Sales team members are among the “most stressed” workers in the corporate world, according to a 2021 survey. This results in a continuous strain on their mental health.

Sales Health Alliance and UNCrushed, two organizations dedicated to improving sales mental health, collected responses from 770 participants for the survey. They found that more than 40 percent of salespeople reported struggling with their mental health. The data also indicated a correlation between mental health and hitting sales targets. Meaning, the worse the sales reps felt the further they were from achieving quota.

“Sales can be pretty cutthroat,” said UNCrushed CEO and Co-founder Tim Clarke. “There’s this added pressure of hitting your number on top of looking after yourself, family, and loved ones.”

Clarke would know. 

The senior marketing director at Salesforce spent seven lucrative, stress-filled years in sales before transitioning to marketing. During this time, Clarke’s father died suddenly in 2013. Grappling with how to process his grief, Clarke went down a dangerous, drug-fueled path. 

“The expectation in the corporate workplace is that when you lose someone, you take a few days off for bereavement. Then you’re meant to come back feeling fine,” Clarke said. 

“I got sober that year.”

Tim Clarke

But upon returning to work, Clarke wasn’t fine. He turned to anything he thought would help him feel better, including drugs and alcohol. Four years and an overdose later, Clarke recognized that he needed professional help and sobriety. 

Now, he wants to share his experience, and that includes at the office.

As part of his ongoing recovery journey, Clake has committed to bringing his full, authentic self to work. He hopes to inspire others to be more honest and open about their personal lives and encourage work environments to create safe spaces for such discussions.

“Individuals want to work for an employer that allows them to speak openly about themselves and their challenges,” Clarke said. “In 2017, I thought I was the only person experiencing my problems. If someone had told me that they had also gone through something similar, I probably would’ve gotten help sooner.”

Fostering an open environment that values employee wellbeing is especially relevant today when one in five adults has reported experiencing a mental illness. Furthermore, burnout has reached an all-time high, with nearly 80 percent of US workers reporting concerns over their mental health.

As the “War on Talent” lives on, and job seekers continue to gravitate toward sales organizations that prioritize mental health, Clarke shared what leaders can do to best support their teams.  

Q&A with Tim Clarke

What are some immediate changes sales leaders can adopt to impact mental health?

Clarke:  Everyone can work on their listening skills. Sometimes people don’t spot the warning signs that someone is struggling, such as showing up late to meetings or inconsistencies in their work. People want to be seen, and they want to be heard. I encourage leaders to ask “Are you okay?” not once — but twice. This gives that person time to go a little deeper because it’s very easy to just say everything is okay when it’s not. 

The traffic light system is also a great way to start a one-on-one or team meeting by asking where they’re at right now through the colors of a traffic light. Their responses of red, amber, or green will give you a sense of how each person is feeling. 

Lastly, leading with vulnerability creates a space for others to be vulnerable. When I share my story with someone at work and they resonate with it, it builds a personal connection between us. Then we can navigate our challenges together. 

What can sales reps do to prioritize their mental health?

Establish boundaries. With so many of us working from home, everything blurs into one, and it becomes difficult to have separation. I block out a full hour for lunch every day on my calendar. I’ll still take meetings during this time, but it’s my choice when I do. 

At the company level, what should organizations be thinking about as it pertains to mental health?

Companies think that providing mental health benefits is the answer, but it’s only part of it. So many organizations that offer employee assistance programs discover that their employees don’t feel comfortable using them out of fear of leadership finding out. 

It really comes down to understanding what your employees want and need. Is it a week when the entire company shuts down so employees can recharge? Is it no-meeting Fridays or employee resource groups? It could be a variety of things, so the first step is to listen, learn the problems, and understand what they want. 

How can sales professionals who are struggling with their mental health leverage UNCrushed for help?

In three years, we’ve curated 150 personal stories that cover the whole spectrum of mental illness, such as addiction, grief, and trauma. Each one is tagged so that our readers can easily locate topics pertaining to their own experiences. We make sure that every story includes solutions. Additionally, we have free online mental health screenings available and a detailed resources page. We want to help people move from the darkness to the light. 

Hint: All of them.

QuotaPath’s Comp Plan Builder tool supports all comp plans.

Want to build a comp plan from scratch or borrow some of our most commonly used templates? Comp Plan Builder can help.

The tool includes a free library of 13 widely adopted templates and a create-your-own option. To access the tool, create your first Workspace or log into your existing one. From there, select “Plans” on the left-side toolbar. Then in the top right, hit “Add Plan.” 

Great work!

Once you’ve completed the plan, you can share and adjust as needed. Then, layer multiple components into a single plan and create Paths for each one. These Paths can represent quota, a one-time spiff, a monthly bonus, or more. Comp Plan Builder can also incorporate bonuses, accelerators and multi-year agreements.

It gets even better with our Official Plan subscription. Upon upgrading, you can design a plan, assign it to members within your QuotaPath Workspace, lock it for admin control, set team goals and so forth.

We’re ready for you to start your 2022 comp plan in QuotaPath!

Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most commonly used templates. Still have questions on comp planning? Reach out to our Chief of Staff Graham Collins to build a plan fit for your business.

Sales Representative Comp Planning Templates

First, we offer four compensation plan templates to support sales representative roles. This includes account executives, enterprise account executives, senior account executives, sales executives, and sales reps.

• Single Rate Commission: If you get paid a single commission rate on every single deal
• Commission With Accelerators: If you get paid a different commission rate depending on quota attainment
• Commission With Bonuses: If you earn a commission on every deal you close and a bonus upon hitting quota
• Commission With Multi-year Accelerators: If you earn a commission on every deal closed that varies depending on the length of the contract

Sales Leader Comp Planning Templates

For sales managers, VP of sales, director of sales, head of sales, and chief revenue officer, we recommend the following four templates.

• Team-based Commission: If you get paid a single commission rate on every deal your team closes
• Team-based Commission With Accelerators: If you get paid a different commission rate on deals your team closes depending on your quota attainment
• Team-based Commission with Bonuses: If you earn a commission on deals your team closes and a bonus once you hit your quota

Sales Development Representative (SDR) Comp Planning Templates

We offer the following three templates to support compensation planning for sales development reps (SDRs), business development reps (BDRs), market development reps, and account development reps.

• Activity-based: If you get paid based on how much activity you do, like demos set, qualified opportunities created, or cold calls made
• Revenue-based: If you get paid a commission on the opportunities you create that close.
• Activity and revenue-based: If you get paid on both activity and revenue generated.

Account Management and Customer Success Comp Planning Templates

Lastly, if your organization compensates account managers, account supervisors, client managers, and customer success managers, QuotaPath has you covered. Here are three templates to work from.

• Retention-based Commission: If you earn a commission on accounts you renew
• Retention and Upsell Bonus: If you earn a bonus on accounts you renew and accounts you upsell
• Retention-based Bonus: If you get paid a bonus on every account you renew

If none of these fit what you’re looking for, remember you can build your own within our tool. And for additional comp plan best practices, check out this article. Happy comp planning!

Our QuotaPath team has safely returned from California and is eager to share their wins. Here, we recap SaaStr 2021.

“I didn’t have any expectations going in, but it was clear as soon as we arrived that the energy was ramped up ten times, ”said AJ Bruno, QuotaPath CEO and Co-founder. 

For many of the 5,000 attendees, and for our nine team members, SaaStr 2021 marked everyone’s first conference since the pandemic had begun.

“SaaStr’s event team did a great job with COVID-19 protocols,” AJ said. “Lines and signage were clear, and the messaging of the event was very relatable to current times.”

The overall vibe undulated between upbeat and optimistic. For instance, signage throughout the outdoor venue turned away attendees if they had symptoms of COVID-19, racism, and homophobia. Additionally, an event DJ complemented keynote addresses and booth visitors with an ongoing set of catchy jams. 

So, QuotaPath met SaaStr with open arms, and we’re happy to report that SaaStr attendees returned the love.

“We had a weird, low-key buzz about us,” AJ said. “People would visit our booth and mention how they heard our name four times that day.”

A myriad of conversations followed regarding the challenges of paying sales commissions properly. 

“Every time I introduced someone to QuotaPath, they said they’ve had this exact problem,” AJ said, who addressed a large crowd on the second day about how to grow a sales team.

By the end, our team had conducted more than 30 formal demos on sight while setting up more than 150 follow-ups since the event. We also treated attendees to printable custom avatar stickers, thanks to the work from our talented marketing engineering team. 

As COO and Co-founder Cole Evetts put it: The QuotaPath hype is real.

“We have a ton of opportunities ahead of us, and we couldn’t be more excited!” Cole said. 

To close out the event, we asked AJ to share his key observations from SaaStr 2021.

Meeting people in person reigns supreme

The pandemic forced a handful of introductions to be conducted virtually. Many of us adapted and made it work out of lack of other options. 

For instance, AJ met Gradient Ventures investor Asif Moosani for the first time over a conference call during quarantine. They have continued bi-weekly meetings in a virtual setting ever since. 

At SaaStr, they finally got to shake hands.

“It’s so good to meet people in person again,” AJ said. “The conversations from the past year become a lot more real and you’re able to make a better connection.”

Product-led growth is not a new concept

Product-led growth (PLG) conversations dominated the conference. But for the right reasons? 

AJ said he noticed a wild amount of PLG talk, with speakers leveraging it as a buzzword as if it’s a new concept. Quite the contrary. 

“It’s not a new trend,” said Shawn Herring, PandaDoc’s VP of marketing, in a recent Forbes article. “For some years now, people have been doing their own research long before they engage with sales.”

AJ, who has studied PLG for three years, also got the impression that the SaaStr speakers highlighting it didn’t actually come from PLG companies and seemed to not fully understand it.

“When I talk about QuotaPath, I won’t even say it’s product-led, because we started as a customer-led company, first and foremost,” AJ said. “That allows us to focus on the end user, the time to value, and how quickly we can onboard.”

Practice makes perfect

Lastly, the vast amount of virtual events set public speakers back a bit. With the return of in-person conferences, it’s time for people to re-up their public speaking skills. 

AJ said he observed several panelists responding directly and only to moderators.

“It felt like they were still on Zoom calls,” AJ said, adding that speaker mannerisms, in general, felt “off.”

This resulted in a lack of connection between the speakers and the audience, a key characteristic of effective public speaking. 

The next SaaStr event is slated for this summer. In preparation, let’s all take a public speaking refresh and deliver engaging content that keeps a crowd hungry for more.

We plan to return. Are you? 

In 2018, QuotaPath attended our first SaaStr event, a marquee SaaS affair in the Bay Area featuring thousands of founders, VCs and executives.

And by QuotaPath, we mean our co-founders, AJ Bruno and Cole Evetts, who at the time had just launched our commission tracking platform. 

Well, we’re back. And this time we’re bringing a whole crew to SaaStr 2021!

That’s right, seven Navigators will join AJ and Cole at this year’s event, including our VP of Marketing Carrie Fisher, Chief of Staff Graham Collins, and Director of Product Andy Keil. We’re even welcoming our first VP of Sales and Customer Success Caroline Tarpey to the team at SaaStr!

It’ll mark our first in-person event in 2021 and it’s shaping up to be the Bay Area’s largest in-person tech event since early 2020. Also, did you hear it’s entirely outdoors? 

Quite frankly, we are psyched! 

We’ve grown so much since our last SaaStr event and look forward to returning with gusto. For instance, in three years, our team has scaled to 40 people. We’ve opened offices in Austin and Philadelphia, both of which we’re quickly outgrowing. We’ve raised $21.3M in funding. We’ve onboarded thousands of users and added compensation management and finance and accounting team payouts to our product.

So, to commemorate this occasion, we’ve set up some special experiences for SaaStr attendees.

First, members of our team will be schmoozing all three days at our booth, No. 304. Find us near the registration office. Those who visit will get an intro to our easily implementable compensation solution. Plus you’ll get the chance to create something truly unique to take home. Pics and videos on our LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to come, so give us a follow!

Then, on Tuesday, Sept. 28, AJ will speak to his experiences growing high growth sales teams. He’ll cover topics on every startup founder’s mind, such as making the first sales hire, the founder’s role in sales hiring, and how to build successful comp plans. If you can’t wait for our recap and need immediate help shaping your 2022 comp plans, did you know you can book a consultation with Graham? 

Lastly, we’ll be squeezing in some face-to-face with our incredible customers and partners, and potential new ones, too. 

Will you be there? Let us know on social, stop by our booth, and say “hi” to our dream team of Navigators. 

Plus “Most Implementable,” “Momentum Leader” and 12 others.

Our friends at G2 recently shared their Fall 2021 Market Report, and we are proud to share that QuotaPath has once again scored high with our users. 

This time, our sales commission platform received a new PR of 15 badges. Some include repeats like “Easiest to Use” and “Best Relationship” — a nod to our friendly UX and lovable team. However, we’ve also earned plenty of new ones.

And we couldn’t have done it without our growing user base. Thank you to our wonderful users for supporting us as we transform how commissions are tracked and compensated. With your trusted feedback and glowing reviews on platforms like G2, QuotaPath continues to stand out from competitors. 

Below, we’ve listed a few of our new favorites.

Momentum Leader 

First up is the “Momentum Leader” badge. This recognizes companies that have achieved the most positive customer movement in 2021. G2 takes into account user reviews and data aggregated across social media to identify leaders in the space. We didn’t just earn this recognition in one product category or even two. No, QuotaPath earned the top honor for sales compensation, sales analytics and sales performance management. Our integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot and Close have certainly played a role as have our quick implementation times. 

“Incredible Time Saver! Incredible Service!”

“We love the easy visibility of our sales team’s commissions, plus we love the ease of sending payouts to payroll for processing!

“Bravo, QuotaPath. Our commission process used to take almost three workdays to audit and ensure accuracy; we are down to 15 minutes to check and approve commissions.”

— Leah W, People Operations

Best Results

Another new addition includes “Best Results.” QuotaPath earned the highest overall results rating for sales compensation products based on reviews that indicated high ROI estimates, short implementation times, and overall satisfaction with the platform. Turns out, RevOps professionals have enjoyed the 17 hours a month we’ve returned to them through automated comp plans. Sales leaders and reps have also applauded our real-time quota tracking and CRM updates. 

“Amazing product and wonderful onboarding experience.”

“We have absolutely loved working with the team over at QuotaPath. Huge shoutout to Michael and Cole! They’ve spent a ton of time working to understand our commissions structure and helping us integrate our process as intelligently as possible.

“We are thrilled to be offloading from Excel and clumsy billing platforms to QuotaPath!”

— Cody G, Finance Director

Most Implementable

Lastly, from our humble beginnings in 2018, we’ve set out to introduce a solution that companies can easily and quickly implement. That’s why QuotaPath only takes a day to set up versus the industry standard of weeks or months. Our users have taken note and have showered us with positive testimonials around the set-up process. This data point, plus high user adoption percentages, led to QuotaPath receiving the highest implementation rating for sales compensation products for the second consecutive year. We couldn’t be prouder to update our Fall 2020 badge to 2021.

“QuotaPath simplifies commission tracking/setup and promotes motivation!”

“This platform is easy to set up, removes hours of Excel tinkering to create commission plans and continuous manual tracking of commissions. And it provides the team a super simple way to track how much they are making, can make, and will make!”

— Garrett O, Co-Founder

Here is the complete list of our Fall 2021 honors:

If you’re ready to automate your commission tracking, or if you’d like to discuss 2022 compensation planning, then schedule a time to chat with us. We’re excited to meet you!

Ready to become ASC 606 Audit Compliant? We’ve got you.

By this point, you’ve probably heard of ASC 606, but perhaps you’re at a loss for how it impacts your business.

Here’s the skinny.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board issued the new revenue recognition standard in 2014. Public companies adopted the ‘606’ in 2018, and now, private companies have to follow suit. 

Under the standard, finance and accounting teams must account and recognize revenue from contracts with customers and incremental costs, which includes commissions and bonuses. The goal is to drive more consistent and comparative financial reporting. Translation: Any company with recurring costs needs to pay attention.

Any company with recurring costs needs to pay attention.

Psst — that’s you, SaaS.

Those who don’t adhere face the risk of hefty fines and a surprise auditor visit. No thanks!

ASC 606 is the head standard, but we’d like to draw your attention to 606’s subtopic, ASC 340-40: Other Assets and Deferred Costs: Contract with Customers. This subtopic calls for ongoing record keeping and reporting of costs incurred while obtaining or fulfilling a contract with a customer. (Think: travel, advertising, and our pride and joy, sales commissions.) 

Additionally, it mandates that the related incremental costs to every contract are capitalized as an asset and amortized over time to match the timing of the revenue recognition.

So, what can you do to be ASC 606 compliant as it pertains to ASC 340-40? 

For starters —please stop with the manual spreadsheets. ASC requires every deal and earning to be tracked annually. This information should also be readily available and accessible to auditors. Your spreadsheet won’t scale.

We introduced Ledger to help. 

Our new feature provides accounting teams with the flexibility to recognize commission expenses immediately or batch earnings and amortize them to match their revenue recognition schedule.

With Ledger, streamline your month-end close process, eliminate errors and stay on top of every line item that pops up. Plus, save time by quickly producing digestible, audit-ready reports.

Why our customers love Ledger:

• ASC 606 compliant (!)
• Fresh and clean record keeping
• Marie Kondo-levels of data point organization
• One location for all things commissions
• Storage unit for historical data
• Reports that can be easily exported and imported into local accounting systems

Let’s talk more about this together! Schedule a brief demo with a member of our team today. And stay tuned for more enhancements to Ledger. We’ve got a lot lined up to make your jobs easier. 

In today’s world, we rely on software to help make our lives more efficient so that we can operate and grow our business. Automation plays a key role in how tools can help increase productivity and make work-life simpler and more streamlined. 

For sales teams, CRMs are the holy grail of hosting deal data and tracking daily sales activity. However, on their own, they may not give reps deeper insight into their earnings, quota attainment, and paychecks.

With QuotaPath, revenue teams can centralize team earnings and commission data in one shared source of truth. All of the information stored in your CRM is crucial to tracking and reporting on sales compensation, which is why we’ve partnered with our friends at Close to bring you our newest CRM integration.

Automate commissions with Close

You know Close for their sleek industry-leading CRM platform used by over 5,000 organizations and their huge library of sales content and resources (100% check it out if you haven’t, there’s something in there for everyone).

With QuotaPath’s native Close integration, you can push your company’s CRM data directly into QuotaPath. Then teams can layer on insights like individual earnings, team quota attainment, pipeline forecasting, and payouts for a powerful understanding of performance.

The QuotaPath and Close integration allows you to:

• Streamline workflows: There are a lot of stakeholders involved in commissions. This integration breaks down silos and simplifies the handoff process. With data being in one place, there are fewer errors and less manual entry.
• Robust reporting: When it comes time to managing compensation, everything is right at your fingertips – performance analytics, deal auditing, automated commissions statements, payouts, and ASC 606 reporting.
• Data syncing: Unlike other commission solutions, data syncs in real-time, so you always have an accurate, up-to-date view of your opportunities.

Integrating QuotaPath + Close

With this integration, you can import all of your Close opportunities in just a couple of clicks. Connect and sync plans using your organization’s Close API Key.

Choose Close “Opportunities” records

Pull in Opportunity records from Close to count towards your earnings in QuotaPath.

Map Fields

Map all the components of your comp plan to relevant fields in Close like Lead, Value, Date won, User.

Define stages or “status”

Define deal stages to see commissions on closed deals and forecast potential earnings on opportunities.

Sync opportunities

Once you’re ready, start syncing. QuotaPath will populate Close opportunities for all comp plan assignees.

Try the Close integration with QuotaPath

We’re excited to partner with Close and offer a way to automate incentives and make work-life easier. This also means we now offer native integrations with the three industry-leading CRM software companies in the nation – Salesforce, HubSpot, and Close!

This integration works whether you’re an individual contributor looking to track your monthly earnings or a sales leader managing compensation.

If you need more flexibility, Admins can align QuotaPath members to Close users, map comp plans with Close CRM data, and calculate earnings & attainment from Close deals.

If you want to learn more, head to the Close integration page – we’re listed as a Featured integration!

The rep-configured HubSpot CRM integration is available for free. The Admin-configured HubSpot CRM integration is offered in our Plus tier.

Today during closing week, our closing bell rings as we continue to bring in new customers. But we’re also celebrating a huge company milestone – the announcement of our $21.3 million Series A!

The round is led by Insight Partners, which has made over 400 investments with notable portfolio companies like SalesLoft, Pipedrive, monday.com, SetSail, and Showpad. Stage 2 Capital, HubSpot Ventures, Integr8ted Capital, and ATX Venture Partners – both new and existing investors – have also participated in the round. Additionally, we have 50 of the very best revenue leaders already involved in QuotaPath as investors and advisors.

We have so much support behind us to help transform the way organizations think about and engage with commissions.

The journey: where we’re headed

Just like closing a deal, there are a lot of moving parts when building a great company. And for the last 3.5 years, our co-founders AJ, Cole, and Eric have led the team as we help companies build and scale high-performing growth teams. 

We’ve accomplished a lot. We’ve built native integrations with three of the industry’s leading CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, and Close.com. We’ve landed a >75 NPS with our customers. G2 named us a top 50 sales product this year. We’ve pivoted to a remote workforce due to COVID without missing a beat. And we’ve grown our revenue 600% in 2021. With the recent raise, we’ve reflected on where we are and where we’re headed.

People-first

To quote AJ, “The difference between a good company and an outstanding company starts with its people.” We’ve hired over 25 extremely talented folks in every department, from engineering to customer success. We’ve tripled our sales team this year alone and have made executive hires in marketing and finance. We live out our core values of Empathy, Trust, and Inclusion and push ourselves and each other to solve the pain point of commissions in innovative ways. We recently made Philadelphia’s Best Places to Work list. With our new funding, we have plans to double our team by the end of the year. 

Product-first 

As a product-led company, we are total nerds when it comes to building a product that creates more simplicity, efficiency, and accuracy in the commission process. This means helping companies move out of spreadsheets and into an automated solution. And supporting every stakeholder involved in commissions – commission and attainment tracking for sales reps and managers, deal auditing for sales and revenue operations, and payouts for finance and HR. With more funding, you can expect to see new integrations (think accounting and payroll software), and continued investment in the customer journey and delight for the end user.

Customer-first

We’re all about creating raving fans through quick onboarding times, instant access to performance metrics, more rep motivation, and a tool that’s easy and enjoyable to use. Today we have over 6,000 users – from sales reps to finance teams – tracking and running commissions using QuotaPath. Organizations can get up and running in just a few days and don’t have to pay extra for dedicated support. That’s one of the reasons our customers love using us so much. That and the ability to build custom comp plans without having to use formulas. 

In a recent customer survey, we found that we save companies on average 60 minutes per rep in running commissions each month! We’ll keep pushing the needle when it comes to streamlining workflows, aligning teams, and surfacing reliable data.

We’re full steam ahead. For those who have been on the journey with us, we appreciate you and thank you for your support. If you’d like to get involved, please contact us or try QuotaPath for free.

And you can read more about our story in TechCrunch.

Sales coaching is a crucial element in driving revenue growth. By working with your sales staff, you give them the skills they need to close deals. Many think coaching expertise comes naturally — but just as team members don’t become top performers overnight, most managers aren’t born great coaches. It’s a skill you can learn and hone through practice. Here are five ways to do just that. 

Be consistent

A sales team brings ongoing value to the company, so coaching is an ongoing process. Think of sales coaching as a long-term proposition that develops the unique talents of each individual. This takes time and commitment.

Make coaching a priority by putting it on the calendar. Aim for weekly or biweekly meetings and stick to the appointments. If it’s on the schedule, coaching will happen. If it’s on the end of your to-do list, it might never get done. 

Learn from others

As you work to improve your coaching skills, it helps to take cues from others who have found success. Look to experts and renowned business leaders for tips on sales coaching. Ask people you know and respect for guidance. 

Reaching out to people across industries can help you gain a new perspective. Sales coaching doesn’t have to keep you in the box of your existing network. Learn all you can from people in peripheral industries or even those operating in a different part of the economy — they may all have something to teach.

Learn from your reps

Every member of your sales staff brings something to the table — that’s why you hired them. Tailor your lessons to each person. Ask them what they want to get from coaching. Invite them to share any positive and negative experiences they’ve had in the past with coaching, so you can start with what works for them.

Develop an approach that’s relevant to your team members’ present experience. To prepare for the first session, ask them to jot down notes about their current pain points and what they want to learn. 

Experiment with different forms of sales coaching

As you hone your coaching skills, you’ll find techniques that work well for you and your team members. Finding out what works and what doesn’t is part of the process. Take a gamble once in a while by trying new coaching styles. Role-playing and analyzing client calls are excellent methods — but always be on the lookout for new ways to close deals. 

Again, you can take cues from your sales reps and experts in other industries. Welcoming new ideas can help your company to develop new sales methods. That’s critical in competitive industries, so always look to add more tools to your toolbox. 

Read books (not just about sales coaching!)

There’s no shortage of literature on sales. Books on business and economics sell at a pace of approximately 20 million copies, collectively, in the United States in a given year. That market is huge, and you have a rich resource of information you can use to improve your sales coaching. 

Don’t let the sheer number of volumes get you overwhelmed. Take an hour and select a few good books. Read what you can and incorporate a little from each into your lessons. 

Bonus tip

Don’t give up! If you’re new to coaching, the prospect may be daunting. Your first few sessions may have some hiccups, and that’s OK. Give it some time to work before you scratch that coaching appointment time off the schedule. It will likely take a bit of adjustment before you find the right style that produces results. 

Be patient with yourself and your team as you go through this learning process. Encourage your team members to voice their concerns and share ideas. They’re usually on the front lines on cold calls or trying to convert a prospect — their insight can help you to become a better coach.

Track the results of your coaching with ease

Coaching has real benefits. It helps your sales team to do its best and improves the company’s bottom line. Like managing, coaching is a skill that most people learn and develop. It requires you to think outside the box, do research, gain insight from others, and work with your team members on an individual basis. 

Feel free to experiment along the way — and remember to savor the victories as you see the results start to take shape. 

Sales coaching can increase quota attainment and commissions, which is the ultimate goal. Use QuotaPath to track your commissions. Contact us today for a demo so you can see how that top-notch coaching has translated into success for you and your team. 

Some careers, like becoming a doctor or advancing to chief resident, are fairly predictable. There’s a route that must be followed to get from medical student to respected surgeon. But for other careers, like software sales, there are a multitude of ways to get where you want to go.

There’s no standard career path for sales. But here’s an example of how many people interested in the top role achieve their goal.

First, a quick definition:

What is software sales?

People outside the sales industry may think of software sales as a single type of position, but it’s actually an entire category of sales. Think about how pharmaceutical sales reps focus on medications and medical devices and insurance reps sell policies. Those in software sales are totally focused on technology. This is a particularly exciting niche that promises a lot of growth. After all, society’s love for and reliance on technology is only increasing. The market is strong, and that means lots of potential for job opportunities and career growth over time.

Software sales encompasses all the types of sales jobs you’d find in other industries. Many people start by nabbing an entry-level position at a company that specializes in software sales. They gain valuable experience and learn about core products while on the job. In the meantime, they’re proving themselves to management. In time, they’ll have a chance to work their way up the ladder.

First role: Sales Development Representatives (SDR)

Tenure: 1-2 years

Sales Development Representatives* are a type of sales rep completely focused on prospecting. Old-school sales setups saw reps tackling every part of the sales process. That can mean lower overhead thanks to a more slim-lined sales team. But today, many organizations separate their sales staff into specific roles so that everyone has a shortlist of targeted tasks to accomplish.

SDR’s key task is setting meetings for closers. They don’t do the actual closing, though. Instead, SDRs take lead lists from the marketing team, qualify prospects and then pass warm leads onto the Account Executives in charge of closing.

*In some organizations, SDRs are referred to as Business Development Representatives (BDRs) or Market Development Representatives (MDRs).

Second role: Account Executive (AE)

Tenure: 2-5 years

Account Executives, also known as Sales Executives, are the people in charge of the day-to-day interactions with clients. This includes developing and maintaining a relationship with the decision-makers at client organizations. AEs or SEs need to know everything about their clients’ companies, including:

• Their objectives
• Their end products/services
• Their end customer’s pain points
• What they have in development

Part of the Account Executive role is turning those warm leads from SDRs into actual contracts. Execs may present demos, negotiate terms and arrange the actual close. It’s the AE’s job to know what problems could crop up and what it might take to overcome those objections. They also need to know how to field questions about product features, what certain products or packages cost and the availability of upgrades.

Sales Executives often receive compensation packages that include a smaller base salary plus incentive compensation. Some roles may be entirely commission-based, meaning take-home pay depends on the ability to close a deal.

Third role: Sales Manager

Tenure: 3-8 years

Sales Managers are essential team supervisors. They manage a group of salespeople, fostering a positive environment that motivates employees to usher prospects through the sales funnel. Becoming a Sales Manager takes time, but it also takes experience. SMs are expected to know everything about the sales cycle, but they also take care of administrative duties such as:

• Setting sales goals
• Determining individual and group sales quotas
• Analyzing sales data
• Conducting training
• Evaluating and coaching sales rep/Account Execs
• Determining pricing for special promotions and discount programs
• Addressing customer complaints

Sales Managers may also be involved in hiring and firing and divvying up sales territories. It’s the Sales Manager’s job to keep the team on target and make customers happy. They’ll do whatever’s necessary to offer a superior experience and get and/or keep clients on board.

Note: just because you’re a top performing AE doesn’t mean you’ll be a great Sales Manager, nor should it! It’s always acceptable to be a top AE as a permanent career.

Fourth role: Sales Leader

Tenure: To be determined (potentially unlimited)

Sales Leaders (VP of Sales, CRO, Sales Director, etc.) are the visionaries in the world of software or SaaS sales. Sales Leaders are often confused with managers. To help keep the roles straight, think of managers as the people who direct employees. Leaders develop those managers. Sales Leaders create the organization’s sales strategy, crafting a blueprint that will take the team through the quarter or even the entire year.

Sales Leaders are also mentors. They find ways to empower SDRs, Account Executives and even Sales Managers. Excellent Sales Leaders are able to balance working with the executive team and their sales team. They concentrate on working with team members to develop their skills, improve their pitches and so on.

Some Sales Leaders may even join the team during big pushes and pitch clients themselves. It’s not uncommon for supervisors in software sales to join their AEs when approaching a “big fish” customer. It’s a good way to model a well-developed skill set like the “perfect” demo. But it also boosts morale to see the boss right there in the trenches getting their hands dirty (so to speak).

There is some overlap between Sales Managers and Sales Leaders. Some organizations choose to combine the roles for that very reason. But keeping the positions separate means more opportunities for the team to learn and grow. Managers and Leaders with clearly defined job descriptions can provide support and amplify growth in different ways. That’s how you help create a stronger, more agile organization from the top down.

Starting your software sales journey

If you’re looking for a software sales job and aren’t sure where to start, the answer depends on your personal experience and skills. For many people just getting their feet wet in sales, an entry-level job as an SDR is an ideal introduction. They’ll learn about sales cycles (and software sales in particular) while actually taking a hands-on role. Those who have already proven themselves in other sales niches may jump right to an AE or even management position.

Your trajectory depends on you. Still, software sales are booming. Now’s a great time to reach out to recruiters and see how you can excel in a promising field.

Already in sales and looking for a better way to tackle daily tasks like commission tracking? QuotaPath makes it easy for reps to see what they’re earning, turning the concept of quotas into metrics that actually make sense. Sign up for a custom workplace today and start for free.

Every business wants to generate sales. Putting a tally in the win column feels good. But as a sales manager or other organizational leader, you need to look at the overall picture. One win isn’t enough. It’s how your rep handled that prospect and whether there could have been more tallies in that win column. Enter sales effectiveness.

Whether you’re a company breaking into a new market or a well-established organization, there’s always room for improvement. Understanding and training for sales effectiveness is how you amplify your sales process and turn failures into successes.

What is sales effectiveness?

The term “sales effectiveness” refers to how well a salesperson or sales team is completing their goals. If you’re being effective, you’re closing deals. In most circumstances, that means looking at everyone’s sales rate. But sometimes, instead of tracking overall sales, you might monitor revenue, profit, or the sales of a specific product.

It’s important to understand the difference between being efficient and being effective. Efficiency is a measure of how much someone can get done in a certain amount of time. You can be efficient and not be effective. For instance, say your team makes all their sales calls in record time but doesn’t book a single meeting or close a single deal. They were certainly efficient, but the lack of sales makes their efforts sadly ineffective.

To improve sales efficiency, try out some of these ideas that aim for long-term boosts in sales performance and profitability.

1. Group training

Group training views effectiveness as a team issue. This takes the focus off individual successes and failures and allows everyone to learn skills from their peers.

Before setting a training date and putting together your agenda, take stock of your team’s current state. Where are they struggling? Is there a common thread? Perhaps you’re seeing a dip in average contract value. Maybe the demo-to-close ratio is less than desirable. Design your sales training to address pain points. Try to keep each meeting focused on one or two issues, so you can dig deep and inspire change.

Additionally, if you have one member on your team who excels in the training subject, they can serve as the instructor. Some salespeople learn better from their peers than leaders. It also allows a member of the team to act as a sales leader without the management requirements. 

2. One-on-one training

One-on-one training can be nerve-wracking for the salesperson in the hot seat. But a little anxiety is worth it when you have an opportunity to fine-tune someone’s performance. Prepare for the meeting by identifying each person’s weaknesses, and then create training tailored to each individual. Using info gathered during employee evaluations may help.

One-on-one training and group training become more powerful together. Address common issues in a group setting to save time, and then tweak each salesperson’s technique privately. There, you can continually refine their approach and concentrate on what they need most to get to the next level.

3. Call recording sessions

One of the most significant benefits to recording sales calls is the value those recordings have as a training tool. When you’re on a call and in the moment, you’re going on instinct. You’re focused on making the sale, not picking apart your process. Listen back to those calls once the adrenalin dissipates, and you can be more objective. Assess your messaging, see how you handle objections and learn which keywords trigger certain responses (good and bad). Did you go in with a strategy? Were you a strong resource for your prospect or just reading off product data like a machine?

If you’re a sales leader using calls as a part of your sales coaching, check out these tips to ensure a positive outcome:

• Review taped calls before the coaching session, so you know what’s coming. Take notes, marking the timestamp of examples you want to review with your rep. Also note issues that occur on most or all calls, and highlight those as high-priority items to address while in training.
• Don’t focus solely on bad calls. Provide reps with demo calls that show best practices and some that end well (with a sale). You don’t want to tank morale in your quest for improvement. Plus you can learn just as much from a win as you do from a loss. 
• Make the coaching session interactive. Rather than lecturing or immediately taking the lead, ask questions. “What do you think went wrong here?” “Did you know who the decision maker was before you made contact with the customer?” “How could you have done that differently?”
• Prioritize one or two issues each session. If you try to address everything your salesperson did wrong in one 30-minute session, you risk not accomplishing anything. And they’re not going to feel very confident walking out of your office, either.
• Put regular coaching sessions on your schedule. Training works best when it’s ongoing and consistent. That way you can see the results cycle over cycle, month over month.

4. Bring in an outside perspective

Another way to increase sales effectiveness is to look for help outside your organization. Sometimes you get so caught up in your process, you forget there are other ways of selling. As American showman P.T. Barnum once said, “Comfort is the enemy of progress.”

A third-party training expert or consultant can offer a fresh perspective. Shaking up the status quo and seeing your team — and yourself — through new eyes can be a surprisingly invigorating experience. All that insight can power new marketing approaches, inspire training content and help your team provide better service.

5. Examine your tech stack

Technology can be as important as people to your overall sales effectiveness. You need help measuring key metrics, and tools that help track commissions and build and manage comp plans free your team up to do what they do best. These tracking platforms are more efficient with numbers and more accurate, too.

Gauging sales effectiveness and striving for improvement is a major factor in scaling your sales. Getting to the next level requires a lot of introspection and effort. But those willing to make changes will reap the rewards. 

To see how tech can help you achieve impressive growth through sales effectiveness, book a demo with QuotaPath today.

New parents would love a manual that clearly outlines the best way to calm a crying baby. Similarly, every salesperson alive would love to know the best time to cold call. Unfortunately, unless your sales manager has a crystal ball, you’re not going to get a definite answer on when to phone up your prospects. Instead, we’ve gathered expert insight into the question “When is the best time to cold call a prospect?” With answers ranging from the time of day to type of mood, these suggestions are just what you need to get a word in edgewise and hopefully close a deal.

What are the worst times to cold call?

Before we dig into our top cold calling tips, let’s identify when you should probably never ever reach out and pitch a prospect.

(Way) After hours

Some people are so dedicated to success that they’ll work 24/7. Some people succeed because they draw a very well-defined line between work and everything else. Step over that line by calling a prospect into the dinner hour or beyond and you could make a terrible first impression. You may have interrupted family time or simply inserted yourself into their life beyond business. If it’s past 7 PM their time (pay attention to time zones!) then wait until tomorrow.

(Very) Early in the morning

Cold calling early in the morning is risky for the same reasons as cold calling late at night. You’re a customer, not your prospect’s BFF. It’s important to be respectful of their time and boundaries. Violating that unspoken rule on day 1 could result in a fractured relationship before you even have a relationship to speak of. Just like dinnertime cold calls, try to avoid cold calling pre-breakfast; stick to after 8 AM their time.

Weekends

Sure, calling on a Saturday means you won’t be competing with other salespeople for a moment of your prospect’s time. And there’s a reason for that. Even if you get straight to the point and never waver from your very professional script, cold calling on a weekend is unprofessional and risky.

Federal holidays

Cold calling on a federal holiday makes you look out of touch. It doesn’t matter if it’s a strategic move on your part. It still seems like you either didn’t remember it’s a holiday or you just assumed your prospect would be working. Either way, you may not get the result you’re hoping for. Besides, there’s a reason deals tend to stall over the holidays, right?

When you’re following up bad news

Sales is not about products; it’s about people. Before you pick up the phone to call a customer, hit up Google. Take the time to research that customer, their company, and any current campaigns. If their organization has been in the news, you should know why. If that news is in any way negative, reschedule your call. The day after a member of the board passed away or the company stock took a nosedive is not a good day. It’s doubtful that decision makers are going to be eager to pursue a new partnership or spend money. Of course, this depends on what you sell, if you’re in the business of cybersecurity, sometimes the day after a hack is the perfect time to call.

When everybody else is calling

There’s a problem with reaching out to a prospect when experts say it’s the best time to cold call. Everyone else will be cold calling then too. Even the loudest voice won’t be heard if you can’t get a potential customer on the line.

Finding the best time to cold call

Cold calls are never easy, but what if you can find a way to stack the deck in your favor? At least one study indicates that people are more likely to say yes when asked a question in the evening. That’s one scenario to try, but there are many other factors that could help you get the positive response you’re craving.

When the decision makers are in the office — and their assistants aren’t

Executive assistants are the gatekeepers of corporate America. It’s their job to filter the streams of information trying to get to their bosses and ensure only the important bits get through. If you don’t tick all the boxes on that checklist, your call is going to hit a dead-end quickly. But pick up the phone when the gatekeepers are away from their desks and you may have a fighting chance. Try outside the normal 9-5 or even early/later than the extended work hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Less-official holidays

Most businesses are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not as many let their staff take off for Veteran’s Day. Schedule your cold calls for a holiday that’s not widely observed, and you may be able to beat your competition to the punch.

Time blocks that are typically less busy

According to a survey by staffing firm Accountemps, the most productive day of the week is Tuesday. Monday is second-best, and only 10% of people say Friday is their big get-it-done day. That makes sense. With the weekend looming, it’s easy to lose focus Friday afternoon and use that time to catch up on odds and ends. That’s also what makes Friday afternoon the perfect time to cold call. You’re less likely to interrupt meetings or other key tasks, and your prospects could be surprisingly receptive.

Whenever people might be happiest

Here’s another vote for Friday afternoons. People are happy that they’re going home for the weekend, and they might not want to end their week on a negative note. If you know your prospect’s company is having a fun event like a company picnic or mid-week retreat, calling after that could be a smart move, too.

Even all the expert tips in the world can’t give you an exact day and time that’ll ensure cold call success. The fact is that every person is different. Some prospects might answer in the middle of the day. Others might not. Some are early birds who can’t wait to tackle big subjects even though they’ve barely had their first sip of coffee. Other people might give you an automatic no just because you dared to call on a Friday afternoon when all they want to think about is leaving for their long-awaited fishing trip.

Even if you do get a no the first time you call, avoid getting caught up in negativity bias. Humans are hardwired to focus on negative stimuli, which is why we remember uncomfortable situations with greater clarity than positive ones. Buck the trend by brushing off less-than-stellar responses and choosing a new best time to call. After all, it only takes one yes to turn everything around.