared to the 12% industry average. Meanwhile, teams created campaigns 80% faster and reduced repetitive tasks by 20%.

There’s also SmartBug Media, our North America Partner of the Year. This partner evolved its service offerings from core marketing solutions to sales, RevOps, web development, and full lifecycle solutions. They also include AI and technical services. By doing so, they successfully expanded into larger, mid-market, and enterprise clients.

These examples illustrate the strategic value of well-executed partnerships. Partners develop sustainable businesses around the HubSpot platform. Customers receive specialized expertise that delivers measurable outcomes, and HubSpot benefits from increased customer success.

The best partnerships are win-win-win.

New customers gain value from HubSpot tools quickly through an expert implementation from a solutions partner, quickly integrating HubSpot into the rest of their tech stack.

Solutions Partners see high demand for their HubSpot services, getting referrals from HubSpot and commission for customers they bring to HubSpot.

HubSpot sees new customers get value quicker, and customers stay with the platform longer.

Practical Tips for Building a High-Performing Partner Program

Now that I’ve covered the value partnerships provide, I wanted to share insights to help teams that are just getting started with partnerships. To do so, I spoke with Angela O’Dowd, global vice president of HubSpot’s Solutions Partner Program.

O’Dowd has been at HubSpot for over a decade, guiding our Solutions Partner Program from a startup network of inbound marketing consultants in 2010 to a global program of 7,000 partners today. Those partners provide services that span our entire customer platform.

Based on our conversation, I gathered four foundational principles to get started.

1. Define your ideal partner persona.

Similar to customer persona development, creating an Ideal Partner Persona (IPP) is essential for strategic recruitment. When you know the profile of the partner you’re trying to recruit — size, skill set, vertical expertise, geographic focus — you can ensure there’s a genuine overlap in target customers.

“At HubSpot, we implement a deliberate approach to partner identification,” says O’Dowd.

According to O’Dowd, key considerations include:

Which partner profiles will most effectively complement our solution portfolio.

What capabilities and expertise will be most in demand.

Which market segments the partner currently serves.

An IPP also clarifies expectations. If you serve mostly SMBs, don’t chase giant enterprise-focused agencies. If your platform is geared toward mid-sized or larger organizations, you’ll want to find partners that can handle complex integrations.

“Clear criteria accelerate the identification of high-potential partners while reducing investment in partnerships unlikely to generate sustainable value,” says O’Dowd.

The clearer your criteria, the faster you’ll identify true fit — and avoid half-active partnerships that never gain traction.

2. Offer genuine mutual benefit.

A partnership has to be a two-way street. If you can’t create mutual benefit, your partnership program is in for a rough ride.

“The primary reason partner programs underperform is insufficient attention to balanced value creation,” says O’Dowd.

To avoid this hurdle, HubSpot maintains transparency regarding partner program benefits. That includes tools and incentives that help partners create value for customers and realize value for their own businesses.

The HubSpot team also makes sure to provide the resources partners need to succeed, says O’Dowd. That includes sharing marketing enablement resources and co-selling support. We also offer structured certification programs and dedicated partner management.

By providing both revenue opportunities and support, our partnership program can build a balanced approach that ensures sustainable value exchange, according to O’Dowd.

3. Create a path to grow.

“Partners require visibility into growth pathways within your ecosystem,” says O’Dowd. That’s why HubSpot offers a tiered structure, with partners at the Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Elite levels. This hierarchy establishes transparent progression based on performance metrics and customer outcomes.

Each tier provides incremental benefits aligned with partner contribution levels — from enhanced commission structures to dedicated support resources to increased market visibility.

Providing a clear framework allows for continuous capability development that ultimately generates more offerings for our customers.

4. Keep partner programs open and diversified.

Diversity drives ecosystem value. In our program, we intentionally cultivate partners with different specializations — technical integrators, creative agencies, and industry specialists — because complementary capabilities serve customers better.

“At the same time, we do set standards. We expect each partner to maintain high-quality service and represent HubSpot’s offerings accurately,” says O’Dowd. “We offer curated support — like technical docs and knowledge bases — so even niche players can plug in effectively.”

Building Lasting Partnerships

A partner ecosystem is truly beneficial when everyone involved has a clear, complementary role. That’s how we drive revenue and retention for HubSpot, create thriving businesses for our partners, and deliver real results for customers.

If you’re in tech leadership, a partner, or a CEO evaluating where to place your bet, building (or joining) a strong ecosystem is worth considering. I see a future where collaboration defines success in every corner of the business world.

Leveraging Indirect Sales: How I Learned to Sell More by Selling Less

Michael Welch — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

In a previous role selling software, I kept running into the same issue. Despite winning demos from researched and personalized pitches, I struggled to convince prospects to rip and replace a competitor’s solution. Most of them had used the industry incumbent for years. The cost and uncertainty of a migration just wasn’t worth the effort despite our product’s advantages.

After a few early months of banging my head into a wall, I was lucky enough to demo the product for an inbound lead who hit me with a revelation: He had reached out at the direction of a trusted consultant who knew the market inside and out. That consultant recommended our solution as the best fit for the client’s needs.

Not surprisingly, the sale was a layup, and my mind was racing when I hung up the call. Could I rely on someone else to do some of the selling for me? Spoiler alert: Yes, I could.

This is how I discovered the power of indirect sales. I’ll share what I learned with you so you can leverage indirect sales, too.

Table of Contents

What is indirect sales?

Who should I partner with for indirect selling?

Benefits of Indirect Sales

6 Tips for Indirect Selling Success

What is indirect sales?

Indirect sales refers to the sale of a product or service through a third party — such as a partner, reseller, affiliate, or distributor — rather than through your company’s sales team. In other words, someone else is selling your product on your behalf, benefiting both you and the reseller.

This concept is often contrasted with direct sales, where your employees sell straight to the consumer or client. (Think: your in-house sales reps closing deals or a company with an ecommerce store selling its products directly online.) Both models have their place, and many businesses use a mix of direct and indirect channels.

Who should I partner with for indirect selling?

In the example I cited above, I was still making that sale for my company — I just had a much easier time of it because the prospect was referred to me by a trusted advisor. Those sales transformed from direct to indirect the moment that consultant signed a referral agreement with my company.

In return for sending clients our way, we agreed to pay a referral commission. Over the next 24 months, that agreement proved to be a huge source of sales for me and a nice monthly commission for the referrer. I still have a great relationship with that consultant to this day. Besides referral agreements, indirect sales can come from a variety of sources.

Resellers and VARs (Value-Added Resellers)

Resellers and VARs are independent businesses that resell a product, sometimes after adding their own services or bundles.

For example, a local IT consulting firm might whitelabel and resell a big software company’s product as part of a total solution for clients. The firm’s clients see the name and logo on the software instead of the creator, and they cover all or part of the cost the firm is paying the creator.

Distributors

Distributors are intermediaries who buy products from the original manufacturer and then distribute them to retailers or end-users. Many consumer goods companies (think products you buy in the grocery store) use wholesale distributors and grocery chains to get products into many stores.

Affiliates

Affiliates are individuals or organizations that promote your product and earn a commission for each sale or lead they generate. An example might be a blogger who earns a cut every time a reader buys a product using the blogger’s referral link — that’s indirect sales via affiliate marketing.

Franchisees or Agents

In some cases, companies license others to sell under their brand (franchise models), or they have independent agents represent them in the field.

These situations fall under the indirect sales category because the actual seller isn’t the company itself but instead a partner or contractor operating under the company’s umbrella. Think fast food chains or individual agents who sell beauty and health products.

Benefits of Indirect Sales

Adding an indirect sales strategy to your overall sales plan allows for scale. In my own experience, indirect sales have provided a pipeline of warm leads that I simply couldn’t have gotten without a partner in my corner. Once I set up a referral agreement, my company was able to expand its sales team without increasing headcount, making it an efficient source of growth.

Despite the wins it generated for our organization, indirect sales weren’t just “free money.” I had to manage a relationship and interface regularly with the referral partner to ensure we were in alignment. I also calculated commissions and wrote checks each month for the business the partner brought in.

Still, I found the juice to be well worth the squeeze. If you think indirect selling will drive results in your sales process, let’s talk about how to do it effectively.

6 Tips for Indirect Selling Success

1. Define your partner strategy.

What role do you want your partners to play in your sales process? Where can they have the biggest impact? In the example I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I was connecting with plenty of leads but struggling to find the ones who were actually in the market for my product.

My referral partner helped turn that around by sending me leads who were primed to buy. As an added bonus, I knew ahead of time that our software was a good fit for their needs.

2. Create an ideal partner profile.

In the same way you build out an ideal customer profile (ICP) to make sure you invest valuable time in the right prospects, it’s important to think carefully about an ideal partner profile. In my case, integration consultants were an excellent source of referrals.

Depending on your own product and industry, you might partner with consultants and implementation experts, marketing agencies, HR specialists, educators or influencers, or someone else entirely. The key is to find a complementary business that serves your target market but doesn’t compete with your offering.

3. Incentivize your affiliates.

According to Curt Frieden, senior vice president of business development at partner marketing and affiliate tracking platform Everflow, “Incentivizing your partners is critical for alignment and delight in being a referral partner.”

Frieden shares that Everflow offers a referral fee if a deal closes and pays for different stages of the deal so partners “feel the love.” Partners then “get compensated faster and more frequently than waiting through what could be a long sales cycle,” Frieden notes.

Since changing to the new incentive model, Frieden says Everflow has seen a 120% increase in leads generated through referral partners. These results inspired them to create a whitepaper and help other SaaS businesses crack the incentive code.

4. Offer enablement resources.

If you’ve built the right incentive structure, a win for your indirect sales partners is a win for your organization. That makes it a good idea to enable these partners however you can.

I made it a habit to coach referral partners on new feature releases before they went into production, ensuring they had the most complete picture of our software. By knowing what was coming, partners could do a better job selling for us. They could even spot upcoming opportunities when a feature was still technically in the pipeline.

5. Maintain regular communication.

It’s natural to feel like your job is done once the ink is drying on the partnership agreement. It’s out of your hands, right? In my experience, it almost never works that way.

The best partners are the ones you’re in close communication with, nurturing the relationship, strategizing together, and outlining what mutual wins you can achieve next. If new partners don’t hear from you, trust me — you’re unlikely to hear from them.

6. Don’t forget your role.

Just because a partner is bringing you referrals or perhaps even closing deals on your behalf doesn’t mean you can forget basic sales fundamentals. It’s still critical to qualify prospects or new customers thoroughly to ensure they’re a good fit, understand their unique needs, establish your own relationship, and deliver a seamless onboarding experience.

In fact, these things are even more important for indirect sales, because a subpar experience has the potential to hurt your relationship with a valuable partner in addition to costing you a customer. Need a quick refresher on some best practices? Check out these B2B Sales Tips.

Indirect Sales, Direct Impact

To me, the term “indirect sales” is a bit of a misnomer — mainly because it sounds like someone else is doing all the work. Not surprisingly, if you approach potential partnerships like you’re going to sit there and take orders as the hot leads come rushing in, you’re going to be disappointed.

Instead, go into indirect sales with intention. Leverage the tips and best practices I discussed — from carefully selecting partners and enabling their success to maintaining strong relationships and continuously improving your approach. It takes work to set up and manage a partner program, but the reward is growth that can be hard to get otherwise.

In the end, indirect sales isn’t about outsourcing your sales function. It’s about extending your reach and amplifying your sales potential. I’m fortunate to have learned this lesson early on, and I’d encourage you to sketch out a plan for an indirect strategy if you haven’t already. Your next big deal might come from someplace you never expected.

23 Elevator Pitch Examples to Inspire Your Own [+Templates & Expert Tips]

Michael Welch — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Whether you’re introducing yourself at a networking event, looking to hire talent to grow your business, or pitching to a potential client or investor, you’ve got a limited amount of time to convey your ideas. In situations like these, you need a short and easy-to-grasp explanation of your company and its positioning — in other words, an elevator pitch.

In this post, I’ll discuss what an elevator pitch is, review some helpful elevator pitch examples, see some elevator pitch templates you can reference, go over some elevator pitch best practices, and cover some key mistakes you need to avoid when delivering one of these speeches.

Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

What is an elevator pitch?

How long should an elevator pitch be?

Elevator Speech Example

How to Write an Elevator Pitch

Elevator Pitch Templates

30-Second Elevator Pitch Examples

Elevator Pitches From Real Sales Leaders

Elevator Speech Best Practices

What Not to Do in an Elevator Pitch

Pro tip: An elevator pitch is never an opportunity to close a deal. It’s an opportunity to earn more of your prospect’s attention and time. It’s a quick introduction to you, your company, and how you can help your prospect.

Elevator Speech Example

“Hi, I’m an account manager with Vacation Locator. We help travelers across the world plan their perfect holiday based on their interests, budget, and location preferences. With travel experts assigned to each account, we find the best deals and most unique experiences for each client, so they can enjoy their vacation, instead of stressing about planning it. On average, we’re able to save travelers up to 30% on expenses such as hotel and airfare.”

Download HubSpot’s Elevator Pitch Templates

When to use an elevator pitch?

You can pull your elevator pitch out at functions like networking events or conferences, over virtual calls, and even in job interviews or at career fairs. Keep your elevator pitch goal-oriented — for instance, “I help companies like yours increase production by up to 30% without additional cost.” — and always end with a business card or request to connect on LinkedIn.

If you’re curious about what an elevator pitch should look like, or you’re ready to jumpstart the pitch creation process, download the templates above. We’ve compiled several elevator pitch examples, from more sales-focused pitches to funding requests.

No matter which type of pitch you’re delivering, keeping things concise is key. You don’t want to waste your listener’s time. Speaking of time, let’s discuss how much time you should spend on an elevator pitch.

Because you have such a short window for delivery, you should have an effective elevator pitch prepared before you need it.

Pro tip: You’ll want a strong hook to capture attention and a clear purpose to keep it.

Let’s take a closer look at how to put one of these pitches together.

How to Write an Elevator Pitch

1. Use elevator pitch templates.

Download Free E-Pitch Templates

These templates help structure pitches for three key audiences: prospects, investors, and potential network connections — making the elevator pitch creation process easier and freeing you up to focus on perfecting the delivery.

Prefer to start from scratch? Let’s dive into building an elevator pitch of your own.

2. Introduce yourself.

Remember the five Ws? Start your elevator pitch with the “Who?” for two reasons. First, it gives your prospect some pretty mission-critical context — you won’t get too much mileage out of an elevator pitch if they have no idea who you are or who you’re with.

Second, it can make the whole experience a bit more approachable. A friendly introduction helps set the stage for a more natural engagement.

3. State your company’s mission.

You need to know what your business does if you’re going to pitch it effectively. Revolutionary stuff, right?

Seriously though, you want to include some insight about your business — and a lot of the time, that means briefly speaking to its mission and goals. Including a section where you give a thoughtfully tailored reference to your company identity can give a prospect valuable context and develop a little trust on a dime.

It can be as simple as something like, “I’m a sales rep at Better Than the Rest Cable. We help hotels across the U.S. pair with the perfect cable provider and plan for their region and needs.”

4. Explain the company value proposition.

This might be the most important base to cover. A prospect isn’t going to be interested in a solution that they can’t see the value in, so naturally, you need to be able to articulate a compelling value proposition in your pitch.

Provide a sentence or two that covers why your product or service is worth it. Not sure where to start? Try explaining why your current customers are so happy with you:

“I’m a sales rep at Better Than the Rest Cable. We help hotels across the U.S. pair with the perfect cable provider and plan for their region and needs. With regional experts assigned to each account, we help hotels identify the most cost-effective and guest-delighting cable plan for them.”

In one sentence, you’ve told the prospect what sets you apart and how you can bring them value.

Source

5. Grab their attention with a hook.

You’ve spent the pitch up to this point lining them up. Now knock them down. Give them the bit that’s going to prompt that second conversation — hit them with the hook.

That can come in the form of an enthralling story about a customer, some exhilarating information about your company’s founders, a fascinating statistic about your offering, or something else that’s neat and engaging to round things out and keep them interested.

Let’s finish up the pitch we’ve been running with with an attention-grabbing statistic.

“I’m a sales rep at Better Than the Rest Cable. We help hotels across the U.S. pair with the perfect cable provider and plan for their region and needs. With regional experts assigned to each account, we help hotels identify the most cost-effective and guest-delighting cable plan for them. On average, we’re able to save hotels up to 25% on their annual cable bills.”

6. Make your pitch conversational.

According to Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director at Ardoz Digital, you want to “[a]void sounding too sales-y. In my experience, people often shy away from elevator pitches that feel like a typical sales pitch. Your elevator pitch should come across more like a casual chat than a sales pitch. The aim is to spark interest, making the listener curious to learn more, not to seal the deal immediately.

“Instead of aggressively promoting our brand, we suggest ‘We’re looking to work with companies to address some of their marketing challenges. Perhaps you’d be interested in exploring this opportunity?’”

7. Keep it simple and focused.

Gauri Manglik, CEO and co-founder of Instrumentl, says, “The most important tip I can offer for creating and delivering an effective elevator pitch is to keep it simple and focused. Have one clear message or key insight you want to convey and structure your pitch around that.

“For example, if you have a new product, focus on articulating the core problem it solves and how it uniquely solves that problem. Say something like, ‘We’ve developed a new tool that helps sales teams reduce the time spent on administrative tasks by over 50% each week. By streamlining CRM data entry and reporting processes through an intuitive mobile interface, account managers can spend less time pushing paper and more time building key relationships.’

“You have 30 seconds; one clear message is enough to spark interest for follow-up. With practice, a simple pitch can become a compelling story that fuels a meaningful first conversation. Keep it short — make it count.”

8. Read and edit the pitch.

Once you have everything written out, read it aloud to make sure it sounds natural. Overly rigid, borderline-robotic pitches are rarely compelling. If it seems too stiff and formal, go back to the drawing board — at least a little.

Ideally, this somewhat casual pitch will be a prelude to a more formal, in-depth conversation — so striking a balance between professional and conversational with your pitch is in your best interest.

Elevator Pitch Templates

Now that you know how to write an elevator pitch, download HubSpot’s 25 free elevator pitch templates to turn insights into action. These templates can be used to make a sale, start networking, or jumpstart a deal for business capital.

Featured Resource: 25 Free Elevator Pitch Templates

Download Free E-Pitch Templates

Our templates follow established best practices for elevator pitches. Each one includes:

A personal greeting. Start every pitch by establishing a human connection and making your prospect feel seen and heard.

A statement of your company’s mission. Your mission can be blended with your value proposition and vice versa. But this piece of information is essential to get your prospect’s buy-in quickly.

A hook to get your audience’s attention. The hook can be as simple as a probing question or a highly personalized statement that’s been tailored to your prospect’s needs. Either way, the hook will often seal the deal.

A real example. See the template in action by reading a filled-out example, allowing you to visualize what your pitch may look like as you refine and edit it.

Using these templates allows you to save precious time and focus on the essence of the pitch instead of minute details.

30-Second Elevator Pitch Examples

Looking for some inspiration? The following elevator pitch examples illustrate different ways to describe what you can offer in 30 seconds or less.

1. An Attention-Grabbing Question

“Has your boss ever asked you to ‘whip up a quick report before the end of the day?’ You say yes with a sinking heart — because you know it’ll be the opposite of quick. The founders of my company, AnswerASAP, constantly dealt with this problem in their roles as marketing executives. So they created a tool that puts all your data in one place and creates unique reports within 30 seconds or less.”

This elevator pitch is effective because:

This pitch works on a few key levels: Right off the bat, it has a straightforward but compelling hook with that leading question — it’s tailored to get your prospect to place themselves in a specific scenario.

It’s also framed with language that strikes a balance between engaging and accessible — admittedly, it might be a bit folksy for some sales professionals’ tastes (the “sinking heart” piece could read as a little too melodramatic for some, but I like it), but it’s still attention-grabbing.

It’s also relatable and rooted in empathy. It calls out an “Oh geez, all of us in the industry have been there, am I right or am I right?” situation without being too hokey or heavy-handed, speaking to a key pain point that’s general enough to cast a wide net but specific enough to invoke a relatable feeling.

2. The Credibility Boost

“As an account executive for AnswerASAP, I talk to hundreds of marketers per month, and 99% of them hate creating reports. It’s time-consuming, it’s tedious, and it’s usually not your highest priority. That’s where our tool comes in — it pulls from all of your data to create any report you want in less than the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee.”

This elevator pitch is effective because:

This one’s big selling point is how it demonstrates authority. Your elevator pitch isn’t a time to be modest, which is why it leads off with the speaker demonstrating some clout.

Like the previous one, it speaks to a “common but specific” pain point for the prospect on the other side of the pitch, covering an issue that many (if not most) marketers deal with consistently — and the “look at how many of your peers I talk to every month” element supports that.

And finally, it ends with an accessible but vivid metaphor about how efficient the resource is. I’ll go out on a limb and assume that most prospects have poured a cup of coffee in their lives. It’s a frame of reference that’s equal parts relatable and engaging — in short, it works.

3. The Surprise Ending

“Say you want to know how many leads from your webinar campaign became customers versus leads from your trade show booth, but you only want to see customers who bought two products and weren’t already in your database.

How long would it take you to create that report?

If you had AnswerASAP, a data and reporting tool, you’d already know. It creates reports in a matter of seconds.”

This elevator pitch is effective because:

Holy heck! My goodness! What a twist! Bet you didn’t see that ending coming — and neither will your prospects.

Okay, that might be overkill, but this kind of pitch works for a few reasons. First, it runs through a “common but specific” scenario that businesses in the prospect’s industry likely deal with. Showing that you’re familiar with a prospect’s space gives you some instant credibility.

From there, it offers an engaging, cheeky way to plug your solution. You raise a pressing pain point and immediately position your offering as the best way to solve it. It’s slick, creative, and fun — taken together, those elements give you some serious staying power.

4. An Outlandish Stat

“Your marketing team members will each spend approximately 8,730 minutes of their work year putting together reports. Across your teams and departments, how much money can you save if you took that chore off their to-do lists with AnswerASAP, the reporting tool that automatically pulls your data into an easy-to-read (and send) dashboard? We’ve saved companies tens of thousands of dollars per year, and they’re operating more efficiently than ever.”

This elevator pitch is effective because:

Geez Louise! If you thought the last one was shocking, just wait until your prospects hear this one! Really though, citing outlandish numbers is one of the better ways to cultivate fact-based urgency — a real and justified gravity to your pitch.

It gives them a clear-cut sense of the price of inaction and positions your solution as the best way to avoid it. This might sound obvious, but pain points should be painful — this kind of pitch is one of the more straightforward, interesting ways to get there.

5. The Story

“The founders of my company were originally marketers. The worst part of their day, by far, was … Want to take a guess? No, it wasn’t arguing with Sales. They detested making reports. I don’t blame them. You know what a pain in the neck it is. That’s why they created AnswerASAP. You can create any report you want in a matter of seconds.”

This elevator pitch is effective because:

Want to hear a story? Once upon a time, cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner theorized that people are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it’s presented as part of a story — he then went on to become the 28th-most-cited psychologist of the 20th century and lived to 100. The end.

You’re probably wondering why I just shared that wild emotional roller coaster of a narrative. Well, reader who totally doesn’t think I’m reaching with this description, it’s because the elevator pitch above it tells a story, too — ensuring it sticks with the prospects who hear it.

6. A Customer Story

“Siena Rosen, a marketer at Dunder Mifflin, used to spend 30 minutes per day manually creating reports. Now that she uses AnswerASAP, that’s gone down to four minutes, and she’s building twice as many reports. Our tool helps marketers like Siena answer any question on their mind (or their boss’s) nearly instantly. If you’re curious, I can explain more.”

This elevator pitch is effective because:

Remember that one time, way back, when I talked about how people are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it’s presented as part of a story? The same principle applies here.

Telling a story where you reference a customer can make for a compelling narrative thread to an elevator pitch — along with some solid social proof to give you some immediate clout and demonstrated value.

7. The Reality Check

Mike Buscemi explains, “Software buyers today act like B2C consumers because they have so many options. Hundreds of software vendors are out there, and over 115,000 are on G2. Buyers have an abundance to pick and choose from.” Ultimately, this means the seller’s journey will have to shift, too.

I spoke with Mike about how the software buyer’s journey — a popular branch of B2B sales — has changed, according to G2’s 2024 Buyer’s Behavior Report data, and how salesfolks can expect the B2B sales strategy to pivot in 2025. I’ll also unpack some other insightful stuff, from deciphering how the new-age B2B buyer’s journey actually works (and how to map it out) to outlining applicable recommendations so you can effectively tailor your own sales strategy.

All of this said, there’s a ton to cover, so let’s get into it.

Table of Contents:

B2B Buyer’s Journey Stages

What the B2B Buying Journey Looks Like

How to Map the B2B Buyer’s Journey

B2B vs. B2C Buyer’s Journey

How the B2B Buyer Journey Has Evolved — And How You Can Shift Your Strategy

Pivoting Your B2B Sales Strategy for 2025

Traditionally, the B2B buyer’s journey has been viewed as a linear progression through three specific stages; they’re as follows:

Awareness: The buyer becomes aware of a problem or opportunity

Consideration: They research and consider potential solutions

Decision: They evaluate specific vendors and make a purchase decision

But today, this journey has become increasingly complex and non-linear. The traditional three-stage model still provides a foundation, but modern buyers are already engaging with multiple touchpoints, across multiple channels, pre-purchase. Nowadays, consumers are expecting a more personalized, genuine approach.

Basically, if you want to capture a customer, satisfying the core pillars of B2B buying is, unfortunately, considered as “meeting expectations.” Recent data from HubSpot’s State of Consumer Trends Report even echoes this reality. Check out some key findings:

63% of U.S. consumers say it’s more important for marketing videos to be authentic than polished

50% of U.S. consumers appreciate when brands share their values

1 in 4 social media users brought a product on social media in the past 3 months

Because of this dawn of authentic consumer expectations, businesses need to align their sales and marketing efforts with how buyers research, evaluate, and, most importantly, decide on solutions.

If you haven’t made the shift yet, don’t worry. There’s still time. Making this adjustment begins with completely dissecting the B2B buying journey you know (and may love) to explore how it’s functioning in today’s digital-first world. I’ll cover how to do this in the next section.

B2B Buyer’s Journey Stages

Before I discuss all the ways in which the B2B buyer’s journey has been completely flipped on its head, I think it’s fitting to start with explaining the foundational stages that have traditionally defined it.

As mentioned above, the B2B buyer’s journey has followed a relatively straightforward path for years. Buyers identify a problem, research solutions, and decide after carefully considering their options. For years, this process worked for sales teams; it gave them predictable milestones to follow, making it easier to guide prospects from one stage of the sales cycle to another.

But, as I’ve already shared, how B2B buyers approach purchasing decisions has evolved substantially over the last few years. Things just ain’t the way they used to be.

To help you better understand how the buyer’s journey has advanced, I’ll first dive deep into its traditional structure, which we’re both (likely) pretty familiar with. Check out my full, more detailed breakdown below:

1. Awareness: The buyer becomes aware of a problem or opportunity.

At this stage, the buyer recognizes a gap, inefficiency, or challenge within their organization. Naturally, they’ll begin researching industry trends, reading reports, and consuming educational content to understand their problem more deeply and clearly.

Typically, during this stage, B2B buyers will ask themselves (and intently research) questions like:

Are other companies in our industry experiencing similar issues?

Who within our organization should be involved in addressing this challenge?

What specific challenges are we facing, and how are they affecting our business?

I’ll give you an example: This stage could look like a marketing manager at a mid-sized company realizing their current email automation tool isn’t effectively nurturing leads, leading to a drop in conversion rates. To address this issue, they begin researching common pain points in email marketing automation and exploring potential solutions.

2. Consideration: They research and consider potential solutions.

Now that the buyer has clearly defined their problem, they begin exploring different solutions and approaches.

This stage involves reading case studies, attending webinars, consulting peers, and analyzing feature comparisons to determine which solutions are worth investing in.

I’ll continue on with my example from the awareness stage: After identifying the need for a better email automation tool, the marketing manager starts researching different software solutions. They’ll probably read customer reviews on platforms like G2, scope out industry reports, and review feature lists to see how products compare against each other. They’ll also sign up for free trials and attend webinars to evaluate how well each option aligns with their needs.

3. Decision: They evaluate specific vendors and make a purchase decision.

At this stage, B2B buyers have narrowed their options and are comparing specific vendors. By this point in their journey, they seek validation through customer testimonials, product demos, free trials, and stakeholder buy-in.

Before deciding, they also review pricing, implementation processes, contract terms, and customer support.

Lastly, to finish out my example, after testing a few email automation tools and gathering feedback from their team, the marketing manager narrows the options down to two vendors. They schedule demos with sales representatives, request customized pricing based on their company's needs, and analyze ROI projections. They choose the tool that offers the best balance of customer support, ease of use, and scalability, then finalize the purchase contract and implementation plan with the selected vendor.

What the B2B Buying Journey Looks Like

So, now you know the truth: the B2B buying journey has gotten a serious makeover due to digital transformation, increased buyer empowerment, and a growing demand for candidness. These factors have diverted the journey from its customary phases and toward an experience that’s a little more dynamic and, well … more complex.

Gartner’s contemporary assessment of the B2B buyer’s journey offers some more enlightenment on all this. Buyers embark on a non-linear journey that involves looping through various “buying jobs” rather than progressing through sequential stages (like we’ve been used to seeing all these years).

Instead of moving straight from problem identification to purchase, buyers often revisit earlier stages, reassess their needs, and gather additional input before making a final decision. These buying jobs include:

Image Source

1. Problem Identification: Recognizing and defining the problem or need.

B2B buyers begin by analyzing their organization’s pain points, inefficiencies, or missed opportunities. This step often involves internal discussions, data analysis, and stakeholder input to determine if the issue is significant enough to warrant a solution.

To sketch a more illustrative picture, I’ll introduce a brief example: A VP of Sales at a growing tech company notices that their team is struggling to hit quota due to inefficiencies in tracking and managing leads. After reviewing CRM data and gathering feedback from sales reps, they identify that their current sales software lacks automation and integration capabilities, prompting them to explore more advanced sales enablement solutions.

2. Solution Exploration: Researching and evaluating potential solutions.

At this stage, buyers explore various ways to address their challenges. They may read industry reports, attend webinars, consult peers, or analyze competitor strategies to understand the available options.

I’ll continue with my example to further explain this buying job: The VP of Sales, recognizing the need for a more efficient solution, begins researching popular sales enablement tools. They read reports on the latest CRM advancements; they reach out to peers in their network to gather insights on which platforms have improved sales productivity. Additionally, they analyze how competitors are structuring their sales processes to identify best practices that could help their team close deals more effectively.

3. Requirements Building: Determining the specific criteria and features needed.

Buyers outline the must-have functionalities, budget constraints, implementation considerations, and other key factors influencing their decision. This step ensures they select a solution that aligns with business goals and operational needs.

My example proceeds as follows: The VP of Sales compiles a list of essential features the new sales enablement tool must have, including automated lead scoring, seamless CRM integration, and real-time analytics. They collaborate with the finance team to define a budget and consult with IT to assess implementation feasibility and security requirements. They also gather input from sales reps to ensure the chosen solution will be user-friendly and enhance productivity without disrupting existing workflows.

4. Supplier Selection: Identifying and comparing potential vendors.

Buyers create a shortlist of vendors that meet their established requirements. They often narrow their choices by comparing pricing models, customer support options, integration capabilities, and past client reviews.

My example continues: The VP of Sales narrows down the options to three sales enablement platforms that meet their must-have criteria. They schedule product demos with each vendor, request tailored pricing based on their team’s size and needs, and gather feedback from sales managers who participate in the trials. To ensure a well-informed decision, they also review case studies, compare customer support offerings, and assess contract flexibility before selecting the vendor that best aligns with their company’s growth strategy and operational requirements.

5. Validation: Confirming the chosen solution meets the requirements.

Buyers seek proof of value through case studies, product demos, free trials, or pilot programs. They may also request references from existing customers to ensure the solution performs as promised.

Next: The VP of Sales schedules demos with the three shortlisted vendors to see their sales enablement tools in action. They sign up for a free trial to test key features like automated lead scoring and pipeline forecasting with real sales data. To further validate their decision, they reach out to each vendor's existing customers, asking about their experience with implementation, support, and overall impact on sales performance.

6. Consensus Creation: Gaining buy-in and approval from all stakeholders involved.

In B2B sales, purchasing decisions rarely rest with one person. Buyers must align various stakeholders to ensure everyone agrees on the chosen solution before proceeding.

Lastly: The VP of Sales schedules meetings with key stakeholders, including:

The CFO to justify the investment

The IT team to confirm system compatibility

Sales managers to ensure the tool meets their team’s needs

They present data from their research, including cost-benefit analyses and case studies from similar companies, to build a compelling case for adoption. After addressing concerns and gathering feedback, they work toward consensus, ensuring all departments are aligned before moving forward with final negotiations.

How to Map the B2B Buyer’s Journey

Since the B2B buyer’s journey has changed, mapping its progress has become inevitably more layered. Again, this requires businesses need to take a more intentional, data-driven approach to connecting with potential customers, ensuring that every touchpoint aligns with a buyer’s decisions.

Here’s how I recommend you map the B2B buyer’s journey on your own, step by step:

1. Understand who your buyers are.

You can’t do anything without knowing who you’re selling to. In short, this first stage of the B2B buyer’s journey is all about one thing: Research.

B2B purchasing decisions often involve multiple big-shot stakeholders with different concerns and priorities. Although you may primarily communicate with one individual, you’ll likely need approval from C-suite folks, managers, and other high-level executives to move the deal forward.

Thus, you’ll need to do the following:

Identify decision-makers, influencers, and important end-users involved in the buying process

Figure out their pain points, goals, and motivations when seeking a solution (it might help to look to recent news or current events that are relevant to them, that you can link your offering to)

Segment buyers based on industry, company size, or role to create tailored strategies

2. Determine which stages your buyers loop back to the most.

I’ve already shared that the traditional B2B buyer’s journey has three core stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. But, as I’ve also revealed, you shouldn’t expect an easy-to-follow with modern B2B buyers. Going forward, you should always assume buyers are taking the extra time to research independently and consult multiple sources for validation and credibility.

With that in mind, here are my tips for taking a closer look at how to identify buyer engagement patterns:

Recognize the information they seek at each stage (you can use this resource to help you collect journey analytics if you’re a HubSpot Sales Hub user)

Map out common questions and concerns that arise during the buying process

Analyze platforms and channels buyers use for research

3. Identify what channels buyers are engaging with.

This part of mapping out the “new and improved” B2B buyer’s journey closely connects to the previous step. Buyers interact with multiple channels before making a decision, so you’ll need to identify where they engage organically and, based on that information, how you’ll meet them.

Getting this information will absolutely require a commitment to doing some thorough deep diving, but I promise you it’s not as complicated as it may seem. Here’s what you’ll want to do:

Find out where/how your buyers consume content (blogs, LinkedIn, industry reports, social media influencers, etc.)

Identify their preferred engagement methods (look through those email blast stats, see if customers are utilizing live chat services via your website, if they’re scheduling product demos, etc.)

4. Audit existing content and resources.

Once you’ve clarified a buyer’s decision-making process and the ‘why’ behind their purchasing decisions, it’s time to evaluate whether your current content and sales resources are synced with each other and (of course) each stage of the B2B buyer’s journey.

Here’s what you’ll want to do to ensure that content strategy isn’t just comprehensive but accommodating for and to your customers:

Comb through your existing content library and find gaps; ask yourself if you’re missing content (i.e., FAQs or comparison charts) that helps buyers make a decision

Prioritize educational content, not just promotional (buyers don’t want a hard sell; they need to be eased into a purchase with facts, testimonials, and insights)

Provide a mix of written, visual, and interactive resources to match different buyer preferences

5. Implement a lead scoring and tracking system that works.

Here’s a (maybe) difficult pill to swallow: Not all leads are equally ready to buy.

And I already know you’re thinking about how you’re supposed to solve a problem like this. Luckily, there is a way to work with, not fight against, this hard truth (and your customers); it starts with a lead-scoring system. A lead-scoring system helps prioritize prospective buyers based on engagement, behavior, and intent signals.

Here’s how I recommend going about rolling out your own lead-scoring and tracking approach:

Assign point values to actions that indicate buying intent

Use CRM and marketing automation tools to keep a pulse on buyer engagement (HubSpot’s Sales Hub has really awesome, really advanced lead-scoring and tracking software)

Organize sales follow-ups based on buyer readiness (early-stage leads likely need a little more nurturing, late-stage leads may be ready for more formal outreach)

6. Align your efforts with marketing and sales.

Sales and marketing must work together to ensure a smooth transition from lead generation to conversion. I know this partnership isn’t always natural but it is 100% necessary to provide prospective buyers with t

The Social Selling Sales Playbook — Data-Backed Tips You Need to Know

ebrudner@hubspot.com (Emma Brudner) — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Social selling is more relevant than ever. How can I be so sure? Because there are over 5.24 billion active users on social media. Sales leaders with a forward-thinking approach must incorporate these practices into their sales forces or risk falling behind more proactive competitors.

However, the volatile nature of social media means that selling on social media platforms requires flexibility as former best practices become obsolete. With that in mind, I’ve compiled an extensive guide covering everything from the fundamentals of social selling to expert insights into today’s most effective strategies and tools.

Table of Contents

What is social selling?

The Art of Social Selling

Social Selling Best Practices

Optimizing Social Profiles for Social Selling

How to Engage With Your Buyers on Social Networks

Working Social Selling Into Your Day

Is social selling creepy?

Measuring Social Selling Success

Social Selling Tools

What is social selling?

Social selling is a sales strategy that uses social media platforms to connect, engage, and build relationships with potential customers. Unlike traditional sales approaches that often involve cold calls and direct pitches, social selling focuses on leveraging social media networks to understand and interact with prospects in a more personalized and authentic way.

By commenting on, liking, and sharing prospects’ and customers’ posts on networks like X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, salespeople create organic relationships with buyers over shared interests.

And it works. According to our 2024 State of Sales report, sales professionals say social media generates 33% of the highest-quality leads, on par with referrals from existing customers.

However, social selling isn’t for reps seeking quick wins or a silver bullet. To succeed, salespeople must put in the hours and effort to engage with their target buyers and build credibility.

The Art of Social Selling

When I was reviewing our State of Sales report, I was surprised to learn that a whopping 75% of salespeople use Facebook to find leads, followed by Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

But it’s not enough just to post advertisements and hope your prospects will be enticed to reach out. The key to success here is to grow your network and build a reputation on your selected social media platforms.

For example, Caleb John, director of sales and marketing at Exceed Plumbing and Air Con, tested two social selling strategies.

Posting 10 promotional offers in a single month caused his audience’s engagement rate to drop below 1%. But after just a few weeks of sharing a mixture of behind-the-scenes content, customer stories, and helpful home maintenance tips, engagement jumped to 12%.

“The takeaway is this: If a business looks like a non-stop ad, people will ignore it,” John says.

“Businesses that treat social media like a chat with potential customers, instead of a billboard, are the ones winning.”

As social selling is always in flux, you should always stay up-to-date with the latest trends. By doing so, you’ll not only keep your skills sharp and know where your best prospects are at the moment but also be able to anticipate where they might shift next.

Social Selling Best Practices

Social selling can be a lucrative resource to generate more leads and enhance your revenue.

However, there are several steps reps can take to level up their social selling skills. Here are 12 best practices I recommend you consider.

1. Optimize your social media profiles.

Optimize your social media profiles before beginning your social selling initiative. Prospects are less likely to respond if your profile is outdated or lacks essential information.

I’ll dig into more specifics of how to do this later, but according to Barbara Robinson, sales manager at WeatherSolve Structures Inc., a good rule of thumb is to prioritize authenticity and aim to connect with prospects as humans first.

“People are craving transparency, especially after all the noise from overly polished content everywhere else,” says Robinson. “No one wants to hear a perfect pitch anymore, right? People are sick of that robotic, polished stuff.” Instead, authentic social selling “is honestly just about being real and showing the human side of your brand.”

2. Converse with other professionals in your industry.

Join relevant groups and forums on LinkedIn and other networking sites to stay updated on industry trends.

Use valuable information to contribute to a discussion, as unsolicited, sales-y comments will annoy group members, just as a cold call or email would. Advance the conversation in a meaningful way, or just sit back and observe.

Joe Zappa, founder and CEO of Sharp Pen Media, believes you should follow and engage with influencers in your industry.

When Zappa first joined social media, he tried to comment on posts by prospects, industry leaders, and CEOs. However, Zappa now thinks “this approach can undermine your social marketing strategy because most prospects and industry leaders don’t post frequently.”

Zappa also notes that you risk coming off as if you’re selling something — “both to the person whose post you’re commenting on and to third parties interacting with the post.”

3. Set up social listening alerts.

Use Google Alerts or a social listening tool (HubSpot customers can use the Social Media Management Software) to set up social listening alerts. These are notifications that tell you when your prospects or customers experience a trigger event or post a possible sales opening.

Source

For example, say a prospect mentions they have a problem that you can address. A social listening alert can help you quickly join the conversation with helpful content or insight.

Similarly, if a potential buyer’s company hires a new CEO or expands its business, comment on the trigger event as soon as possible to get on their radar.

4. Share content to build your credibility.

Share original, industry-specific content to build credibility and engagement on social media.

Have you read any interesting articles related to your prospects’ industry? Share them! Did you see a thought-provoking study that could be a good conversation starter? Share it!

If you’re not sure where to find this content, start by checking out the articles and videos your buyers are already sharing, and subscribe to those blogs and social media channels. Then, share the content you think would be particularly interesting to your buyers on LinkedIn or your preferred social profile.

Don’t forget to ask people to engage in the comments to start conversations.

5. Pay attention to the comments section.

If you see high-engagement posts in your feed, browse the comments section and join the conversation. By reading the comments your prospects are leaving, you can better understand their point of view and preferences.

You will also get an idea of the content your prospects enjoy and engage with. This can help you decide what kind of content to share.

For example, if you see an active discussion about the best project management tools for people in your prospects’ industry, you might share your favorite tool and a few specific examples of how it has helped save you time.

While you don’t need to engage with every post you see, commenting can be a powerful tool, according to Alexander Low, managing director at DCM Insights.

“If you show up every day on social media here with intention and engage with people by liking or commenting on their posts, you are creating micro-moments of influence,” says Low.

If you just like/react to a post, only the author gets notified. However, when you comment on a post, every person who has liked, reacted to, commented on, or reposted gets a notification that you have commented.

“This is how you can network around lots of people at once. Focus on the outcomes you want to achieve, turn engagement into connections, and then take conversations offline; which you then have to nurture into opportunity,” says Low.

6. Share success stories.

Testimonials are a valuable form of social proof. Research shows that over 92% of B2B buyers say they are more likely to make a buying decision after reading a trustworthy review.

Sharing success stories from your other customers helps build your credibility with potential buyers. If a prospect resonates with a testimonial you share on their feed, they might be more inclined to use your solution.

“If you do a great job solving for the customer, they’ll always be keen to provide feedback — and the more you solve for them, the more positive that feedback will be. It’s a great habit to get feedback after a sales process and even better to have that feedback displayed in the form of a LinkedIn recommendation,” says Marlon De Assis-Fernandez, a principal sales manager at HubSpot.

Another rising strategy for generating social proof is leveraging user-generated content. Instead of simply sharing testimonials, invite your customers to share reviews of your products or solutions on their own social media channels.

For instance, Joel Popoff, CEO of Axwell Wallet, has primarily expanded his business through social selling. In his experience, consumers are far more likely to trust user-generated content than branded advertisements because posts from real-life customers feel less sales-y and more natural.

“The real power comes from everyday people talking about your product,” Popoff says.

“When we replaced polished product advertising with real customer videos, engagement doubled, and conversion rates increased by more than 30%. Our best-performing ad was outperformed by a single unboxing video from a micro-influencer.”

7. Be mindful of customer support opportunities.

More buyers are interacting with businesses on social media and messaging platforms. Keep an eye on what buyers and consumers are saying about your company in these spaces — especially if a customer is dissatisfied.

Staying alert to social media chatter about your company can give your customer support team a heads-up about a problem. You’ll also be more prepared to talk to prospects who may have seen disgruntled customer content.

For example, if you see a comment on social media where a customer expresses dissatisfaction with your company’s offering, take note of the issue.

If your company’s marketing or support teams haven’t yet responded, make them aware of the comment so they can address it, and note the language they use for the resolution.

Timeliness is key. The longer your customers see their and others’ concerns go unanswered, the less likely they’ll be to trust your company in the future.

8. Be consistent.

Spending all day on social media may not be the best use of your time, but you should aim for consistent posting and engagement.

Dan Tyre recommends sales reps post at least weekly on LinkedIn with individual follow-ups for prospects who engage with your content.

“The key is to have three or four interactions within 10-12 days, which shows professional persistence without overwhelming your prospect,” Tyre says.

9. Track engagement.

Social media engagement metrics include likes, comments, shares, and high engagement. This data indicates that a piece of content truly resonates with your audience. Learn from what works best so you can continue to share the most relevant content with your audience.

For example, if you notice that content about B2B sales tools gets the most likes, comments, or shares, that’s a good indication that the topic especially resonates with your audience. You can then discuss the topic more often.

10. Involve your audience.

Gone are the days of simply promoting your products on social media and hoping your audience is interested enough to buy. Instead, social selling today is all about building community and engaging prospective customers in real conversation.

“The biggest mistake in social selling today is treating social media like a storefront rather than a conversation,” says Amra Beganovich, founder of ecommerce brand Colorful Socks. “Consumers don’t want to be sold to. They want to participate.”

Invite your audience to get involved by asking questions and sharing content that makes them feel like they’re part of a community. Ask them to vote on new product designs or types of content they want to see. Give them a behind-the-scenes look at your processes. Host Q&A sessions so they can get to know you and your employees. I’ve either seen these ideas in action myself or heard how others leverage them to increase brand engagement.

And when people feel invested in your business — and, especially, in the people running it — they naturally want to support it by purchasing.

11. Seek referrals.

Social media isn’t just useful for connecting with your customers directly. It’s also great for building a network of professionals who can all help each other grow.

Request referrals from mutual connections to gain warm introductions to specific stakeholders and potential leads. When a customer expresses satisfaction, ask them to consider passing your information on to anyone they know who could benefit from your products or services.

Likewise, be on the lookout for opportunities to refer leads to your connections in return.

12. Know when to move your conversations off social media.

If you want to land the sale, you’ll eventually need to take the social media connections you make offline. After making a solid connection with a prospect on social media, offer to hop on a call to continue the conversation.

This will allow you to learn more about the prospect’s pain points or situation, which can help you gain the clarity you need to land the sale.

Tyre says that if interactions with a prospect who fits his vertical market and ideal customer profile move in a positive direction, he’ll seek out the contact’s email address to set up a call. They can then continue the conversation off social media.

13. [Bonus tip] Subscribe to LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Source

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a premium service priced at $79.99 per month for its core plan, with a discount for annual subscriptions. The tool helps sales reps identify new leads based on their location, industry, company size, and other attributes needed to build a prospect list.

Want more? Watch this webinar as social selling experts Olga Bondareva, Ekaterina Altbregina, Sofia Lopatkina, and Assylkhan Shaidollayev share their best practices and successful case studies:

You can also listen to Guillaume Moubeche’s strategy for turning LinkedIn into a heavy lead machine:

entrepreneurial world is brimming with companies that are rewriting the rules in their industries and solving old problems in new, exciting ways. In this piece, I will share five examples of some of the most disruptive startups doing meaningful work, as well as the lessons they offer for those ready to innovate.

Table of Contents

What is a disruptive startup?

5 Disruptive Startups to Inspire You

Lessons on Disruption for Entrepreneurs

What is a disruptive startup?

Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen describes disruption in business as “a process whereby a smaller company with fewer resources is able to successfully challenge established incumbent businesses” in his book, The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail.

Since this theory of disruptive innovation was introduced in the pages of this book in 1995, it has continued to hold true for entrepreneurs and business leaders of big and small enterprises.

Today, however, this phrase has evolved into something broader. The original theory of disruption focused on smaller entrants challenging incumbents with simpler, cheaper alternatives that redefined market expectations.

Over the last decade, disruption often entails leveraging technology to reimagine entire industries, from customer experience to operational frameworks, making the word synonymous with scalable transformation rather than just market entry.

“This means that you must pair innovation with flawless execution to enable scale and sustained impact, ensuring new ideas can reach mass adoption and fundamentally reshape industries,” Avi Pardo, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer at LeapXpert, shares.

In D-ID CEO Gil Perry’s words, “The definition has evolved to reflect speed and iteration. Disruption is no longer a singular event; it’s continuous. It’s all about moving faster than the market and staying ahead of the curve by creating moats that constantly evolve.”

I think this broader understanding of disruption has significant implications for how startups operate today. Now, it’s not just about the initial breakthrough. It’s about staying ahead, continuously innovating, and adapting to shifting market demands.

5 Disruptive Startups to Inspire You

Without further ado, here are five examples of disruptive startups I found to inspire you.

1. Glean

What does Glean do?

This AI startup is building what it intends to be the “Google for Work,” which is both ambitious and timely, especially in an era where information overload hampers productivity. Founded in 2019, Glean is a workplace search and knowledge management platform designed to make finding information within organizations seamless.

By integrating with various tools such as Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, and other productivity software, Glean allows employees to quickly locate documents, messages, or answers they need across multiple platforms — all from a single search bar.

Why is it disruptive?

As of May 2023, the average American employee uses 11 different applications to carry out their daily responsibilities and spends an average of 13 minutes searching for information on each of these apps, bringing the total number of hours spent to 1.8 daily. In fact, 20% of the average work week is spent trying to find and understand information. This translates to a loss of productivity that could cost Fortune 500 companies as much as $12 billion every year.

According to its co-founder, the company was born out of this frustration.

“It becomes very difficult for companies today to organize all of their internal company knowledge and data, across hundreds of different applications, to make it easily accessible,” Arvind Jain shared with Fortune in a recent interview. With Glean, this process is simplified with intelligent search capabilities powered by AI.

The enterprise search market is projected to reach $8.4 billion by 2032, and Glean’s innovative approach positions it as a significant disruptor in this domain. In just five years, the company has achieved a valuation of $4.6 billion and recognition in the industry through its inclusion in prestigious lists such as Forbes AI 50 and Gartner’s 2024 Cool Vendors for Digital Workplace Applications.

With the data chaos the world has been thrown into, finding anything can reenact a literal needle-in-the-haystack scenario. This is why I believe solving this problem across industries and business functions will remain increasingly relevant as technologies advance.

Case in point: HubSpot’s free AI Search Grader helps brands and marketers understand how they show up in Large Language Models (LLM) and AI search.

2. Salvador Technologies

What does Salvador Technologies do?

Founded in 2020, Salvador Technologies provides a solution that ensures operational continuity for companies in the event of a cyber-attack, cyber-incident, or any kind of failure in the manufacturing market landscape.

The company’s platform allows these organizations to swiftly restore operations in case of a cyber-attack within 30 seconds — an incredible feat in the cybersecurity world. Relying on the Salvador platform means manufacturing organizations can continuously operate avoiding the huge financial losses associated with such attacks or costly interruptions to their operations.

Why is it disruptive?

Traditional recovery methods in manufacturing environments can lead to extended downtimes, often lasting days or weeks, resulting in substantial operational and financial losses.

Salvador Technologies’ solution disrupts this norm by offering a zero downtime platform, thanks to its 30-second recovery time. The company does this through its patented air-gapped technology that isolates backups, preventing unauthorized access to an organization’s valuable data and ensuring data integrity.

“We started from talking to potential customers, hearing their pains, what solutions they have today, and what they think we can help them with our technology. In parallel, we aligned our strategy with OT automation vendors who supply systems to our customers and have high interest to improve their cyber-resiliency,” Alex Yevtushenko, co-founder and CEO at Salvador Technologies, shared with me.

Today, Yevtushenko’s team has the strongest patented air-gap technology, but more than this, “we have the platform to give the feeling of resiliency to our users and be ready when a cyber-attack hits,” Yevtushenko says.

Since 2021, the Israeli startup has raised a total funding of $9.5 million led by Pitango VC and PICO Partner Ventures. Another noteworthy achievement for Salvador Technologies is their selection for a $2.2 million cybersecurity project funded by the BIRD Foundation. I think these investments underscore the industry’s confidence in its innovative approach to cyber-resilience.

3. Salva Health

What does Salva Health do?

Six years ago, Valentina, Isabela, and Cristina worked on a theoretical university project that has since metamorphosed into Salva Health today. Founded in 2019, Salva Health is a Colombian startup dedicated to enhancing early detection of breast cancer, particularly in underserved populations.

Their flagship product, Julieta, is a portable device that analyzes breast tissue to identify cancer risks. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Julieta accelerates diagnoses, making early detection accessible even in remote areas.

Why is it disruptive?

The stats are staggering: 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will face a breast cancer diagnosis in her lifetime. Yet, when detected in its earliest, localized stages, the survival rate is an astonishing 99%. This emphasizes the life-saving potential of early detection. However, the reality remains stark — the barriers to access to early detection diagnosis are still high for women in underserved communities.

This is where Salva Health’s Julieta disrupts the traditional paradigm. Unlike conventional screening tools that require expensive equipment, trained specialists, and established healthcare infrastructure, Julieta is portable, user-friendly, and AI-powered. It brings early detection directly to the communities that need it the most, effectively bridging a long-standing healthcare gap.

“Six years ago, nobody would have believed that it would be possible to create a device like Julieta,” Valentina Agudelo, founder and CEO of Salva Health, shared in an interview with Context. “So, in addition to believing it, it is about not resting until we know that we are making the best attempt to make this project, with which we want to generate impact, possible.”

Recently, the Salva Health team beat over 2,000 applicants to win TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield competition in San Francisco, earning a $100,000 prize. Competing against projects from 17 countries in 2023, they secured first place in the prestigious Global eAwards by NTT DATA FOUNDATION competition and also received an Unlock Her Future recognition out of over 900 projects.

I believe, like Salva Health, the startups that scale are the ones that embody the perfect blend of purpose and technology, changing lives in the most innovative ways possible.

4. LeapXpert

What does LeapXpert do?

LeapXpert is a business communication platform that enables enterprise employees to engage with their clients through popular messaging applications like iMessage, WhatsApp, SMS, Telegram, WeChat, Signal, and LINE in a safe and secure manner.

The company’s solution helps to govern business communications, ensuring enterprise information security, data retention, and regulatory compliance.

Why is it disruptive?

If I had a penny for every time I stumbled on a debate about which messaging platforms are best suited to business communication, I would be making down-payments on a personal Optimus humanoid robot by now.

Even though 65% of consumers prefer to use messenger apps to interact with companies, businesses need to comply with regulations and maintain proper documentation. The challenge is finding a way to balance these competing demands, ensuring compliance while giving employees the freedom to interact with clients through their preferred messaging apps.

What LeapXpert steps in to do is to “...redefine enterprise communication by bridging the gap between outdated, secure-but-unloved legacy systems and modern, user-friendly messaging channels that were previously outside corporate control,” Avi Pardo shares. This, in my opinion, is wonderful as you can meet your customers and clients right where they are without jumping through regulatory hoops.

Recent company milestones include recognition by Gartner as a Cool Vendor, winning Microsoft Partner of the Year, winning the UC Awards for Best Unified Communication Platform for 2024, and being named in Deloitte’s Fast 500 as one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the U.S. and the 14th fastest-growing company headquartered in New York City.

5. D-ID

What does D-ID do?

Established in 2017 by innovators Gil Perry, Sella Blondheim, and Eliran Kuta, D-ID began its journey by developing the first facial image de-identification solution, aiming to protect individual privacy without compromising usability.

Over time, the company has evolved into a global leader in generative AI, using deep learning and image processing technologies to create solutions that animate photos, videos, and text. The company’s AI-powered Creative Reality technology transforms static images into dynamic, animated, and conversational media.

Why is it disruptive?

When D-ID started in 2017, it was navigating largely uncharted waters in generative technology, a market valued at nearly $17 billion in 2024.

“D-ID has consistently redefined what’s possible with AI and video, starting with our original core technology — protecting privacy by disrupting facial recognition,” Perry begins.

From there, Perry notes, the team turned to generative AI-powered creation, launching Deep Nostalgia, one of the first viral AI apps that brought still images to life.

“Our next leap was Chat.D-ID, which gave LLMs a face and voice, making digital interactions more human and engaging. Today, we’re focused on interactive Agents and Natural User Interfaces (NUI), building digital humans that feel intuitive and lifelike to interact with and enabling enterprises to connect with their users in an entirely new way,” Perry says.

D-ID’s innovative approach has garnered significant attention and investment, securing a total of $48 million in funding over seven rounds, with a notable $25 million Series B round in March 2022.

Lessons on Disruption for Entrepreneurs

Before I close out this piece, I want to share some other nuggets of wisdom from the founders and leaders of the disruptive startups we just reviewed.

1. You’re not taking a safe path. Failure is an option. Learn from it.

“The biggest risk in disrupting an industry is that you’re not following the safe, incremental path — you’re betting big, often against the current market trends. Success requires conviction, but also resilience when things don’t go as planned,” says Perry of D-ID.

Beyond that, many of the entrepreneurs I talked to mentioned having a tolerance for failure. Ideally, these missteps will be small and require a pivot. Agility can get disruptors a long way.

“Be willing to fail, learn, adjust, and pivot when needed while always listening to your customers — both existing and potential — often to implement changes quickly,” Yevtushenko says.

Failure is ever present in the disruptor space, so much so that you may be learning from other’s faux pas, not just your own.

“Aspiring entrepreneurs can learn valuable lessons from the failures of past disruptors. These companies faced multiple setbacks, but each time, they picked themselves up by analyzing what went wrong and adapting. Learning grit from these stories is essential — understanding that failure is just a part of the process and can often be the best teacher,” Avi Pardo of LeapXpert notes.

2. Find a community that you can rely on.

Valentina Agudelo of Salva Health calls entrepreneurship a fascinating and scary journey. She notes that she often felt alone and overwhelmed when she was first getting started.

“As a lesson from this experience, it is very important to create a community and find allies in the system that can help you navigate the uncertainty of entrepreneurship,” Agudelo says.

I recommend talking to other founders and finding mentorship that can help you throughout your journey. Perry found podcasts to be another helpful avenue for guidance.

“I love listening to podcasts like ‘Acquired,’ where each episode breaks down how the world’s top companies were built and their stories. Their journeys and strategies are full of lessons you can apply to your day-to-day life and yo

Revenue vs. Profit: The Difference & Why It Matters

jfuchs@hubspot.com (Jay Fuchs) — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Is revenue the same as profit? I bet you sit down and ponder that question quite often.

Oh, you don’t? Well, as a salesperson, you probably should think about that because, no, they aren’t the same, but they’re both crucial metrics to track to understand sales performance, forecast effectively, and spend wisely.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at the difference between revenue and profit, why it matters in sales, and how to get from revenue to profit.

Table of Contents

What is the difference between profit and revenue?

Why does revenue vs. profit matter to salespeople?

How to Get From Revenue to Profit

Revenue vs. Profit Example

Revenue is a top-line number on financial statements, and sales teams are often measured against it. When you close a $100,000 deal, that entire amount counts towards the overall revenue figure. Profit is the bottom line that ultimately determines a company’s financial health, and you get the final number after all costs are subtracted from total revenue (more on this process here).

Factors Impacting Revenue and Profit

There are various factors that impact revenue and profit numbers, including demand (increased vs. lowered), pricing (higher price points can turn buyers away), competition, and economic conditions. Sales-specific factors that impact revenue include:

Deal size: larger deals equals more revenue

Sales volume: more deals means more revenue

Pricing strategy: higher prices mean more revenue per deal

Discounting practices: more discounting reduces revenue

Upselling and cross-selling: additional products/services boosts revenue

Retention: renewals impact recurring revenue

Contract terms: multi-year deals can increase total contract value

Everything that influences revenue will influence profit, but there are additional factors that come into play once you have your revenue numbers. For example, higher operational costs or increased tax and interest rates will all impact final profit numbers. Sales-specific activities that impact profits include:

Product/service mix: some offers have higher margins

Sales cycle length: longer sales cycles increase acquisition costs

Customer acquisition cost: higher CAC reduces profit

Sales compensation: commission structure impacts profitability

Why does revenue vs. profit matter to salespeople?

As a salesperson, having a clear understanding of the difference between revenue and profit is essential because it helps you be strategic. For example:

You learn to prioritize deals with the best profit potential, not just high-ticket revenue numbers.

You understand how to negotiate strategically because any concessions you make will impact the bottom line (profit).

It helps you learn to qualify effectively and choose clients with lower acquisition and servicing costs, AKA the clients that cost you less.

It helps you streamline your sales process because shorter sales cycles mean lower associated cycle costs.

How to Get From Revenue to Profit

You can’t get your final profit number without revenue, but there are a few subtractions along the way. Let’s follow the money from the moment you close a deal to see how revenue transforms into profit.

I’ll go through the steps based on an imaginary deal we just closed with a $500,000 ticket price (yay, go us!). I recommend downloading HubSpot’s free profit & loss statement template because it’ll help you contextualize where these numbers would go on an income statement and why it’s important to go through every single step.

Download the free template here.

Starting With Gross Sales

Gross sales are the most fundamental measure of income, without accounting for allowances, discounts, and returns. Although it is a type of revenue, it doesn’t accurately reflect a business’s income and usually isn’t listed on an income statement.

In this case, our gross sales are $500K.

Getting from Gross Sales to Net Sales (Revenue)

Net sales is a more practical reflection of overall revenue, and it accounts for all the sales a company makes in addition to three key factors that can reduce the initial sale amount:

Allowances: Retroactive discounts a buyer receives after they discover and report some sort of defect with a product. For our example, let’s say we issue our imaginary client a $15,000 credit (allowance).

Discounts: Price reductions a seller might offer a buyer in exchange for immediate or early payment. Since our client signed a multi-year contract, they get a 5% ($25K) discount on the $500K.

Returns: Partial or full refunds buyers receive for sending a product back to a buyer. Lets say our client isn’t fully satisfied, so we issue a $20K refund.

Accounting for those three adjustments, I now have a clearer picture of our deal's actual revenue (net sale): $440,000 ($500,000 - $60,000 in total deductions). If you’re following along with our profit & loss statement template, $440K is what you’d record in the cell next to Sales.

$60K is a rather hefty deduction, which emphasizes the importance of contract negotiations for sales teams when closing deals.

Check out this article for more information on the difference between gross and net sales.

Getting from Net Sales to Gross Profit

Gross profit comes after net sales, and you get it by subtracting the cost of goods sold (COGS), which are costs directly associated with the production of what we’ve sold (raw materials, labor, etc.) from net sales.

If it costs $150,000 in direct expenses of production, our gross profit would be $290,000 ($440,000 - $150,000).

Getting from Gross Profit to Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT)

We whittle our gross profit ($290K) down to earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), also known as operating profit, by subtracting any operating expenses.

These expenses are any costs associated with the resources needed to stay in operation, like commission, marketing costs from generating the lead, sales team overhead, customer success resources, administrative expenses, rent, legal fees, etc.

If these expenses amount to $100K, the operating profit (EBIT) for our deal would be $190,000 ($290K - $100K).

Getting from EBIT to Net Profit

Net profit; the true bottom-line impact of the deal we just closed. We find net profit by subtracting the value of any interest and taxes on earnings.

So, if taxes and interest account for 15% of EBIT, the net profit for our $500,000 deal is $161,500 ($190K - $28,500).

Revenue vs. Profit Example

Just to make sure it’s clear, let’s go over another example of how to calculate revenue and profit.

Starting With Gross Sales

Let's say a manufacturer moved 5,000 orders of 1,000 units at $1 per unit in the past fiscal year. In that case, the company's gross sales would be $5,000,000.

Getting from Gross Sales to Net Sales

Now, let's imagine that of those 5,000 orders, 100 buyers reported defects and each received an allowance of $0.15 per unit. Another 100 received a discount of $.05 per unit for paying for their order in full upon their initial purchase. And another 100 returned their purchase for a $0.50 per unit refund. That would mean the company would have to account for:

$15,000 in allowances

$5,000 in discounts

$50,000 in returns

Taken together, those deductions would chip into the company's gross sales by $70,000 — leading to a net sales (or revenue) figure of $4,930,000. Alternatively, if you're already using revenue intelligence software, you could skip the past steps and move directly to gross profit.

Getting from Net Sales to Gross Profit

From there, the company would subtract its COGS from its net sales to get its gross profit. Let's say it takes $0.25 in raw materials and labor costs for the company to produce each individual tennis ball — so the COGS for the 5,000 shipments the manufacturer moved would amount to roughly $1,250,000. That would make the company's gross profit $3,680,000.

Getting from Gross Profit to Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT)

Once the manufacturer has its gross profit, it would find its earnings before EBIT by subtracting its operating costs. Let's say the company spends $2,500,000 annually on employees' salaries, $200,000 annually on rent for its facilities, $100,000 on its marketing efforts, $15,000 in accounting fees, and $10,000 on travel expenses for its salespeople.

Assuming that's all it takes to keep the business operational, its operating costs would be $2,825,000. That would make the company's EBIT $855,000.

Getting from EBIT to Net Profit

Once its earnings before interest and taxes have been established, the company would find its net profit by (you guessed it) subtracting the interest and taxes it pays.

Let's say those fees amount to 35% of the company's income. That means the business would pay $299,250 in interest in taxes — making its net profit $555,750.

As you can see, there's a pretty sizable gap between the company's revenue ($4,930,000) and its net profit ($555,750).

Over to You

It’s important to grasp the distinction between revenue and profit because they have different practical applications and implications for a business's overall health.

By understanding how your sales activities impact revenue and profit, you build yourself up as someone who hits quota and drives sustainable business growth.

The SPIN Selling Method — I Took a Deep Dive so You Don’t Have to

afrost@hubspot.com (Aja Frost) — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Every good sales representative and leader I’ve interacted with swears by the SPIN selling framework.

Why? Because it’s a research-backed framework for sales reps to effectively understand buyer needs, offer meaningful solutions, and win more deals.

The SPIN method simplifies sales by steering away from a transactional process. Instead, you have to actively listen to the prospect’s needs and explain how you can help.

In this in-depth guide, I’ll give you a complete breakdown of the SPIN selling method with actionable tips, expert advice, and more.

Table of Contents

What is SPIN Selling?

SPIN Questions

SPIN Selling Book Summary

SPIN Selling Methodology

50 SPIN Selling Questions to Add to Your List

The 4 Stages of the SPIN Selling Method

Outcomes for Measuring Progress in SPIN Selling

7 Tips for Modern-Day SPIN Selling

SPIN Selling Book Summary

Neil Rackham developed the SPIN selling framework to help salespeople tactfully navigate the selling process and close deals.

Here’s an overview of Rackham’s book on SPIN selling.

Section 1: Sales Behavior and Sales Success

Closing is less important than most salespeople and managers think

Questioning is more important than most salespeople and managers think

The ratio of close-ended to open-ended questions doesn’t predict selling success

Great reps focus on preventing, not handling, objections

Section 2: Obtaining Commitment: Closing the Sale

Successful closing depends on getting the right commitment

Reps must determine their call objectives in advance

There are four potential outcomes to every sales call: order, advance, continuation, no-sales

Section 3: Customer Needs in the Major Sale

Implicit needs are statements about problems, issues, and areas of dissatisfaction

Explicit needs are specific features or functions

In larger sales, explicit needs are strong buying signals

Section 4: The SPIN Strategy

Salespeople who close at high rates tend to ask the same types of questions in the same order

There are four main question types: Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-Payoff

Each question type plays a different role in moving the buyer toward the sale

Section 5: Giving Benefits in Major Sales

Features and benefits are the most common ways to pitch a product to the buyer

Advantages are less effective later in the sales process

Features are more important to users than decision-makers

Benefits have the highest influence over the purchasing decision, but only when presented near the end of the sales conversation

Section 6: Preventing Objections

Objections are usually created by the salesperson, not the buyer

The more advantages you present, the more objections you’ll receive

Develop needs before you offer benefits to avoid unnecessary objections

Section 7: Preliminaries: Opening the Call

Don’t use conventional openings, i.e., providing benefits or relating to the prospect's personal interests

Get down to business quickly and establish your purpose

Section 8: Turning Theory Into Practice

Adopt one principle of SPIN Selling at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed

Practice them with smaller accounts or existing customers first

SPIN Selling Methodology

While reading through Rackham’s book, I realized that meaningful questions are at the core of SPIN selling. Rackham’s team also found that top-performing salespeople rarely, if ever, pose random, low-value questions.

In my experiments with this methodology, I’ve learned that every question should have a clear purpose. You have to ask these questions in a strategic order to create the desired impact.

SPIN stands for the four stages of the questioning sequence:

S: Situation

P: Problem

I: Implication

N: Need Payoff

Situation

Ask questions about a prospect’s current situation to understand if and/or how they’re tackling the problem you solve. You have to learn more about buyers’ motivations and expectations for implementing your solution.

Example: Which tools do you currently use for [pain point]?

Problem

Probe into your prospects’ pain points to understand their specific needs. You have to identify the challenges you can solve to present a laser-focused positioning for your product.

Example: Are your current tools performing up to your expectations? If not, why?

Implication

Pose leading questions to help prospects realize more challenges associated with their status quo. These questions will nudge them to think about the gravity of the situation and create a greater sense of urgency to solve the issue.

Example: What's the productivity cost when these tools create delays?

Need Payoff

Ask questions to help buyers self-realize the value of implementing your solution. These questions will guide them to weigh the pros and cons of your solution, leading them to an informed purchasing decision.

Example: Wouldn’t it be simpler if you could [implement a solution]?

Let’s look at some more examples of SPIN selling questions.

50 SPIN Selling Questions to Add to Your List

Now that we know the function of each line of questioning, let's explore SPIN questions for each step in the questioning sequence.

SPIN Situation Questions

Use Situation questions to learn where your prospects stand — from their processes and pain points to competitive plans and results. These questions will depend on your product.

Let me explain this with one of my examples.

When I worked at a learning management SaaS, I spoke to a few HR managers every week. I always opened the conversation with the question, “How do you currently train new employees?”

This question prepared the groundwork for my entire pitch because it gave me insights to build on.

Here are some sample questions you can customize for your use:

Examples

What is your role at [company]?

How do you do X?

What’s your process for X?

Walk me through your day.

Do you have a strategy in place for X?

Who’s responsible for X?

How long have you done X this way?

Why do you do X this way?

How much of your budget is assigned to X?

Why do you do X this way?

How important is X to your business?

Who uses X most frequently? What are their objectives?

Which tools do you currently use to do X?

Who is your current vendor for X?

Why did you choose your current vendor for X?

You’ll notice that this list doesn’t include fact-gathering questions about company size, number of locations, products sold, and so on.

When Rackham published “SPIN Selling,” there wasn’t anywhere near as much information available to sellers. Now that you can discover a long list of key details about your prospect with a quick online search, many situational questions are no longer effective.

These questions also leave less time for the most important ones. As a best practice, remember to do this research before the call and avoid these questions altogether.

SPIN Problem Questions

In this stage, reps identify the right opportunities to sell to a prospect.

In other words, what gap isn’t being filled? Why is the prospect dissatisfied? Your prospects may be unaware they have a problem. So, you have to identify problem areas where your solution adds value.

Examples

How long does it take to do X?

How expensive is X?

How many people are required to achieve the necessary results?

What happens if you’re not successful with X?

Does this process ever fail?

Are you satisfied with your current process for X? The results?

How reliable is your equipment?

When you have issues, is it typically easy to figure out what went wrong?

How much effort is required to fix your tools or buy new ones?

Are you happy with your current supplier?

SPIN Implication Questions

Once you’ve identified an issue, determine its severity. Implication questions reveal the depth and magnitude of your prospect’s pain point, simultaneously giving you valuable information for customizing your message and instilling urgency in the buyer.

According to Rackham, by the time you finish this part of the conversation, your prospects should have a new appreciation for the problem.

Rackham also says top-performing salespeople ask four times more Implication questions than their average peers.

Examples

What’s the productivity cost of doing X that way?

What could you accomplish with an extra [amount of time] each [week, month]?

Would your customers be [more satisfied, engaged, loyal] if you didn’t experience [problem related to X]?

If you didn’t experience [issue], would it be easier to achieve [primary objective]?

Does [issue] ever prevent you from hitting your goals in [business area]?

When was the last time X didn’t work?

How is [issue] impacting your team members?

Would you see a big impact on your team by solving [problems with X]?

Would you say [issue] is a blocker in terms of your personal career growth?

How have [problems with X] impacted your business performance?

Would saving [amount of time] significantly affect your [team, budget, company]?

How would you use an extra [amount of money] each [week, month, quarter, year]?

Has a problem with X ever negatively impacted your KPIs?

What are some downsides you’ve experienced when implementing X?

Have you considered the cost versus benefits of replacing X?

SPIN Need Payoff Questions

Need Payoff questions encourage prospects to explain your product’s benefits in their own words. This is far more persuasive than listening to you describe those benefits.

You’re essentially asking questions that surface your product/service’s potential to help with their core needs or problems. These questions focus on your solution's value, importance, or utility.

Make sure your Need-Payoff questions don’t highlight issues your product can’t solve. For instance, if you help corporate recruiting teams identify potential engineering candidates, you shouldn’t ask about the impact of hiring better marketers.

Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to develop Need-Payoff questions — they should come directly from your Implication questions.

Sample Implication question: “Has a problem with X ever prevented you from meeting a deadline?”

Sample Need Payoff question: “If you could do X in half the time, would that make it easier to meet your deadlines?”

Examples

Would it help if … ?

Would X make it simpler to achieve [positive event]?

Would your team find value in … ?

Do you think solving [problem] would significantly impact you in Y way?

Is it important for your team members to see X benefit so they can take Y action?

Do you think [solution] could improve your overall efficiency?

Can you think about the impact of eliminating [problem] with [solution]?

How would your business benefit from [eliminating problem] more quickly?

Could solving [problem] move the needle for your business faster?

Do you think eliminating [problem] would [benefit]?

Remember to be careful when using Need Payoff questions since they can backfire. If they’re too obvious, you might come across as condescending.

So, try to reframe the solution in a way the buyer hasn’t previously considered.

For example, let’s take the following question: “Would your company benefit from saving money?” Instead, you could ask, “Would redirecting $1,000 per week from your content creation budget and putting it into Facebook advertising drive significant traffic toward your blog?”

The 4 Stages of the SPIN Selling Method

As you begin to implement SPIN questions when talking to prospects, consider the lifecycle of your conversation. Rackham says there are four basic stages of every sale:

Opening

Investigating

Demonstrating capability

Obtaining commitment

Opening

SPIN Selling and inbound sales take the same approach to the first/connect call. Reps shouldn’t immediately jump into their product’s features and benefits — not only will this overly aggressive strategy turn prospects off, but salespeople will lose the opportunity to learn valuable information.

The purpose of the connect call is to get the buyer’s attention and start to earn their trust. Lead with a compelling insight or thought-provoking question.

Investigating

Investigation is the most critical phase of SPIN Selling. It’s equivalent to the discovery call: You’re figuring out how your product can help the buyer, identifying their priorities and buying criteria, and gaining credibility by asking relevant, targeted, and strategic questions.

According to Rackham, a strong question strategy can improve your close rate by 20%.

Demonstrating Capability

Once you’ve connected the dots between your solution and the prospect’s needs, you need to prove that connection exists.

There are three basic ways to describe your product’s capabilities, Rackham says:

Features: Features are most useful when selling low-cost, simple products. A feature of a cup might be, “It can hold 10 ounces of liquid.” End-users tend to find features more compelling than decision-makers who care about the bottom-line results.

Advantages: Advantages describe how a product’s features are actually used. Like benefits, they’re useful for smaller purchases but less persuasive with larger ones. The advantage of a cup might be, “You can use it to drink both hot and cold beverages.”

Benefits: Benefits go one step further and show how a feature can help the prospect. They typically have a financial component and meet your customer’s need(s). A well-crafted benefit gives the buyer a reason to buy your product.

The FAB formula gives you another way to consider features, advantages, and benefits.

Because [product] has [feature] …

[user] will be able to [advantage] …

which means [prospect] will experience [benefit].

I often used this formula to create engaging sales pitches. Here’s an example of a sales pitch I wrote using the FAB formula:

Let’s fill in this formula for a salesperson offering employee gamification software.

Feature:“Our platform lets you design personalized learning paths catering to each role or team.”

Advantage:“This means your employees can access tailored training modules for every need, whether they’re onboarding, upskilling, or any other use case. All of this within a single platform.”

Benefit:“With tailored learning paths, your team will gain the exact skills they need, leading to higher productivity and faster achievement of business goals. By reducing time spent on generic training and improving retention, your company can save up to 20% on training costs while boosting employee satisfaction.”

Objections

Objections are inevitable in the buying process.

In fact, you should worry more if you’re not facing objections from your buyers. It means your prospects have reservations they’re not sharing with you.

Your goal is to discover why the buyer hasn’t already pulled the trigger on this purchase, then help them understand why their concerns aren’t true blockers.

(Of course, if there’s a valid reason your product isn’t a good fit, you shouldn’t persuade them otherwise.)

Rackham talks about two types of objections:

Value: Your prospect isn’t convinced about your product’s ROI. They might say, “I like its features, but the cost is too high.”

Capability: Your prospect doubts that your product can meet their specific needs. That translates to comments like, “I’m not sure it’ll be able to do X for us,” “That process seems like it would take more time than you say,” and “I think we need a more robust solution.”

You can further break down capability objections into:

Can’t: Your solution cannot solve one of the buyer’s main priorities

Can: Your solution can solve one of their main priorities, but they don’t perceive that

It’s important to prevent as many objections as possible. The majority of objections are actually avoidable if you avoid selling too soon.

Rackham’s research revealed that reps can cut the number of objections in half by using implication and need-payoff questions to build value before presenting a solution.

In the traditional sequence, the salesperson asks a Problem question. Then, they use the prospect’s answer to offer the corresponding product feature.

However, the rep usually doesn’t have enough context to truly understand what the prospect is trying to accomplish or what’s blocking them. Their generic, one-size-fits-all answer prompts the buyer to push back — and they're probably not going to listen to any of their future suggestions.

Try the SPIN sequence instead. Ask a Problem question, probe into the consequences with Implication questions, then ask the buyer to recognize the value of a solution with a Need-Payoff question.

Outcomes for Measuring Progress in SPIN Selling

I’ve heard dozens of sales calls in my many roles as a content marketer.

My experience tells me that transactional salespeople — those focused on simply closing the deal quickly — move through all four SPIN stages in a single sales call.

However, reps working on larger, more complex deals might take two months to two years to complete them. In cases like these, there are four possible outcomes for each sales call in the SPI

Navigating Small Business Insurance — What It Costs & Why It Matters

Paige Bennett — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The first time I shopped for small business insurance, I was completely overwhelmed. I knew I needed coverage to protect my work, assets, and employees, but every quote I received was different. How much should I actually be paying? And how could I be sure I was getting the right coverage for my business?

After (a lot of) research, I realized that small business insurance isn’t a one-size-fits-all expense. Costs vary based on factors like industry, coverage type, and risk level. If you’re currently searching for insurance, understanding common price ranges can help you navigate quotes and find the best policy for your needs.

Table of Contents

What is small business insurance?

How much does small business insurance cost?

Examples of Small Business Insurance Costs

Small Business Insurance Costs by State

Small Business Insurance Costs by Industry

How is the cost of small business insurance calculated?

Many insurance companies will offer combined coverage, which I find is important for multifaceted businesses. You might need to protect your assets, employees, customers, and income. One of the most common combined policy options includes a business owner’s policy (BOP), which usually includes property and liability coverage.

Importance of Small Business Insurance

I’ve learned one thing about running a business — accidents don’t ask for permission. And when they happen, I don’t want to be scrambling to cover costs or, worse, dealing with a lawsuit that could have been avoided with the right insurance.

If one of my employees gets injured on the job or a customer slips in my store, I’m responsible. Without workers’ comp or general liability insurance, I’d be paying those medical bills out of pocket. Alarmingly, 75% of small businesses are underinsured, leaving many owners vulnerable to such incidents.

And it’s not just about physical injuries. I’ve seen businesses grab images off the internet for their signage, thinking it’s no big deal — until they’re slapped with a copyright lawsuit for using something they didn’t have permission for. Yet, only 17% of small businesses have cyber insurance, exposing them to digital risks.

Then there are the big disasters. Think: break-ins, fires, natural disasters. If something happens to my storefront, I want to know I have the coverage to rebuild without draining my bank account.

Pro tip: Create a solid business plan to not just stay on track but also to secure the right insurance. If you need a starting point, grab HubSpot’s free Business Plan Template to lay out your mission, customers, finances, and risk strategy. Insurers love a business with a clear plan, and so will you.

Get Your Free Business Plan Templates Today

How much does small business insurance cost?

Your small business insurance coverage depends on factors like industry, location, number of employees, and the specific types of coverage needed. A sole proprietor working from home won’t have the same insurance needs as a retail store with employees and foot traffic.

Pro tip: Before buying a policy, I always recommend assessing potential risks. If you handle customer data, cyber liability insurance might be crucial. If you own a storefront, general liability is a must.

Average Cost for Small Business Insurance

On average, small business insurance costs between $500 to $1,500 per year (or about $42 to $125 per month). But remember, these numbers can shift based on how much coverage you choose.

Here’s an example: If I opt for a business owner’s policy (BOP) at around $57 per month, then add general liability coverage for $42 per month, my total monthly cost would be about $99.

Pro tip: Bundle your policies. Many insurers offer discounts if you purchase multiple policies together, like a BOP combined with cyber liability. I bundled mine and cut my costs by 15%.

Small Business Insurance Costs by Type

Different types of insurance provide different protections, and the price varies accordingly. Some policies cover income loss or intellectual property, while others protect physical assets or provide coverage for injuries.

Here are some common categories of small business insurance:

General liability. Covers property damage, bodily injury, defamation, or libel and costs around $42–$67 per month. I’ve seen businesses hit with unexpected lawsuits that cost $54,000 on average, according to The Hartford. This coverage can be a lifesaver if someone sues over an accident at your business.

Professional liability (errors & omissions insurance). Protects against claims of mistakes or negligence and costs about $42 to $61 a month. If I were a consultant or service provider, this would be a no-brainer. Even a small oversight could lead to a legal battle, and this policy helps cover legal fees and settlements.

Business owner’s policy (BOP). Combines general liability and property insurance and costs typically $57 to $63 per month. I like this option because it’s a bundled package, making it easier (and often cheaper) to get essential coverage in one go.

Workers’ compensation. Covers medical expenses and lost wages for work-related injuries and costs about $45 to $67 per month (varies by state). Most states legally require this if you have employees. Skipping it isn’t worth the risk — penalties can be $10,000 or more in some places.

Data breach (cyber liability) insurance. Covers costs related to cyberattacks and data breaches and costs about $140 and $145 a month. With 61% of cyberattacks targeting small businesses, I wouldn’t take chances. A breach can cost businesses $120,000 to $1.24M, which is enough to put many out of business.

Commercial auto insurance. Covers company-owned vehicles and costs between $147 and $150 per month (varies by location). If my business had delivery vans or company cars, I’d need this. Personal auto insurance won’t cover business-related accidents, and the cost of an uninsured accident could be devastating.

Examples of Small Business Insurance Costs

Business insurance is important. Take workers’ compensation, for example. I might pay around $50 a month, or $600 a year. That might sound like a lot until I consider that the average workers’ compensation claim costs around $42,000. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. If I owned a restaurant, I’d be even more cautious — burns alone can cost tens of thousands of dollars per claim.

Then there’s commercial auto insurance. If my employees drive for work, I need coverage. Motor vehicle accidents are one of the top workplace injuries, with costs going over $90,000 per incident. I can’t afford to take that kind of financial hit, so I’d rather have insurance covering me when the unexpected happens.

It’s also tempting to think, “Data breaches won’t happen to me,” but hackers don’t discriminate. If my tech stack went down due to a cyberattack, I could be locked out of my systems until I paid thousands in ransom. Worse, if customer data were stolen, I’d be looking at $140-$160 per record compromised. If hundreds or thousands of records get leaked, I’m looking at a six- or seven-figure disaster.

I don’t take chances with my business, and neither should you.

Small Business Insurance Costs by State

Where I run my business plays a big role in how much I’ll pay for insurance. If I’m in a highly populated area or somewhere prone to natural disasters, I can expect my premiums to be higher than if I were in a more rural location with fewer risks like flooding, hurricanes, or wildfires.

Here’s a look at average small business liability insurance costs based on location:

California: $55 per month

Colorado: $53 per month

Florida: $58 per month

Georgia: $69 per month

Illinois: $46 per month

New York: $65 per month

Oregon: $48 per month

Pennsylvania: $60 per month

Texas: $59 per month

Virginia: $35 per month

Small Business Insurance Costs by Industry

What I do for a living affects my insurance costs. If I run a high-risk business — like a construction company or a brick-and-mortar store — I’ll pay more than someone working solo from home, like a freelance writer.

Here are some average monthly premiums for a BOP in different industries:

Cosmetics and salons: $550 per month

Pharmacy: $700 per month

Retail: $800 per month

Real estate: $600 per month

Construction and landscaping: $900 per month

Marketing: $300 per month

Freelance writer: $130 per month

Restaurant: $1,000 per month

Pro tip: I made the mistake of almost jumping on the first quote I found — until I compared multiple providers and found a better deal. Shopping around can save you hundreds.

How is the cost of small business insurance calculated?

When I first looked into the average insurance cost for small businesses, I was surprised by how many factors influenced small business insurance costs. Here’s a quick rundown:

1. Industry and business type.

High-risk industries like construction or manufacturing tend to have higher premiums because of the potential for injuries or property damage. On the other hand, lower-risk businesses like consulting or marketing usually pay less. Since every industry has different risk levels, insurers adjust rates accordingly.

2. Business location.

If you operate in an area prone to natural disasters, high crime rates, or strict local regulations, expect to pay more for coverage. For example, a business in a flood zone or a city with a high rate of theft will have higher property insurance costs compared to one in a safer location.

3. Business size and revenue.

If you have more employees, a larger physical space, or high revenue, your exposure to liability increases — which means insurers will charge more. A business with just a few employees and a small office will generally pay less than a large company with multiple locations.

4. Coverage types and policy limits.

If you want extensive coverage with high limits, you’ll have a higher premium. But if you’re willing to accept a higher deductible (meaning you pay more out-of-pocket before insurance kicks in), you can reduce your premium. The key here is balancing coverage and affordability.

5. Claims history.

If you’ve had previous insurance claims, you might have to pay more for coverage. Insurers see frequent claims as a sign of high risk. So, keep a clean claims record — it shows you have a well-managed business that’s not prone to constant issues.

6. Risk management measures.

One of the smartest things you can do to keep your insurance costs down is to invest in risk management. Think: Installing security systems, training employees on workplace safety, and following best practices. It makes the business less risky in the eyes of insurers. Some companies may even offer discounts if you take proactive steps to minimize risks.

Pro tip: Adjust coverage as your small business grows. Your insurance needs will evolve as your business expands. I review my policies annually to make sure I’m not overpaying or underinsured.

Protect your business with small business insurance.

I never fully grasped how one unexpected event could financially wreck a business until I saw the numbers. I always knew insurance mattered, but when I really looked into it, the reality hit hard. One accident, one lawsuit, one disaster — any of these could mean tens of thousands in losses, if not more. In some cases, it could be enough to shut everything down for good.

What really changed my perspective was realizing that business insurance isn’t just another line item on my expenses — it’s a safety net for everything I’ve built. It covers damages and protects my employees, customers, property, and income. No matter what industry I’m in, the right coverage is a must.

Pricing Strategies & Models: An In-Depth Look at How to Price Your Products Effectively

adecker@hubspot.com (Allie Decker) — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Before I make a purchase, I do my homework. How many companies are selling what I want, and at what price? My goal is to balance cost and quality — if a brand offers the best of both worlds, I’m sold.

But how do companies find the sweet spot for sales? With more than 80% of consumers now comparing prices, you’ve got to get it right. Set prices too high, and you risk losing sales. Set them too low, and you lose out on revenue.

While there’s no hard-and-fast rule to find optimal price points, the process doesn’t have to be a gamble. To help your business navigate evolving customer expectations, I’ve created the ultimate guide to pricing strategies and models. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

Pricing Strategy

Pricing Analysis

Types of Pricing Strategies

Pricing Strategy Examples

Cost, Margin, & Markup in Pricing

How to Create a Pricing Strategy

Pricing Models

Pricing Models Based on Industry or Business

Key components of pricing strategies include:

Revenue goals

Marketing objectives

Target audience

Brand positioning

Product attribute.

Strategies are also influenced by external factors like consumer demand, competitor pricing, and overall market trends.

Before I talk about pricing strategies, let’s review an important pricing concept that will apply regardless of what strategies you use.

Price Elasticity of Demand

Price elasticity of demand determines how a change in price affects consumer demand.

If consumers still purchase a product despite a price increase, its demand is inelastic. Fuel is a good example. I rely on my car to get me from point A to point B, and my car needs fuel to run. Even when gas gets more expensive, I pay the price.

If price changes significantly impact purchasing decisions, demand is elastic. Consider streaming TV and movie services — more than half of consumers say they’ve canceled a streaming service due to price hikes.

Unitary elastic demand occurs when the percentage change in quantity demanded is exactly equal to the percentage change in price.

You can calculate price elasticity using this formula:

% Change in Quantity ÷ % Change in Price = Price Elasticity of Demand

The concept of price elasticity helps you understand whether your product or service is sensitive to price fluctuations and to what degree.

You typically conduct a pricing analysis when considering new product ideas, developing your positioning strategy, or running marketing tests. I’d also recommend running a price analysis once every year to evaluate your pricing against market competitors and consumer expectations.

How to Conduct a Pricing Analysis

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the price analysis process.

1. Determine the true cost of your product or service.

To calculate the true cost of a product or service, first calculate all your expenses, including fixed and variable costs. Rental or lease payments, insurance, and property taxes are examples of fixed costs. Variable costs include materials, labor, and logistics.

Once you’ve determined these costs, subtract them from the price of your product or service.

True cost = Sales price – (fixed + variable costs)

For example, if the sales price of your product is $10, your fixed costs are $5, and your variable costs are (currently) $3, your total cost is $2. This means you make $2 for every product sold. If, however, your fixed costs are $7 and your variable costs are $4, you’re losing a dollar on every sale.

2. Understand how your target market and customer base.

In my experience, surveys, focus groups, or questionnaires can help determine how the market responds to your pricing model. You get a glimpse into what your target customers value and how much they’re willing to pay for the value your product or service provides.

3. Analyze competitor prices.

There are two types of competitors to consider when conducting a pricing analysis: direct and indirect.

Direct competitors sell the exact same product that you sell. These types of competitors are likely to compete on price, so they should be a priority to review in your pricing analysis.

Indirect competitors are those who sell alternative products that are comparable to what you sell. If a customer is looking for your product but it’s out of stock or out of their price range, they may go to an indirect competitor to get a similar product.

I suggest creating a competitive analysis chart to visualize how your pricing compares to competitors and identify any gaps or opportunities.

4. Review any legal or ethical constraints to cost and price.

There’s a fine line between competing on price and falling into legal and ethical trouble. For example, you need to understand price-fixing and predatory pricing.

Pricing fixing happens when multiple companies collaborate to set the price of identical items, in turn eliminating competition. Predatory pricing occurs when one company sets unrealistically low price points for products to corner the market. Both practices violate American antitrust laws.

Cost, Margin, & Markup in Pricing

Understanding the role of cost, margin, and markup is also essential when choosing a pricing strategy, especially if you want your pricing to be cost-based.

Cost

Cost refers to the fees you incur from manufacturing, sourcing, or creating the product you sell. They include materials, the cost of labor, fees paid to suppliers, and any losses incurred. Cost does not include overhead and operational expenses such as marketing, advertising, maintenance, or bills.

Margin

Margin, also called profit margin, is the difference between the selling price of a product and its cost, expressed as a percentage of the selling price. It shows you the profitability of your product.

There are two types of margins:

Gross margin. This is calculated as (Sales Price – Cost of Goods Sold) / Sales Price x 100. It reflects the profitability before accounting for operating expenses.

Net margin. This is calculated as (Net Profit / Sales Price) x 100. It includes all expenses, providing a more comprehensive view of profitability.

Consider a product sold for $120 that costs $70 to produce:

Gross Margin = (120 − 70) / 120 x 100 = 41.6%

To calculate net profit, subtract any additional expenses from your gross profit, such as operating costs or taxes. In the example above, our gross profit is $50 (120 - 70). If operating costs are $20 and taxes are $10, our net profit is $40. (70 - 20 -10). Now, we can calculate our net margin.

Net Margin = (40 / 120) x 100 = 33.3%

Markup

Markup refers to the additional amount you charge for your product over the production and manufacturing fees. It allows you to set prices that align with market expectations and your business goals.

For example, if a product costs $70 to produce and you sell it for $100, the markup is $30, or approximately 42.9% of the cost price.

Now, I’ll walk you through some common pricing strategies. It’’s important to note that these aren’t necessarily standalone strategies — many can be combined when setting prices for your products and services.

1. Competition-Based Pricing Strategy

Competition-based pricing is also known as competitive pricing or competitor-based pricing. This pricing strategy focuses on a company‘s product or service’s existing market rate (or going rate). It doesn’t consider the cost of its product or consumer demand.

Instead, a competition-based pricing strategy uses the competitors’ prices as a benchmark. Businesses that compete in a highly saturated space may choose this strategy since a slight price difference may be the deciding factor for customers.

With competition-based pricing, you can price your products slightly below your competition, the same as your competition, or slightly above your competition.

For example, if I sell marketing automation software, and my competitors’ prices range from $19.99 per month to $29.99 per month, I could set my price at $18.99 on the low end, $30.99 on the high end, or $24.99 if I want to stay in the middle.

I think a great example of a competitive pricing model is Amazon. The company uses automated repricing tools that constantly monitor competitor prices and adjust their prices accordingly. This strategy ensures Amazon’s prices are always competitive, often making them the lowest-priced option in the market.

When to use: Use competition-based strategies to capture consumer attention in saturated markets.

Competition-Based Pricing Strategy in Marketing

The approach has helped Amazon attract price-sensitive customers and maintain its ecommerce dominance. Consumers seek the best value, which isn’t always the lowest price. Competitive pricing can help your brand attract customers, especially if your marketing teams can offer something unique like exceptional customer service, a generous return policy, or exclusive loyalty benefits.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Easy to implement.

Ensures prices are competitive.

Can be adjusted quickly in response to competitors' price changes.

May lead to a lack of unique value proposition.

Can result in continuous undercutting and affect profitability.

Focuses solely on competitors' prices, potentially ignoring production costs and customer value perception.

2. Cost-Plus Pricing Strategy

A cost-plus pricing strategy (also known as markup pricing) focuses solely on the cost of producing your product or service or your cost of goods sold (COGS).

To apply the cost-plus method, you add a fixed percentage to your product production cost.

The formula is:

Selling Price = Cost Price x (Cost Price + Markup Percentage)

For example, let’s say you sell shoes. The total cost to produce one pair of shoes is $55. If you want to apply a 50% markup, the calculation would be:

Selling Price = $55 × (1 + 0.50) = $55 × 1.50 = $82.50

Cost-plus pricing is typically used by retailers who sell physical products. This strategy isn’t the best fit for service-based or SaaS companies as their products typically offer far greater value than the cost to create them.

When to use: Use cost-plus pricing when your competition is using the same model.

Cost-Plus Pricing Strategy in Marketing

If you’re using a cost-plus approach, focus on marketing the value of your goods compared to competitors, not the price. For example, your product might include features or add-ons that other brands do not.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Easy to calculate and implement.

Justifies price changes to customers based on changes in production costs.

Ensures all costs are covered.

Ignores market conditions and demand.

Inflexible to changes in cost or market.

May lead to inefficiencies within the company.

3. Dynamic Pricing Strategy

Dynamic pricing strategy is also known as surge pricing, demand pricing, or time-based pricing. It involves adjusting prices in real time based on factors such as market demand, competitor prices, and other external conditions.

In my experience, this flexible approach helps maximize revenue and maintain competitiveness.

Hotels, airlines, event venues, and utility companies use dynamic pricing by applying algorithms that consider competitor pricing, demand, and other relevant factors. These algorithms allow companies to shift prices to match what the customer is willing to pay at the exact moment they’re ready to make a purchase.

There is no single formula for dynamic pricing as it involves complex algorithms, but a basic version can be represented as:

Selling Price = Base Price + (Demand Factor × Base Price)

Let’s say your product costs $20. Research shows that consumer demand is up 30%.

Selling Price = 20 + (0.30 x 20) = 20 + 6 = $26.

A great example of a company that uses a dynamic pricing model is Uber. During peak hours or high-demand situations (e.g., Friday nights, bad weather), Uber’s algorithms monitor the number of ride requests, and if the demand exceeds the supply of available drivers, it temporarily increases the ride prices.

When to use: Use dynamic pricing when your product or service is in high demand, and when there aren’t many viable competitors operating in the same space.

Dynamic Pricing Strategy in Marketing

Dynamic pricing can help keep your marketing plans on track. Your team can plan for promotions in advance and configure the pricing algorithm you use to launch the promotion price at the perfect time. You can even A/B test dynamic pricing in real time to maximize your profits.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Allows you to capitalize on high-demand periods.

Real-time pricing adjustments help you stay competitive.

Helps in managing inventory by adjusting prices to influence demand.

Frequent price changes can confuse or frustrate customers.

Requires sophisticated technology and data analytics.

Competitors may also adopt dynamic pricing, leading to potential price wars.

4. High-Low Pricing Strategy

A high-low pricing strategy starts with high product sales prices that fall when the product loses novelty or relevance.

Discounts, clearance sections, and year-end sales are examples of high-low pricing in action, which is why this strategy may also be called a discount pricing strategy.

This approach aims to capture different segments of the market, starting with customers willing to pay a premium and later attracting more price-sensitive shoppers as the price drops.

High-low pricing is commonly used by retail firms that sell seasonal items or products that change often, such as clothing, decor, and furniture.

For example, in 2023, Nike used the high-low pricing strategy for its Court Legacy sneaker. Initially, the shoe was sold at a high price to attract customers eager for the latest release.

As demand decreased and new models came out, Nike lowered the price through promotions and discounts. This strategy helped Nike manage inventory and attract a broader customer base, including price-sensitive shoppers who waited for discounts. Now, the shoe is no longer sold by Nike directly but can be found on reseller websites for a lower price.

When to use: Use high-low pricing for products with high initial demand, such as special editions or limited-time offers. As demand falls, lower the price accordingly.

High-Low Pricing Strategy in Marketing

If you want to keep the foot traffic steady in your stores year-round, a high-low pricing strategy can help. By evaluating the popularity of your products during particular periods throughout the year, you can leverage low pricing to increase sales during traditionally slow months.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Helps clear out excess inventory.

Attracts different customer segments over time.

Allows for varied marketing campaigns, such as “limited-time offers” or “clearance sales,” to drive customer interest.

Lower prices red

My Ultimate Q4 Sales Playbook: Real-Life Tactics to Help You Win in the Final Quarter

Mark Burdon — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I once closed Q4 (and a couple of significant deals) on a family Disney World trip for Christmas — all because I was able to leverage my sales playbook.

I used end-of-year email templates to send follow-ups from the theme park. I used call scripts to make calls from the beach. I checked my inbox from the ride lines. Needless to say, I was highly distracted. But thanks to a good sales playbook, I booked my orders in time.

Sales playbooks are tailor-made for sellers to close critical deals all year round, and in my experience, they’re even more essential for winning crucial year-end deals. Playbooks are deliberate and actionable, but not all are created equal. In this article, I’ll cover seven effective sales playbooks to help you and your team succeed in the final quarter. I’ll also explain how to create a playbook for top results.

Table of Contents

What is a sales playbook?

What is a sales play?

7 Sales Playbook Templates to Help You Close More Deals

How to Create a Sales Playbook That Closes More Q4 Deals

What to Include in a Sales Playbook

Benefits of a Sales Playbook

Sales Plays to Include in Your Playbook

Winning Tips for Crushing Q4 Sales Goals

Sales Playbook Examples

In the context of sales, a playbook serves as a detailed manual that helps sales teams navigate common scenarios they encounter during the sales process. It provides step-by-step instructions, proven techniques, and helpful resources to ensure consistent, effective sales approaches that motivate buyers and help sellers to destress.

Great sales playbooks include sales enablement tools like:

Value-based selling cheat sheets and customer quotes.

Strategy steps.

Discovery call questions.

ROI-related data.

Buyer personas.

Sales process rules.

Competitive battle cards.

Email and social media templates and ideas.

Call scripts and outlines.

A play is a specific strategy or set of actions designed to achieve a particular objective.

In a sales context, it’s a tactical approach that sales teams use to engage prospects, address their needs, and move them through the sales funnel. Sales plays are tailored to different scenarios, customer segments, or stages in the buying process. They are meant to provide you with a clear, actionable plan. In other words, if a sales playbook is a manual, a sales play is a specific tutorial within the manual.

Pro tip: While a defined sales play provides structure, it shouldn't be rigid. I recommend that teams regularly review and adapt plays based on real-world results and changing market conditions.

Key components of a sales play typically include:

Objectives.

Target audience.

Messaging ideas.

Steps and actions.

Tools and resources.

Metrics and KPIs.

Why Your Business Needs a Sales Playbook

Many companies talk about the value of having a “single source of truth” for important company matters. A sales playbook can be that source of truth — and a treasure trove of resources for sales processes, competitive information, shortcuts to closing deals, and succeeding as a trusted advisor to prospects, partners, and customers.

Even on days when sales reps aren’t at the top of their game, a playbook can point them in the right direction and help them meet goals like quota and lead conversion rates.

Your sales leaders and longest tenured sales representatives have a lot of expertise that they’ve developed over the years. I recommend collecting that expertise into a shareable living document and connecting the dots between tried and true sales tactics and resources in book form can be invaluable for future growth.

7 Sales Playbook Templates to Help You Close More Deals

When you're in the final quarter, every sale counts. You need proven, reliable strategies to guide your team and ensure they can apply the playbook effectively during every stage of the sales process.

As a senior business development and sales and marketing professional, I’ve noticed that playbook templates help ensure your enablement materials are:

Effective and based on actual selling experiences, not theory.

Comprehensive yet digestible enough to use on the go.

Offer targeted content for specific industries and personas.

Kept current with the latest product features, benefits, and changing customer priorities.

For instance, HubSpot offers sales playbook software which is integrated into the Sales Hub platform. This tool is designed to help you create, manage, and utilize playbooks effectively to improve your sales processes. Accessibility through Sales Hub makes playbooks simple to find when needed no matter where your business day takes you.

The sales playbook application offers ready-to-use templates for various scenarios, such as:

Discovery calls.

Qualification calls.

Prospecting.

Client meetings.

Follow-up email messages.

Here are my favorite playbook templates.

1. Sales Plan Template by HubSpot

This customizable template allows you to work through your sales plan and playbook simultaneously so they align with each other. I recommend using this template as a foundation before you create the more advanced sections of your playbook. You can easily adapt it as your business, and your playbook evolves.

Pro tip: Your sales plan should inform your playbook, and your plays should align with the goals outlined in your sales plan. That’s why I suggest creating your sales plan first and sharing it with your team before creating and sharing other playbooks.

2. Sales Call Scripts by HubSpot

Include script templates in your playbook to ensure your team is prepared to enhance their conversations with customers and prospects. These scripts should be conversational, compelling, and used consistently for engaging sales calls, while preparing your sales team to increase their Closed/Won deal numbers.

Pro tip: I never read sales scripts verbatim during calls, but always found they were a great way to sort out what to say when opening a sales call.

HubSpot's sales call scripts provide structured templates for various scenarios, from cold calls to follow-up conversations. It includes several types of call scenarios, including:

Standard outreach.

Gatekeeper.

Discovery discussions.

Navigating referral or recommendation redirects.

Introductory or renewing connections.

Proposal and prior meeting follow-ups.

What I like: Each template explains its best use cases and provides different options, depending on whether the prospect is willing to chat, or if they’d prefer to reconnect next year.

3. Sales Email Templates by HubSpot

Email will always remain a powerful, non-intrusive tool for reaching prospects. This sales email template kit includes emails for just about every scenario there is, including:

First-touch introductions.

Break-up messages for ending on a high note.

Post-voicemail “just called you” explanations.

Drip campaign emails.

Deal win or loss debrief invitations.

What I like: Your sales team won't have to write an email from scratch again, which saves time that can be better spent researching prospects and closing deals. I often found it awkward to write a follow up email after I lost a deal, or even when I won. Yet, debrief conversations are often excellent resources for learning how to navigate similar selling scenarios. I suggest you store that one in your end of year follow-up files to prepare for the coming year.

4. Sales Qualification Questions by HubSpot

Qualifying leads is essential to focus your efforts on the most promising prospects. HubSpot’s list of sales qualification questions allows you or your team to discover your lead’s level of awareness and need, as well as their budget, timeline, and expected business impact from the purchase.

What I like: Although I often found extended silences can be an advantage during sales calls, it’s great to have a fresh arsenal of probing questions in your playbook. It can empower your team to better nurture promising prospects, improve their sales qualification effectiveness, and help move deals through the sales pipeline.

5. Prospecting & Objection Handling Templates by HubSpot

During every sales process, salespeople are bound to run into objections. Your sales playbook should include objection handling tips and methods for when they arise. Prospects always have at least a few objections in every sales engagement, otherwise successful businesses wouldn’t need to hire high-performance sales representatives of the caliber they do.

These objection-handling templates and best practices are a worthy addition to any sales playbook and provide strategies and responses for common objections. I like how this guide provides sales reps with techniques for addressing concerns professionally and keeping the conversation moving forward.

There are also some good insights on why prospects push back, and about keeping a repository of proven objection rebuttals. That way, salespeople can handle objections with politeness and empathy while dispelling a prospect’s reservations and fears.

6. Sales Battle Card Templates by HubSpot

At one point or another, your prospects will challenge your sales team about a competitor’s features, pricing, benefits, or other factors. Whether they are currently using a competitive solution, or considering marketspace alternatives, you want your team to confidently position your strengths and strategic value relative to your competition.

The company I work for now — and most that I’ve worked for in my career — have a non-disparage policy about competitive sales. I read a great Klue article on selling competitively by focusing on your strengths and driving a value wedge with your company’s products or service to distinguish your offerings from your competitors.

These HubSpot battle card templates will help your team better understand your market positioning and handle objections more effectively. They enable your sales operations, product management or competitive intelligence team document and share competitive intelligence across your sales and marketing teams, including their strengths, weaknesses, and key differentiators. They can enable your sales team to better position your product, highlight unique value propositions, and counter competitive threats.

Pro tip: Work with your colleagues across your business to curate competitive data points from sources like reputable analyst reports and review websites. Protect your customers from churning and maintain your edge in competitive sales pursuits. Task your sales team to tactfully ask customers what they like and dislike about competitive solutions. Add these points your sales playbook, and empower your reps to use them to win more deals.

7. Sales Closing Guide by HubSpot

From my experience, the most important piece of information you can include in your playbook is how to close deals. This sales closing guide from HubSpot offers a step-by-step approach to sealing the deal, including techniques for:

Creating urgency.

Handling last-minute objections.

Negotiating terms.

It also offers tips on recognizing buying signals and timing your close.

What I like: I appreciate that you can include this guide directly in your playbook or share it individually with your sales team as a training tool they can reference from time to time. It’s an essential reference that will empower your people to close deals faster and more effectively.

How to Create a Sales Playbook That Closes More Q4 Deals

Your sales playbook is unique to your business. Here are steps you can take to create a sales playbook that will boost your closing rates and help you hit your targets.

Step 1. Define your sales process.

Start by mapping out each stage of your customer's journey, from initial contact to closing the deal and beyond. Identify key touchpoints, activities, and decision-making moments at each stage.

I’ve found that a visual representation of sales stages helped me to determine what I needed to do to nurture the deal forward. It also helps to strategically place trial close reminders because you never want to make a qualified prospect feel like you aren’t interested in their business.

Also, consider the pace at which deals move through your sales funnel and what actions best trigger forward progress. Identify and document the tools, resources, and skills needed at each stage. I recommend that you include both internal processes (like pricing approvals or contract reviews) and customer-facing interactions. My proposal development team has comprehensive standard operating procedures (SOPs) that make it clear how key tasks should be undertaken.

For instance, you can use the conversation intelligence tool to monitor your team’s call quality and your customers' tone of voice. There are a number of ways to use these insights during coaching meetings to help your reps better understand prospect requirements.

Pro tip: Creating a clear, step-by-step sales process outline can serve as the foundation for your entire sales playbook. It helps your team to develop a consistent and repeatable approach to guide prospects through the buying process.

How to Create a Sales Playbook (Guide)

Step 2. Develop winning sales strategies and define your key metrics.

Analyze your top performers' techniques and successful deals. Identify patterns and best practices for each stage of the sales process. Include effective methods for prospecting, qualifying leads, delivering compelling presentations, handling objections, and closing deals.

Back these strategies with data and real-world examples to demonstrate their effectiveness. To make them more effective, consider incorporating modern approaches like social selling, value-based selling, or solution selling.

Don't forget to outline strategies for different buyer personas and scenarios. The goal is to provide your team with a tailored toolkit of proven tactics to boost their success rates.

You should also determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you measure the success of your team’s sales efforts. This could include conversion rates, average deal size, sales cycle length, and customer acquisition cost.

In my experience: I enjoyed working on teams that prioritized these results-oriented metrics over activity-based metrics like call volume or lead resolution metrics. I appreciate, though, that if your conversion rates or deal closing numbers aren’t ideal, the activity metrics will demonstrate whether or not you are putting in the work required to succeed.

Step 3. Outline your sales playbook goals.

Use the KPIs from the previous step to identify specific, measurable objectives that align with your overall sales strategy. These goals should address key areas such as increasing revenue, improving conversion rates, shortening the sales cycle, or enhancing customer retention.

Once you identify your goals, define your short-term and long-term targets and ensure they are realistic and achievable. Your goals should also reflect the unique opportunities and chal

Sales Qualification: Gauging Whether a Lead Aligns With Your Offering

Kiran Shahid — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Sales qualification streamlines the process of turning potential buyers into serious prospects.

When done well, sales qualification reduces the time required to determine if you’re talking to the right person. Are they interested in what you’re offering? Is there a specific business challenge your product could help them overcome?

I’ve had my fair share of practice — and I’ve learned that great sales qualification is more than worth the effort. Ready to get started? I’ve got you covered with our ultimate guide to finding and keeping qualified sales leads.

Table of Contents

What is Sales Qualification?

Why is Sales Qualification Important?

Sales Qualification Stages

The Lead Qualification Process

What is a Qualified Prospect?

Levels of Prospect Qualification

When and Why to Disqualify Prospects

How to Qualify a Lead with Lead Qualification Frameworks

Sales Qualifying: Good Signs and Red Flags

Without sales qualification, you’d probably talk to hundreds of leads a day — only to wind up with just one or two closed deals to show for your effort.

Sales qualification is essential for working smarter, not harder. But why is it so crucial? Let’s take a look.

Why is Sales Qualification Important?

Sales qualification significantly improves close ratios. Otherwise, you risk pursuing leads who aren’t a good fit. They may have incompatible budgetary constraints or organizational challenges.

B2B buying groups spend 27% of their time conducting independent online research. With buyers doing so much self-education, effective sales qualification becomes even more critical to engage prospects at the right time with the right information.

There are a ton more reasons sales qualification is important. You can:

Prioritize qualified prospects

Deliver personalized selling experiences (our research even shows 75% of marketers believe personalized experiences drive sales and repeat business.)

Maximize revenue impact

Tailor processes for different verticals

I once tried to sell my content strategy service to a lead I hadn’t qualified. The partnership was a poor fit, and we had to cancel the agreement prematurely.

What does the sales qualification process look like as a whole? Let’s walk through that below.

Sales Qualification Stages

Stage 1: Create an ICP.

The first stage of sales qualification is creating an ideal customer profile (ICP). You identify the type of customers best suited to your product or solution.

For example, since I offer content writing and strategy service to B2B SaaS companies, my ideal market might consist of brands with enough funding to spend on my services.

Within an ICP, it’s also worth developing buyer personas that describe specific individuals within target organizations. These individuals have the experience and authority to address business pain points and make purchasing decisions.

Creating an ICP is a collaborative process between sales, marketing, and product development teams. However, the end result streamlines sales qualification, making the exercise time well spent.

Stage 2: Identify key criteria.

Next, identify criteria for sales leads before they’re placed in the qualification pipe. This process helps eliminate leads who are less likely to convert from interest to investment.

Key qualification criteria:

Business budget.

Buying authority.

Urgency to deploy a new solution.

Fit with existing company frameworks.

For example, a prospect with urgency and authority but no budget isn't worth pursuing, despite their interest.

Pro tip: Create a checklist for these criteria you can distribute to salespeople to ensure all employees use the same method to evaluate sales potential.

Stage 3: Put technology in place.

The amount of sales, research, and prospect data required for successful sales qualification is substantial. Even experienced teams can get overwhelmed.

Deploy customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to capture and centralize data for sales and marketing teams. Your team can also track emerging trends in customer behavior to help create more effective sales strategies.

Stage 4: Do your homework.

The more you know about your leads, the better.

The sales process is about creating relationships, and even the best product won't sell if your team fails to build reciprocal connections.

Research is crucial for building relationships. Before contacting leads, learn about their role, company, and any public insights they've shared.

It’s also a good idea to track down any relevant company information. This might take the form of a recent news article or a report posted on their corporate site. You can gain more context to the conversation.

Stage 5: Make contact.

Finally, reach out to set up a qualifying call.

With lead data in hand, connect via phone, email, or social media sites and set up a qualifying call. Use this call to understand the lead's decision-making process, pain points, budgets, and needs — not to make an immediate sale.

More importantly, you’re looking to kick-start a relationship. If you go all-in on sales tactics during the first call and this approach doesn’t work, you’ve burned a bridge.

The Lead Qualification Process

Step 1: Lead Generation

The lead qualification process begins with a pool of leads generated through various channels. These typically come from marketing efforts, sales activities, acquisition campaigns, and product teams. For smaller organizations, leads may primarily originate from website form submissions.

Step 2: Initial Lead Classification

As leads enter the system, they’re classified into different categories based on their current status and level of engagement:

Unqualified leads haven’t been nurtured enough in the flywheel to be forwarded to a sales team.

Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) are suitable for marketing communications.

Sales qualified leads (SQLs) are ready to connect with a sales representative.

Product qualified leads (PQLs) have shown strong interest through freemium subscriptions or free trials.

Conversion qualified leads (CQLs) have taken a specific action on your website, such as submitting a form or using a click-to-call button.

[Video: How to Qualifying Your Leads | Ask These 4 Questions to Generate Quality Leads online marketing]

Step 3: Lead Qualification Framework Application

Once classified, leads are evaluated using a lead qualification framework. This involves asking a series of qualifying questions to see if they're a good fit for your product or service.

A qualifying question helps the salesperson determine their prospect's fit for one criterion. That might be need, budget, authority, sense of urgency, or another factor.

A good qualifying question is typically open-ended. Instead of close-ended questions, like “Is this a priority right now?” the better version would be "Where does this fall on your list of business priorities?" to not lead the prospect to an answer.

Here are some strong qualifying questions that I like:

What business challenge can this product help you solve?

What has prevented you from trying to solve the problem until now?

What does your budget look like for this project?

Are you using any solutions to solve this problem? If so, why are you switching?

What is your principal priority in terms of solving this problem? Which functionality would be most important?

The framework helps sales teams focus their efforts on the most promising prospects.

Step 4: Lead Segmentation and Next Steps

Based on the qualification process, leads are segmented into two main groups.

Qualified leads proceed to the next stage of the sales process, where they'll receive more personalized attention from the sales team.

Disqualified leads are placed into a nurturing sequence. Here, they receive targeted content and communications aimed at warming them up to the product, with the goal of converting them into qualified leads over time.

Step 5: Refine Process

The lead screening process is not static. It requires ongoing evaluation and optimization. Continuously refine the lead screening process. Optimize questions, identify successful prospect traits, and adjust frameworks to improve sales efficiency and conversion rates.

Eddie Reynolds, host of the RevOps Corner podcast, dials down on how important it is to constantly iterate on your lead qualification process.

“You set that account score, and then you surface all these leads, and you hand them to salespeople, and then salespeople say, I call these leads, and these were worthless,” Reynolds says. “This isn‘t set, and forget it. You keep iterating until you get to the point that salespeople are saying, ‘Yeah, we’re calling these leads, and they‘re converting, and everybody’s happy.'"

What is a Qualified Prospect?

A qualified prospect has passed the initial screening and is now ready to enter the sales pipeline.

You’ll typically do the bulk of your qualification during a discovery call, but it certainly isn’t where qualification starts or ends. At every step of the sales process, you’ll continuously evaluate prospects for more and more specific characteristics.

Attributes of a Qualified Prospect

1. Clear Pain Points

PQLs need specific business challenges, not vague statements. Vague prospects are harder to nurture and close. Ask discovery questions to uncover specific pain points. Prospects aware of their challenges are more likely to qualify.

What to Look For

Detailed answers to probing questions about pain points

Specific issues with current solutions, indicating the need for change

2. A Budget (or a Willingness to Make One)

Have you ever had several calls with your prospect, only for the deal to die because they can’t afford your product? Discuss budget early to avoid wasting time on prospects who can't afford your product.

Ask directly about their budget for your type of solution. This upfront approach saves time and helps focus on viable prospects. Qualified prospects have clear budgets, often evidenced by current spending on similar solutions or costly problems.

What to Look For

Budget range aligning with or exceeding your prices

Clear commitment to purchasing a solution

3. Purchase Power

A qualified prospect will be able to either make the final buying decision or sway the stakeholders who make the decision. Identify early if your prospect is a gatekeeper, decision-maker, influencer, or blocker.

Most often, they’ll be an influencer, but they must be the right type of influencer.

Focus on upper-level influencers who can present solutions to decision-makers. Entry-level influencers like coordinators or interns are often not qualified prospects.

The decision-maker will likely be a leader and usually not the person you’ll talk to during the prospect qualification process. Research the company‘s size and structure to understand your prospect’s proximity to decision-makers. In larger companies, managers may be further from final decisions.

What to Look For

Mid-level job title with influence

Track record of successful product recommendations or purchases (ask for examples)

4. A Deadline or Strict Timeline

Qualified prospects have urgent needs with specific timelines (like before next quarter or year) for purchasing solutions.

Another way to tell? I like to look for prospects citing declining business performance or ROI from current solutions.

What to Look For

Specific timeline for purchasing decision

Clear urgency driven by business needs

5. A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

Qualified prospects understand the mutual benefits of the relationship. They trust you to provide a solution that helps them succeed in their role and impress leadership.

Remember: You’ll likely be speaking to an influencer. The influencer, in the end, wants to shine in front of leadership.

What to Look For

Prospects who engage actively and show clear trust in the selling process

Levels of Prospect Qualification

Sales reps must qualify prospects at three different levels — organization-level, opportunity-level, and stakeholder-level qualification. I’ll discuss each below.

Organization-Level Prospect Qualification

This is the most basic level of qualification. Here, you’ll determine whether you should do more research. If your company has buyer personas, reference them when qualifying a prospect. Does the buyer match the demographics of a given persona?

Questions you should ask at this stage include:

Is the prospect in your territory?

Do you sell to their industry?

What’s the company size?

Opportunity-Level Prospect Qualification

Opportunity-level qualification determines if a prospect has a specific need you can meet and if they can implement your solution.

Opportunity-level characteristics reveal if a prospect can benefit from your offering.

To determine whether your prospect is qualified on an opportunity level, ask the following:

Is the prospect familiar with the type of product you sell?

Do they have a challenge that your product can help them solve?

Do they have a team or a person who’ll be using the product?

Stakeholder-Level Prospect Qualification

After confirming company fit, assess your contact's decision-making power with these questions:

Is this purchase within your budget?

Who else influences the decision?

What are the purchase criteria, and who defined them?

When and Why to Disqualify Prospects

Disqualify prospects in this order: company fit, business pain, decision-making power. Don‘t force your offering where it doesn’t fit.

You could be speaking with the CEO of an organization with complete budget authority who passes stakeholder-level qualification with flying colors. But if there’s no problem, there’s no need for your solution. Qualify for business pain first.

Prospects must qualify at all three levels to advance. Disqualify if they lack knowledge of strategic goals, even if they pass other levels.

Disqualifying prospects isn't negative — it helps focus on quality leads. Prioritize your time on the best prospects rather than spreading yourself thin across many leads.

How to Qualify a Lead with Lead Qualification Frameworks

A lead qualification framework is essentially a rubric that salespeople can use to determine whether a prospect is likely to become a successful customer.

Every customer and every sale is different, but all closed-won deals share commonalities. Sales qualification frameworks and methodologies help you qualify leads by distilling those shared characteristics into general traits reps can look for when qualifying.

The BANT Qualification Framework

BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timeline), the Old Faithful of sales qualification frameworks, is a widely used sales qualification framework covering key opportunity and stakeholder aspects.

BANT uncovers:

Budget. Prospect's buying capability

Authority. Contact's decision-making power

Need. Business pain you can solve

Timeline. Planned purchase date

[Video: B2B Sales Prospecting - Qualify Prospects with BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, & Time)]

Here are a few examples of BANT questions in the context of a prospect conversation:

Budget

Do you have a budget set aside for this purchase? What is it?

What other initiatives are you spending money on?

Does seasonality affect your funding?

Authority

Whose budget does this purchase come out of?

Who else will be involved in the purchasing decision?

How have you made purchasing decisions for products similar to ours in the past?

Need

What challenges are you struggling with?

Why hasn’t it been addressed before?

8 Common Ways Sales Professionals Waste Their Time (& How to Avoid Them), According to Experts

jfuchs@hubspot.com (Jay Fuchs) — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Time is a precious resource in sales. The efficacy of your sales process, whether a deal winds up closed-won, and virtually every KPI used to gauge your performance all hinge upon how effectively you spend yours.

But efficiently and effectively allocating your time can be tricky in sales, and running into at least a few time-wasters here and there is par for the course. That's why you need to stay on top of any potential time-draining hitches and understand how to remedy them when you hit them.

To help you get there, we here at The HubSpot Sales Blog — the mitochondria of the broader sales and sales-adjacent content cell — reached out to a few sales leaders for some perspective on common ways sales professionals waste their time and how to best avoid those pitfalls.

8 Common Ways Sales Professionals Waste Their Time

1. Engaging With Unqualified Leads.

Ulyana Shnitsar, Sales Manager & BDM at Mgroup, says, "As a sales professional in B2B sales, I have come across salespeople who tend to lapse into time-wasting activities, some of which I myself have been guilty of.

“I have seen people engaging with unqualified leads. Getting excited about a promise is one thing, but if the prospect is not a perfect fit, one can end up wasting time. To make the most out of my time, I have switched to using better qualifying questions.”

2. Over-Preparing

Shnitsar also says, “Sometimes, people set out to achieve goals which can be classified as over-preparing. Working on preparation is important, but not to the extent that I would spend hours designing a presentation folder with the perfect pitch deck or practicing each and every hypothetical scenario. Now, my approach is to know the issues of the client and have a sharp outline of steps I want to accomplish to solve all the issues.”

3. Running Product Demos That Don't Connect With What a Buyer Actually Cares About

Katie Breaker, Sales Director at BirdieBall, says, “A walkthrough of every single feature might seem helpful, but buyers are not looking for a list of tools. They want to know how the product solves their specific problem. Starting the demo with a conversation about their challenges and then showing exactly how the product helps keeps them engaged. The more relevant the demo feels, the more likely the deal moves forward without unnecessary delays.”

4. Neglecting Followup and Not Fostering Long-Term Relationships

Arjun Narayan, Founder and CEO of SalesDuo, says, "A surefire way to waste time is by neglecting follow-ups and failing to develop meaningful long-term customer relationships. If you fail to stay in touch, you will waste valuable chances for repeat sales and referrals.

“Prioritize establishing robust long-term relationships with your customers and nurture loyalty and trust. Develop a strategic follow-up approach, engaging promptly and consistently with prospects and current customers.”

5. Chasing Deals That Are Already Dead

Scott Gabdullin, CEO and Founder of Learo, says, "Chasing deals that are already dead. It is easy to reassure yourself that a prospect simply needs one more follow-up, but somewhere in your gut, you know when something has no real momentum.

“The most effective way to prevent this practice is by establishing clearly defined exit criteria — if the deal at hand hasn't made meaningful progress after a certain number of follow-ups, it's time to let go of the prospect. Direct your efforts toward strong prospects who have a great likelihood to close in the near future. Eliminating dead leads allows for more fruitful conversations that actually get you somewhere.”

6. Over-Customizing Sales Pitches

Niclas Schlopsna, Managing Consultant and CEO of spectup, says, "A classic time-sink is over-customizing sales pitches. I remember working with a SaaS startup where sales reps were spending hours crafting hyper-specific decks for each meeting, only to find that 80% of their content never came up in conversations.

“The solution? Building flexible but modular presentation frameworks that allow the salesperson to tailor key pieces without reinventing the wheel every time. This saved the team hours per week and gave them more focus for actual selling.”

7. Following up Without Clear Next Steps

Schlopsna also says, "Endless follow-ups without a clear next step can kill productivity. One of our team members at spectup always emphasizes the importance of ending every interaction with a clearly defined action point — whether that's scheduling the next call or agreeing on deliverables.

“It sounds simple, but it prevents what I call the 'limbo loop,' where you're emailing back and forth without progress. Eliminating these inefficiencies doesn't just save time; it also gives sales teams more energy to focus on the deals that matter.”

8. Over-Talking in Demos

Guillaume Drew, Founder of Or & Zon, says, "Sales reps often fall into the trap of over-explaining features without fully understanding customer pain points. A key element of success here is to talk less and listen more.

“Adopting consultative sales techniques has worked wonders for me. In these techniques, the demo is more of a discussion, which makes it easier to tailor the demo specifically to the client's needs. This reduces the time required while increasing the effectiveness of the interaction, which in turn drives sales and enhances customer satisfaction.”

As I mentioned at the top of this article, time is one of the most — if not the most — precious resources you have in sales, but it can be just as easy to waste it as it is to capitalize on it. Hopefully, this article gives you valuable perspective on what you might be doing wrong and how you can adapt to ensure you're getting as much out of your efforts as possible.

I Tried Three Generative AI CRMs: Here Are My Thoughts

Zoe Ashbridge — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

AI is becoming a core part of CRM systems. Considering the time-saving benefits, it’s unsurprising that generative AI CRMs can be incredibly valuable in helping businesses grow.

I’ve already written an article on CRMs with AI, but I wanted to take my curiosity about AI and CRM one step further. So, in this article, I’m focusing specifically on three generative AI CRMs, how generative AI can improve the sales process, and much more.

While researching this article, I’ve tried to find unique ways of using generative AI in CRMs. I’ve also spoken to people using it in their CRM systems, so you’ll know how people are actually using generative AI features daily.

Table of Contents

What is a Generative AI CRM?

Benefits of Generative CRMs

How to Use Generative AI in a CRM

What is a Generative AI CRM?

A generative AI CRM is a CRM system with built-in AI features. This can range from simple tasks like text generation for emails, messages, and meeting notes — to more complex task sales needs. For example, you can use generative AI to complete your prospects' profiles, including company information.

Benefits of Generative CRMs

It’s probably not a huge surprise that artificial intelligence offers huge benefits for CRMs and sales.

In the infographic below, PixelPlex details some of the benefits of generative AI for business generally. They include reduced costs, boosted productivity, upgraded decision-making, and improved personalization — just to name a few.

All of these benefits play out in generative AI CRMs, and I will explore how in the next section.

Saves Time

I’m going to start with time-saving because, for me, this is a major benefit of generative AI for sales teams.

As a writer, I don’t rely heavily on generative AI in my daily workload. Still, I have always appreciated how much time AI can save when used correctly, and I’m certainly not the only person who credits generative AI with saving time.

The HubSpot State of Sales and AI survey also found that sales teams saved two and a half hours per day thanks to AI, which handled meeting scheduling, note-taking, outreach creation and editing, and CRM data entry.

Much of this work can be incredibly monotonous. Instead of writing out meeting notes or manually recording customer data, you can rely on the generative AI to do a lot of the work for you. Instead of writing everything from scratch, AI tools can get you rolling, leaving you with review and edit tasks only.

Data Population

Data population is the most common use of generative AI by sales teams. Our survey showed that 35% of salespeople surveyed are using generative AI for data population, note-taking, and scheduling.

There’s a reason this is the most popular use case: Generative AI is good at it and can save sales reps a lot of time.

Tone and Confidence

With generative AI, you can change the tone of your messages to help you come across as you intend: professional, witty, formal, or optimistic.

When you generate content, you can set a tone, add your prompt, and click “generate." The AI will do the rest. I’ve demonstrated this fully in the section below.

As you can see from the screenshot above, the fifth use case for generative AI is changing the tone of messages to sound more formal or casual.

How to Use Generative AI in a CRM

I wanted to dig into the generative AI options in CRMs. I looked at HubSpot, HoneyBook, and Capsule CRM to compare features.

Generative AI in HubSpot CRM

I’m not just saying this; HubSpot’s generative AI is fantastic. I love how HubSpot has pushed AI from being CRM-centric to supporting the sales role across tools and software. The integrations and ease of use are next level.

The ease of use of HubSpot’s generative AI CRM has resulted in HubSpot users using AI sales tools more frequently than non-HubSpot users.

The data speaks for itself.

Here are some ways that I tested HubSpot’s generative AI tools.

Test One: Hubspot’s Generative AI-Powered Assistant, Chatspot

You can think about HubSpot’s ChatSpot as your virtual assistant. ChatSpot will answer virtually any question you ask using natural language and get you to data faster than browsing through your CRM.

Here’s an example.

I logged in and asked ChatSpot, “Hi, how many contacts are in my CRM?”

ChatSpot responded almost instantly with the total contacts. There are 3,600.

Next, I wanted to know how many contacts were added in August. ChatSpot replied instantly again with the total amount of contacts added in August, 104.

What I liked about using the CRM’s generative AI: ChatSpot instantly quickly answered questions. There is no way I could’ve gotten to that information faster by navigating through the CRM. In this example, I’ve used ChatSpot for the most basic questions, but you can also ask more sophisticated queries like access to reports or finding information on company funding rounds.

Test Two: Hubspot’s Generative AI Email Content

This is a fantastic feature. What I love about HubSpot’s generative AI email content is that you can a) access this toolbox while in your inbox and b) send emails directly to HubSpot CRM once they’re written.

Let me talk you through it.

Step One: Download the HubSpot Chrome extension.

If you want to use HubSpot’s generative AI to write an email in your inbox, you need to download HubSpot’s Chrome extension.

It’s so easy to download; just click the blue button, and it’s there. To use it, you need to create a free HubSpot account.

Step Two: Open your emails.

I used my Gmail account to do this. Once you’ve installed the extension and are in Gmail, you’ll see the HubSpot icon at the top left (see the screenshot).

Step Three: Start composing your email and log in.

Now, you just need to hit compose and log into your HubSpot account.

Once that’s done, you’ll have all the generative AI and more features.

The features you can use within your inbox include templates, meetings, tasks, and “Write an email for me.”

For this, we’re going to click “Write an email for me.”

Step Four: Prompt the AI.

Once you click “Write an email for me,” you’ll get a pop-up. Here, you need to prompt the AI with:

Your email type

What you’re selling

Who you’re selling to

A description of what you want to communicate

The desired tone of your email

I prompted the AI pretty basic for this, but you will want to play around with prompts, get detailed, and consider saving templates to speed up the process. With AI, the more you put in, the better the AI output.

Step Five: Review and edit the output.

The output was on my screen in seconds. It was almost instant.

If you click within the text box, the “Insert content” button turns orange, and you can instantly add it to your email with one click.

What’s great about HubSpot’s email features is that you don’t have to keep all of this out of the CRM.

What I like about HubSpot’s Generative AI: I thought this entire process was easy and evidence for the above stats. If AI is easy to use, sales teams will gravitate towards it. A little extra add-on that makes this feature even better is that if you’re logged into your Google account, you’ll be able to click “Log email to HubSpot” so that it feeds into the CRM.

Generative AI in HoneyBook CRM

HoneyBook is a generative AI CRM that my good friend and business owner, Crystal Waddell, introduced me to.

Waddell runs an ecommerce business, Collage and Wood, and uses HoneyBook, a generative AI CRM. She was very happy to share how her generative AI CRM supports her with client communication, order workflow, email updates, and more.

Waddell says, “I use [HoneyBook] for client communication for my ecommerce site. Whenever someone makes an order, I manually put in their information and apply an automation based on their purchase. It reminds me to email them updates, send proofs, and keep communication ongoing until their item ships. Then afterward, it prompts me to follow up.”

I was intrigued to see the generative AI in action, so Waddell and I tested it.

Step One: I sent Waddell a message.

First, I sent Waddell an email, and as you can see, she received it directly to her CRM via the mobile app.

Step Two: Waddell creates a response using the CRM’s generative AI.

The AI composer within HoneyBook gets to work on writing a response. The wait time for the response is around 30 seconds, which is not too bad at all. Sometimes, it can take me a lot longer than 30 seconds to find the right words, so I felt this generative AI was efficient.

HoneyBook CRMs generative AI is working to understand the project context, review the prior communications, and add Waddell’s personal style.

The tick box system usefully guides the HoneyBook CRM user through the steps before the content is generated.

The final phase is “drafting a response for review.”

Step Three: Review generative AI results.

Finally, after just 30 seconds, the generative AI provided a reply, all within the CRM app.

Waddell describes her generative AI as a “built-in assistant” and credits the system with keeping her “client-focused” so she can keep their project running on time.” A great example of generative AI and customer-centricity.

Waddell really loved the generative AI features in HoneyBook, and even though she’s using it smartly, she recognizes that she could use a zap to transfer client information instead of writing it manually. The point here is that there’s even more to get out of the CRM, and Waddell has many opportunities to explore.

What I liked about using the CRM’s generative AI: I really liked how HoneyBook’s final screen, as it generated the AI content, was “drafting a response for review.” This final step hopefully encourages the user to give the content a read and probably an edit before it’s pushed out to the customer/client.

I also really liked the next steps provided by the AI. With one click, you can request that the generative AI regenerates the response with actions, such as “change tone,” “make it shorter,” and “discuss broader impact.”

Generative AI in Capsule CRM

My third and final test was Capsule CRM.

It was so easy to set up an account and start using the generative AI to create emails. I’ll walk you through the process.

Step One: Connect your emails.

Before you can send an email from within Capsule CRM using generative AI, you need to connect your inbox.

You’ll find your mailbox connections in your Account Settings (click the profile/drop-down menu at the top right of the screen). Follow the screen to “Mailbox connections.”

Once you’re there, hit connect, and the connection will be made in minutes.

Step Two: Prepare your first generative AI email.

You can email via the contact section of the CRM, so navigate to the contact you want to email and click send email.

Once you’ve clicked send email, the email composer will pop up. You’ll see a black icon with a white pencil in the bottom right, as pictured below. Click it.

Next, you’ll get the screen below. You simply need to prompt the AI. I wrote a simple prompt.

Like the HubSpot Chrome extension, you get tone options. You can choose from “professional,” “casual,” “straightforward,” “confident,” and “friendly.”

The options are good, but the prompt is more straightforward. I prefer how HubSpot gave pointers on what to add (e.g., who to write for, what service you are selling). The Capsule Content Assist is less targeted, and you might need to understand prompting to get a decent output with Capsule.

Nonetheless, I hit generate, and the output was good!

Step Three: Review and edit your prompt.

The AI-generated content wasn’t as fast as HubSpot’s, but it wasn’t slow either. I received my response in seconds.

I was actually really happy with the output. It was short and sweet and positive, too. I wouldn’t need to edit that much before I sent it to a client.

Try a Generative AI CRM

As you can see, generative AI within a CRM can save a lot of time. I had a lot of fun testing these three generative AI CRMs and think it’s worth exploring.

For many people reading this, you might already have a CRM in place, and most likely, it has some kind of generative AI waiting for you to explore it.

The fact is that it’s easier to bring generative AI processes via tools you’re already using, so don’t sleep on generative AI. It could save you time, improve your emails, and get you back to doing what you love as you give the AI the mundane.

Understanding how to mirror others effectively — especially in remote sales conversations — has become my secret to building instant rapport. Let me show you how it works.

Table of Contents

What is sales mirroring?

The Science of Mirroring (and Why It’s So Effective in Sales)

Why is sales mirroring important?

Examples of Mirroring in Sales

How to Conduct Sales Mirroring

The goal is to create a behavioral reflection that puts prospects at ease with an unspoken, innate understanding — even if the sales lead and staff have never met.

The Science of Mirroring (and Why It’s So Effective in Sales)

You’ve probably experienced this before: You’re deep in conversation with someone who nods along as you speak, matches your energy level, and uses similar phrases to yours. Before you know it, you feel like you’ve known them forever.

This natural rapport-building process has a name: mirroring. And research shows it’s more than just a social phenomenon — it’s hardwired into our brains.

When we mirror someone’s behavior, we activate what neuroscientists call “mirror neurons.” These specialized brain cells fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing that same action. Mirror neurons help us understand others’ intentions and emotions, creating a neural bridge between people.

Multiple studies demonstrate the powerful impact of mirroring in professional settings. A groundbreaking study from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that MBA students who mirrored their negotiation partners’ behaviors reached successful agreements 67% of the time, compared to just 12% for those who didn’t mirror.

Our 2024 State of Sales Trends shows that relationship-building is central to effective sales. In fact, 82% of sales professionals say that connecting with people is both the most important and most enjoyable part of their job.

Mirroring, as a natural rapport-building strategy, complements this perfectly by fostering genuine connections that align with this priority.

One Harvard Business Review study tracked retail sales professionals selling MP3 players. Those who subtly mirrored their prospects’ verbal and non-verbal behaviors saw a 17% higher closing rate compared to those who didn’t mirror. More notably, these customers were also more receptive to recommendations and gave higher satisfaction ratings.

The main insight for sales professionals? Mirroring creates genuine connections through our natural human tendency to align with others. When done authentically, it helps both parties communicate better and understand each other better.

Why is sales mirroring important?

Mirroring is basically a shortcut to familiarity. It usually takes time to develop rapport naturally, so by mimicking phrases or gestures, salespeople can create a sense of familiarity quickly.

Sales Mirroring Benefits

When done right, sales mirroring can result in:

Increased trust. Mirroring increases overall trust between the salesperson and prospect because it helps blur the line between business and personal interactions. Potential customers are often more willing to compromise with someone they can trust.

Improved focus. Mirroring also increases your ability to focus because you’ll be more actively engaged and attuned to what your customer is saying and doing during the deal.

Sales Mirroring Mistakes

Mirroring might sound like the perfect strategy, but you should use it carefully. I’ve laid out some pitfalls of the strategy below.

Mirroring isn’t very effective in group settings. Mirroring works far better in one-on-one sales than in a group since you have the client’s undivided attention rather than being split across multiple team members.

Obvious mirroring can be off-putting. Subtlety is key. Obvious, over-the-top mirroring won’t result in better rapport — it’ll give customers the impression that you’re mocking them or making fun of a specific behavior. The best mirroring is small and subtle.

Examples of Mirroring in Sales

Mirroring works — but what does it actually look like in practice? I got in touch with experts and asked them to share actual examples of mirroring in sales.

Tweaking the Language to Match Value-Driven Partners

Effective mirroring goes beyond words — it means reflecting your prospect’s core values and mission. By understanding the vocabulary and principles driving their decisions, you can tailor your pitch to align with what matters most to them.

Michelle Nguyen, product owner and marketing manager at affiliate and influencer marketing solution UpPromote, showed how small language changes can have a huge impact on affiliate partnerships.

When pitching to a lifestyle brand, she noticed their emphasis on “sustainable impact” and “community-driven growth.” Her team revamped their communication strategy rather than sticking to standard commission-focused messaging.

Here’s how she describes the shift: “Rather than stating, ‘Our products help the environment,’ we said, ‘Our partnership creates sustainable impact through conscious consumer choices.’

“We redesigned our affiliate dashboard language to capture this community-centric perspective, then created fresh advertising materials stressing the community-building component of our program instead of only commission rates.”

I love this example because it shows how powerful it is to go beyond surface-level mirroring. Nguyen didn’t just parrot back specific phrases — she recognized the deeper values driving her prospect’s business decisions and rebuilt her entire approach around those values.

How Personal Language Shifts Can Close Deals

Pay attention to subtle shifts in language patterns — especially changes from business-focused to personal pronouns to address unspoken concerns.

At custom printing company Inkthreadable, Head of Business Development Matt Simmons mastered reading between the lines during sales negotiations. When a prospect’s tone shifted during pricing discussions, instead of rushing to offer discounts, he focused on uncovering the deeper issue.

The real insight emerged from studying the prospect’s change in language patterns. The switch from collective to personal pronouns signaled a deeper concern that standard business-value propositions weren’t addressing.

Here’s how Simmons handled this moment:

“After a few objections, I noticed his language had shifted. Earlier, we discussed the wider business and team, but now his objections were personally focused. I revisited the pitch, highlighting how our service directly benefited him, not just the business.”

I’ve seen this dynamic play out countless times in sales conversations. Decision-makers often mask personal concerns behind business objections. The skill lies not in countering their stated objections but in recognizing and addressing the underlying personal stakes.

This works because, in B2B sales, we sell to businesses but close deals with individuals who need personal confidence in their decisions.

Using Energy Alignment to Drive Sales During Uncertainty

Successful mirroring goes beyond individual conversations — it requires reading and responding to the collective psychology of your market. When major disruptions shift how entire industries think about growth, your mirroring approach must evolve to match that new emotional reality.

At The Agency Growth Pad, Founder Ali Newton-Temperley learned how reading market sentiment could change her mirroring approach. During the pandemic, she noticed a major shift in how business owners engaged in sales conversations.

The traditional high-energy, growth-focused pitch suddenly felt tone-deaf. Business owners weren’t looking for transformation — they were seeking stability and reassurance.

Here’s how Newton-Temperley describes this pivot: “Pre-pandemic agency sales had been about things like ‘transforming growth,’ ‘increasing your sales,’ etc. But when the pandemic hit, and different countries started having lockdowns, the mood of business owners changed significantly. The aim of looking for growth had shifted into a search for comfort and consistency.”

I’ve learned that market conditions often create collective emotional states among business owners. During uncertain times, mirroring isn’t just about matching individual prospects — it’s about tuning into broader market psychology.

This example highlights the importance of recognizing deeper emotional currents. By shifting from aspirational pitches to steady expertise, Newton-Temperley showed that effective mirroring often requires reimagining your approach to fit the market’s emotional reality.

So, what does sales mirroring look like in practice? Read on to find out.

How to Conduct Sales Mirroring

1. Mimic body language or positioning.

If your customer sits down and crosses their legs or arms, you should sit similarly.

If they lean back while talking, mirror that movement. If they sit up straight in their chair, don’t slouch.

Body position mirroring signals that you’re on the same page as the customer, whether relaxed, focused, serious, or otherwise.

But here’s the crucial part: Don’t mirror immediately or exactly. As Simmons from Inkthreadable notes:

“When mirroring, people either hyper fixate on one aspect, so commonly people copy posture, but what they tend to do is force it and try to be a direct reflection of the other person, which can be off-putting as it is quite obvious. Instead, take time to make a few mental observations and, throughout the pitch, slowly bring them into your own mannerisms.”

Think of body language mirroring as a gradual alignment rather than instant mimicry. Create comfort and rapport; don’t make the other person feel self-conscious or manipulated. Watch for recurring gestures or positions and naturally incorporate them into your own movements over time.

This approach works because it taps into our brain’s natural tendency to build trust through physical synchronization. When we share similar body language with someone, our mirror neurons fire up, creating an unconscious bond that makes communication flow more easily.

2. Use a similar tone of voice.

Many salespeople are gregarious, friendly, and excitable. They may speak loudly and quickly to convey their passion for a particular product or service — but this won’t work as well if prospective clients are quiet and reserved.

Newton-Temperley from The Agency Growth Pad explains why energy matching matters more than traditional mirroring:

“The biggest mistake I see isn’t really in the mirroring in language — it’s usually being too focused on mirroring words and, as a consequence, failing to mirror the energy and meet the prospect with the energy that they are looking for. If someone is very to the point, you’ll likely do better if you communicate succinctly, too.”

Read the room and adjust your communication style accordingly. Some prospects want detailed explanations and data-driven discussions. Others respond better to high-level concepts and emotional resonance. Your ability to shift between these modes often determines whether you can build genuine rapport.

I’ve found that matching a prospect’s energy level creates an immediate sense of understanding. When you communicate in their preferred style, they’re more likely to feel heard and respected, making the entire sales conversation more productive.

Take a cue from customers and match their tone of voice or energy levels to send a message of respect and foster a fundamental connection. You’re paying attention to how they prefer to receive information, not just what information you want to share.

3. Adopt their communication style.

Does your prospect want all the details about their purchase, contract, and payments up-front — or are they more concerned with the bigger picture? Do they seem more interested in small talk than sales numbers, or are they pressing for specifics?

Your ability to recognize and adapt to these preferences can make or break a sale.

Marty Bauer, director of sales and partnerships at Omnisend, describes this deeper level of mirroring:

“I call it advanced mirroring when I see the prospect’s energy imitated in every aspect of the interaction — body language, humor, problem-solving, even how they structure ideas. If the customer is enthusiastic, we positively reinforce it; if they’re analytical, we shift to a slower, fact-based approach.”

Pay close attention to how prospects process information. Some want to explore every detail of your proposal, while others prefer focusing on key outcomes. Don’t be afraid to abandon your standard pitch structure if it doesn’t match their thinking pattern.

The best salespeople are conversational chameleons. They can shift from high-level strategic discussions to detailed technical specifications based on their prospect’s preferences.

This flexibility shows prospects you’re genuinely interested in communicating on their terms, not just following a script. Also, validate your understanding by summarizing key points in their preferred style — whether that’s bullet-point specifics or broader conceptual frameworks.

4. Talk about shared experiences.

You can build rapport through shared experiences, whether discussing local events, industry challenges, or mutual professional interests. But there’s a balance between finding genuine connections and manufacturing false ones.

Michelle Nguyen from UpPromote demonstrates how to create authentic alignment: “We don’t just ask for referrals from fellow writers — I offer to give them too. It’s about understanding and really reflecting the viewpoint of our possible partners, not only about choosing the correct words.”

Before your sales conversations, do your homework. A quick LinkedIn review might reveal shared connections, similar career paths, or overlapping industry experience. These natural touchpoints create genuine opportunities for connection.

Focus on finding real common ground. This might be shared business challenges, similar market experiences, or mutual professional goals. Authentic connections, even small ones, build more trust than elaborate but artificial commonalities.

Pro tip: It’s better to acknowledge what you don’t know and show genuine curiosity than to bluff your way through a conversation. Your prospects will appreciate your honesty and transparency.

5. Use gesture recognition.

Many people have a specific gesture they repeatedly use for emphasis, such as a head nod, hand wave, or shoulder shrug. By recognizing this gesture, performing it occasionally, and mirroring the motion naturally to potential customers, sales pros can boost that person’s overall confidence and trust.

Matt Simmons from Inkthreadable shares this nuanced approach: “Does the prospect have a recurring hand gesture? Rather than directly match it immediately, wait until you’re covering a similar topic to what they did with the hand gesture and then bring it in. The key is making it feel natural and not forced.”

Think of gesture mirroring as learning a new dialect of body language. Just as you wouldn’t suddenly adopt someone’s accent mid-conversation, you shouldn’t abruptly copy their gestures. Instead, let these movements naturally blend into your communication style over time.

This subtle mirroring works because it creates physical harmony in the conversation without drawing attention to itself. When done right, it helps build unconscious rapport while keeping the focus on your message.

Incorporate Sales Mirroring Into Your Strategy

The most powerful connections happen when we stop trying to be perfect sales professionals and start being genuinely present with our prospects.

I used to overthink every gesture and word choice in sales calls. Now, I focus on one thing: listening to understand my prospect’s world. When I do this, the right words and gestures flow naturally. My prospects feel heard, and I close more deals.

Editor's note: The article was originally published in January 2021 and has since been updated for comprehensiveness.

Business Ethics — Why They Matter and How Your Company Can Get it Right [+Expert Tips]

Kasia Kowalska — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

When I worked at a SaaS company, one of my responsibilities was to create content — and there were dozens of articles that I created, which were also signed with my name. The articles featured plenty of first-person experiences.

After I left, a new person took over and replaced my name with theirs as the author. While this wasn’t illegal, was it ethical? That’s a subject for debate. From my perspective, unless a piece was ghostwritten, putting a new name simply because the original author left the company is not okay.

That’s just one example of a situation that could have been avoided by setting and following business ethics within the organization. Creating and documenting ethical practices can prevent more than “just” hard feelings. it can also protect your company from violating laws, treating your staff inequitably, and suffering from reputational damage.

Table of Contents

What are business ethics?

Why are business ethics important?

Principles of Business Ethics

How to Build an Ethical Business

What are business ethics?

Business ethics are the guidelines a company establishes that help teams make moral decisions. At the highest level, you can think of them as a cheat sheet for what each company defines as a “good” and “bad” practice.

So, why do you need them?

In my opinion, the best answer comes from Harvard University, which argues that business ethics comes down to “different interpretations of what’s ethical.” When faced with the same situation (especially a “gray area”), different people will decide on a different approach — that is, unless they have business ethics to lean on.

Why are business ethics important?

Business ethics relate to all groups — your investors, customers, and employees alike. Here are a few reasons why it’s worth putting them in place.

To Avoid Legal Consequences

Let’s start with the obvious — businesses that act unethically might face legal action. Volkswagen, the German car manufacturer, is the perfect example of how not to act. Back in 2015, they caused a scandal later known as “Dieselgate.”

To cheat on emission tests, the brand installed illegal software in its diesel cars. It detected when the vehicle was undergoing testing and altered its performance to meet regulatory standards. In reality, it emitted up to 40 times the allowed levels of pollutants during regular use. Volkswagen deliberately deceived consumers who were unaware of how much environmental harm their cars were causing.

The company faced lawsuits and had to pay $30 billion globally in settlements and regulatory penalties. Not only did the business suffer financially, but it also damaged its brand reputation.

To Build Customer Trust

I think that companies should treat customers’ trust like Fabergé eggs. Trust is fragile. Sometimes, the damage is irreversible.

While I’m sure you’ll agree that Volkswagen landed on its four feet and few people remember the scandal from a decade ago, some brand names will forever be tarnished (think: Wells Fargo, a bank that had to pay $3 billion for illegal and unethical practices).

Business ethics, such as fair treatment and transparency, hold everyone in your organization accountable for their actions. They help ensure that all the information you share with your clients (whether on the service, product, or the company itself) are true. The more open and honest you are, the stronger their belief in what you do.

To Improve Profit

As opposed to what many people think, it’s the ethical companies that make the most profit. People prefer to buy from brands that match their values, and they’re often willing to pay a premium price for ethical products or services.

Etisphere first launched the World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition program in 2006. Two decades later, brands like Pepsico, Aflac Incorporated, and Allianz were among the most ethical businesses in 2024. They also discovered that companies that prioritize business ethics outperformed their competitors by 12.3% between 2019 and 2024.

To Attract and Retain the Best Talent

This has become particularly noticeable post-pandemic. In the last few years, I’ve seen a few interesting studies that directly link employee retention and talent acquisition to company values.

The most eye-opening statistic I saw comes from Qualtrics, which found that 54% of workers would choose a lower-paying job if that meant they were working for a “more ethical” company.

I’ve seen this first-hand. At one of my previous companies, I worked with an incredibly skilled marketer who moved to our company from a large corporation. Initially, I thought they decided to move because they were offered a higher salary and the ever so cliché “opportunity to work in an innovative environment.”

Eventually, they told me they decided to leave the previous company for ours as the latter was much closer to their personal, ethical values — even though it came with a salary cut.

Principles of Business Ethics

1. Integrity

Acting with honesty and following strong moral principles irrespective of a business situation. This includes being truthful, transparent, and consistent. For example, staying away from deceptive marketing or financial reporting.

2. Fairness

Treating all stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, and competitors, equally and without discrimination. This includes offering the same opportunities to everyone, irrespective of their race, gender, or background.

3. Accountability

Taking responsibility for all business decisions — no matter their consequences — good or bad. For example, recognizing and fixing errors in a product or service.

4. Respect for Stakeholders

Acknowledging and respecting the rights and interests of all those affected by the business, like employees, customers, investors, and the community. For instance, offering a safe work environment and fair pay.

5. Transparency

Operating in an open and clear way and providing honest and accurate information to all stakeholders. For example, informing investors about financial performance and potential risks.

6. Compliance with Laws and Regulations

Following all relevant legal standards and avoiding any illegal activities.

You might be wondering if legal compliance should be an ethics’ pillar — after all, it’s not a company choice but a necessity. I believe it should. Many local and global regulations prevent businesses from engaging in illegal and unethical behavior. They help companies take a stance on important topics like equal opportunities and data privacy.

7. Sustainability

Running a business in a way that minimizes its negative impact on the environment and society. This is one of the newer principles, which became particularly important with global and local net-zero pledges. The goal of this principle is two-fold:

It ensures that the organization helps preserve resources for future generations.

It prevents any “greenwashing” attempts within the business and secures it from reputational damage.

8. Loyalty

Being faithful in commitments made to customers, employees, and other stakeholders, while also avoiding conflicts of interest.

A great example can be respecting confidentiality in client relationships — not only because the contract requires it, but also to show integrity and retain trust.

9. Empathy

Understanding and addressing the needs and concerns of stakeholders with compassion and consideration. This shows respect towards everyone who makes up the business as well as its clients.

For example, you could show your pledge towards empathy by supporting employees and customers during economic downturns.

10. Commitment to Excellence

Striving for high-quality performance and constant improvement in all aspects of business operations. This is an umbrella term for a number of approaches, like regularly upskilling your staff, auditing your existing processes, or constantly exploring new technologies that can make you more competitive and ethical.

How to Build an Ethical Business

So, how to make sure you run your business ethically? I’ve asked a few experts to share their thoughts.

Make transparency your priority.

First of all, it’s absolutely necessary to keep transparency at the top of your mind and let it guide you in all your actions. Being transparent should keep you out of trouble — after all, if you’re not doing anything wrong, you won’t have anything to hide.

Joy Aumann, a licensed realtor (CIPS), interior designer, and founder of LUXURYSOCALREALTY, told me that she made it a priority to be transparent and make sure clients know exactly what they’re stepping into. Whether it’s discussing a property’s features, its potential, or even its limitations, being upfront builds trust and prevents future surprises.

“I’ve had buyers appreciate that I’ll walk them through every detail, from disclosures to local market insights, without glossing over anything. For example, I once worked with a client purchasing a coastal home. Instead of focusing solely on its beauty, I outlined details about flood zones and long-term upkeep costs. They valued the transparency and said it gave them confidence in their decision,” Aumann said.

David Hunter, the founder of Local Falcon, also agrees that ethics in business mean being upfront with people, even if it makes you uncomfortable.

“Early on, I worked with a small business that wanted quick results from SEO. Instead of selling them a dream, I broke down the process honestly — how rankings take time, what they could expect, and why shortcuts would hurt them later. They stuck with us because we were clear from day one. That experience reinforced how far transparency goes in building trust,” said Hunter.

Embed “doing the ‘right’ thing” in your culture.

This approach, as Dominick Tomanelli, CEO of Promobile Marketing, told me, is all about making the right, ethical choices feel like second nature for your employees. Naturally, this isn’t something that happens overnight. Like all habits, it takes time and practice to know straight away how to reflect your company’s values consistently, even under time pressure.

“At Promobile Marketing, we started with a clear code of conduct, shaped with input from our team. This involvement gave everyone ownership over our values,” Tomanelli said. He also underlines that — even with the best ethical guidelines in hand — you might be caught off guard in a new situation.

That’s why the team at Promobile Marketing regularly meets to hold discussions about the ethical dilemmas they come across. “This allows us to learn from one another,” he added.

Make ethics part of your values.

This one probably won’t come as a surprise. If you make ethics part of your values, then those who are part of the business will feel more obliged to follow them. Mark Hirsch, Personal Injury Lawyer at Temple & Hirsch, suggested starting with distinct, actionable values to guarantee that operations are founded on ethical principles.

“Integrity, transparency, and accountability are the guiding principles of all interactions at our firm, from managing team dynamics to resolving client cases. To guarantee impartiality in legal proceedings and prevent conflicts of interest, we implement rigorous compliance protocols,” added Hirsch.

Stay true to your values.

Walking away from an attractive deal for the sake of staying true to your commitments is, arguably, the biggest test for your business ethics. The leaders I spoke to repetitively told me that no amount of money is worth compromising the integrity and trust they’ve built.

"Over our 20 years in business, we’ve faced situations where honesty was at stake,” admitted Jessica Munday, CEO and founder at Trio Solutions. “Once, we encountered a real estate developer whose practices raised red flags. Despite the potential revenue, we trusted our intuition and ended the partnership.”

Munday told me that walking away from an unethical opportunity ultimately makes you feel relieved, as you know you’ve made the right choice.

Ricardo Batista, co-founder and CEO at FidForward, agrees with this approach. He told me, “Never bend your policy, even for paying customers — like Apple's firm stance against government pressure.”

He said that his company, which offers an employee feedback platform, recently faced pressure from one of its clients.

“They requested access to private feedback data from a problematic case, seeking to justify an employee's dismissal,” Batista said. “We firmly refused to break our privacy promise, even at the risk of losing the contract.”

He explained to the customer that violating this policy would destroy the platform’s credibility and prevent honest feedback from all future users — not just for theirs but also for other companies.

“Fortunately, the customer understood our position and respected our commitment to privacy,” Batista added.

Lead by example.

I’m sure that, based on the previous tip, you can see that business ethics start right at the top. Naturally, not all decisions will take place with the involvement of department leaders or even the C-suite. Yet, the most lucrative opportunities on the table most probably will.

“Ethical operations truly start and end with leadership, because we set the tone for everything that happens in our daily operations,” said Elisa Montanari, head of organic growth at Wrike.

Montanari notes that companies have codes of conduct, and leaders need to model those behaviors – or even go beyond them. Your staff needs to see that your actions are fair and transparent and that you’re accountable in every interaction. The actions of a leader flow down to every single employee.

Montanari also underlined that you need to be strong enough to admit that you’ve made mistakes — ideally, as soon as possible. “Even before taking the steps to correct them,” she added.

Ensure transparency in pricing.

This is an absolute-must have, as — in my experience — operating on the basis of a vague pricing plan can lead to irreversible damage.

In the mid-2000s, I was part of a team that reached out to the company’s existing customers, offering them a free trial of a new tool. We presented the costs of a monthly plan but reassured them that the contract would not auto-renew after the free trial period had ended.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, and even we as the customer-facing team weren’t aware of this fact. I don’t have information on how many clients the company lost due to this situation. Yet, I remember how unhappy most of them were when they reached out to complain about their credit cards being charged.

On the flip side, if you can lay out each and every term and condition for your offer, you can quickly gain market trust. That’s the case of Eyeglasses.com, as Mark Agnew, the company’s founder and CEO, explains.

“In my experience, strong ethics need to be a central part of a company's culture. As the CEO of Eyeglasses.com, I‘ve always prioritized transparency in our pricing, making sure customers understand what they’re paying for. There's no hiding or misleading — customers can access high-quality eyewear without being trapped in high-cost insurance plans,” Agnew said.

He told me that the best example of how much transparency can play out in your favor is his company’s NewVision Benefits Plan.

“We launched it to provide affordable and transparent vision benefits directly to corporations,” Agnew said. “This ethical approach has not only differentiated us from our competitors but also enabled us to build long-term trust with our customers.”

Foster a conversation about ethics with your team.

Your team needs to know what being ethical means to the business and how it impacts their jobs. This includes telling them what’s deemed unethical.

Bob Schulte, CEO at Bryt Software, told me that they hold workshops with their engineering teams twice a year to ensure responsible innovation remains a cornerstone of their work.

“During one session, an engineer raised concerns about how an update to Bryt’s Document Management feature might impact user privacy. This sparked a meaningful discussion that ultimately led us to design a more transparent solution and utilize Azure’s advanced tech stack,” said Schulte.

Moments like these remind him why fostering open conversations is so important and that's exactly what he recommends. The company is also looking to leverage AI tools that will guide ethical decision-making in real-time, helping them evaluate choices through the lens of their core values.

Embed transparency into your supply chain.

I’ve mentioned earlier that it’s important that transparency guides all business decisions, and this also applies to the supply chain. CellaBeauty’s operations are grounded in ethics.

The company’s Director of Operations, Rachel Lynch, said that “one pivotal moment came when we partnered with a new raw material supplier. During an audit, we discovered gaps in their labor practices. Instead of terminating the partnership immediately, we worked collaboratively to help them implement fair labor standards, ensuring workers were paid and treated fairly.”

Thanks to this approach, the company was able to uphold ethical commitment while fostering growth for the supplier.

“The team learned that ethics isn’t just about policies and creating real-world impact. Transparency in sourcing, producing, and communicating has strengthened trust with our customers and internal team, reinforcing that doing the right thing always pays off,” she added.

Build and share data usage dashboards for your employees and stakeholders.

Arne Helgesen, CTO at Sharecat, shared with us a tip that he thinks is unconventional — to implement transparent data usage dashboards that allow employees and stakeholders to see how their data is being used and protected.

According to Helgesen, this not only promotes ethical operations

13 AI Business Ideas for Entrepreneurs

HubSpot Blog Growth Team — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Trying to get in on the AI boom probably feels a bit like traveling to California in the 1840s to get your hands on some gold.

Ok, sure, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I can see why entrepreneurs might find it daunting to come up with an AI business idea at the moment since many others are doing the same.

There‘s nothing to fear, though, because, spoiler alert, there is still space for you to take your claim. In this piece, I’ll review the current state of the AI market and share a few AI business ideas for entrepreneurs interested in entering the AI world.

Table of Contents

The AI Startup Market in 2025

AI Business Ideas

Are there too many AI startups?

The AI Startup Market in 2025

Recent research found that AI adoption increased by 44% in 2024, jumping to 72% after sitting comfortably at 50% for six years. Another survey found that 79% of corporate strategies think technologies (including AI) will be critical to their success over the next two years.

What’s more, the AI market grew to more than 184 billion USD in 2024, up from 50 billion in just 2023—that’s a 268 percent increase.

I’m not surprised by these stats, and they only mean one thing: AI is booming.

How Companies Are Currently Using AI

AI usage varies across industries, departments, and even among individual users.

Overall, our HubSpot research shows that generative AI is one of the most common applications of AI, especially among marketers who use it for content creation and salespeople (who say generative AI is their most leveraged tool).

Other organizations report regularly using generative AI for tasks like content support, identifying leads, and personalizing experiences.

Consumers can also use generative AI for personal needs. For example, I could use Claude to help me brainstorm title ideas for this blog post, and then use it to help me plan my next vacation.

Other popular use cases for AI across different industries include:

Customer service teams using chatbots and virtual assistants to handle routine and repetitive customer inquiries.

Ecommerce and retail businesses using algorithms to learn consumer preferences and offer personalized shopping and browsing experiences.

Financial institutions using cybersecurity tools to detect and prevent network threats in real-time.

Healthcare providers using AI for medical imaging and analyzing patient health records for accurate treatment and diagnosis plans.

AI Business Ideas

I promise that this is my last historical reference, but people have said that the current AI boom will have similar effects to the industrial revolution.

And, if I’m remembering my high school history correctly, an AI “industrial revolution” means a significant business opportunity for you, an entrepreneur, to launch an AI business.

If you want to get a slice of the AI market cake, take a look at this list of 13 AI business ideas I’ve come up with and see what piques your interest.

Note: These are not fully developed ideas. If you find one of interest, use my outline as a baseline for all the other starting-a-business requirements.

1. AI-powered Local Business Assistant

Your AI-powered local business assistant helps small businesses automate routine practices, freeing up time to focus on building relationships with local clientele. Business-specific intelligence can also help with customer service, inventory management, and localized marketing tips.

Why It Works: I think this AI-business stands out from the crowd because existing tools that offer similar features can come with a higher price point, which doesn’t cater to the smaller-scale needs of local businesses.

2. Dynamic Education Platform

Personalization is the best way to offer AI to the education system, and your dynamic education platform could personalize the learning process by identifying learning gaps, offering real-time pace adjustment, and giving parents and teachers dashboards for progress tracking.

Why It Works: Educational institutions have continued to offer the hybrid learning models that arose during the pandemic, but it can be challenging to keep learners on track if they’re not in a classroom. This business meets the needs of those looking to provide the same level of education, regardless of where a student is.

3. Legal Research Assistant

An AI-powered legal research assistant uses algorithms trained on historical legal data to help professionals search for and quickly find the case law, statutes, and precedent data they need to be successful at work.

You can set yourself apart from other businesses (and general generative tools) by catering to specific legal fields (like corporate law, tax law, fraud, etc.)

Why It Works: Lawyers and attorneys spend significant time researching case law and finding supporting precedence for their cases. You’d give people time back with a trusty sidekick that helps quickly find what they need.

4. Fashion Design Assistant

This tool uses historical data (trends, fashion images, patterns, etc.) and social listening to uncover current cultural conversations to give trend predictions and identify business opportunities. Focusing on a specific fashion vertical will set your business apart from companies or tools that offer similar functions.

Why It Works: Traditional trend research requires sifting through a significant number of sources and can be time-consuming. This tool is a fashion expert's trusty sidekick, and it surfaces patterns, trends, and suggestions faster.

5. Content Localization Tool

Your AI-powered content localization tool helps businesses adapt content across cultures and languages. It can offer dialect-specific translation, market messaging localization, and context-aware translations.

Why It Works: Every business that hopes to expand its global reach needs to accurately communicate with audiences, beyond simple translation.

6. Construction Project Optimizer

With this business, you’d offer a tool that analyzes building plans and to help identify potential issues before construction begins, optimize resource allocation and scheduling, and automate progress reporting for stakeholders.

Why It Works: Delays that cause productivity issues are a significant pain point for the construction industry, and technological solutions can help contractors, architects, and all relevant stakeholders optimize their strategies.

7. Restaurant Operations Assistant

Your AI-powered platform for restaurants helps streamline and automate tasks like inventory ordering and ingredient needs, market informed menu pricing, and staffing recommendations based on past customer flow.

Why It Works: Restaurants can operate on thin margins, so a tool that helps optimize spending and staffing needs can help managers and owners make the right decisions and better serve customers.

8. Patient Scheduling Tool

An AI-powered scheduling system uses historical appointment data (from patients and providers) to optimize scheduling and time slot allocations.

Why It Works: Manual appointment scheduling is prone to human error. An algorithm trained on medical provider or provider office appointment history wastes less time for patients and providers.

9. Route and Logistics Planner

Sellers want buyers to get their products in a timely manner, but shipping interruptions can prevent that. This tool optimizes logistics by analyzing historical trip data to suggest the best routes, track progress, and ensure timely deliveries to help sellers meet customer expectations.

Why It Works: Regular GPS systems monitor traffic patterns and give route adjustments, but this tool focuses on the needs of truck freight shipping and gives suggestions and recommendations that follow truck roads.

10. Personalized Guest Management

Your reservation management tool generates personalized recommendations for hotel guests and uses predictive analytics and individual preferences to suggest booking adjustments.

Why It Works: Hospitality faces ever-increasing customer expectations, and this tool helps you help businesses meet personalization desires.

The ten ideas I just went over incorporate AI into the service you offer customers.

The next three are still AI business ideas, but AI plays a greater part in helping you with your day-to-day operations, rather than being a customer-facing tool.

11. AI Support Agency

An AI support agency helps businesses identify areas where implementing AI will streamline processes and save time. You can dive into their workflows, pinpoint where automation can be helpful, and help create usage and best practice documentation so all employees understand how and when to use their tools.

Why It Works: A challenge businesses face with AI adoption is understanding how and where to implement it. With this business, you’ll help organizations overcome this challenge — you just have to figure out what industry you want to work in.

12. AI Training Data Provider

For this business, you’d help companies process, categorize, and clean up the training data they’d need to build their own AI tools (like a custom GPT). For example, if a regional healthcare network is creating a custom tool for coding medical procedures, you can analyze its historical data, clean it up, and format it so it’s optimal for AI training.

Why It Works: A bottleneck to AI adoption is having quality training data. As more and more businesses look to adopt AI into their workflows, you’re poised to meet that need. To stand out from the crowd, I recommend choosing a select few industries to operate in so you can have the focused expertise that high-performing AI businesses need.

13. Synthetic Data Provider

With this business, you’ll use AI to create synthetic data sets that mimic the real-world data sets companies use to gain critical insights, improve the performance of their own AI tools, and collaborate with stakeholders.

Why It Works: All businesses rely on data to run their operations, so providing synthetic data helps them do so while maintaining compliance and prioritizing data privacy. If you go this route, I recommend selecting a specific industry you’ll support because this type of specialization will set you apart from competitors.

Are there too many AI startups?

So, you have an idea for an AI business, but now you’re wondering; are there already too many AI startups out there?

My answer is no—there aren’t too many AI businesses, there are just too many general AI businesses. For example, there are many tools that aren’t too challenging for multiple businesses to create (like image generators), so there are a wide variety to choose from.

What there is a lack of is specialized solutions. Tools that serve a specific purpose or industry aren’t as common, which is exactly where the untapped potential lives for entrepreneurs. (This is why I mentioned the importance of having a specialized focus in most of the ideas I listed above.)

When it comes down to it, what makes high-performing AI startups (now and in the future) high-performing, are elements like:

Founders and teams that have domain expertise and a comprehensive understanding of the niche they’re serving so they can clearly identify pain points and build solutions that meet those needs.

Unique and proprietary algorithms.

A novel technical approach.

Access to unique or specialized data sets that bring a competitive edge.

If you want to launch your own AI business, my top recommendation is to dive deep into an industry you’re knowledgeable about. You’ll have an easier time identifying and filling gaps in the market. Being well informed in the industry you’ll operate in also builds credibility—you wouldn’t ask a mechanic for help with a root canal, right?

If the niche you’re interested in is more saturated, focus on specialized solutions that nobody else offers. Lock in on one or a few specific use cases where you can outshine your competitors.

Over to You

It's clear to me that the AI market will only continue to grow. If your next entrepreneurial move is an AI business, your path to success is finding a key differentiator to set yourself apart.

The best AI startups will focus on solving a specific problem and meet a clear and unique market need.

How Pipeline Meetings Can Be a Coaching Opportunity — Tips for Leveling Up Your Team

jjordan@vantagepointperformance.com (Jason Jordan) — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

As a sales manager, I have pipeline meetings often. But along the way, I’ve learned that pipeline review meetings can be an incredible coaching opportunity — you just have to approach it right.

Let’s start with an analogy: You wouldn’t expect a rookie with no training to pick up a bat in a major league baseball game and knock it out of the park on his first try. Similarly, if a sales manager is only spending 30 minutes a month coaching each of their reps, it’s unreasonable to think that the manager is going to improve rep performance.

But these pipeline reviews should be true coaching sessions — not data-scrubbing meetings. I’ve found salespeople become more capable of closing deals only when managers actively coach them, not when they’re badgered about getting the forecast right. Unfortunately, many pipeline conversations resemble the latter more than the former.

Today, I’ll review the best pipeline coaching strategies and share some tips from my experience along the way.

Table of Contents

What is pipeline coaching?

How to Conduct a Pipeline Review That Actually Moves Deals Forward

Pipeline Coaching Strategy Tips

Turn Strategy Into Action With Pipeline Coaching

What is pipeline coaching?

Pipeline coaching is when a sales manager mentors a rep during a pipeline review, focusing on deal strategy rather than just forecasting. Instead of only tracking numbers, the conversation should center around:

How to improve deal conversion rates.

Addressing common roadblocks in the sales process.

Coaching reps on outreach, follow-ups, and closing techniques.

Numbers alone don’t help reps improve. They need guidance on how to move deals forward. Effective pipeline coaching ensures that every conversation adds value, helping reps navigate objections, refine their approach, and close more deals.

Importance of Pipeline Coaching

Pipeline coaching is one of the most powerful tools a sales manager has. Why? Because it directly impacts:

Forecast accuracy. Reduces pipeline bloat by helping reps focus on real opportunities.

Deal velocity. Helps move deals through the pipeline faster by eliminating roadblocks.

Win rates. Ensures reps are properly qualifying leads and closing the right deals.

Without effective coaching, reps waste time on bad opportunities, miss key buying signals, and struggle to close.

But here’s the problem: Most pipeline meetings aren’t coaching sessions. They’re status updates. Reps list off deals, managers listen, and nothing changes.

Leslie Venetz, Founder of The Sales-Led GTM Agency, sees this all the time. She puts it bluntly, “Instead, use pipeline meetings as a way to dig into where deals are not converting. Uncover trends and use it as an opportunity to provide reps specific coaching on nuanced elements of the sales cycle.”

So, what does good pipeline coaching look like? I’ll get into it in the next section.

How to Conduct a Pipeline Review That Actually Moves Deals Forward

The last thing salespeople need is another meeting that doesn’t add value. A poorly run pipeline review can feel like just another calendar block filled with status updates that no one actually benefits from. That’s why I focus on making every pipeline review a high-impact working session — something that actually helps reps close deals.

For reps, this means getting real support in the areas they need most — whether that’s overcoming objections, multi-threading effectively, or re-engaging stalled prospects.

For managers, it’s an opportunity to coach with intention, identify deal patterns, and help the team make real progress.

Here’s how to make sure every pipeline review delivers value.

1. Start with preparation.

A great pipeline review starts before the meeting even begins.

I fully agree with Venetz’s advice here: Reps should come in prepared with 2-3 areas where they need support. This flips the conversation from a passive update to an active coaching session.

For example, instead of a rep saying, “I have a deal at 50% likelihood of closing,” she should be saying, “I’m struggling to get buy-in from the CFO. I’ve built a strong case with the VP of Sales, but I need help navigating the financial objections.”

Now, instead of just reviewing raw numbers and CRM updates, you’re strategizing together on how to win the deal.

2. Focus on conversions instead of updates.

If your pipeline meeting is just a rundown of open deals, you’re doing it wrong.

Look for patterns. Are deals stalling at the same stage? Are certain accounts ghosting reps after a proposal? Is there a common objection that keeps surfacing?

Instead of asking, “How many deals are in your pipeline?” I recommend asking:

Which deals have stalled, and why?

Where are you losing the most opportunities?

What’s keeping this deal from moving forward?

By shifting the focus from what’s in the pipeline to why it’s not converting, you uncover real coaching opportunities that actually improve performance.

3. Give your reps ownership.

A pipeline review shouldn’t feel like an interrogation. If reps are just responding to your questions, they’re not thinking critically about their deals.

Flip the script — let them lead. Instead of managers running the meeting, I like to give reps some ownership in the discussion, asking questions about:

Deals that are at risk (“I think I’m about to lose this one — here’s why”).

Areas they need help with (“I struggle with urgency — what’s the best way to create it?”).

Their strategy for moving deals forward (“I’ve had success multi-threading — here’s how I did it”).

I’ve learned that these tactics help shift meetings from status updates to real problem-solving. And more importantly, reps walk away with clear next steps instead of just passive feedback.

4. Focus on next steps — not just strategy.

A deal with no momentum is a deal that’s going nowhere. If a rep says they’re “waiting to hear back,” that’s a red flag.

Challenge them to be more proactive:

“Just checking in…” → “I know this is a key priority for Q2 — would you be open to a quick call to align on next steps?”

“They’re thinking it over.” → “Who else needs to be involved in the decision-making process?”

If a deal is sitting stagnant, push for clarity:

What’s the plan to re-engage?

Who else can we bring into the conversation?

What’s stopping them from deciding today?

Now you’ve got the basics on how to run a pipeline review meeting — next I’ll share some expert tips to help you improve your strategy.

Pipeline Coaching Strategy Tips

Once you’ve structured your pipeline meetings to be more than just a forecast review, the next step is optimizing your coaching approach. I’ll share three key strategies to make your pipeline coaching more effective and results-driven.

1. Talk about early-stage and late-stage deals.

Even though it’s tempting to only address the deals about to close, I think it’s important to spend time on deals early in the selling process as well. Why? It’s an opportunity to get bad deals out of the pipeline early so reps don’t waste their time and to offer reps some valuable insight.

Obviously, closing is the final (or second-to-last, if you count retention) step of a sales process, and a sales pipeline represents the sum of a rep’s opportunities — along with where they stand in each stage of that progression.

If a rep is going to learn, grow, and ultimately become as well-rounded a salesperson as possible, they need to have perspective on their opportunities at every stage — even if they don’t all end in closed-won deals.

That doesn’t mean you have to dig into a thorough investigation of every last qualified lead in a rep’s pipeline during these kinds of meetings — but you shouldn’t focus exclusively on late-stage deals either.

I think it’s a tough balance to strike — as you don’t want to exhaust too much of your and your rep’s time — but a rep’s pipeline isn’t limited to the home stretch. Make sure you cover those additional, earlier bases as well.

What I like: Sales managers can have a greater impact on a deal in its early days, increasing the likelihood of earning the business.

2. Spend more time on fewer deals.

The natural inclination of sales managers is to get through the entire pipeline during each meeting, but in my opinion, this isn’t the best use of time. I recommend focusing intensely on a handful of deals, and doing a deep dive into each — the competition, the buyers in the organization, the rep’s approach, and so on.

As I touched on in the previous section, you don’t want to spend too much time on pipeline coaching — especially if you have a larger team of reps to account for. You’ll stretch yourself too thin, and in many cases, too much pipeline coaching can have diminishing returns.

When it comes down to it, discerning which deals in a rep’s pipeline deserve extra attention is a judgment call. If possible, I would try to strike a balance between highlighting some wins and constructively touching on some deals that show room for improvement.

Example: Rather than skimming over 20 deals in one meeting, spend 15-20 minutes breaking down two or three critical opportunities. If a rep is struggling with an enterprise deal, walk through a step-by-step strategy to navigate the complex buying process.

There’s something to be learned from both opportunities that go well and ones that don’t pan out — so try to offer a mix if possible. That said, don’t indiscriminately cover every last opportunity in depth each time you have one of these meetings. You’ll likely wind up being redundant and wasting time if you go that road.

What I like: A manager can change the trajectory of a deal if it’s at risk of going awry or address emerging problems.

3. Coach more, inspect data less.

Managers who have been promoted from reps earned their management role by selling well, not inspecting data well. And yet, data-scrubbing is often the focus of pipeline management meetings. While accurate data is important, more time should be allotted to coaching reps through deals than cleaning up the numbers.

If you can, use data to inform the coaching session as opposed to dominating it — let the numbers guide where the conversation goes, but don’t just sit there rattling off figures and then sending reps on their way when you’re done.

Pro tip: “Coaching requires a leader who comes prepared to offer insights, ask questions, make space for role-playing or brainstorming, and lead the rep to better outcomes because they understand WHY they need to change their habits to get better outcomes,” says Venetz.

Corny as this might sound, sales is — at its core — a fundamentally human practice. Any data your sales org gathers is ultimately people-driven. If a rep’s numbers aren’t where they should be, use that as a starting point in a pipeline coaching session.

From there, you can dig into the elements of their efforts that might be skewing those figures away from their goals. There’s a difference between simply relaying information to a rep and helping them make sense of it. Be constructive — and teach more than you dictate.

What I like: By spending less time inspecting data, your sales managers can mentor reps on their process and give advice about live deals.

Turn Strategy Into Action With Pipeline Coaching

Overall, a good pipeline review session is more forward- than backward-looking. I like to influence live deals today rather than merely documenting their outcomes later. Hopefully some of these tips inspire you in your next pipeline review session.

By focusing on early-stage deals, prioritizing deeper coaching, and shifting away from pure data inspection, you turn pipeline coaching into a powerful tool that drives results for your team.

5 Bad Sales Behaviors Holding You Back — According to the Pros

Dagny Dukach — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Over the course of my career, I’ve learned firsthand that practicing good sales behaviors is essential for success … and that bad sales behaviors can sink an entire sales org.

Developing good sales behaviors yourself and helping your team improve is the hallmark of an effective sales professional. But it’s hard to know how to get better when you don’t know what you’re doing wrong.

That’s why I wrote this article. In this post, I’ll start by walking through five of the most common bad sales behaviors that hold promising salespeople back. Then, I’ll discuss some of my top good sales behaviors to nurture, as well as strategies to monitor and improve sales behaviors on your team.

Table of Contents

Bad Sales Behavior to Kill

Good Sales Behaviors to Practice and Nurture

How to Monitor and Improve Sales Behaviors in Your Team

Bad Sales Behavior to Kill

1. Getting Stuck in “Reacting” Mode

The number one bad sales behavior that I’ve seen hinder otherwise promising salespeople is getting stuck in “reacting” mode. Too often, sellers wait passively for leads to find them. Rather than proactively reaching out and building relationships with prospects, these reactive salespeople just wait around for a perfectly teed-up opportunity to come their way.

This approach is understandable. After all, it’s a lot less work than actively connecting with potential buyers. However, experts agree that reactive salespeople are likely to be constantly playing catch-up to their proactive competitors.

In his comprehensive book Sales Management. Simplified., Sales Coach Mike Weinberg argues that “probably the most common and damaging driver of salespeople being perceived and treated simply as vendors is being late to a sales opportunity.” Weinberg notes that to be seen as a valuable consultant rather than just someone trying to make a quick buck, it’s essential for salespeople to be proactive, taking the initiative to share insights and earn their seat at the table before the customer is ready to buy.

Source

2. Focusing on the Product

Another common failure mode is an excessive focus on the product. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen well-meaning salespeople put their product front and center in an initial pitch, going on and on about its many features and benefits without even stopping once to check if it’s what the customer really needs.

Again, I can understand how salespeople fall into this trap. If you’re excited about the product you sell and you truly believe in its potential to add value, it’s only natural to get a little carried away when telling a prospect about it.

However, to move from that initial conversation to a closed deal, it’s essential to balance a healthy focus on the product with a focus on the people. As Sales Coach Nick Kane explains, “Unless your product is revolutionary, like the first smartphone, it’s only marginally different from the competition. On its own, there’s not much to distinguish it from the others.”

Kane continues, “That’s why a product-focused strategy is limited. Instead, even the best products need a sales strategy centered around the people who sell.”

If you focus too much on the product, you’re liable to send the message that all you care about is selling. Instead, it’s critical to demonstrate that you’re truly invested in understanding and delivering what the customer actually needs.

3. Forgetting the Basics of Sales Calls

As a sales professional, I believe strongly in the importance of ongoing learning and development. It’s essential to stay up to date with the latest trends, from the impact of AI tools to industry shifts that may be affecting your customers. That being said, it’s also vital to remember the basics.

Specifically, one of the most common bad sales behaviors I’ve witnessed from otherwise high-achieving salespeople is to completely forget the basics of how to conduct an effective sales call. For example, I’ve seen sales reps fail to establish an agenda, jump right to a demo without getting buy-in first from the prospect, and go through an entire call without asking a single question.

Basic errors like these can make it seem like the salesperson is just there to pitch a product, rather than to learn about the customer’s needs and establish a relationship with them, ultimately making them come across as self-interested and untrustworthy.

As Weinberg puts it, “You don’t earn a seat as the expert or consultant at the customer’s table when you’re viewed as a pitchman better suited to doing infomercials than to helping your customer address business challenges.” Forgetting the basics of sales calls is a great way to sink a potential client relationship before it even begins.

4. Ignoring Objections

Many of us like to focus on the positive — but when it comes to sales, ignoring the negative is not a recipe for success. On the contrary, it’s impossible to address prospects’ objections to your offering if you don’t know what they are.

While it may feel a little uncomfortable, asking probing questions to better understand why a customer is hesitant to move forward is a key part of a good sales rep’s job. Indeed, sales coach Jeet Vadher points out that “addressing objections effectively helps build trust, as it shows that you’re listening to their concerns and offering thoughtful, informed solutions.”

Vadher further notes that “when you handle objections with insight and clarity, you reinforce your role as a problem solver, not just a seller.” At the end of the day, Vadher argues that “objection handling is not just about closing the deal. It’s about creating an ongoing relationship with your customer.”

Source

While it may be tempting to bury your head in the sand and refocus the conversation on the positive, being willing to discuss customers’ objections is a necessary step to overcoming them.

If you’re still not sure, just ask yourself: Do you want to know what it will take to get your customer to buy? Or would you rather they just walk away without any explanation? If you ignore the prospect’s objections, you’ll have no way to figure out what it will take to turn their no into a yes.

5. Never Saying No

You may have heard that the customer is always right — but that doesn’t mean the salesperson can never say “no.”

On the contrary, one of the worst sales behaviors I’ve seen is an unwillingness to push back on a customer. While it’s always important to be respectful, it’s also essential for salespeople to know how to refuse an unreasonable request or how to suggest an alternative to an uninformed customer.

In some cases, this may mean turning down a prospect entirely. For example, Entrepreneur and Sales Expert Michelle Weinstein speaks eloquently to the importance of saying no when a customer isn’t a good fit, sharing, “I know that the temptation to accept every client that comes your way is high, especially when you find yourself in a financial pickle. You’ve got bills to pay. Rent is due. And you don’t have another deal in sight. It’s scarcity mentality at its worst, and it can shake you to the core. But believe it or not, if you accept a client out of sheer desperation, you might be setting yourself up for an even bigger disaster than not making rent this month.”

In other cases, a prospect may be a good lead, but it’s still important to set healthy boundaries and learn to say “no” when they ask for a last-minute demo, demand yet another discount, or make other unreasonable requests. As entrepreneur Theresa Delgado explains, “Whether it's declining unrealistic demands, setting boundaries, or redirecting your priorities, knowing how to say no tactfully and professionally is crucial for long-term success.”

Good Sales Behaviors to Practice and Nurture

So far, we’ve covered what not to do. But what are the good sales behaviors that set top-performing salespeople apart? Below, I’ll go through some of my favorite expert-approved good sales behaviors to practice and nurture.

1. Qualifying Leads

In my experience, one of the most critical behaviors of a successful salesperson is qualifying leads. Rather than simply assuming that anyone who gets on the phone with you is a potential customer, it’s essential to take the time to qualify each prospect you connect with.

Indeed, as Jack Bowerman, senior marketing manager for the prospecting platform Surfe, argues, “Qualifying leads effectively makes sure you’re investing your time in the right prospects — which improves the overall success rate of the deals you close.” In other words, if you don’t qualify your leads effectively, you’re likely to waste a lot of time talking to the wrong people.

2. Building Relationships

Of course, sales isn’t just about determining who is qualified to be a potential customer. Once you’ve qualified a lead, it’s essential to start cultivating a relationship with them.

Building relationships starts with building rapport. That means demonstrating curiosity about the person you’re talking to, asking questions, and making the effort to learn more about them and their challenges. Aja Frost, HubSpot’s director of global growth, notes that “to build rapport, sales reps typically practice active listening to successfully uncover prospects’ needs and form a relationship.”

Source

In addition to active listening, sales reps can build strong relationships by following best practices such as fostering trust by mirroring the prospect’s body language and speech patterns, demonstrating empathy by sharing common experiences, and emphasizing their dedication and expertise by researching the lead and their industry in advance.

3. Demonstrating Value

In his comprehensive overview of the concept of value selling, Founder and CEO of the Harris Consulting Group Richard Harris takes the controversial stance that “sales hasn’t changed since the days of merchants trading their wares in Mesopotamia.”

How can that be? Harris clarifies, “Sure, we may have more (powerful) sales tools and new methodologies. We’re even starting to harness AI to predict buyer behavior and respond to it more quickly. But, strip away all the nuanced strategy and tech, and sales remains simple: Identify a need and show how your product or solution meets that need while delivering positive economic impact.”

At its core, selling is all about demonstrating value. Whether you’re selling a product or a service, a B2B offering or mass market B2C merchandise, I’ve learned that making a sale always boils down to demonstrating the value you can add to your customer.

To do so, Harris recommends doing your research before every call to ensure you’re prepared to ask probing questions. Then, during the conversation, he suggests prioritizing active listening and empathy, to help you understand the problems the prospect is facing. And finally, Harris reminds us to “avoid the hard sell:” Rather than desperately trying to close the deal at all costs, great salespeople work together with their prospects to identify the best way to add value.

4. Serving Customers

Hand in hand with demonstrating value is serving the customer. In my experience, great salespeople know that selling isn’t just about closing deals — it’s about truly prioritizing the needs of the customer throughout their customer journey.

As Sales Expert Amy Bradley explains, “Sales success hinges on more than just transactions. It’s about creating lasting connections with your customers.”

To create those lasting connections, Bradley recommends several strategies, including establishing your expertise and credibility, following up consistently, and customizing your communications for each prospect. By serving the customer in these ways, salespeople can build relationships that are genuine, sustainable, and truly mutually beneficial.

5. Leveraging AI

Finally, in recent years, I’ve seen AI transform from just another hype cycle to an incredibly impactful sales tool. That’s why no list of good sales behaviors would be complete without including leveraging AI and automation.

This can take many forms. From a tool that helps automate prospecting to AI-generated call scripts and emails, there are countless ways in which today’s top salespeople have begun to use AI to save themselves time and boost productivity.

In fact, according to HubSpot’s latest State of AI report, nearly half of sales professionals currently use some form of AI at work, and more than three out of four believe that by 2030, most people will use AI or automation to assist them in their jobs.

Source

As such, it’s hardly surprising that University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Colleen McClure believes that “AI technologies are helping to augment every phase of the sales process, especially as it relates to complex B2B sales.”

AI is making a major impact on the world of sales — so it’s imperative for today’s salespeople to learn to leverage these new tools and technologies.

How to Monitor and Improve Sales Behaviors in Your Team

Knowing what to do (and what not to do) on an individual level is important. But what does it take to monitor and improve sales behaviors on a team? There are no shortcuts or one-size-fits-all solutions, but I’ve found that the strategies below can help managers support their teams, ultimately boosting both engagement and productivity.

1. Set clear expectations.

Your team can’t read your mind. If you want your sales reps to follow certain processes, hit certain targets, or engage in certain behaviors, it’s vital to tell them.

That means setting clear expectations and quantifying those expectations whenever possible. For example, don’t just tell people to follow up with prospects “in a timely manner.” Instead, specify exactly how quickly you expect them to follow up, perhaps even with tactical guidelines around what should go into those communications.

Michelle Richardson, Vice President of Sales Performance Research at the Brooks Group, argues that “in order for the members of your sales team to be successful, they must know exactly what defines ‘success’ in your organization.”

As a result, she continues, “it’s critical for sales leaders to establish and communicate expectations with their sales reps early on, and enforce them on a continual basis.” To begin to improve sales behaviors on your team, it’s essential first to define the behaviors that you expect people to engage in.

2. Target specific behaviors for improvement.

Next, once you’ve defined key expectations for your team, you can begin to target specific behaviors for improvement. After all, as President and CEO of ValueSelling Associates Julie Thomas wrote in a recent Forbes article, “To propel your sales team toward accelerated results, you must initiate behavior change.”

Importantly, I’ve learned that it’s really vital to isolate specific behaviors to focus on. While it may be tempting to try to optimize everything all at once, real progress usually happens one step at a time. So, rather than trying to push your sales team to totally overhaul their approach, choose just one or two specific behaviors to target for improvement.

For example, if you’re interested in improving customer acquisition rates, you may opt to focus on behaviors such as prospecting, setting up introductory calls, or adding new leads to the pipeline.

Then, for each of these behaviors, identify exactly how you’d like your team to improve. And remember: This may be different for different sales reps. Perhaps you’d like one person on your team to prioritize increasing the number of new leads they add to the pipeline, while another might benefit more from focusing on scheduling more intro calls.

“Ultimately,” Thomas concludes, “by prioritizing behavior change and investing in the necessary support structures, companies can unleash the full potential of their teams and drive sales success.” Being strategic — and specific — about the behaviors you want to improve will help increase the chances that you achieve your goals.

3. Track key performance metrics.

Of course, you can’t just say you want to improve a certain behavior and expect it to happen. To drive lasting progress, sales leaders must identify quantifiable metrics associated with those behaviors, and then track those performance metrics consistently.

Thomas speaks to the importance of metrics in another recent article, sharing

5 Reasons Why Sales Teams Miss Revenue Targets [+ How to Meet Them]

jperez@customercentric.com (John Holland) — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Why are revenue targets so hard to hit? According to a 2023 survey of over 450 sales leaders, 91% of their teams missed quota that year. And even with revenue up in 2024, reps are still struggling to meet their sales goals.

To shed some light on the matter, I’ll offer my personal insights on why teams are missing their targets. In addition, I reached out to other sales experts to hear what they had to say about setting and meeting revenue goals so you can take home some best practices from their experience.

Table of Contents

What are revenue targets?

Why Teams Miss Revenue Targets

How to Set Revenue Goals

How to Meet Revenue Targets

A revenue target takes into account what you made in a prior period (say, last year) and aims to increase it by a specific percentage (for example, 10-20% more than last year’s actual revenue). The same logic can be applied to annual recurring revenue (an ARR target), if your company is subscription-based.

But while defining targets is a standard part of business, without a clear plan to execute them, revenue targets are easily missable.

Why Teams Miss Revenue Targets

Here are the reasons many companies miss their annual revenue targets, from my perspective.

1. Getting stuck on YTD sales.

This begins at the sales rep level but can become an enterprise-wide problem when sales staff, from reps up to SVPs, focus on their year-to-date (YTD) positions against quota. However, the only benefit of focusing on YTD is to realize how much of the mountain is left to be climbed.

Salespeople would be better served to look ahead. Projecting a sales cycle ahead of time gives sellers a better chance of making their numbers. It’s relatively straightforward to do — simply take your current pipeline, multiply the gross at each milestone times your historical close rates (actual or estimated), and determine if a seller can reasonably expect to be YTD one sales cycle ahead.

Let’s say your average sales cycle is three months. Having just finished the first quarter, you’d like the projection for the coming quarter, plus your YTD achievement for the completed quarter, to equal half your annual quota. If there’s a shortfall, there should be ongoing efforts to find and bring new opportunities into your funnel.

Ideally, these calculations should be done every month, and using a forecasting software can simplify this step.

2. Misaligned sales activities.

Companies spend inordinate amounts of time and money on training sellers on products. But mid- to low-level buyers have the tools to evaluate offerings on their own — in fact, 96% of prospects do their own research before talking to a human sales rep. On top of that, B2B buyers are wary of sellers trying to influence their decisions.

Few executives have the time or desire to go into details about products. But A-game players can uncover executive business goals and focus on how offerings can be used to achieve them.

In my mind, the most important thing competent B2B sellers bring is an understanding of enterprise-wide benefits that can be realized through the use of their offerings.

If sellers can articulate benefits and discuss how the company’s financial picture can improve, the chances of making sales are higher. I wish vendors would look at their product training costs and reallocate some funds to make their sellers better business consultants.

3. Confusing activity with progress.

B and C sales players typically initiate opportunities at low levels, view everyone as a buyer, lead with product, don’t gain access to key stakeholders, fail to uncover business issues, and don’t establish value with compelling costs vs. benefit analyses.

They will make numerous calls (activity) but aren’t gaining access to stakeholders (progress). They often provide quotes or proposals (activities) far sooner than they should. Sadly, many of these sellers believe opportunities are much farther along than they actually are.

Make sure your sales team knows the difference between activity for the sake of activity, and activity that will actually move a deal forward at the right pace and right time.

4. Relying upon seller opinions when grading pipeline health.

Some sellers have unbridled optimism when it comes to their pipeline health — whether or not it’s based in reality.

The antidote to relying upon seller opinions? Implement as many verifiable buying milestones as possible to maintain good pipeline management.

Here’s an example I like: Within the CustomerCentric Selling® sales methodology, the first significant milestone is qualifying a champion (someone who can provide the seller access to other key players). This is one of many measurable activities that a manager can use to grade the opportunity objectively — and tie to a milestone achievement.

5. Defining only one set of milestones.

A common mistake I see companies make is defining sales pipeline stages for major opportunities and expecting sellers to use them for each and every deal.

Sellers working on smaller opportunities soon discover they are being asked to enter far more data and take many more steps than are warranted in the scenario. In such cases, sellers rightfully complain or refuse to adhere to the milestones.

Most organizations have at least five or six processes that warrant unique milestones:

Add-on business

Renewals

Services

Maintenance

SMB sales

Large accounts

National accounts

Etc.

First, I recommend you define your most complex sale, but then “water down” the steps needed as opportunity size and complexity decrease.

Transaction milestones should meld the prospect’s buying process with the vendor’s selling process. Failing to incorporate buying steps means forcing your sales process onto the buyer — which is not a very customer-centric thing to do.

How to Set Revenue Goals

The first step to hitting your revenue targets is setting appropriate goals.

“Meeting sales targets highly depends on how the targets are set,” says Alex Zlotko, CEO of Forecastio, a tool for sales leaders to track and forecast sales performance.

“If sales targets are not reasonable or attainable from the start, they will not be met regardless of how well a sales rep performs.”

With that in mind, here are five steps for setting attainable revenue goals.

Evaluate the current reality.

It’s not uncommon for teams to set goals based on optimism, overestimation, or ambition without considering the reality of their past performance or the current market. But setting realistic, achievable, and clear goals that are based on data is the foundation for meeting your targets.

“I once worked with a company that raised its revenue goal by 40% overnight without adding more resources. Predictably, they missed it by a mile,” offers Danny Ray, founder of PinnacleQuote.

I asked Zlotko to tell me more, and here’s what he had to say: “Setting realistic and achievable sales quotas is one of a sales leader's key responsibilities. However, many sales leaders still struggle with this task, relying on gut feeling or intuition rather than real data when setting targets. Sometimes, sales targets are simply set by senior management (CEO) without discussion. This is a major issue in many companies.”

Align with business and team.

Next on the list is to align your revenue goals with your business objectives, making them specific, measurable, and tied to how you want to see your company grow. In addition, make sure your sales team understands the importance of their KPIs.

“I align revenue goals with broader business objectives, whether it's entering new markets or scaling existing operations,” Jayanti Katariya, CEO of Moon Invoice, tells me.

“A critical step is dividing these goals into achievable, quarterly targets while ensuring the team understands how their KPIs link back to the overall revenue plan.”

Break big revenue targets into smaller goals.

While dividing annual goals into quarterly and monthly ones is important, so is breaking down big revenue goals into smaller, more actionable ones. This increases the likelihood of meeting the larger goals, and also lets your reps build confidence with incremental wins.

Stephen Do, founder of UpPromote, says, “If the target is $1 million for the quarter, we’ll look at how much of that should come from new customers, upsells, or partnerships. This keeps the team focused on specific levers they can pull instead of getting overwhelmed by the bigger picture.”

Forecast based on historical data.

Data-driven forecasting is key to setting realistic revenue goals, drawing from your company’s historical performance data and also identifying areas for growth within the market.

Zlotko gave me a list of factors to consider.

“For short-term targets like a month or a quarter, take into account:

Past team performance and recent trends (sales volume, quota attainment, win rate, and pipeline growth dynamics).

Current pipeline. Assess deals by stage, amount, and close date for the period in which you want to set targets.

Sales forecasts. Build the most accurate forecasts possible, preferably using multiple forecasting methods, including statistical models, rather than relying solely on data entered by sales reps (deal probability or forecasting category).

For setting long-term targets, I highly recommend using what-if modeling to create different scenarios and estimate what is needed for each.”

Among the factors to consider for annual goals are team capacity to hit targets, lead generation requirements, territory capacity, and market dynamics.

Aim for accountability and collaboration.

While setting a revenue target is often top-down, discussing the targets with sales reps to form a common objective can generate accountability and keep the team focused.

Gauri Manglik, CEO and co-founder of Instrumentl, describes an example of this best practice in action:

“When I led a sales team where we set quarterly revenue targets that were both ambitious and attainable,” she says, “we made sure to involve the team in the goal-setting process, allowing them to provide valuable insights and feedback. This not only increased their ownership of the targets but also fostered a sense of accountability and motivation.”

How to Meet Revenue Targets

Setting revenue targets is one thing, but what about meeting those goals?

“Ultimately, hitting revenue targets is a mix of strategy, execution, and adaptability,” says Stephen Do. “You need to set clear, data-driven goals, keep the team aligned, and stay flexible enough to pivot when necessary.”

Here are some strategies that stood out to me during my conversations with sales leaders.

Prioritize Communication.

A revenue target isn’t only the responsibility of sales. Marketing plays a role, as well as operations, and communication between all teams is a must to ensure everyone knows what’s expected of them and how they contribute to the overall goal.

Pro tip from Stephen Do: “Everyone on the team has to know their role in hitting the goal. If someone’s working on product updates, they need to understand how those updates will drive revenue — whether it’s improving retention or increasing conversions.”

Motivate your sales team.

Reaching revenue targets has to do with high quota attainment, which means each rep hitting their individual goals is key. “If a sales team isn’t hitting numbers, it’s usually because they lack clear direction, the right tools, or motivation,” says Danny Ray.

Pro tip from Jayanti Katariya: “Incentivizing sales teams through tiered performance rewards also ensures sustained motivation.”

Monitor and review.

There are a whole host of things to monitor along the way, from data to teams, in order to track progress and strategize accordingly.

Apart from sales dashboards and CRM, Alex Zlotko shares further insights. Here are his tips for this in his words:

Monitor the pipeline regularly and identify risky deals. As soon as risky deals appear, take action.

Track slipping deals, especially those that can impact targets significantly. If a close date is changed or a deal is pushed to a future period, you must know about it and react immediately.

Monitor both team and individual performance, especially changes in win rates, sales cycles, and pipeline stage conversion rates. Spot negative trends early and address issues.

Keep an eye on pipeline coverage daily. Is there still enough pipeline value to hit your targets? If not, what can you do? Generate more leads? Reactivate stagnant or stalled deals? Increase deal amounts?

Conduct effective pipeline reviews and one-on-one meetings with your sales reps.

Be ready to adapt.

A big part of meeting your revenue goals will be adjusting to changes as they occur. It’s critical to be agile and able to pivot when things don’t go as planned.

Pro tip from Stephen Do: “We’ve learned to review our progress weekly, not just at the end of the quarter, so we can make tweaks before small issues become big ones.”

Hitting the Target

Whether you’re just starting out or a veteran of sales, setting and meeting revenue targets will always be an iterative process. And while it’s easy to see sales goals as elusive, I think the key is in getting used to predicting, monitoring, and changing gears — so that the next time you set revenue goals, they'll seem less like a moving target.

I Explain Financial Forecasting Models & Methods Using Layman’s Terms

Osama Zahid — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Financial forecasting might seem like a daunting topic. I get it — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the idea of making predictions in such an unpredictable world. But from my experience, mastering financial forecasting can truly transform the way you approach business decisions.

When you’re able to make accurate projections, you’re not just reacting to changes. You’re proactively steering your business toward sustainable growth. It’s essentially about creating a roadmap that lets you anticipate challenges, seize opportunities, and make smarter financial choices in real time.

In this article, I’ll explore the concept of financial forecasting using layman’s terms. I will explain some popular financial forecasting models and give a review on some of the best financial forecasting software solutions on the market.

Table of Contents

What is financial forecasting?

Financial Forecasting Models

Financial Forecasting Methods

How I Do Financial Forecasting

Financial Forecasting Software

Financial forecasting is often conflated with the other key financial planning processes it generally informs — namely, budgeting. Though the two activities are often closely linked, I think it is important to clearly differentiate between them.

Forecasting vs. Budgeting

The difference between a financial forecast and a budget boils down to the distinction between expectations and goals. I like to remember forecast details as something a business can realistically expect to achieve over a given period.

Forecasting represents a reasonable estimate of how a company will likely perform — based on current and historical financial data, broader economic trends, foreseeable factors that might impact performance, and other variables that can be viably accounted for.

How to Create Accurate Sales Forecasts in 2024

A budget, on the other hand, is the byproduct of a financial analysis rooted in what a business would like to achieve. It’s typically updated once per year and is ultimately compared to the actual results a business sees to gauge the company’s overall performance.

Now that I have given you an overview of the topic, let’s take a look at some of the most popular financial forecasting models.

Financial Forecasting Models

1. Top-Down Financial Forecasting

Top-down forecasting is a way for a company to make financial predictions by starting with broader market information and working down to estimate its own revenue.

I like how simply Erik Lidman, CEO & Founder at Aimplan, explains top-down forecasts. In his LinkedIn post, he writes that top-down forecasts:

Are made by leadership and finance teams.

Tend to be more aspirational and aggressive.

Start with the end goal in mind, then reason down to forecast key business drivers like pricing, customers, promotion impact, etc.

I think this approach is pretty simple. The company begins by looking at the total amount of money its entire market makes. Then, it calculates how much of that total it thinks it can earn. The calculation is often done with the help of tools such as fp&a software, which allows you to collect all the data you need.

Top-Down Financial Forecasting Example

Imagine a company that is part of a market that makes about $1 billion each year. If the company believes it can capture 2.5% of that market, a top-down forecast would predict it could make $25 million in the next year.

Benefits of Top-Down Forecasting

Offers a streamlined approach for larger, established businesses with diverse revenue sources rather than a concentrated, product-level forecast.

Viable forecasting avenue for early-stage companies without extensive financial data.

Drawbacks of Top-Down Forecasting

Hastier and more superficial in comparison to other, more granular forecasting methods.

Seen more as a starting point than a concrete projection.

Does not account for local factors that can influence demand.

2. Delphi Forecasting

The “Delphi” method is named after an ancient Greek city called Delphi, where people would go to ask a wise oracle named Pythia for advice.

In a similar way, the Delphi forecasting method is all about getting advice from experts to help a business make predictions.

Ivan Svetunkov, an expert in demand forecasting, explains Delphi forecasting as a method that sidesteps probability. He explains it as follows:

“Delphi method can be used for long term forecasting, but typically focuses on forecasting general tendencies (structure) in the data, ignoring the uncertainty around it.”

Source

To explain Delphi forecasting, I have written a simple explanation of how it works:

A business sends multiple rounds of questionnaires related to its finances to a group of experts. After the first round of answers comes in, everyone gets a summary of what the others said.

This way, each expert can see the group’s thoughts and adjust their answers in the next round if they want. The goal is to go through a few rounds of this back-and-forth until the experts agree on predictions the business can use.

Delphi Financial Forecasting Example

A company sends a questionnaire to be filled out by experts. After everyone submits their answers, they all get a summary showing what the other experts think about the company’s financial future.

Seeing everyone else’s thoughts can help each expert think in new ways, so they fill out a new questionnaire with updated ideas. This process repeats, with each round bringing the experts a bit closer in their predictions. Finally, when most experts agree, the company uses this shared view to make its financial forecast.

Benefits of Delphi Forecasting

More objective than conventional, in-house forecasting.

Contributions are anonymous, so respondents can answer candidly.

Drawbacks of Delphi Forecasting

Doesn’t allow for a productive, open dialogue like a face-to-face meeting would.

Response times can be long or unpredictable, prolonging forecast delivery.

3. Statistical Forecasting

In my opinion, statistical forecasting is just a fancy way of saying “making predictions using numbers and data.” It’s simply a type of forecasting where I can look at data from the past — like sales numbers or other facts — and use it to guess what might happen in the future.

Statistical Financial Forecasting Example

Let’s say my company wants to know how much money it might make over the next few months. One way we could do this is by using the “moving average” method. My company would look at how much money it made each day over the last 100 days, then take the average of those numbers. (I talk more about moving averages in the section below.)

By using this average, my company can make a good guess about how much it might earn over a similar period coming up.

Benefits of Statistical Forecasting

It rests on a more solid basis than other methods.

It can be more straightforward than other methods — provided you have the right data.

Drawbacks of Statistical Forecasting

Certain methods that fall under this umbrella can provide relatively estimates relative to other financial forecasting models.

Companies without extensive historical data might not be able to produce reliable statistical forecasts.

4. Bottom-Up Financial Forecasting

Bottom-up financial forecasting is just the opposite of top-down forecasting. In this approach, a company starts by looking at the details of what’s happening with its customers or products and builds to a bigger picture of its future revenue.

Again, I will quote Erik Lidman for his simple explanation of bottom-up financial forecasting. Bottom-up forecasts:

Build forecasts from the ground up, project by project.

Come from sales, marketing, and other frontline teams.

Tend to be more conservative, based on realities on the ground.

Bottom-Up Financial Forecasting Example

Let’s say a company wants to predict how much money it might make next year. It would start by looking at how many products it sold last year and decide how much it plans to charge for each one this year. Then, by multiplying these two numbers, the company gets an estimate of its total sales.

Of course, real forecasting is a bit more complicated than that. A company would usually look at other details too, like how many customers they expect to have or how likely those customers are to stick around. This way, they get a more accurate prediction by building up from the ground level.

Benefits of Bottom-Up Forecasting

The model allows for more detailed analysis than most others.

It offers more room for input from various departments.

Drawbacks of Bottom-Up Forecasting

Any errors made at the micro-level can be amplified to the macro-level with this model.

A thorough bottom-up forecast can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.

5. Hierarchical Financial Forecasting

Put in simple terms, hierarchical financial forecasting is like creating a roadmap for predictions by organizing data into different levels or categories. Imagine it as a family tree for financial projections, where each branch represents a category, and smaller branches represent subcategories within it.

Source

This method is useful because it combines both big-picture (top-down) and detail-focused (bottom-up) forecasting. By doing this, you get a more complete and accurate forecast, capturing trends at each level — overall and specific — making it easier to make smarter decisions, like what to stock up on or where to invest resources.

Hierarchical Financial Forecasting Example

For example, if you’re forecasting sales, you might start with a top category, like “clothing.” Then you break it down to “men’s wear” and “women’s wear.” You can go further, breaking “men’s wear” into “shirts,” “pants,” and “ties.” This lets you see not only the big picture (overall clothing sales) but also specific details (like how many black ties might sell within men’s wear).

Benefits of Hierarchical Forecasting

Combines both the big-picture and detail-focused forecasting models.

Provides a more complete and accurate forecast than other models.

Drawbacks of Hierarchical Forecasting

This model can be complex since it requires lots of data.

It can also be time-consuming.

Financial Forecasting Methods

1. Straight Line

Straight-line forecasting is one of the simplest ways a business can predict its future finances. It’s based on basic math and tends to give rough estimates, unlike some more complicated methods that provide more detailed projections.

In straight-line forecasting, a company looks at how much it has grown in the past and uses that information to predict future growth. It’s usually used when a business expects to see steady, consistent growth over time.

Let’s assume my business has been growing at a steady rate of 5% each year for the last four years. This way, I can use the same 5% growth rate to predict my revenue for the next few years. It’s a simple way to make projections based on past performance.

The straight line forecasting method does not take into consideration the fluctuations in the market and other factors that could impact growth, such as new competitors or shifts in the economy.

2. Simple Linear Regression

Simple linear regression is a way for businesses to make predictions by looking at how two things are connected.

Imagine you have one thing you can control or measure, like the country’s GDP and another factor you want to predict, like how much money the company might make. By studying the relationship between these two, the business can make a good guess about future revenue.

So, if GDP goes up or down, the company can see how this change might affect its earnings.

If you wish to get a thorough step-by-step guide, I recommend reading this article on how to forecast sales using linear regression.

3. Multiple Linear Regression

Simple linear regression is a good way to make predictions, but it doesn’t always give us an accurate picture of financial performance because there are usually many things affecting the outcome, not just one factor.

This is where multiple linear regression comes in. As the name suggests, it looks at more than one factor to make a prediction.

Source

Instead of just focusing on how one thing — like the price of a product — might affect a company’s finances, multiple linear regression looks at two or more different factors at the same time to get a more accurate picture of what might happen.

4. Moving Average

Moving average forecasting is a method often used to track the direction of a stock’s performance, but businesses can also use it to predict their own financial results.

The idea is simple: I take the average of a set of numbers from the past, like sales or revenue, and use that average to estimate what might happen in the future.

I like what Nicolas Vandeput, a person who does demand and supply planning, writes about using moving averages:

“Don’t compare your forecasting accuracy to industry benchmarks. They’re irrelevant.

“Instead, compare your forecasting accuracy against simple statistical benchmarks such as moving averages. Moving averages are a fair benchmark: They will deliver higher (or lower) accuracy depending on the product, period, and market.

“That’s perfect. Also, they’re free.”

The moving average method works best for looking at short-term trends, like weekly, monthly, or quarterly changes, rather than long-term projections. It helps businesses see patterns and make educated guesses about what’s coming next.

How I Do Financial Forecasting

1. Define my purpose for using a financial forecast.

To get the most out of a financial forecast, I like to know why I’m using it in the first place. I start by asking myself questions such as:

What am I hoping to learn and take away from its results?

Am I trying to gauge the company budget?

Am I trying to reach a certain goal or threshold for product sales?

Only when I have a clear intent behind my financial forecast will I be able to have a more concise and clear result to search for once I begin.

2. Gather historical data.

To track the progress of my financial forecast, I should have a good idea of my current and past finances. Here, I give myself time to analyze the historical financial data and records, including:

Revenue and losses.

Equity and liabilities.

Fixed costs.

Investments.

Earnings per share.

My forecast will only be as accurate as the information I collect, so I try to get as much relevant data as possible for better results and understanding.

3. Set a time frame for my forecast.

I decide how far into the future I need the documentation for in order to evaluate a business’s financial performance. This can look like weeks, months, quarters, or even years of data collection.

It’s most common for a business to conduct a forecast over the course of a fiscal year, but it can be unique for every business.

4. Choose a forecasting method.

I choose from one of the four financial forecasting methods mentioned above. Before choosing one, I see if it aligns with my previously declared purpose and goals.

5. Monitor and analyze forecast results.

As the financial forecast delivers new data, it is time to monitor and analyze the data diffe

What I’ve Learned About Selling Online Courses (and How You Can Too) [+ Expert Insight]

Taylor Cromwell — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

The creator economy is booming, but here’s what most won’t tell you: Successful course creation involves much more than recording videos and hoping for sales.

I spoke with leading course creators who are actually walking the walk — marketers like Tommy Walker, Erica Schneider, and Andi Alleman — to dissect everything from their course creation process to their six-figure launch strategies.

In this guide, I’m breaking down everything they shared with me, from their exact course creation process to the launch strategies that actually moved the needle.

Table of Contents

Why sell an online course in 2025?

Does selling online courses make money?

The Course Selling Process: Your Complete Roadmap

How to Sell Online Courses [+ Expert Tips]

Best Platforms to Sell Online Courses

Why sell an online course in 2025?

The online education market is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2028. But beyond the obvious opportunity, there’s something more compelling: the ability to transform your expertise into scalable income.

Productize your expertise.

Here’s what I love most about online courses: You can get paid for sharing your zone of genius.

If you’ve started a career as a freelancer or a consultant, you’ve already learned how you can sell your expertise to others. But in most cases, you’re capped at a 1:1 relationship. After all, there are only so many hours in the day and clients you can fit into your schedule.

But, an online course gives you the chance to package your expertise into a product that people can consume. This allows you to go from 1:1 to 1:many — there’s no cap on the number of students who can take your course.

As Amy Porterfield writes, “You don’t need to be the leading expert in your field. You only need what I like to call a 10% edge.” That 10% edge refers to the things where you have slightly more knowledge, experience, or perspective than your audience.

Build your brand.

Creating a course isn’t just about the immediate revenue (though that’s nice).

It also helps position you as an expert authority in your field. When you package your expertise into a structured learning experience, you’re demonstrating mastery in a way that blog posts or social media content can’t match. This can lead to:

Speaking opportunities.

Higher-paying clients.

Media features.

Partnership opportunities.

Diversify your revenue.

I’m passionate about not putting all your eggs in one basket. Building several revenue streams means you can have several offerings (say, if you want to have a podcast, do consulting work, and have the occasional speaking gig), but you also fortify your business when you have revenue coming from different sources.

Online courses are ideal for adding consistent revenue to your bottom line, especially if you are able to have an evergreen course that can run without hands-on involvement.

Make a difference.

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of creating an online course is the impact you can have. When you help someone master a new skill, solve a persistent problem, or achieve a goal they’ve been struggling with, you can help create lasting value for other people.

Does selling online courses make money?

The short answer? Absolutely. But let’s move beyond the aspirational “six-figure course creator” headlines and look at the real numbers and what it actually takes to succeed.

Source

Recent data from Kajabi, one of the leading course platforms, reveals the scale of opportunity:

12M course offers were sold in 2023 (on Kajabi alone).

Courses, membership, and community offers continue to grow sharply year over year.

70% of creators say online courses are their highest revenue stream (followed by digital downloads, subscriptions/memberships, and online coaching).

Source

But here’s what most articles won’t tell you: Success requires more than just great content.

The course creators I interviewed consistently emphasized that profitability comes from three key elements:

Strategic market research, understanding exactly what your audience wants and will pay for before you create anything.

Distinctive positioning, being able to stand out in a crowded market by solving specific problems in unique ways.

Strong launch strategy, having a proven system to reach the right people and convert them into students.

In the next section, I’ll dive into exactly how to create that system, breaking down the pre-sale, launch, and post-sale phases that successful course creators use.

The Course Selling Process: Your Complete Roadmap

When I first started digging into how creators successfully sell online courses, I assumed the big focus would be on making an amazing product. But after talking to folks like Erica Schneider, founder of Cut the Fluff and co-founder of Full Stack Solopreneur, and Tommy Walker, founder of The Content Studio, it became clear that selling a course is much more about the process than the product.

As Schneider points out, launches are often portrayed as quick successes, but in reality, they take months — sometimes years — of preparation. The stories of “$10K days” might be true, but they often leave out the weeks of work on creating the product, building a sales page, iterating based on feedback, and crafting launch content that resonates with buyers.

Let me walk you through the three key phases of selling an online course, and I’ll share what I’ve learned from creators who’ve done it well.

Pre-Sale: Building Momentum (6+ Weeks)

One of the biggest misconceptions about selling courses is that the process begins when your course is finished. But as Schneider told me, the pre-sale phase is where the real momentum starts. By the time your cart opens, your audience should already be excited about what you’re offering.

The key to a powerful pre-launch? Focus relentlessly on transformation. “People aren’t buying features or products. They’re buying outcomes,” Schneider emphasizes. This means every piece of content should paint a clear before-and-after picture of what your course delivers.

A great example Schneider points to is Kaitlyn Bourgoin's “Wallet-Opening Words” course. It doesn’t promote teaching copywriting — it promises to help you “think like a copy scientist, instantly rewrite your copy, and look like a genius.” The transformation is clear, specific, and compelling.

How to Build Momentum for Your Course

Interestingly, she recommends starting your launch before your course is even finished. Why? It creates authentic content and brings your audience along for the ride. Some effective pre-launch strategies include:

Share behind-the-scenes content. Whether you’re outlining your course, creating lesson slides, or refining modules, give your audience a peek into your process. Not only does this build curiosity, but it also demonstrates the thought and care behind your course.

Highlight transformation stories. If you’ve run beta tests or pilot programs, share the tangible results students achieved. Schneider emphasized this as a great way to show the value of your course in action, focusing on specific wins instead of vague promises.

Address pain points. Talk openly about the challenges your course solves. Use real-world examples or questions from your audience to show how the course directly addresses their struggles.

Start a waitlist. Creating a simple sign-up page lets you gauge interest and build exclusivity. As she noted, a waitlist primes people to act as soon as the course goes live.

Leverage targeted lead magnets. Free guides, webinars, or email series can give potential students a taste of what your course offers. The goal is to leave them wanting more of the transformation you’re promising.

Featured Resource: Free Webinar Planning Kit

Download your free webinar planning kit now.

During the Sale: Creating Event-Level Excitement (4-7 Days)

The actual launch is where everything comes together. Schneider explained that the goal is to make your launch feel like an unmissable event: “There’s this party happening. You can come inside if you want to, or you can stay out there and miss the fun.”

I loved this perspective because it reframes the launch as an experience rather than a hard sell. According to Schneider, a 4–7 day window often works best, with two predictable spikes: a surge on the announcement day and another on the last day. The in-between? That’s where consistent, engaging communication keeps the momentum going.

Launch Window Best Practices

Offer genuine early-bird incentives (not just discounts).

Include exclusive bonuses for launch participants.

Share real-time testimonials and quick wins.

Create engagement through live events or Q&As.

Maintain high energy throughout launch communications.

Post-Sale: Nurturing Success & Building Social Proof

Here’s a surprising truth I learned: Your job isn’t over once the cart closes. In fact, the post-launch phase is where you can build the kind of momentum that drives future sales.

As Schneider put it, “In the post-launch, you want to talk about how it went down. Do a retrospective, a breakdown of the launch, the numbers if you want to. You’re taking that opportunity to be like, ‘Hey, we pulled this off!’”

Transparency is key here. Sharing a post-launch recap not only engages people who didn’t buy but also provides social proof for your next launch. It’s a way to celebrate success while keeping your audience invested.

How to Sell Online Courses [+ Expert Tips]

Hopefully I’ve made it clear so far that putting together a successful course is so much more than just recording some videos and hoping enough people want to buy it.

Now, let’s get into more of the tactical tips.

1. Validate your course idea with your audience.

Before investing months into course creation, smart creators validate their ideas. You need to find the sweet spot between what you’re passionate about teaching and what people will actually pay to learn.

Here are some questions to get you started:

Do you have an existing audience? (Think email, social media, or even IRL communities!) If so, who are they, and what do they care about?

What challenges are they facing? Identify their specific pain points and desires.

What valuable insights or skills can you share that would solve those challenges?

What results are people willing to pay for? Look for specific outcomes that make a real difference.

Pro tip: Survey your audience or test your course idea with a low-cost beta version. This lets you see the real demand before diving fully into course creation. I like how Shlomo Genchin posted on LinkedIn to gauge what courses his audience would buy before he created the course.

Source

Andi Alleman, founder of Oui, We Studio, and Casa Noon Beauty, also leverages social to build her course business. She offers several courses for creative entrepreneurs — and she’s made multiple six figures in revenue from them. She explained how she uses her audience to move through her funnel and ultimately sell more products.

“Moving followers from social media into my sales funnel is all about providing high-level value and clear calls-to-action,” she said. “I believe it’s important to create a brand around who your community is, so they can quickly identify that the content they’re seeing is for them.”

2. Define your ideal customer avatar (ICA) and speak to their pain points.

One of the biggest mistakes course creators make is trying to appeal to everyone. The most successful courses speak directly to a specific audience.

For example, let’s say you’re building a course for content marketers. Your ICA might be:

Age/experience, mid-career marketers looking to grow their freelancing income.

Pain points, struggling to find high-paying clients, unsure how to craft effective pitches, and overwhelmed by inconsistent workflows.

Once you know your ICA, your messaging becomes sharper.

Instead of generic copy like, “Learn content marketing to grow your career!” — try targeted messaging: “Master the strategies to land high-paying clients and scale your freelance business — all while working smarter, not harder.”

Tommy Walker’s “Content Theory” course is a great example of this principle in action. His sales page speaks directly to his ICA’s pain points while showcasing how his course solves them.

“Courses are really good when you break down the thinking and thought process, not the tactics and prescriptions,” he said. In other words, you’re not just selling a course; you’re helping people shift their mindset and think differently. So, as you refine your course, keep that focus on creating real transformation — not just offering a series of lessons.

The core of a great course is selling transformation, Walker adds.

Source

When you know exactly who you’re creating this course for, everything from your content to your sales copy becomes 10x easier. Think of your ICA as the ultimate, best-fit customer for your course.

I’ve used this tip to refine my own newsletter and website content and have found it to be so helpful.

3. Build a high-converting email list.

Your email list is gold — and I’m not just saying that because I write emails for a living. Building a quality email list is like planting seeds that will grow into future buyers. Focus on attracting people who are genuinely interested in your course topic.

This is consistently my biggest advice for any business owner: Find a way to build a list of email contacts and a platform to share your thoughts and expertise.

I could write a separate 3,000-word deep dive on this alone, but for the sake of brevity, here are some important action steps you can take:

Create a free lead magnet that’s related to your course topic. It could be a freebie, like a checklist or template, an ebook, a course preview — essentially just anything that gives a new subscriber a peek into what you offer.

Offer value before you start selling. You know those emails you get with desperate companies trying to sell you something? Don’t do that! Instead focus on offering real value and expertise to your reader to build trust; hopefully this should intrigue their curiosity and make them want to consume more of your content.

Use an opt-in form on your website or landing pages. A high-converting opt-in form has a clear, benefit-driven headline, an irresistible CTA, and as few fields as possible.

This is a great example of a strong lead magnet from Amy Porterfield:

Alleman has some tips here, too. Her newsletter “No Gatekeeping” has about 35,000 followers.

“I recently ran a campaign for a launch that averaged over 75% open rate because I focus on value, value, value — and then sell only when someone has continued to engage with content related to that specific course or product,” she said. “I send regular emails offering insights, actionable tips, and personal stories related to the course content. I also segment my email list to tailor messages to different subscriber interests, which has significantly boosted engagement.”

4. Create a pre-launch content series.

Pre-launch content warms up your audience and builds anticipation before you even mention your sales pitch.

SNAP Selling: Simplifying Your Sales

Stephanie Trovato — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Being a salesperson today feels like trying to get someone’s attention in Times Square; buyers are swamped with choices, blinking lights, and loud pitches from every direction. One word: Overload.

The internet makes research a breeze — until you’re drowning in options and can’t tell what’s worth your time. As a copywriter, I’ve been there, wading through endless tabs, trying to separate the gold from the noise. Buyers face the same challenge every day, making simplicity a superpower in sales.

SNAP Selling is designed to help you cut through the noise and make buying easier for prospects. This method offers a fresh way to approach buyers who are inundated with information and struggling to make decisions. Let’s take a look at the basics of SNAP and how you can start using it in your sales cycle.

Table of Contents

What is SNAP selling?

What does SNAP Stand for anyway?

The 3 Decisions

SNAP Selling Terms to Know

How to Start SNAP Selling

What is SNAP selling?

SNAP selling is a sales methodology created by sales strategist Jill Konrath, based on her book, which covers the process extensively. This approach tackles the modern, overwhelmed customer by simplifying offerings and focusing on the buyer’s needs and priorities. Bonus: the whole approach is customer-first.

I like to think of SNAP selling like Marie Kondo for your sales process — cutting out the clutter and focusing on what sparks joy for your buyer. By aligning with buyers' priorities, sellers enable them to make quick, informed decisions.

I see this model as a win-win for both buyers and sellers. For buyers, it offers a smoother, less overwhelming purchasing experience. With 77% of B2B buyers describing their most recent purchase as “difficult” or “very complex,” the demand for simplicity in sales is more important than ever. For sellers, the key benefit is a shorter sales cycle, allowing them to close deals more efficiently.

What does SNAP Stand for anyway?

SNAP is more than just a nod to the sales timeline. It's an acronym that captures the core principles driving the sales process.

S — Simple

You want to make buying less of a maze. This method asks salespeople to clear the path so buyers can see what’s important, without getting tangled in unnecessary details.

Let’s say I’m in the market for a car that’s reliable, fuel-efficient, and in my price range. I don’t need to hear about every new car on the market. That will just distract me from my main criteria. Instead, I want to focus on a few models and compare them based on the features I care about most.

Instead of bombarding your buyer with excessive information or overwhelming options, SNAP asks that you deliver clear, concise messages highlighting the essentials. And, this can have beneficial results. Suppliers that simplify the buying process are 62% more likely to close sales for premium offerings compared to their competitors.

N — iNvaluable

SNAP puts the salesperson front and center. A rep is more than just a seller. Instead, they’re a trusted advisor and resource for buyers. This means going beyond the product pitch to provide actionable insights, industry expertise, and tailored solutions that genuinely help them succeed.

Lowe’s is my go-to example. I don’t go there so their team can sell me random tools. I’m in search of a solution. I see their staff as experts who can understand my problem and create a path toward a solution.

Research shows that nearly one-third of B2B buyers lack trust in salespeople, and 88% of buyers will only make a purchase if they perceive the salesperson as a trusted advisor. You need to be more than just a seller. You’ll have to be iNvaluable.

A — Align

Buyers want to feel valued, not treated as faceless entities. In fact, 76% of B2B buyers expect personalized attention tailored to their specific needs from solution providers.

Under SNAP, salespeople need to align their offerings with buyers’ specific priorities, goals, and challenges. This requires a deep understanding of their business needs and objectives. As a rep, you’ll need to engage in meaningful conversations to uncover what truly matters to prospects and tailor your pitch accordingly.

P — Priority

And lastly, you’ll need to focus on what’s most urgent and important for your buyer. Buyers often face competing demands and limited bandwidth, so it’s crucial to identify their top priorities. For example, if their priority is meeting a tight project deadline, highlight how your product can deliver quick results.

As a buyer, I may have several things I want, but they don’t all have equal weight. Sure, it would be nice if my new set of wheels has Apple CarPlay, but finding a reliable hybrid car is much higher on the list. A salesperson using SNAP would be able to understand that and guide me in the right direction.

The 3 Decisions

So now that we know what SNAP stands for, it’s time to see how it actually works. The SNAP framework guides buyers through three critical decisions involved in every purchase. Here’s what those stages are and how they work.

1. Allowing Access

Sales has the reputation of being pushy, which in many cases pushes prospects away. So, the first hurdle? Getting a buyer to open the door.

Your buyer is probably asking themselves, “Is this worth my time?” I know when I sign up for a sales call or demo, I’m a little nervous. I’m worried about being pushed too hard, too fast or totally wasting my time with too broad of a pitch.

As a salesperson, you need to show your prospect why your offering is worth their consideration and fast. Making a strong first impression, demonstrating immediate value, and respecting the buyer’s time are crucial for opening the door to further engagement.

2. Moving Away from the Status Quo

Buyers often resist change. Even I worry about swapping out a household staple for a new offering (what if my new shampoo fails to give me the right shine?). That’s driven by a sense of risk and the comfort of familiarity.

To pull customers into new waters, sellers need to highlight the drawbacks of the way things are now and highlight the benefits of making a change. This can involve pointing out inefficiencies, missed opportunities, or tangible gains from adopting a new solution.

Remember: Providing a clear, low-risk path forward can make change feel less daunting. As a salesperson, it’s your job to guide them down the road and make the journey less scary.

3. Selecting and Changing Resources

So, your prospect has decided the old way no longer works — they need a new product or service to grow. Now, they face the challenge of choosing the right solution or partner. Of course, as a salesperson, you want to occupy that coveted spot.

To win prospects over, sellers must differentiate their offerings by showcasing unique value, building trust with testimonials or case studies, and simplifying decision-making with tailored proposals or tools. Making this stage as straightforward as possible increases the likelihood of being selected.

SNAP Selling Terms to Know

Now that we understand the essence of SNAP, let's delve into some of Jill Konrath’s other key concepts. These terms will help you better navigate her sales methodology, no book needed.

D-zone

The D-zone (think “danger zone”) is the dreaded place where sellers are dismissed or deleted — sales are indefinitely deferred, or prospects vanish entirely. Any salesperson with experience has likely found themselves stuck in this frustrating limbo. As a freelance copywriter, I’ve encountered it too.

What Konrath emphasizes, however, is that the D-zone isn’t merely a reflection of external market conditions. Instead, it often points to a flawed sales approach. While this realization can be disheartening, it’s also empowering. If our approach is the issue, we have the power to fix it.

Frazzled Customer

This is a key concept to the SNAP sales methodology, which is specifically designed to close sales with the frazzled buyer. So, what are the traits of a Frazzled Customer?

Dismissive: Buyers quickly decide if your solution is worth their time. They need clarity upfront about who you serve, what you offer, and how you can help. Avoid making them jump through hoops like booking calls or downloading excessive materials to figure this out.

Wary of complexity: Imagine your buyer juggling flaming swords on a unicycle. If your pitch feels like one more thing to balance, they’ll move on — fast. Make it easy, clear, and worth their time.

Distracted: Frazzled buyers are pulled in countless directions, balancing work demands, client needs, and competing offers. Capturing and maintaining their attention requires concise, relevant messaging that aligns with their priorities.

Demanding: These customers expect personalized, expert solutions. They don’t want generic pitches or information they could easily find online. Sellers must provide unique, tailored insights to stand out and build trust.

How to Use the Buyer’s Matrix to Connect

The Buyer’s Matrix is a series of questions that help salespeople connect with the “frazzled customer.” These questions help sellers uncover the buyer’s journey and potential roadblocks, preparing sellers to guide them through the three critical sales decisions highlighted above.

The 9 Key Questions of the Buyer’s Matrix

Roles/Responsibilities: What are they in charge of or expected to manage?

Business Objectives & Metrics: What do they want to achieve? How is success measured? How are they evaluated?

External Challenges: What external factors or industry trends might make it more difficult to reach their objectives?

Strategies and Initiatives: What strategies and initiatives are likely in place to help achieve their objectives?

Internal Issues: What likely issues does the organization face that could prevent/hinder goal achievement?

Primary Interfaces: Who are the peers, subordinates, superiors, and outsiders with whom they frequently interact?

Status Quo: What's their “status quo” relevant to your product, service, or solution?

Change Drivers: What would cause them to change from the status quo?

Change Inhibitors: What would cause them to stay with the status quo, even if they're not happy with it?

How to Start SNAP Selling

Getting started with SNAP seems easy. All you have to do is work through the acronym, right? Well, a few helpful tips can make the process seamless. In the spirit of simplicity, I’ll go through each stage below and share tidbits that can make a difference.

1. Keep it simple.

Helpful tips:

Understand the buyer’s world.

Streamline communication.

Simplify decision-making.

Making a new purchase poses a challenge for buyers. So, you want to start your selling process with empathy. That means understanding the buyer’s world. Acknowledge that your prospect is overwhelmed with information and short on time. I know when I’m shopping for new software that a simple “that sounds really frustrating” makes me feel seen.

Another part of maintaining simplicity? Streamlining communication. Your customers shouldn’t have to know a dictionary’s worth of jargon to make a purchase. Cut the corporate-speak. If your pitch feels like legal fine print or a never-ending slideshow, it’s getting skipped. Keep it sharp, friendly, and easy to digest.

All of that allows your buyers to simplify decision-making. Ideally, you can present your buyer with straightforward options to choose from. Transparent offerings reduce the number of steps needed to take action.

2. Be invaluable.

Helpful tips:

Become a trusted advisor.

Focus on value.

Education, don’t push.

Under the SNAP method, salespeople should be trusted advisors who can help buyers find the solutions they need. For example, I have a huge tree behind my house with unwieldy branches. The tree pruning company is the expert; I just have a job I need done. Their expertise allows me to navigate the process. As a result, they get my business.

So yes, selling is important. However, building trust becomes the foundation of every sale. You should share insights that help your prospect understand their challenges and opportunities. Be sure to focus on value. Highlight how your solution uniquely addresses their needs or solves problems.

Be sure to educate, don’t push. Offer useful resources like white papers, case studies, or actionable advice to establish credibility. Pushing too hard can drive your prospects away.

3. Align with priorities.

Helpful tips:

Know their goals.

Tailor your pitch.

Stay relevant.

Knowing your prospect’s needs is essential to the SNAP selling process. So, there’s no one-size-fits-all script. Each prospect is different, so your approach will need to be personalized every time. Research your prospect’s priorities, such as increasing revenue, reducing costs, or streamlining operations. This allows you to know their goals and find the right solutions in your list of offerings.

From there, tailor your pitch. Your messaging should be custom for each person you're selling to. Focus on how your offering aligns with their specific goals.

And, remember: Making the sale isn’t the end of the relationship. You need to check in regularly to ensure that you stay relevant. Keep track of your buyer’s priorities so you can make sure you're aligned. Plus, you’ll have a chance to pitch new tools or offerings that fit their needs.

4. Focus on priorities.

Helpful tips:

Respect their time.

Address the most urgent needs.

Eliminate non-essentials.

Recently, I decided to shop around for a new internet provider. For one option in my area, I had to (gasp) pick up the phone and call just to hear the price. The pitch on the phone lasted much longer than I needed it to. I would have preferred sticking to a few helpful questions than getting to hear my options.

Just like everyone, your prospect is busy. Remember to respect their time. Remove any unnecessary information or steps that could delay decision-making.

Try to be brief and to the point in all communications. In fact, put information that addresses your client’s most urgent needs toward the top of everything you send. Do your best to eliminate non-essential information. Instead, highlight how your solution addresses your prospect's most pressing issues.

While SNAP selling is adaptable enough to enhance various sales systems, pairing it with a CRM tool can significantly maximize its potential. In fact, 76% of salespeople consider sales technology to be “critical” or “extremely critical” for closing deals.

A standout CRM to consider is HubSpot Sales Hub, which provides powerful tools to streamline communication, track leads, and optimize the sales process.

Make Selling a SNAP

Writing this reminded me of my last online shopping spiral — hours comparing vacuums, reading reviews, and overthinking. Now, imagine that stress on a B2B scale.

SNAP selling cuts through the noise by focusing on clarity, trust, and what buyers actually need. It’s like having a GPS for sales — straightforward, reliable, and stress-free. Paired with tools like Sales Hub, it’s a win for buyers and sellers alike — and something I wish existed for shopping decisions, too.

Sales Orders: What They Are Compared to POs & Invoices

Cassie Wilson Clark — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000

I worked as an office assistant in the past. My job was to help the bookkeeper keep track of sales orders, invoices, and purchase orders. I learned rather quickly that there are major differences between the three documents (and they don’t all go within the same filing cabinet!).

I also learned that your role in the sales process determines which document you generate. For example, you’ll create the sales order if you're the seller.

So, what is a sales order, how is it different from other key sales documents, and how does it fit into your sales process? I’m glad you asked, and I’ll answer those questions and a few more below.

Table of Contents

What Is a Sales Order?

Why Are Sales Orders Important?

How Are Sales Orders Different from Quotes?

Why Are Invoices Important?

Sales Order Example

Sales Order Format

Sales Order Process

What Is a Sales Order?

A sales order is a commercial document — prepared by a seller and issued to a customer — confirming the sale of goods or services involved in a given transaction.

Confusing this document with an invoice is common, but they are two documents with separate functions. As a business owner, I find it helpful to think of a sales order as a detailed summary of the goods or services I will provide to my customers.

A sales order contains details about the sale, including the quantity, quality, and price of any goods or services exchanged. It also covers things like delivery date, delivery address, payment method, and any other information relevant to the terms and logistics of the sale itself.

A sales order is an internal document — generated by the vendor and kept on record. This allows companies to keep track of the orders they fulfill.

Manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, and supplies commonly use sales orders. However, you’ll find them used in nearly every industry and niche.

Types of Sales Orders

Like any other business document, there are variations to sales orders. The longer you’re in business, the more likely you will see four types of sales orders. Depending on the sale, one sales order type might work better than the others.

Cash Sales

In my opinion, cash sales are the simplest type of sales orders. You’ll use this sales order when a customer places an order and pays for it. Either they’ll pick up the order from your storefront, or you’ll issue a shipping date.

Cash sales are typically standard for B2C sales. In other words, the customer does not need to go through accounts receivable to purchase, and no purchase order is required. They simply give you their money, and you provide goods or services within an estimated time frame.

Rush Orders

Does your customer need their order as soon as possible? If so, I suggest using a rush order.

A rush order is used when a customer’s needs are met the same day the order is placed. This is usually well before the standard timeframe of delivery. Unlike cash sales, where the order is paid for before delivery, rush order payments are made after exchanging goods or services.

Scheduling Agreement

A scheduling agreement is an external document detailing delivery dates for goods and services, pricing, quantity, and payment terms.

Let’s pretend I am hosting three separate holiday parties. At each party, I want to serve charcuterie boards. When I place my order with the caterer, I tell them I do not want all three charcuterie boards delivered at the same time since my parties are on separate days.

Instead, I want one board delivered on the date of the first party, one on the date of the second party, and the final delivery on the date of the third party.

The scheduling agreement helps track delivery dates so that both the seller and the customer are on the same page.

Third-Party Order

If your business coordinates with another company for fulfillment and shipping, you’ll want to use third-party sales orders.

I like to think of third-party sales orders as “to-do lists” for the other company. While this type of sales order details delivery dates and payment information, it also doubles as a packing list. It helps the other company understand which products go into the box, where they should be shipped, and when.

Why Are Sales Orders Important?

If you’re a vendor, sales orders are crucial to keeping track of your inventory. They allow you and your business to stay on top of:

What you have in stock.

What you have on backorder.

What you may need to purchase from your distributors.

Remember — agreeing to the terms of a purchase order usually makes a deal legally binding. If you have questions about a pending purchase order, seek legal counsel before signing. Trust me, maintaining detailed records of your sales orders will help ensure you can deliver on those agreements. And, when you can fulfill orders on time, you maintain your brand’s reputation.

Sales orders are also central to reducing the risk of material misstatement in your company’s financial reporting. Material misstatement is any kind of inaccuracy in a financial statement that may significantly impact the financial decisions of anyone relying on that statement’s information.

I’m not trying to stir panic, but material misstatements in reporting inventory balances can have some very real consequences.

For instance, misstating ending inventory can inflate or reduce your company's profits. As you can assume, neither of those outcomes looks good if you’re being audited.

Pro tip: It’s absolutely crucial to maintain accurate records of your sales orders. I suggest conducting quarterly internal audits to catch any potential material misstatements and ensure accuracy.

How Are Sales Orders Different from Quotes?

I’m not a mind reader, but I bet the next question you might ask is, “Are sales orders different than quotes?”

The answer is yes. Sales orders are different from quotes.

Though vendor-generated sales orders and quotes discuss a potential sale, the two documents serve very different purposes. I like to think of a sales order as the byproduct of the sales process. It’s generated after a sales decision is made.

A quote is an estimation. It gives the buyer a general idea of how much they can expect to pay. The document contains an itemized list of products and services along with their respective prices and terms of sale.

A quote is non-binding. Once a buyer accepts a quote, they move to the next step in the process by sending a vendor something called a purchase order.

Sales Order vs. Purchase Order

When I worked as an office assistant, I became very familiar with purchase orders. A purchase order is an official confirmation of a buyer’s intent to purchase from a vendor. It’s a buyer-issued document that confirms certain aspects of a transaction, including details like prices and requested quantities.

For example, if I needed to purchase 23 notebooks at three dollars a piece, the purchase order would look like this:

Quantity: 23 notebooks

Unit price: $3.00

Total price: $69.00

Once a vendor receives and accepts the terms of a purchase order, they create a sales order based on its details.

Sales orders and purchase orders are inherently interconnected. The key difference between them is who generates the document and who receives it.

A purchase order comes from a customer, is issued to a vendor, and lays out the terms of a potential sale. A sales order comes from a vendor, is issued to a customer, and confirms the vendor’s acceptance of the terms set in a given purchase order before delivery.

Once accepted by a vendor, a purchase order often constitutes a legally binding contract. If a vendor doesn’t deliver on the agreed terms of a purchase order, a buyer may take legal action against the seller in certain circumstances, and vice versa.

Sales Order vs. Invoice

Now that I’ve covered sales and purchase orders, the invoice is the next document in the sales process. If you’re wondering, “Is a sales order the same as an invoice?” The answer is no, and here’s why.

An invoice is sent from the seller to the buyer and specifies the amount of money the buyer owes a vendor for exchanging goods and services agreed upon in the sales and purchase orders. It can be easy to confuse sales orders with invoices. Both are vendor-generated and list the details of a specific sale.

However, the main distinctions between the two are highlighted in each document’s purpose and timing. A sales order confirms a sale and prompts a vendor to start assembling, packaging, or preparing the goods and services requested in a purchase order.

After this step, invoices are generated. Using the details specified in a sales order, invoices tell buyers how, when, and how much to pay for the goods and services they’ve purchased.

Pro tip: Check out these free invoices for an easy way to track your revenue and payments.

Why Are Invoices Important?

Invoices are essential because they definitively settle deals for vendors and set official payment timelines. Typically, 30 days is a standard payment timeframe. However, the timeline can vary from business to business. For example, in my business, some clients pay my invoices within 30 days and others within 60 days.

Invoices are essential for record-keeping purposes. An invoice is the most concrete evidence buyers and vendors have for a sale. Keeping track of invoices allows a company to stay on top of how much it’s spending or earning, which employees are responsible for any sales or purchases, and any outstanding debt the company may have.

As a business owner, I’ve found it’s proper practice for businesses to track invoices for tax purposes. The IRS suggests that businesses maintain a running summary of all business transactions. Keeping detailed records of invoices can be a critical part of that process.

Invoices also help businesses from a legal perspective. They provide documentation of how and when a customer bought goods or services from a vendor. A signed invoice shows a mutual understanding between a buyer and a vendor regarding a specific purchase, reducing the risk of legal action over pricing.

In other words, invoices are critical for tracking revenue and preventing potential legal or customer issues.

Pro tip: I highly recommend standardized invoice templates. I’ve found they speed up the drafting process and eliminate the risk of accidentally omitting essential items. You can use dedicated tools like HubSpot’s Invoice Generator to make this process quicker.

Sales Order Example

Sales Order Format

Now that I’ve explained a sales order, it's helpful to discuss the information your sales order should contain. As seen in the example above, typically a sales order includes the following:

Company name and contact information.

Customer name and contact information.

Customer billing information.

Customer shipping information.

Product or service information.

Price before taxes.

Tax, delivery, and shipping charges.

Total price after taxes.

Any previous deposit.

Current balance.

Terms and conditions as defined by your company.

Signatures.

Any other relevant information as needed.

Pro tip: I’ve found keeping track of this information in a CRM helpful. For example, you can streamline the sales order process by pulling relevant customer details from your CRM and populating them into your sales order.

Sales Order Process

When I worked as a teacher, I found quick overviews helpful. Here’s a quick look at the sales process to see how the sales order, purchase order, and invoice fit together. Typically, the sales order process looks something like this:

A customer sends a request for quote (RFQ) from a vendor.

After receiving the RFQ, the vendor sends back a quote.

The customer considers the quote reasonable and sends back a purchase order.

The vendor receives the purchase order and uses its details to generate a sales order.

The vendor sends the sales order to the customer to confirm the terms of the sale.

The vendor assembles, packages, or prepares the goods and services requested.

The vendor delivers those goods or services.

Using the details of the sales order, the vendor generates an invoice and sends it to the customer.

Ideally, the customer pays the amount specified on the invoice within the allotted time frame.

To recap, sales orders play a central role in ensuring that a sale is well-documented, properly conducted, and reflective of both sides' expectations.

It’s important that anyone consistently involved in sales — such as a vendor or a customer — has an understanding of these kinds of documents and the implications they may have on a company’s inventory, finances, and legal standing.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Everything You Need to Know about Partnership Businesses [+ Expert Tips]

Anna Rubkiewicz — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Confession — setting up a partnership business with my friend and (now also a business partner) Kasia was the best decision in my professional life. We’ve been working together as a content marketing duo for over five years now, and the growth opportunities we’ve seen would not have been possible if we worked solo.

Not only are we each others’ emotional support or cover for each other during sick leave or vacation. We also challenge our ideas and generate twice as many ideas on projects.

In this post, I’m going to explain the benefits of establishing a partnership. I also explain the three partnership options you can choose from when setting up shop in the United States, along with recommendations from legal experts.

Table of Contents

What is a partnership business?

Benefits of Partnership Businesses

Types of Partnerships

What is a partnership business?

A partnership business is formed when two or more people join their resources to start a business and agree to share profits, losses, and risks. Real estate investments, law firms, and physician groups are some of the most common examples.

Partnerships can take different legal forms, including general, limited, and limited liability partnerships. I will discuss each in detail later.

Partners create a written legal agreement outlining roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes. Partnerships can end for many reasons, like a partner leaving, the agreement expiring, or other business changes.

Benefits of Partnership Businesses

Before I dive into the different types of partnerships, I thought I’d put together a list of the top advantages of these businesses based on my experiences and observations.

Doubling Down on the Knowledge and Expertise

It’s tough to run a business. But you know what’s even harder? Doing it alone.

Neither Kasia nor I know everything (no one does) — we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. Partnering with someone who has complementary skills and knowledge helps fill gaps and expand your expertise.

Google is a great example of how forming a partnership business can result in spectacular success. Its founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, met at Stanford University, where they developed a search algorithm that became the foundation of Google. Their complementary skills — Page’s vision for structuring the web and Brin’s expertise in data mining — helped them build a company that transformed the internet.

The secret lies in choosing someone who not only has the right skills and expertise but who you also work well with. Otherwise, you might experience conflicts.

The right business partner can also create a business plan with you. If you need help getting started, here are a few business plan templates that will guide you in this process. You can access them as an interactive one-page PDF or get the full template on both Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

More Business Opportunities and Extra Support

The major downside of being an entrepreneur is the long hours you have to put in, which can lead to burnout. In fact, over 34% of entrepreneurs experience it, and nearly 46% struggle with constant stress — the threat is real.

Recently, I saw a post from one of Surfer’s founders saying they’re taking a sabbatical to recharge after working long hours for years, which impacted their mental well-being.

Since the company has multiple founders, one taking a break won’t hurt the business.

When you team up with the right person (or people), you can count on their support, and that’s just one of the benefits. Experienced partners bring ideas and contacts you might not have access to, which can (or at least should) lead to further business growth.

Fresh Perspective

This benefit might apply to you if, until now, you’ve been working as a solopreneur. Joining forces with a business partner (or a few) can let you see things from a different angle. Since they have their own experiences, they can notice certain business opportunities hidden in plain sight. Or, as I’ve personally seen, they can come up with solutions to problems you’ve been struggling with almost instantaneously.

This is what happened when I worked at a startup about a decade ago. Originally, the business had just one owner, and I was part of a team of three. We were building a digital product for retailers, as well as food and cosmetics manufacturers. However, while we had knowledge on the sector, we were struggling with convincing decision makers at these companies to meet us for a product demo.

Things changed when our boss decided to join forces with a business partner. Not only did he have a lot of contacts at retail and consumer goods brands. He also pointed out where we were falling short in our attempts to convince our target customers of our solution’s potential ROI.

Lo and behold, we were suddenly able to get through to the right people and present our solution. I’d like to underline that we had success not only because the Co-CEO would call in a personal favor — his perspective and insights helped us improve our pitch and reach new leads.

Smaller Relative Costs

In my experience, whenever the topic of money comes up in the context of a partnership business, it’s usually about sharing profits. In fact, a few people whom I spoke to were tentative about setting up a business with someone else for this exact reason.

What they don’t always think of straight away though, is that they also share expenses. So, for instance, instead of paying $250 per month for an essential tool like a CRM, they might be paying just half of that amount if they have a partner.

This distribution of costs can accelerate business development, as it’s more affordable for everyone to make investments. So, while you share earnings with others, working together means you have more resources to grow your business.

Types of Partnerships

Here are the three types of business partnerships you can consider. Please note that I only list structures that apply to U.S. companies.

General Partnership

A general partnership might be the easiest to wrap your head around if you aren’t a legal expert. It’s one of the options you can choose from if you want to set up a for-profit company in the United States.

Joanna Smykowski, a licensed New York state attorney and senior contributor at Custody X Change, told me that it’s often the simplest to establish from a technical standpoint but can also be one of the riskiest. “If something goes wrong, everyone is equally on the hook,” she said.

In this business type, all partners have equal financial and legal responsibility. Costs and earnings are shared equally, but every person is also personally liable for any debts that the partnership generates.

Who This Type of Partnership Business Works For

Smykowski told me that a general partnership might work best for businesses where there’s a strong relationship or trust and a shared vision between partners. It might be best for smaller ventures with limited risks, like a café or small consulting business.

“In essence, in this business type, partners should not only get along but also bring complementary skills to the table,” she says.

For example, one partner might excel at sales and networking, while the other handles operations and finances.

“In these scenarios, a general partnership can allow for flexibility and faster decision-making because there’s no need to deal with formalities like board meetings or corporate resolutions,” Smykowski says.

Smykowski underlines that companies should always remember this simplicity comes with the trade-off of personal liability, so creditors could come after your personal assets if the business goes bankrupt.

Smykowski describes a scenario she saw that involved two friends who started a digital marketing agency. They had worked together in the past, knew each other’s work ethic, and wanted a quick, straightforward way to launch their business.

“A general partnership worked well for them because they trusted each other and didn’t need outside funding. However, they also made sure to draft a detailed partnership agreement outlining their roles and what would happen if the business dissolved,” she says.

Smykowski emphasized that this step is critical. Even in a general partnership, having clarity about roles and exit plans can save a lot of trouble down the line.

Ultimately, trust in these partnership types should be ironclad. “If your business involves significant liability or you don’t feel comfortable being fully responsible for your partner’s decisions, it’s probably not the right structure,” she concluded.

Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

This type of partnership business protects partners from personal liability. So, if one partner faces a lawsuit, the personal assets of the other partners remain safe.

Some businesses distinguish between equity and salaried partners. The latter hold senior positions and receive compensation, including bonuses tied to the company’s profitability, but don’t have an ownership stake in the firm.

Who This Type of Partnership Business Works For

I spoke with Mark Pierce, founder and CEO at Wyoming Trust & LLC Attorney, who told me that LLPs are the best choice for professionals like lawyers or accountants who want the flexibility of managing their business while protecting their personal assets.

“An LLP limits the liability of each partner to the amount they have invested, ensuring one partner isn‘t liable for the negligence or fraud of another. For instance, I guided a law firm in forming an LLP to operate efficiently without risking partners’ personal assets due to a colleague's potential malpractice,” said Pierce.

Alex Freeburg, founder of Freeburg Law, also thinks a Limited Liability Partnership is a good option.

“If you’re in a field where personal liability is a concern but you still want to work closely with others, go with an LLP. Especially in today’s day and age with growing concerns of safety, it’s the safest route,” he said.

Why is it a good choice?

LLPs are practical and follow a simple principle — work together while protecting your interests. So, even though you partner with others, you’re not personally liable for their misconduct or negligence, which makes perfect sense.

Freeburg told me that “in my practice, I’ve seen a lot of small law firms go this route. They can share the workload and profits, but if one partner messes up, the others aren’t on the hook for that. You can work without the stress of personal liability hanging over your head.”

Also, it’s worth mentioning the flexibility of LLPs. Unlike corporations, which have strict governance structures, LLPs let you decide how to run the business. You can set up your profit-sharing arrangements and decision-making processes that work best for your team.

Limited Partnership

Limited partnerships (LP) are a solution somewhere between general and limited liability partnerships. In this setup, there must be two or more partners, but at least one of them needs to have the title of a “general” partner. These individuals have full operational control. However, being the ultimate decision maker comes at a (quite literal) price — they have an unlimited liability for any business debts.

Other partners in this structure are also responsible, but they pay off debts proportionally, i.e., to the amount they’ve invested.

Who This Type of Partnership Business Works For

Ramzy Ladah, sole practitioner at Ladah Law Firm, told me that limited partnerships work best for businesses where there’s a need for active management and outside funding, but without giving up control.

“The general partner takes care of everything — managing operations, making decisions, and assuming all liabilities,” Ladah explained. “Limited partners, on the other hand, put in capital but don’t manage anything.”

Ladah brought two examples of industries where limited partnerships might be the best setup. The first one is real estate development. In these businesses, there must be someone who has experience managing certain steps, like handling permits, keeping control over timelines, and communicating with contractors.

“Investors, as limited partners, provide the funds and stay in the background, not dealing with the stress of day-to-day operations,” Ladah said.

It takes the right people to make a partnership business work.

I cannot imagine running a business solo anymore. Whenever one of us goes on vacation or catches the flu, we feel like someone took away half of our creativity and decision-making capabilities. And it’s not a bad thing; it means that our business partnership works.

Kasia and I were lucky enough to meet each other at work, but I realize not everyone can count on serendipity to find their future business partners. So, a word of advice — before you decide to set up a business or bring on new partners to your existing one, make sure you’re a good fit.

Consider the roles and responsibilities, and which type of partnership business will secure everyone’s interest best. This will help avoid potential conflict and support your company’s growth. Good luck!

Disclaimer: This blog post is not legal advice for your company to use. Instead, it provides background information to help you better understand business partnerships. This legal information is not the same as legal advice, where an attorney applies the law to your specific circumstances, so we insist that you consult an attorney if you’d like advice on your interpretation of this information or its accuracy.

In a nutshell, you may not rely on this as legal advice, or as a recommendation of any particular legal understanding.

Sales Negotiation: Here Are the 12 Skills I Think Are Essential

Mark Burdon — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Before entering the IT business development and sales profession, I resisted working in automotive sales because of my distaste for shady sales negotiation tactics. I preferred to work for companies that were open to negotiations on price, provided the customer bought within a certain timeframe. I also worked for a company or two that held their pricing firm so they didn’t devalue their product or jeopardize their margins. Sales negotiation, after all, is a delicate art.

Even when you‘ve properly qualified a prospect and carefully managed their expectations through the sales process, the deal can still end in a negotiation. That’s why every salesperson needs to have a solid grip on how to negotiate effectively — from knowing when to hold your ground to knowing when to compromise on price or payment terms to close a contract.

Let’s explore what sales negotiations are. I’ll review why they're important in sales relationships and identify the tactical and strategic skill set every sales professional should develop to succeed.

Table of Contents

What is a sales negotiation?

Sales Negotiation Skills

Why is negotiation important in sales?

Sales negotiations are a collaborative value exchange between businesses (or a business and a consumer). They are sometimes stressful, often frustrating, and occasionally downright disrespectful. Yet, as a salesperson, when my customer signed a contract after a negotiation process and we both felt like winners: the outcome was worth the effort.

However, it’s also important to remember that as a sales rep or sales leader, you want to protect your company’s profit margins and your reputation for value while negotiating.

I remember a few times in software sales roles when customers would purposely ignore me until the end of a quarter — or the year — hoping to use that leverage against my quota to get a better deal. While it was fun when deals would start flowing in at the eleventh hour, if I compromised too much on price (or if being flexible on contract terms prevented revenue from being recognized for the fiscal period), it was a bitter pill to swallow.

Discounting your products or services for a customer can sometimes convey that you will concede your list price every time they do business with you. When you negotiate with prospects or customers, you should always aim for a mutually beneficial outcome where both the customer and the company feel like they‘ve gained value. A win-win scenario helps sales professionals ensure that the customer’s needs are met without sacrificing their company's standards or reputation.

The balance between accommodating your prospect’s budgetary restrictions and bringing in a financially viable deal is a tricky line to toe. Arriving at a mutually beneficial outcome is often easier said than done — especially in an era where buyers are more empowered and well-informed than ever.

In sales, negotiating price and contract terms are simply inevitable, and being an effective negotiator in our age of AI and online negotiation tools is crucial.

Let's take a closer look at why negotiation is so important in sales to grow your business and mitigate your business risk.

Why is negotiation important in sales?

Sales negotiations are valuable in many ways. Here are what I see as the primary benefits.

Effective sales negotiation:

Establishes trust, credibility, and expectations for each party’s conditions of satisfaction.

Helps salespeople to tailor contracts like service agreements or proposals to a customer’s unique needs.

Enables buyers and sellers to agree on terms where both parties can win.

Builds lasting relationships between both parties by providing a safe space for constructive communication.

During negotiation, sellers must remain composed, consultative, and compassionate. Engaging and fair negotiations can set a precedent that a company is easy to do business with — or that there may be difficulties ahead.

Good sales negotiation strategies require:

Significant preparation. Understand how flexible your company’s finance and legal teams are about negotiating price and contract terms. Going rogue and agreeing to terms your company won’t live up to isn’t a wise career move. It also erodes trust for future negotiations.

Creative thinking. Make price discounts conditional on a volume purchase or a series of purchases within a specific timeframe.

Empathy. Understanding the other party’s emotions and perspective on a purchase can help you find common ground with the buyer. If you detect that the buyer is nervous about making a significant project investment, you can offer information about warranty terms, project oversight, or customer testimonials. Assure the customer that your relationship doesn’t end when the contract is signed. Empaths can probe for underlying concerns or hesitations and address them before they scuttle the deal.

Strong willpower. Define when a business transaction isn’t worth pursuing. I once had a prospect who was using a trial version of a product for approximately sixty days and was peppering me with technical support questions. I went above and beyond to support their project along the way and ultimately closed the deal, but it was only when I drew a line in the sand that we would turn off their proof of concept system if they didn’t subscribe to the SaaS platform for a year.

It’s like the Kenny Rogers song “The Gambler”: You’ve gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, and know when to run. You may lose a deal or two by holding firm. Yet the customers that are worth winning will respect the value of your products, services, and policies. Compromising too much could also strike the wrong tone for a long-term relationship. Both sides need to have “skin in the game” for a relationship built on trust.

I’ve talked a lot about what makes a negotiation effective, and why you need to know how to negotiate effectively. Next, I’ll review the skills you need to negotiate like a pro.

1. Preparation is crucial.

Don’t go into a negotiation without a standard contract and pricing parameters. If the prospect is well-prepared, and you are winging it, the imbalance of power can undermine your credibility. Negotiating from a position of weakness is risky — even if you close a deal.

You must have an intimate understanding of your prospect‘s business, their pain points, and competitive solutions they’ll consider if your negotiation falls through. You might agree to terms and pricing out of desperation that you wouldn’t have if you had a better sense of what is at stake for both parties.

I once worked with a long-term customer who was looking for a new email archiving solution and needed to buy a considerable number of licenses for the application they were already using. The organization’s CTO said there were some stakeholders in the organization who wanted to replace our technology with a competitive solution, while others wanted to leverage their existing investment in my company’s technology.

The client wanted me to arrange for consultants to interview these stakeholders (at no cost to them) to determine which path forward they should take — and support them through a proof of concept with the email management system.

Now, there were regulatory issues with providing the scope of no-charge service that the client wanted. However, I could provide a promotional discount on the software that was equivalent to the service’s costs they wanted my company to swallow to keep their business. I was prepared with (and approved to offer) this arrangement when I met with the CTO. Ultimately, it extended the company’s relationship with the customer for many years, addressed the issues that the stakeholders were facing, and enriched our relationship with the customer.

During negotiations, you need to have a sense of the best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA) for both parties. It establishes whether a negotiation is worth continuing. If stepping away from the negotiating table helps your business protect the value of your products and enables you to focus on winning other opportunities with less friction, it may be your best move.

Defining the BATNA line is vital for both parties to manage their risk, and to prevent them from entering into deals that incur unacceptable reputational damage or costs. Conduct thorough research to define whether a sale is worth winning based on a customer’s non-standard demands.

2. Clearly define how much latitude you have to negotiate terms.

Know your company’s sales strategy inside and out.

In the heat of the negotiations, a 30% discount might seem perfectly acceptable. Yet if offering that deep a discount is against your company’s policy, or above your paygrade, then doing so could prevent a deal from being fulfilled.

Clearly understand and define what your limitations are on price discounts and term modifications before you meet your negotiation partners at the table. Agreeing to a deal you can’t live up to is worse than not coming to an agreement at all.

I learned this lesson well from the Open Text sales operations team, and I’ve adhered to it since. You don’t have to commit to terms or pricing live on the phone. You can always flag a term the prospect finds problematic and have your colleagues in legal or finance decide whether to modify the term or keep it.

3. Active listening is key to negotiations.

Sometimes, when you present the terms of the deal, the prospect will counter your terms to their considerable favor. You are sometimes better off letting the buyer start the conversation.

Salespeople are often tempted to immediately jump in and offer a discount or terms adjustment in the interest of being accommodating. But there's a line between being accommodating and being overly eager.

It pays to listen first and speak second during negotiations. You can‘t know what your prospect is thinking if you don’t let them present their perspective. Stay composed, have them reveal where they stand in the conversation, and use silence to your advantage.

In other words, follow the 70/30 rule of sales communication and listen more than you speak. Find opportunities to concede where it doesn’t cause your company undue risk or erode the value of your products or services. The best negotiations are when both parties win.

Silence can also be advantageous in sales negotiations after submitting a proposal. Silence communicates confidence and strength. It allows both parties to think through their next move and gives customers the opportunity to accept your offer or state any concerns they need to be addressed. Your price may be well within a customer’s range, but second-guessing your offer to break the silence can indicate that you question whether your pricing suits the value of what you have to offer.

4. Negotiate based on specific data points.

If the customer would like money knocked off your product‘s price tag, don’t offer a range of options. If you say something like, “Well, I could probably reduce the cost by between 15 and 20%,” you're setting yourself short by suggesting your lowest acceptable price.

Who would accept 15% when 20% has been offered? Always quote one specific number or figure and then go higher or lower as necessary. The word “between” should be avoided at all costs.

Ambiguity is not your friend in sales negotiations.

5. Don’t “split the difference.”

Offering to “split the difference” on pricing can seem like a clean, easy way to arrive at an agreeable deal, but it usually does more harm than good.

For example, if your product or service costs $10,000 and the prospect wants a 50% discount, don’t counter with $7,500 to try and reach a quick settlement. It might seem fair and mutually beneficial, but those kinds of discounts are often rash and over the top.

When you offer a moderate discount that is close to your original price, the prospect may accept it because you are maintaining your position of strength — and you protect your profit margin. Don’t be afraid to use your company policies to hold firm in negotiations. Check in with your chain of command if the buyer insists on further concessions, but be prepared to walk away from the deal if an executive decision is made to stick to your offer.

6. Write terms at the right time.

Negotiations are often complicated. Offers and counteroffers or redlined terms can go back and forth multiple times in negotiations over complex agreements and high-value transactions. They often require representatives from legal and finance teams from both parties to navigate through to a mutually beneficial arrangement that protects both parties’ interests.

Several options will be proposed. Some conditions will be accepted, and others will be denied. That‘s why you don’t want to commit anything to writing until the meeting has ended — wait until all parties have verbally agreed to terms before you draft and table a legally binding contract.

7. Negotiating is often a team effort.

This tip might seem obvious, but many salespeople make the mistake of negotiating with the wrong person, or they try to negotiate a deal alone that requires oversight from multiple stakeholders.

A company can have several people who might come to the negotiating table without the authority to actually make business decisions. I was always happy to have a legal counsel, my sales manager, or a services principal on contract negotiation calls to ensure the right guardrails were in place to negotiate the best deal for the customer and my employer.

Free Resource: Get your call off on the right foot with these free call scripts.

If your customer has multiple executives from their leadership or legal team at a meeting or online conference, rally equal representation from your team to level the playing field. You can lead the conversation as far as you are able, and gracefully step back and allow your team to contribute as their roles dictate. Executives often like to sit at the negotiation table with their counterparts in your company when negotiating a strategic investment. See the move as relationship-building instead of compromising your control of the negotiations.

8. Give to receive.

Healthy salesperson-customer relationships are borne out of mutual respect and trust. They're not a matter of salespeople bending over backward to accommodate buyers at every turn.

That‘s why salespeople shouldn’t accept every prospect's demand without making some of their own. By keeping the negotiation a win-win for both sides, the salesperson and client remain on equal footing, which lays the groundwork for a productive relationship.

Recently, I’ve been working as a senior proposal writer for a business that serves airports, mixed-use commercial buildings, hospitals, and universities. I’ve worked on and participated in deals where the proposed terms and pricing aren’t the ultimate terms and price.

Even after my company had been selected as the customer’s first choice for strategic deals, the customer asked for a BAFO proposal, or Best and Final Offer. Sometimes, price changes; in other cases, it’s contract terms or products or services. It certainly keeps things interesting down to the final sign-off.

In these circumstances, concessions are often necessary to secure a signed contract and the beginning of a lasting relationship.

9. Negotiate more than fixed and operating costs.

The most commonly negotiated aspect of a sales deal is price, so salespeople should be prepared to talk about discounts — but discounts aren't the only way sellers can sweeten the pot.

Price is tied to value, and value is tied to a customer‘s perception of and satisfaction with a product. That’s why you might want to consider offering other add-ons or freebies to a deal in lieu of a smaller price tag.

That being said, this isn‘t a hard and fast rule. It’s all situational. Sometimes a discount is the best course of action. If you make concessions, you need to consider the circumstances of the deal holistically — additional perks won't always be more appropriate than hard financial concessions.

10. Handle objections with diplomacy

As a salesperson, handling objections is critical to every conversation you have.

Make sure you are clear on what a prospect is objecting to by confirming it back to them and then addressing it. (You can find more insights on expert objection handling by visiting this article on the HubSpot Blog.)

11. Stay calm.

Composure is key when participating in negotiations. Getting flustered or frustrated can turn your prospects off and undermine your ability to frame yourself as a helpful, agreeable, and consultative resource.

Remember that negotiation is, in large part, a relationship-building process. If you lose your cool, your prospects will be less inclined to form a long-term, productive partnership with you. Always keep your cool — for everyone's sake.

12. Walk away if necessary.

Salespeople shouldn‘t be willing to accept any curveball a prospect throws at them. If demands become unreasonable or unprofitable for the company, don’t be afraid to walk away from the deal.

A customer who only agreed to sign if the contract was radically amended or the price was drastically dropped is bound to cause problems down the road.

Those kinds of changes also often signify that the prospect doesn‘t see much value in your offering. That means it’s only a matter of time before they become dissatisfied. Use your instincts, but also know the signs, and be able to walk away when necessary.

Thriving in Sales Negotiation

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, negotiating skills are essential for success in the sales profession, but they can be challenging to develop without training and experience. I hope the information I shared here will help elevate your sales negotiation strategies and skills.

Maintaining composure, listening with empathy, understanding your offering's value, and making silence your ally can help you thrive in sales negotiations.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
episode, Kieran and I dive into four powerful lead-scoring strategies that truly move the needle. Let’s explore how to surface the highest-potential leads and put your sales team in a position to succeed.

1. Combine customer fit and intent to better prioritize sales leads.

If you’re only scoring leads based on how well they fit your ideal customer profile (ICP), you’re missing a big piece of the sales success puzzle.

Effective lead scoring takes into account both segment fit — factors like job title, company size, and industry — and intent, which measures their interest through actions like demo requests, trial signups, or content engagement.

So, while fit tells you who could be a good customer, intent shows you who is actually ready to engage right now. Together, these elements give you a prioritized list of leads that are more likely to convert.

In the early days at HubSpot, we focused almost exclusively on fit-based scoring, making sure leads aligned with our ideal target audience. But we soon realized that even the most perfectly matched leads wouldn’t convert if they weren’t actively engaging.

Once we incorporated intent signals, however, our reps had better clarity on whom to prioritize and how to approach them. This simple shift improved close rates and created a wildly more efficient sales process.

Pro tip: Implement a balanced lead scoring system by tracking behaviors that consistently correlate with high conversion rates and assigning appropriate weights based on their impact. Tools like HubSpot’s lead scoring feature can help automate this process.

2. Keep it simple: Complex scoring systems kill sales adoption.

The more complicated your lead scoring model, the less likely your sales team is to use it.

Reps need a straightforward, easy-to-understand scoring system with clear priorities. If they have to guess how leads are being scored — or worse, if the score doesn’t align with their instincts — they’ll ignore it and revert to their own methods.

For example, at HubSpot, we initially experimented with models that included too many variables: layered fit criteria, advanced behavioral signals, and intent measurements. On paper, these models seemed logical, but in practice, reps didn’t trust them. Instead, they reverted to their personal lead-ranking systems, and the model was largely ignored.

The breakthrough came when we simplified the scoring model by prioritizing high-impact actions. For example, we focused on leads tied to conversion events with proven close rates, giving reps immediate, actionable leads they could trust.

Once they saw better results without needing to overthink the criteria, adoption improved, and lead scoring became an essential part of hitting quotas.

Expert insight: Don’t just give reps a scoring system — provide a complete outreach package. Include essential resources like email templates, call scripts, and recommended content to give them the confidence and support they need to engage high-priority leads effectively.

3. Use HINKLs to expand your funnel and hit sales quotas.

At HubSpot, we came up with the concept of HINKLs (High Intent Non-Qualified Leads) when we realized that we needed a way to grow beyond traditional product-qualified leads (PQLs).

We define HINKLs as leads that haven’t directly raised their hand to talk to sales — through actions like demo requests or trial sign-ups — but whose behavior signals intent. For example, they might interact with product features, templates, or other high-value content similar to leads who do convert.

Our growth team developed HINKLs by running regression analysis on closed deals and identifying behaviors that strongly correlated with conversions. This allowed us to surface leads that weren’t immediately obvious but had a high likelihood of upgrading or purchasing.

Expanding the sales funnel with HINKLs gave our reps access to qualified leads that weren’t previously on their radar, helping them consistently hit quotas by targeting hidden, high-potential prospects.

4. Establish — and maintain — feedback loops with sales.

Even the best lead scoring model will fail if you don’t listen to your sales team.

Reps are on the front lines, interacting with leads daily, and their insights are crucial for refining your scoring criteria. To keep your model relevant, establish regular feedback sessions — whether through formal rep councils or informal check-ins — and continuously adjust based on what’s actually working.

In HubSpot’s early days, feedback was simple. We could shout across the room and get instant answers. But as we scaled, we introduced structured feedback loops, including a monthly rep council where we reviewed lead performance and made necessary adjustments.

This process kept the model dynamic and aligned with real-world sales needs, increasing trust and adoption while improving lead quality over time.

Pro tip: Pair qualitative feedback from sales with performance metrics. For example, combine both lead conversion rates and rep feedback to uncover the nuanced ‘why’ behind leads that convert or stall, leading to smarter and faster scoring adjustments.

Drive Sales Success with Smarter Lead Scoring

By combining customer fit, intent signals, and constant feedback, you can refine your lead scoring model to drive more targeted outreach, boost sales conversions, and keep your pipeline consistently full. Remember: It’s not about finding every lead — it’s about finding the right ones and then empowering your team to close deals faster and more efficiently.

To learn more about lead-scoring tactics and marketing growth strategies, check out the full episode of Marketing Against the Grain below:

This blog series is in partnership with Marketing Against the Grain, the video podcast. It digs deeper into ideas shared by marketing leaders Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (SVP, Marketing at HubSpot) as they unpack growth strategies and learn from standout founders and peers.

The Top 9 LLC Filing Companies Entrepreneurs Need to Know

Kinzal Jalan — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000

As someone who’s tested entrepreneurial waters, I know it can be daunting, especially when it’s your first time. There’s the adrenaline rush, yet a feeling of being lost, given so many unknowns. Something fundamental, like deciding between a sole proprietorship that requires minimal paperwork or going for a more structured LLC, can feel overwhelming. If you register an LLC, choosing between different LLC filing companies becomes the next big decision.

When researching registering an LLC, I remember being stretched between decoding legal jargon, figuring out state requirements, and wrapping my head around the endless LLC filing companies that came up on a Google Search. Like anyone else who starts a company, I wanted the best LLC filing company for my business. So, I spent a lot of time exploring options minutely, surfing different websites, and analyzing for reviews before making any choice.

Having gone through the (rather lengthy) process, I’ve compiled a list of the top LLC filing companies to help entrepreneurs make an informed choice without spending as much time as I had to. In this blog, I’ll share my top recommendations for the best LLC filing companies,

Table of Contents

What is an LLC filing company?

The Top 9 LLC Filing Companies

Why go with LLC filing companies and not do it yourself? I’ve figured getting external help handling the paperwork to register the business is a good idea because the initial few days in any entrepreneurial journey are taxing. It doesn’t hurt to reserve focus at that time on more strategic pursuits to grow the business. You don’t want to be circling a mountain of paperwork that you don’t want to make errors in, right? On that note, let me take you through my top picks.

The Top 9 LLC Filing Companies

1. ZenBusiness

Source

ZenBusiness is one of the leading LLC filing companies in the United States. They offer an easy, all-in-one platform to help business owners with all the tools and support they need to start, run, and grow a successful business. The company offers comprehensive packages that include business name availability searches, document filing, registered agent services, and more.

Trustpilot Score: 4.8/5 (based on over 19,233 reviews).

Best For: Individuals looking for budget-friendly, reliable services.

Pricing Plans: Currently. they’re offering 3 annual packages for LLC filing: Starter($0 + state fees), Pro ($169 + state fees), Premium ($250 + state fees),

Standout Features:

Value-for-money service with an affordable price point.

A wide array of services like operating agreements, worry-free compliance alerts, and ease of use under one umbrella.

A patient, cordial, and invaluable customer service team.

Potential Drawback(s): A close study of their reviews shows they require US addresses to use the services — a fact that isn’t communicated before signing up. So, if you’re not US-based, this might be a drawback you might want to consider.

2. Bizee (formerly IncFile)

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Bizee is a business formation and registered agent company. It is one of the market's most affordable LLC formation options and offers a full suite of formation, compliance, and filing services for businesses across all 50 states. It’s essential to note they help with forming LLCs but don’t offer legal advice or other legal services concerning your LLC formation.

Trustpilot Score: 4.7/5 (based on 20427 reviews)

Best For: Price-conscious entrepreneurs looking for value-for-money LLC filing services.

Pricing Plans: They’re offering three packages, all with a one-time fee. These include: Basic ($0 + state fees), Standard($199 + state fees), Premium ($299 + state fees),

Standout Features:

Transparent, upfront pricing with a one-time fee instead of subscriptions that renew year after year.

Free-lifetime compliance reminder alerts, such as texts or emails.

Free registered agent service is available in the first year — chargeable from year two onwards at $119 annually.

Potential Drawback: Bizee might not be the best fit if you’re looking for the smoothest customer service experience. After reading reviews thoroughly, I learned that reaching their customer support isn’t a breeze. Moreover, Bizee’s users often expect to receive more direction than they get.

3. BizFilings

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Founded in 1996, BizFiling can be regarded as a pioneer of the online incorporation space. In 2002, the company became part of Wolters Kluwer-backed CT Corporation, the industry’s premier legal services brand. They offer various products, services, and tools to support entrepreneurs throughout the life of their business, from setting up to amending documents as needed to stay compliant over time.

Trustpilot Score: 4.6/5 (based on 94 reviews)

Best for: Entrepreneurs seeking excellent service and quick response times and are willing to pay a premium for it.

Pricing Plans: They offer three LLC packages with different inclusions. However, they don’t have standard pricing for each package. The base charges vary across states, with the lowest at $99. Additional state fees apply.

Standout Features:

Simple ordering process that’s available both online and by phone.

They offer a warranty against any filing defects.

There are no hidden fees. The price displayed at the beginning of the order is the price you'll see at the end.

Potential Drawback:

They may not be the most economical service. Customers have written reviews saying that other filing businesses offer more for the same fee.

4. Rocket Lawyer

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Rocket Lawyer combines LLC filing services with access to affordable legal advice. Their offering revolves around helping start a business and retaining a legal expert to answer any questions that arise then or eventually. They thrive on ensuring the law is not out of reach for the ordinary citizen due to costs and complexity, making their service a versatile option for businesses of all sizes.

Trustpilot Score: 4.6/5 (based on 8831 reviews)

Best For: Business owners who anticipate needing ongoing legal assistance.

Pricing Plans: They offer two plans: Rocket Legal ($39.99/month) and Rocket Legal+ ($19.99/month). Both plans come with free 7-day trials where you just need to pay the state fees.

Standout Features:

While they have two plans, it’s unmistakable that Rocket Legal+ offers the best value for money. What stands out in this plan is the following:

Availability of paralegals and attorneys to answer queries online or consult live.

Personalization of legal documents according to local laws instead of relying on generic templates.

Discounts on add-ons like business filings, tax prep, and filings are available.

Potential Drawback: It appears they lack transparency about their pricing structure. I’ve found reviews with customers complaining about their “free advertisement.” They mentioned that once you get to the end of the process, they ask you to pay up to proceed. Another one complained about their package inclusions, for instance, Q&A with lawyers, which hands out no concrete answers but lawyer referrals. So, I’d take their freebies with a pinch of salt.

5. Swyft Filings

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Swyft Filings is an incorporation service built on convenience. They’ve designed their offering to help entrepreneurs get their company up and running as quickly, efficiently, and affordably as possible with expert help on board.

Trustpilot Score: 4.6/5 (based on 6866 reviews)

Best For: Entrepreneurs looking for a simplified solution with expert help when starting up.

Pricing Plans: Currently. they’re offering 3 annual packages: Basic ($0 + state fees), Standard ($199 + state fees), Premium ($299 + state fees),

Standout Features:

They offer a highly convenient process. You fill out a simple questionnaire, and they will prepare the documentation.

Personalized support is available from experts to avoid errors.

Features for growth, protection, and compliance are included in majority plans free of charge.

Potential Drawback(s): It would be their non-transparent cancellation options. I’d read reviews of some customers complaining that they were signed up for services they didn’t opt for on a subscription basis. When they went out to cancel, it was a taxing process with little clarity and support to stop the recurring fees.

6. Doola

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Doola is a one-stop shop built to help entrepreneurs launch, maintain, and grow their LLCs in the United States, regardless of where they are based worldwide. They offer a comprehensive suite of services, from business formation to bookkeeping and tax filings.

Trustpilot Score: 4.5/5 (based on 1723 reviews)

Best For: Non-US-based entrepreneurs looking to register and grow an LLC in the US.

Pricing Plans: Currently they’re offering 3 annual packages: Starter ($297 + state fees), Total Compliance ($1999 + state fees), and Total Compliance Max ($2999 + state fees).

Standout Features:

Diverse offerings, from registering an LLC and sorting essentials to getting a bank account to helping with compliance and bookkeeping.

They have a strong partner network for services they don’t offer directly, which can be very helpful for everyone, especially those not in the US.

It is backed by YCombinator, Hubspot, Nexus, and Hustle Fund, which indicates volumes about its credibility.

Potential Drawback: I’ve noticed several customers express concern over their communication flow. Their dashboard isn’t seemingly intuitive, and contacting the company doesn’t yield satisfactory responses speedily.

7. Northwest Registered Agent

Source

Trustpilot Score: 2.9/5 (based on 111 reviews), Rated 4.7 / 5 stars by 1295 clients on Google

Northwest Registered Agent is renowned for its registered agent services and its suite of helpful offerings, including crafting the operating agreement, arranging business addresses, and mail forwarding. The company prioritizes data security and offers personalized service.

Best For: Entrepreneurs seeking personalized assistance and keeping their address off their filings.

Pricing Plans: Currently, they’ve got a single plan called The Northwest LLC ($39 + State Fees).

Standout Features:

Local expertise with offices in every state and a team of 200+ local business experts ready to provide guidance.

Free mail forwarding and business address for all customers.

Privacy-focused, ensuring your personal information is secure.

Potential Drawback: Their response time appears slow. A frustrated user complained that their query went unanswered for 24 hours. The same user also complained that it takes longer than the standard time to apply for an EIN.

8. LegalZoom

Source

Established in 2001, LegalZoom is a well-established name in business formation, with offices in Los Angeles, Austin, and the Bay Area. They offer a wide range of legal services in addition to LLC filings. Interestingly, they’ve helped over 4 million entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses, which I think talks a lot about their credibility.

Trustpilot Score: 4.4/5 (Based on 11751 reviews)

Best For: Entrepreneurs who want a one-stop shop for business and legal needs.

Pricing Plans: Currently, they’ve got three packages to choose from: Basic ($0 + state fees), Pro ($224 + state fees), Premium ($269 + state fees).

Standout Features:

Comprehensive services, from LLC formation to legal advice.

Step-by-step guidance to launch and protect a new business.

Excellent customer service.

Potential Drawback:

I’ve noticed users complain about their program/menu. A disappointed user mentioned that it was dysfunctional and caused an enormous waste of time. The customer service rep was patient and helped, but the time they took to resolve the query was putting off.

9. Tailor Brands

Source

Tailor Brands is a unique LLC filing service that offers end-to-end services in the truest sense. Their offerings cover the needs of those just getting started and those already in business with a revolutionary business-building platform focused on branding activities.

Trustpilot Score: 4.4/5 (based on 9095 reviews)

Best For: Entrepreneurs looking for a one-stop shop to register their LLC and get basic branding activities moving.

Pricing Plans: Currently they’re offering 3 annual packages: Starter($0 + state fees), Pro ($169 + state fees), Premium ($250 + state fees).

Standout Features:

They bundle LLC formation with branding services like logos, business cards, branded merchandise, and more.

Perfect for new businesses building their online presence.

Simple, user-friendly platform.

Potential Drawback: Some customers complained that the company is highly focused on upselling and little concerned about what customers need. Their commitment and quality of customer support can also be put off.

Are you ready to file your LCC?

Researching the best LLC filing companies out there has been an eye-opening experience. Firstly, I’ve realized that “free” rarely is as good as it sounds. When you go for the cheapest bet, you could find yourself paying for essential add-ons and sneaky hidden costs that quickly add up if you don’t read the fine print.

I’ve also learned that no one-size-fits-all best LLC business filing solution exists. What you choose should depend on your business needs (and budget). Some entrepreneurs might need essential filing support, while others may prefer to sign up for ongoing compliance support, legal assistance, or branding tools. The best approach is to take your time and weigh your options before committing to any service. Doing this can save you quite a bit of money and frustration down the road.

Having said all this, I’d like to close on an important note. Remember: Registering your business is an important step — but it’s just a step. Your real work is going to start after this.

What’s a Business Credit Score Anyway? Here’s What You Need to Know

Stephanie Trovato — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

I walked into the bank feeling confident about getting a loan to expand my business. I had my plan, financials, and a solid pitch ready. But the loan officer shook her head — denied. The problem? My business credit score.

I didn’t even know I had one. A business credit score shows lenders, vendors, and insurers how dependable your business is. Factors like late vendor payments and limited credit activity were pulling my score down. That rejection was a wake-up call.

A business credit score can affect your chances of getting a loan, supplier terms, or partnerships. In this guide, I’ll explain what a business credit score is, why it matters, and how you can improve it.

Table of Contents

What is a business credit score?

What is a good business credit score?

Why do business credit scores matter?

How to Check a Business’s Credit Score

Tips for Managing and Improving Your Business Credit Score

What is a business credit score?

A business credit score tells lenders, vendors, and insurers how trustworthy your business is when it comes to paying debts on time. I like to think of it as the financial reputation for your company.

Business credit scores don’t follow a single model. Each reporting agency uses its own system, but they all rely on a few key factors to assess risk.

Key Factors That Affect Your Business Credit Score

Payment history. Late or missed payments to vendors, creditors, and suppliers can lower your score significantly. Consistent on-time payments help build trust.

Company age and financial history. Older businesses with a long financial track record tend to have higher scores.

Tradelines and credit use. I found that keeping tradelines active and balances low reassures lenders that your business can manage debt responsibly.

Industry risk. Businesses in industries with high failure rates are seen as riskier, which can impact their scores.

The 4 Major Business Credit Scoring Agencies

Here are the four agencies to keep an eye on to know your business’s credit score:

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). They created the Paydex Score (1 to 100) that focuses on payment history with vendors. A score above 80 indicates low risk.

Experian. Scores businesses on a scale of 1 to 100. Their reports also include data on payment trends, public records, and risk factors.

Equifax. Provides three key scores: Payment Index (0 to 100), Credit Risk Score, and Business Failure Score. These scores give lenders a detailed view of payment reliability and financial stability.

FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS). Used by the Small Business Administration (SBA) for loan approval. Scores range from 0 to 300, combining both business and personal credit history. Most SBA loans require a minimum score of 155.

A 2024 FDIC study found that 58% of lenders review business credit reports before making lending decisions. Tracking your score helps you stay prepared and better positioned for favorable financing options.

What is a good business credit score?

Each bureau uses a different system to calculate business credit scores. Knowing what counts as a good score depends on the bureau you’re dealing with. Below are general benchmarks that indicate low, moderate, or high risk.

Score Ranges by Major Bureaus

Dun & Bradstreet Paydex Score

80+ signals low risk with consistent, on-time vendor payments.

50-79 indicates moderate risk with occasional late payments.

Below 50 shows high risk due to frequent late or missed payments.

Equifax Payment Index

90+ represents low risk and timely payment history.

Below 80 points to higher risk from delayed payments or high debt levels.

FICO SBSS

155+ is required for SBA loan eligibility, although higher scores improve approval odds and loan terms.

Lenders often look at these scores to understand how dependable your business is when it comes to paying off debts. Higher scores can improve loan terms, lower interest rates, and extend payment periods with suppliers. Low scores, on the other hand, may lead to higher borrowing costs or loan denials.

If you have a low business credit score or you’re just starting out, read about the best unsecured business loans.

Why do business credit scores matter?

A business credit score impacts several key aspects of your company’s operations. It can influence loan approvals, insurance premiums, and supplier payment terms. A strong credit score has helped me secure supplier payment terms that gave my business more breathing room for cash flow.

Other key benefits of a good business credit score include:

Access to better loan terms and higher approval chances. Lenders tend to approve businesses with strong credit more quickly and offer lower interest rates.

Lower business insurance premiums. Insurance providers use credit scores to assess financial stability. A high score can reduce premiums, saving money over time.

Favorable supplier payment terms. Suppliers may offer extended payment terms (e.g., net 60 or 90 days) to businesses with higher scores, improving cash flow.

Higher credibility with partners. Business partners and investors may review your credit score as part of their decision-making process. A strong score demonstrates financial reliability.

How to Check a Business’s Credit Score

After that first experience in the bank, keeping track of my business credit score has saved me from further unpleasant surprises. I’ve learned that even a small error in a report can derail financing or negotiation plans. Here’s my personal process for checking and monitoring my business credit score.

Step 1: Gather your business details.

Having all the necessary information upfront makes the process faster and smoother. I’ve had applications delayed before simply because I couldn’t find the right documentation. Here’s what I always keep on hand:

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

DUNS Number (if using Dun & Bradstreet)

Business registration details (official name, address, and incorporation documents)

These details help verify your business identity and ensure the credit bureaus can pull accurate data.

Step 2: Choose your preferred bureau.

Different bureaus offer various services, and their pricing and report formats vary. I’ve explored all the major bureaus, and here’s what you can expect:

Dun & Bradstreet

Source

D&B focuses heavily on payment history through its Paydex Score. I first registered for a DUNS Number, which gave me access to a free, basic report. When I wanted more details, I subscribed to their paid service, starting at $15/month.

I logged in to the Dun & Bradstreet website.

I searched for my business using my DUNS Number or name.

I viewed my report summary and decided if I needed to upgrade for a deeper look at risk scores and payment trends.

I’ve found the paid report valuable when applying for larger loans or vendor contracts.

Experian

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Experian charges $49.95 for a single report, or $199/year for unlimited access. I opted for the annual plan since I prefer monitoring my score regularly.

I created an account on Experian’s business portal.

I purchased a report and reviewed key metrics like payment history, risk factors, and financial stability ratings.

I downloaded a copy to reference later.

Experian’s data helped me understand long-term payment trends that could affect vendor negotiations.

Equifax

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Equifax provides multiple scores, including a Payment Index and Credit Risk Score. Accessing their report required me to show proof of a recent business credit application.

I contacted Equifax and requested a business credit report.

I sent documentation from a recent credit application (e.g., loan or credit card request).

Once my information was processed, Equifax emailed me the report.

I appreciated that this service was free, but it took extra time to gather and submit the required documents.

FICO Small Business Scoring Service (SBSS)

The FICO SBSS score combines business and personal credit data and is crucial for SBA loans. Reports aren’t publicly available, so I worked directly with my lender to understand my score.

I contacted the lender handling my SBA loan application.

They explained how my FICO SBSS score factored into their decision-making.

I cross-checked my business credit reports from D&B, Experian, and Equifax, since these agencies contribute to the FICO score.

This extra step gave me confidence that both my business and personal credit were aligned with loan requirements.

Step 3: Monitor regularly and correct errors.

Credit reports can change frequently as new payments or inquiries are added. I’ve made it a habit to check for updates regularly to catch any errors before they become a problem.

I learned that if I don’t check my score regularly, errors like missing payment records could slip through and cost me during a loan application. Now, I set quarterly reminders, and they’ve saved me from surprises.

If I spot errors — like missing payments or incorrect account details — I contact the reporting agency.

Most agencies ask for proof, like bank statements or invoices, to update the report. Staying on top of these changes has helped me avoid issues during loan applications and vendor negotiations.

Monitoring my business credit has paid off with lower interest rates and better supplier terms. It’s an easy routine that keeps my financial reputation strong.

Tips for Managing and Improving Your Business Credit Score

Small but consistent actions can raise your business credit score and keep it strong over time. These tips help build trust with lenders, vendors, and partners.

1. Formalize your business.

Establishing your business as a legal entity gives it credibility. Register your business as an LLC or corporation.

Apply for an EIN (Employer Identification Number) through the IRS for tax and credit purposes.

Register for a DUNS number with Dun & Bradstreet to create a business credit profile.

This separation from personal credit allows your business to stand on its own and opens the door to more financing options.

2. Pay your creditors early or on time.

This might seem obvious, but I learned the hard way how much late payments can hurt your score. When even a single late vendor payment showed up on my report, it led to less favorable loan terms.

To stay on top of payments, I set up automatic payments and calendar reminders. If cash flow allows, I pay off debts early, which signals strong financial health to lenders. Making timely payments has given me better loan offers and even helped me negotiate payment extensions when needed.

3. Keep credit use low and open tradelines.

At one point, I noticed my score dipped despite paying bills on time. It turned out my credit utilization — how much credit I was using — was too high. Lowering this percentage made an immediate difference.

Here’s what worked:

I aimed to use less than 30% of my available credit.

I opened tradelines with reliable vendors who report to credit bureaus, which added more positive credit history to my profile.

I avoided maxing out business credit cards or lines of credit, since that can signal financial trouble.

4. Keep business and personal finances separate.

When I started out, I mixed personal and business expenses without realizing the long-term impact. It created headaches during tax season and made it harder to track my business’s financial health.

Now, I keep everything separate. I remember how chaotic tax season used to be when I mixed expenses — sorting through hundreds of receipts was a nightmare. Since switching to dedicated business accounts, I’ve saved hours each year.

This separation has simplified bookkeeping and protected both my business and personal credit scores.

These habits have made managing my business credit much more predictable. Over time, I’ve seen how lenders and vendors trust businesses with solid financial practices. The effort you put in now can set you up for more opportunities in the future.

Knowing Your Number

When I first learned about business credit scores, I didn’t realize how much they impacted key opportunities. That loan rejection was a wake-up call. Since improving my score, I’ve secured better loan rates, supplier terms, and smoother negotiations.

Managing your credit doesn’t need to be complicated. Regular monitoring, timely payments, and low credit use can prevent setbacks. These habits show lenders and partners that your business is reliable and financially stable.

Don’t wait for a problem to take action. Start by checking your credit report and making small improvements. Those efforts can open the door to better growth opportunities down the road.

B2B Sales mix

7 Key Principles of Value-Based Selling — What Experts Have to Say

A Value-Based Selling Framework

Resonate

Differentiate

Substantiate

Why Value-Based Selling Matters

Best Practices for Value-Based Selling

1. Do your homework.

Their Current Role and Previous Job Experience

Common Connections

Content Shared on Social Media

Their Company’s Website, Press, and Social Media Pages

Their Contact Listing in Your CRM

2. Don’t jump into your sales pitch too early.

3. Communicate how your product provides value to the customer.

4. Focus on teaching instead of selling.

5. Guide the prospect through the buying process.

6. Keep a personable approach.

The Sales Prospecting Email Templates Your Team Needs to Start Conversations and Fill Your Pipeline

Sales Prospecting Tips for Modern Selling

1. Start social, stay natural.

2. Master meaningful engagement.

3. Respect the relationship timeline.

4. Focus on quality over scale.

5. Warm up cold outreach.

Sales Prospecting Email Templates

Cold Outreach Templates

1. Congratulate them.

2. Boost their mission.

3. Provide immediate value.

4. Offer help.

5. Compliment them.

6. Build rapport using common interests.

7. Congratulate the new hire.

8. Offer motivation.

9. Send them a gift.

Referral and Networking Templates

10. Seek referrals.

11. Talk to your prospect’s vendors.

Objection Handling: 44 Common Sales Objections & How to Respond

Handling Objections

Have situational awareness.

Lead with empathy.

Ask thoughtful, open-ended questions.

When the customer isn’t right, tread lightly.

Step 1: Anticipate

Step 2: Listen

Step 3: Acknowledge

Step 4: Explore

Step 5: Respond

1. Lack of Budget

2. Lack of Trust

3. Lack of Need

4. Lack of Urgency

1. Practice active listening.

2. Repeat back what you hear.

3. Validate your prospect’s concerns.

4. Ask follow-up questions.

5. Leverage social proof.

AI Agents: What They Are, How They Work, and Why You Should Probably Invest in Them (Especially If You’re An Enterprise-Level Business) [+ New Data]

Statistics You Should Know About AI Usage in Sales

What do AI agents do?

1. AI agents are here to improve how your reps work, not replace them.

2. If you collect data now, your AI agents (and your human ones) will reap the rewards later.

How To Build an AI Agent, According to Wesley Baum, Bluleadz’s AI Specialist

1. The hardest part about building an AI agent? Knowing what’s needed to make it thrive.

2. When it comes to building a proficient AI agent, it’s all about data.

3. There will be a rising demand for customized, business-specific AI agent ecosystems.

AI Agents Use Cases

1. AI agents can answer knowledge queries.

2. AI agents can manage calendars.

Grants for Black Women and Women of Color [+ 2025 Deadlines]

Statistics that Black Women Entrepreneurs Should Know About

16 Business Grants For Black Women

1. WomensNet Grants

2. Galaxy Grant

3. FedEx Small Business Grant

4. HerRise MicroGrant

5. HerRise Hustlers MicroGrant