How to ace Account-Based Selling – Webinar

Freshsales CRM hosted Clifton Lobo (Mid Market – Enterprise Sales Manager, Freshworks) for a webinar on “How to ace Account-Based Selling” on May 15, 2018. Clifton Lobo walked the attendees through the different steps involved in Account-Based Selling and how they can achieve success in it.

The topics covered included:

  • Creating and segmenting a list of accounts
  • Mapping key decision makers in the organization
  • Targeting the right people with the right message
  • How to gain from rejections

How to ace Account-Based Selling – Webinar Excerpts

Rethinking Outbound Sales

Wolf of Wall Street SDR Sales

When I joined Freshworks, we were huge in SMB markets across the globe, but penetrating the mid-market and enterprise level organizations was becoming really difficult.

Every time I tell someone I’m in Outbound sales this man comes to their mind. ‘Oh, you should be able to sell ice to an Eskimo’.

And that’s really not what it’s about. Because sales today has changed.

For anyone that hasn’t watched the movie this character is known as the “Wolf Of Wallstreet” and plays a really talented stockbroker in the movie.

There’s been a huge shift in outbound sales since then, you have your buyers a lot more informed and nobody likes to be pushed into a sell. They like to be educated into it.

But I’ve seen many sales organizations follow this same mentality of continuously selling and people don’t like to be sold to nowadays. In fact, it really puts them off.

Why I picked up Account-Based Selling

Why Account-Based Selling

Problems in Sales Today

Problems in Sales Today

Account-Based Selling starts from accounts not leads

Time to change the way we look at things

So if we need to really improve things we need to start looking at outbound in terms of Accounts and not leads.

That would help us understand businesses better and deliver value while connecting with people.

Account-Based Selling Model

Picking the right accounts for Account-Based Selling

Account-Based Selling

Breaking down the story – What to look for when you find a success story

Account-Based Selling Story

Segmenting your accounts for Account-Based Selling

To start off with, I’ve gone ahead and put together a way for you to segment Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Accounts

Sharks and Whales:

Sharks are what I define fast-moving companies that are young and open to improvements. Their decision makers haven’t been in the company for so many years unlike whales

Whales are companies that have withstood the test of time. They’ve been there since the fire was discovered. You’d never be able to get through to a dm of a whale on the phone, you’ll have to connect with Personal Assistants.

Both are brands and you need to put in a different kind of effort to get through.

So it’s important to constantly generate new opportunities to keep a healthy pipeline. Which is why I don’t we need to completely let go of batch & blasting

Also, I noticed that most of you might be dividing your accounts based on territory, revenue, and employee size

Account-Based Selling - Segmenting Accounts

Segmenting Hacks 

Account-Based Selling Segmenting Hacks

Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for Account-Based Selling

LinkedIn Sales Navigator Account-Based Selling

Segmenting Hacks – Identifying software used by prospects

BuiltWith Account-Based Selling SimilarTech Siftery

Mapping your decision-maker

Decision Maker - Account-Based Selling

Using LinkedIn to map your decision makers

LinkedIn Decision Makers Account-Based Selling

Right person, right message

A majority of people drop emails constantly about what their company does. What you’re doing is putting the ball in the buyer’s court to figure out what you do and where he can fit in.

In account-based selling, we need to work things differently. Give the buyer the solution after understanding his problems and his business. Decision makers and CXO’s are tired of being sold to

Account-Based Selling

Things you need to find in Account-Based Selling

Account-Based Selling Research

Account-Based Selling – Hamleys Example

Account-Based Selling Example

 

Account-Based Selling Example Email
Account-Based Selling Example Email
Account-Based Selling Response
Hamleys’ Response

Hamleys is a happy customer of Freshworks

Hamleys is now a happy customer of Freshworks who was happy to provide us with a case study.

Hamleys boosts agent morale and sees 50% reduction in costs with Freshdesk. 

Hamleys Freshdesk Account-Based Selling

The ‘Quick Question’ still works

  • Be open and honest about needing help: “Its a fairly large organization and I’ve been lost”
  • You can use this approach across all your channels.
  • I have found LinkedIn a good place to ask my ‘Quick Question’.
  • Always state what’s at stake.“Saved a similar team 30% of annual costs”

Aaron Ross Quick Question

Account-Based Selling Example

Account-Based Selling

Identifying the decision maker in Account-Based Selling

Account-Based Selling Prospecting

Scaling personalized conversation

So you might be like “Yes. We get all of this but how do we manage 100-150 tier 1 accounts?”

It’s really simple. Bit by bit every day. You keep prospecting for more information on your tier 1 accounts.

Your story is your pass to call and email all your prospects as you have a business problem to solve. It gives you purpose and confidence to pick up the phone and connect with them

There’re really 2 types of prospects you need to chase There is your decision makers and there’s everybody else.

Account-Based Selling Scaling Conversation

Best Practices for Sales Campaigns – Decision Makers

 

Sales Campaigns Decision Maker Cadences

Best Practices for Sales Campaigns – Prospecting

Sales Campaigns Prospecting Cadences

Following up with purpose

Did they have time to see your idea?

What did they think of your notes?

Hey David, was just checking to see if you had the time to see the solution I proposed to cutting costs?

Hi Jemma, was looking forward to hearing your thoughts on my study of the current service process in place?

Hi Jackie, really hope you had the time to check the post I sent you the other day. Would love to hear your thoughts?

How to gain from rejections

How to sales rejections

Rejections as a Sales Person

When your messages aren’t resonating with the receiver via email or phone or even LinkedIn, bad things happen.

Imagine getting continuous emails from a blog site that you aren’t registered on and that has nothing to do with you.

Please take me off your mailing list.

Please unsubscribe me.

I’d like to take you down to my car park and slap you.

Cc’d your board of directors. Please stop emailing me.

Rejections for your solution

When you’re Account-Based Selling:

“Happy with current solution. Lets reconnect later”

“Not looking to change this year.”

“Call me end of Q4.”

“No budget to change current processes and systems.”

What to pick up from rejections

  • You’re after the same guy, a lot.
  • You might have a very aggressive campaign/cadence. 
  • You need to rework your messaging. 

Welcome rejections, sometimes it means you’re doing your job a little ‘too’ well.


This webinar was brought to you by Freshsales CRM. Freshsales is a sales CRM built to help you stop juggling multiple tools. It’s ideal for small businesses and refreshing for enterprises.