predictable revenue - or - how i transformed myself into a fortune teller of my revenue

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Predicted Revenue -or- How I transformed myself into a Fortune Teller of my Revenue

Klaus-M. Schremser, sales director has.to.beCOPYRIGHT© of image by artist TOM KUEBLER tskuebler.com.


Why am I here?


Note: Why I'm here?1. Friendbecause I'm friend with Florian, my Usersnap hero. and I'm asking him so many questions that hemight think I will stop bothering him when I have to prepare a talk ... #FAILED 2) 20 years in salesmaybe I'm also here becausealmost 20 years in sales, biggest customer around 4 m EUR over 10 years with 1 contract over 1 m EUR. Founded my first "startup" - we didn't call it startup back then, developing websites and online-shops which transformedinto Gentics, the leading CMS vendor in Austria. Which we sold to the Austria Press Agency in 2013. Meanwhile we build our first "real" startup and wanted to build a SAAS company "Wikidocs". Which we sold 2014 to Atlassian as some of you might know. #FAILED in terms of building a SAAS company. Now I'm head of sales at has.to.be which provices payment and management solutions for charging stations for electric vehicles including Teslas of course :). 3) because everybody hates sales, building products and development, growth hacking is so much more fun than bloody sales.But someone has to do it and someone has to do it right 4) my mantra my first real business book was "rich dad, poor dad" from Robert Kyosaki. and of course I bought it because I wanted to become rich. Beside that you learn how important finance is, he told me to get literate business stuff and to gather smarter guys around me than I am. I collected all my reads at goodreads.com for you https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18836161-klaus-m-schremser?per_page=infinite&shelf=business&utf8=%E2%9C%93


What's the problem? More sales people are thrown at a crumpy sales process

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Note: What's the problem?

Sales is the most neglected part of startups today. Most startup guys love branding, product development, technical challenges, but they hate to sell. My product is so great why do I have to explain that every time. And if they do sales, it's often the low hanging fruits, if somebody is contacting them. They do sales. But there is no structure. BUT We need a constant, predictable flow of leads and a forecast like a fortune teller. And you have to convert them into customers Aaron Ross published his successful book "Predictable revenue". And he gave me the perfect advice how to structure my sales process. Regarding the problem in sales: What he describes is what I experienced and also did many years on my own. Our sales process is OLD. Hiring more salespeople to do the wrong things does not work anymore.We did that at my former company some years ago and failed. Don't throw good people at a not working process.Will kill the engine! Often closers (sales types) are used as cold callers and they are often bad at it. This is the wrong approach.Pushing your sales to do more emails, calls, meetings will not work in the dimension you need it.


What's the solution? DON'T SELL! Use lead generation as your big lever.

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Note: What's the solution?

DON'T SELL :) Use lead generation as your big lever. Big sales team does not drive growth, if your sales process is crumpy. What is a lead?A sales prospect who is interested in what you offer. If he/she leaves personal data, they are leads.


Lead categories


Note: Lead categories

How to categorize your leads?1. category = seeds (come through word of mouth marketing) (find you through search, PR, social media, content marketing)takes time to grow a seed into a customer (onion principle) 2. category = nets (come through inbound marketing) (classic marketing, newsletter, ads, ..) --> marketing funnela wide net, not all can be qualified 3. category = spears (outbound sales) (attracting them means targeted outbound efforts) --> "don't sell", research funneltargeted and small in number More on thathttp://influitive.com/blog/predictable-revenue-aaron-ross/http://www.slideshare.net/saleshackerconference/sales-hackers-talk-april-nyc-2014-create-predictable-scalable-revenue-updated-42114?qid=f53e1003-af3a-4d1e-aa12-578175a8496a&v=&b=&from_search=1


Note: Specialisation of sales rolesTo address these lead categories, you split the tasks in your sales department in the sales process. You need a good lead generation team, you need a modern sales organisation. First step is specialisation - split responsibilities and tasks into different sales roles.You boost productivity if you separate into 4 core functions.http://predictablerevenue.com/specialize a) Inbound Lead qualification= market response representative qualifies market leads, ex. newsletter lists --> for outbound> marketing becomes part of sales b) Outbound prospecting // cold calling 2.0= sales development reps, doesn't close but qualifies & creates sales opps --> passes on to account executives c) Account executives= quota carrying reps, closes deals = hunters(should stay in contact with closed customers until they are launched) d) Account management - current customersmaking customers successful later - different reps for different vertical industries >> passing on of leads is as important as the generation!!


Again DON'T SELLDo research, rather than sell - is there a mutual fit?



Note: Do research, rather than sell

What should you do? • In the lead generation process, do research, rather than sell - find out if there is a mutual fit between

the prospect and your offering. • Use quality not quantity in your sales process (leads). Don't send mass emails, evaluate each of them• Don't waste your time on the wrong leads. Find your right customer - don't sell to the wrong customer.• Often it's finding the right decision makers what's problematic, not selling to them.• Pick a niche. You have to pick a niche. Find out at what are you the king of? Where can you easily win?

Get specific.• Your offering must represent real value.• I, too often, see and hear presentations which start with WE! Nobody cares about YOU! (sorry), the

customer• cares only about himself. So, tell her/him their benefits and what they get (dollarized) first!• Use the onion principle and bring your lead with each layer nearer to become a customer, but don't

push on her/him too early.

Three topics I want to dive into for a moment


Outbound Leads Generation + Cold Calling 2.0 = Sweet Email



Note: Outbound Leads Generation + Cold Calling 2.0 - Sweet Call

Because this is the one which is often neglected the most. A good outbound sales process is necessary, do not process telemarketing without a goal. 1) Define your ideal target profile with their core challenges, your revenue potential (life time value - LTV) and how to sell to them. Add target accounts and contacts to your outbound lists. 2) Send cold (but short & sweet) emails or make mapping calls. Don't send marketing emails or sell in the email. Ask for referrals to the right person and keep it short. Coldcalling 2.0 teaches you to ask a C-level exec for referral to the best person in their organization for a first conversation.Again short and sweet email to C-level for referring. Don't sell, ask for one thing -> referral.But be persistant. No answer is still no answer. (Read blog posts of Steli Efti of close.io)Work on the responses (so don't send thousands of emails). Make call conversations and demos.Build a success plan for a customer ... paint a picture of the gains for your customer through your product. Find out if this customer is a waste of time for you.If you get a fitting lead, hand it over to the closer! Don't forget to create a new sales opportunity in the CRM (for the metrics).


Why Triathlon is important for Your Metrics?


Note: Triathlon - Metrics (Pipedrive), TriCoreTraining - Plan

Why I love metrics?You don't know if you are on the right path, if don't measure it I do Ironman training now for 13 years. I even build my own online service for training plans. A training plan always comes with metrics and only if you keep up to the figures you improve. Stick to the plan and measure the core figures! But only measure your core figures.


Few, core metrics as easy as possible


Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) with Life-Time-Value (LTV)


Summary. What I want you to remember!

1. SPECIALIZE your sales roles 2. COLD CALLING 2.0 - use referral, researching approach3. Focus on QUALITY of calls or leads4. Train your outbound salespeople to be BUSINESSMEN who

sell 5. Sell ideas not stuff (customers buy your help)6. Do some calls yourself and learn7. Simplify what you track in your CRM 8. Follow Aaron Ross and Steli Efti from close.io


Note: Summary. What I want you to remember!

Summary- you must specialize your sales people (inbound, outbound, closer, key accounting)- use referral / researching approach rather than telemarketing (cold calling 2.0)- focus on quality, not quantity of calls / leads- train your outbound salespeople to be businessmen who sell - set up outbound sales, get target accounts, do some calls yourself and learn- simplify what you track in your CRM (few, important metrics)- sell ideas not stuff (customers don't want to buy products, they want to buy help)- follow Aaron Ross and Steli Efti from close.io


Thank you! In case you think this was not absolute NONSENSE, contact me if you have a question!

Klaus-M. SchremserSales Director

[email protected]: +43 699 16301524

Why are you wearing

these suits all the time??? This is not

startup like. .... Ahhhh!

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mailto:[email protected]


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