David_Warran

AE

Valued Contributor

Starting my first AE role, top advice to go on the right track?

I am inspired by a lot of people here sharing about experiences, won deals, sharing what works for them and how they handle different situations and I would love to get advice what do you think is the most important piece for an AE? getting input from the War Room would be highly appreciated so I can start sharing my won deals as well! 💪

Some context: I just started my first AE role from an Outbound SDR (SaaS B2B), I already got feedback that my discovery during the call is really strong, but of course, I want to build myself to the top tier and I know that just won't be enough. Currently, I am heavily working on myself to show the value of features instead of showcasing what is available, refining my tone to show more excitement since I have a really relaxed and flowing tone(which worked really well for me as an SDR) and my AE TL doesn't think it will fit well for this role. I understand that there are no magical approaches and everything takes time and refinement. Overall I am only 10 demos in, trying to soak up as much information as possible from other AEs and figure out what works well and what doesn't.

👑 Sales Strategy

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Telehealth_2the_Moon

Notable Contributor

5

Director of Business Development

Awesome that you're looking for ways to succeed. Here's a couple general points that can go a long way.

1. Find a mentor: not your boss or someone above you (though a mentor above you is good too!) that really knows the AE role well and has proven success selling your products. Then use them for their knowledge however possible and depending on what they are up for.

2. Set clear and measurable goals for yourself at different points. 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, etc. Track and update these regularly!

3. Despite your experience as an SDR, there will be a time when you aren't feeling doing outreach, fight that urge! Keep yourself fresh and on top of things by staying on the outreach.

4. Finally, don't forget what made you successful as an SDR. Not just techniques but your mindset and focus that provided that success. You've shown you know how to do your job well so bring that attitude to the new role.

Congrats and go sell some shit!

Do.it.for.the.checks

Politicker

3

Account Executive

I think the biggest thing is remember to use the phone. Emails are lazy. And I mean this for everything.

Don't send a thank you group email after a demo. Individually call each person, thank them for their time, and ask for feedback. Plus almost everyone has the 30 minutes after a long meeting unblocked.

Don't negotiate over email, ever. Call the buyer(s) and get verbal agreement

Don't just send a proposal. Call and walk them through the agreement.

Don't waste someone's time with back and forth on scheduling. Call and solve it in 30 seconds.

Don't respond to a long list of functional questions. Call and walk them through the answers. This gives you a chance to understand the why/use case to particular questions.

Beyond gaining better answers and building a stronger relationship. This conditions the buyers to pick up your calls. Your call is a source of value now instead of an ask.

Also, experiment a lot. There is no right way to sell, it's an art. Keep trying to get better and you will

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

3

SaaS Eater

Man this is dead on, crazy how often an AE will come to me with an issue and they draft a 5000 word email to respond to the prospect instead of just picking up the phone and sorting it out. Win rates go through the roof when we just get on the phone and talk to people.

Do.it.for.the.checks

Politicker

0

Account Executive

Yup. My motto is good relationships don't close deals, but good selling builds strong relationships.

And the best selling is having honest conversations and not being a fact regurgitator.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

3

SaaS Eater

Love your desire to take feedback from as many sources as you can. One thing that stands out to me is that you talk about features and value.

I think its critical to understand that prospects buy solutions to their problems, not features. I often tell my team to "cut the prospect where it hurts the most, then hand them the band aid" If your discovery is as strong as you outline you should have no issue identifying real issues that your prospects care about and can pitch solutions to those problems, not just features.

David_Warran

Valued Contributor

0

AE

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, that’s what I am trying to show them - value of features that will solve an issue they are facing with another vendor, since we have a lot of competitors at play, I understand that they have different features and I ride on the ones that are missing and are causing pain for them 😄

JustGonnaSendIt

Politicker

2

Burn Towns, Get Money

I love Telehealth's comment and completely agree.

After re-reading the OP, some additional thoughts to consider.

I would broaden your thinking beyond the value of features and even the features themselves. Seek to understand how your customers and prospects actually run their business and how you can help them perform better.

This will eventually fall back down to feature-function-value conversations, but the level of trust you build by understanding how the prospect's business actually operates is transformational to your ability to sell and bring in big deals.

The goal is to spend more time aligning yourself with the journey they're on as a partner and as a trusted advisor, rather than convince them that widget A is what they need to succeed. Once you have that trust they will ask which widget they need to level up, instead of you having to convince them.

If you're working publicly traded companies this is easier - Read the "About the Business" segment of the 10-K and listen to some recent analyst calls. Most of the goods are there.

Corpslovechild

Politicker

1

Inbound Sales Manager

HUSTLE YOUR ASS OFF and check your ego at the door. Until you have a 100% closing ratio ( you will never have that) you can always improve.

RedLightning

Politicker

1

Mid-Market AE

Don't be something you're not. There isn't a silver bullet, so don't try to change your tone/style.

You have to sell change essentially. You may find that your prospecting calls are different because you're less focused on getting that meeting, but rather uncovering a problem or a why.

Be respectful of your own time, be curious, asking good questions, and hold your prospects accountable.

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