B2B Sales Strategies

An AI avatar tried to sell me something last week. At first, it was awkward. It couldn’t get my name right, even after I repeated it a few times. (Okay, I do have an uncommon name.) But it got a lot right. It clearly explained product features, showed me the demo of the feature I was interested in, and nailed my pricing questions. I left wondering: If prospects can talk to AI avatars that answer any question, on-demand, what does that mean for the future of sales? One thing is certain: The sales process will change a lot. And salespeople will spend less time delivering one-size-fits-all pitches and answering basic product questions, and more time on things like: - In depth discovery of use cases that can deliver the highest value  - Building very specific ROI analysis to show prospects value - Following up with targeted communications to every member of buying committee to address goals and concerns They will spend less time: - Updating records and admin tasks - Spending hours trying to research company, contacts, goals - Spending hours building demos that still don't seem targeted As AI takes over the repetitive parts of the sales process, salespeople can build deeper relationships, tackle complex challenges, and create even greater value for their customers. Now, back to the avatar. Did I buy the product? Not this time. But I did buy into the idea that the future of sales is about deeper connection.

For my first 16 years in tech sales, I averaged 240K/year W2 income. In my last 4 years, I averaged 720K/year. In order to triple my income, I had to change my sales approach entirely. Here's what I changed: I started using a new approach that I now call Yo-yo selling: 🪀 Yo-yo selling emphasizes starting at the executive level, conducting thorough discovery within the organization, and then returning to the executive with a tailored business case. Like holding a yo-yo, you are constantly in communication with the Executive Sponsor and updating them as you collect information and conduct deep discovery lower down in their organization. You are literally going up and down the organization, but always taking everything back to the Executive Sponsor to surface your findings along the way. Here's a breakdown of the framework: 🎯 𝐈𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐤’𝐬 “𝐘𝐨-𝐘𝐨 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 This strategy involves a three-step process: 1. Start at the Top (Executive Engagement) Initiate contact with a senior executive to understand their most pressing challenges, the reasons behind the need for change, and the consequences of inaction. If your solution aligns with their needs, secure their sponsorship for further discovery within their organization. To secure the Executive Meetings, it's essential to create a tailored POV (point of view) on where you think you may be able to help them based on your initial research of their highest level goals and priorities. Chat GPT has made this research a LOT faster now. 2. Conduct In-Depth Discovery (Middle Management) Engage with department heads and key stakeholders to uncover the day-to-day challenges they face. Focus on understanding their processes, pain points, and the implications of current inefficiencies. Gather direct quotes and insights to build a comprehensive view of the organization's needs. 3. Return to the Executive (Present Findings) Compile the insights gathered into an executive summary and business case. Present this to the executive sponsor, highlighting how your solution addresses the identified challenges. Tailor your demonstration to focus solely on relevant aspects that solve their specific problems. 🚀 Why It Works 1. Accelerates Sales Cycles: Engaging executives early ensures alignment and expedites decision-making. 2. Builds Credibility: Demonstrates a deep understanding of the organization's challenges and showcases a tailored solution. 3. Facilitates Internal Buy-In: By involving various stakeholders, you ensure that the solution meets the needs of all parties, increasing the likelihood of adoption. I'm pleased to share that that Yo-yo selling was recently awarded as a Top 15 Sales Tactic of All Time by 30 Minutes to President's Club, and I received a cool plaque for entering the 30MPC Hall of Fame. Since I have no chance of entering the Hall of Fame for my baseball or golf game, this is a nice consolation prize 😁

Measuring the ROI of an individual piece of content (like this LinkedIn video, for instance) is not only a huge waste of time, it’s flat out not accurate. Here’s what to do instead: 1. When it comes to “ROI”, focus on measuring the ROI of the *channel* instead of each individual piece of content. You don’t attribute the “ROI” of your results at the gym all to that 1 set of biceps curls you did 3 months ago. It makes no sense. But that’s effectively what B2B marketers try to do with content. Instead, recognize that the impact is based on the *accumulation* of consistent high quality activities executed over a sustained period of time. It’s easy to see that it’s more appropriate to attribute the “ROI” of your bicep results to all of the sets of bicep curls you’ve done in life, instead of a single set. You can do the same when measuring the success of content - measure the “ROI” based on the channel/activity. For create demand channels, use self-reported attribution.  For capture demand channels, use software-based attribution. Using this method, we’ve attributed $7.3MM ARR to our podcast and $5.1MM ARR to LinkedIn. It sounds simple, because it is. 2. THEN, when it comes to optimizing your content strategy, focus on measuring the *quality* of the activity (e.g. comments, engagement from target customers, DMs received, etc.). In the gym, you can measure what type of bicep curl you did, how much weight you used, and how many reps. This isn’t about attribute “ROI” but instead about measuring the *quality* of the activity. You can do the same with content: You can read all of the comments & who wrote them (qualitative), you can listen to what people say in the DMs or on Sales calls (qualitative), you can measure engagement like “views” or “likes”. These signals help you optimize the activity - what topics resonate with my audience? what is the best time to post? how frequently should I post? Does video or text work better? - You get answers to important questions, but it has nothing to do with proving or measuring “ROI”. ___ The whole mindset of measuring the “ROI” of a single piece of content persists from old thinking from the days of blogs and gated e-books in the early 2010s. That’s almost a decade ago. When people went into the office, used a desktop computer and consumed content offline in PDF format. Things change. In today’s World, it’s time to focus on the bigger picture. STOP trying to prove the “ROI” of each individual piece of content. Instead, understand that the results are built through the accumulation of tons of content & touch points over a sustained period of time. START measuring the “ROI” of each channel overall instead of by each individual blog or video. #demand #marketing #b2b #sales #content

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to GTM. Maja Voje and I studied 12 leading B2B SaaS companies. (including interviews with their teams) Here’s what we learned: 1. PLG is eating the world >80% of the companies in our study employ PLG in some fashion. Even enterprise companies like Snowflake and Salesforce are adding free trials & freemium. It’s the new normal. Why is this working for them? In 2024, the best marketing is often your product. Users rarely want to lock in a $500K+ contract without trying the product first. But you do need to layer on a strong product-led sales motion to make enterprise work. 2. Dominate one at first, then layer on many Every company we studied got one GTM motion massively right. And, in each case, they still use that GTM motion in some form today. But, they layer on other motions over time. The ideal way to layer is symbiotically: • ABM couples nicely with outbound • Inbound supports outbound • Partnerships amplify PLG For instance: Dropbox grew at first massively on referrals. Now, other channels are much more important. 3. ABM and Outbound are pillars of enterprise For 5- and 6-figure deals, it’s difficult to rely on inbound or PLG alone. The buyer is used to a different process. They want to be hand-held. This is where motions like ABM and outbound shine. That’s why you still see the Snowflake’s and Salesforce’s of the world focusing on them. They’re the bread and butter of enterprise. So… bringing it all together, here’s where to start based on your buyer. If you’re selling to consumers or prosumers: • Lean into PLG, community, and partnerships early on • Layer in paid marketing as you find product-market fit and have budget to scale If you're selling to SMBs: • Blend inbound and outbound motions to build awareness and relationships • Paid digital can accelerate pipeline generation as you dial in your ICP If you're selling to enterprises: • Focus on targeted ABM and partner ecosystems • Inbound is great for air cover, but outbound is crucial for landing large accounts If you have a complex or technical product: • Make sure you have developer docs, free tooling, and community support from day one • Don’t underrate channels like partnerships & paid digital; they can still be crucial support And above all: 1. Remember what works at one stage may not work another 2. Remember the law of diminishing returns 3. Be willing to pivot when necessary

Lately I’ve been borderline obsessed with pointing out the flaws of the marketing qualified lead (#MQL) paradigm. If we’re ever going to find out what works, we need a unified (and account-based) view of go-to-market effectiveness. Thankfully, there are people who’ve been championing this for far longer than I have – and Shari Johnston is chief among them. Shari built and ran the account-based practice at GTM consultancy Winning by Design since 2019 (PS, congratulate her on the promotion to COO!!). Shari joined Growth Unhinged to unpack the steps to going account-based. Pro-tip: it's an account-based *strategy*, not account-based *marketing*. Full story: https://lnkd.in/etywaiqG The TL;DR: 1️⃣ Target account list This is the core building block of an account-based strategy – everything comes together if folks can all agree on the list. “Many people dismiss it. They assume they have a target account list, but the list is not in the CRM, it’s not accessible, and there’s no data on where their accounts are or where stakeholder engagement is.” 2️⃣ Team An account-based approach requires different skills from traditional demand gen marketing, Shari says. “Marketing being structured by channel doesn’t fit well in ABM where you need to look at the entire customer experience.”  3️⃣ Orchestration The heart of an account-based strategy is running plays to influence target buyers within target accounts. Shari recommends orchestrating different types of plays depending on average deal size of target accounts: - Deal sizes >$100,000: Focus on 1:1 plays like a C-level outreach program, customer stories, and referral requests. - Deal sizes of $50,000-$100,000: Focus on 1:few plays like targeted content or virtual roundtables. - Deal sizes of <$50,000: Focus on 1:many plays like content syndication or ABM chat engagement. 4️⃣ Technology It can be tempting to jump right to technology too early and before having everything else in place. The key is less about an expensive (and sprawling) GTM tech stack. It’s about having the underlying infrastructure to support account-based including a tech stack that’s integrated, collecting the right data, and being able to measure success in an account-based way. 5️⃣ Measurement “If your target accounts don’t know about you, they’ll never buy from you,” Shari emphasizes. She looks at account-based metrics based on where they are in their journey. At a high-level, this includes (a) awareness, (b) education, and (c) selection. Hope y'all find this useful! 🙏 #abx #marketing #gtm

This is the winning B2B Marketing playbook for 2026. Let me break it down for you with 5 pillars: 1. Create content for passive buyers Some businesses are not ready to buy (for various reasons) and don't want to be in your linear sales sequence. The best scenario is to build top of mind awareness for these types of buyers through content marketing. - Develop clear content pillars - Publish consistently across time - Vary formats and channels 2. Build a solid intent signals gathering system For long we thought attribution was the key, but with the new B2B marketing playbook, intent signals are more important. You need to constantly identify a list of prospects that have higher intent than average. - Track content engagement across channels - Score prospects based on signals and frequency - Centralize signals in one CRM or system 3. Use ads to amplify what already works Ads will not create demand out of the blue but it will expand your reach and reinforce awareness with repetition. - Promote top-performing content - Retarget engaged and high-intent audiences - Focus on repetition, not aggressive messages 4. Get ready to capture demand from active buyers When they're ready, businesses want a fast response across channels. If you take 48 hours to reply to an inquiry, you'll lose (especially in red ocean markets). Build an efficient inbound sales system to capture and manage demand. - Optimized social media profiles - Dynamic forms to segment leads - Soft captures like webinars or guides 5. Run warm outreach for potentially active buyers Some ready-to-buy prospects who like your brand may not contact you. They may be busy, forget, or assume you’ll reach out. Acknowledge this reality and contact them directly. - Build a social selling routine - Create warm email sequences - ABM for larger accounts And AI is an enabler across the playbook. *** We are looking to help 3 more B2B businesses to install and run this playbook in Q1 2026, tell me if you're interested.

Enterprise Sales is a different beast. You’re thinking about it all wrong. The difference between a $50K and a $500K deal is NOT fancy Negotiation skills or Disco tactics. You need to learn BUSINESS ACUMEN like a VP. I’ve worked 100s of $6-7 fig deals. Here are the 5 hardest lessons I wish I knew before going upmarket: 1. AEs Don’t Close Deals—They Rally The Troops Lone wolves don't close 7-fig deals. Enterprise AEs are like film directors—connecting champions, execs, and influencers across both companies, so the deal feels inevitable. It’s never about one hero; it's about orchestrating every player: CEO who shares the vision, VP Product who tackles tough questions, Exec Sponsor who secures buy-in. High-stakes deals demand the best your company can offer. Great AEs know how to get it. 2. Complex Sales = World Class Project Management In enterprise deals, you’re more PM than a seller. Big deals die in the details: missed tasks, unaligned stakeholders, and endless email threads. New people jump in mid-cycle, each needing context. Your job: bring order to chaos. Protect momentum, keep everyone aligned, and ensure nothing slips. Top AEs co-create timelines, organize materials in Deal Rooms and tailor every detail. 3. AEs Master Buying (not Selling) My biggest breakthroughs came not from sales training but from buying software and interviewing CXOs. That’s when I realized: If you understand how budgets, approvals, and internal priorities work, you don't need sales tactics. Empathy becomes your superpower because you know what each stakeholder needs (financially and politically) to say YES. Want to excel at enterprise? Study how companies justify ROI, CFOs think, and champions navigate approvals. 4. There’s No Sales Process—Only a Buying Process Your buyer doesn’t care if you’ve hit Stage 3 in your CRM. They care about their own maze of priorities, budgets, and internal politics. Top AEs ‘dance’ around the sales stages. They choreograph moves based on what the deal needs next—like looping in a board member to champion them behind the scenes or going after end-users to outshine a competitor who started at the top. 5. AEs Think Transformation, Not Pain Points Execs won’t write $1M checks to fix a clunky spreadsheet workflow. They need to see a solution driving company-wide impact—like a strategic pivot or entering a new market. If you’re only uncovering small headaches, expect a small deal. But connect those symptoms to a transformation—and the CFO listens. —— Enterprise sellers think and act like business leaders. Not salespeople who want to close deals. Yes, they know the fancy sales tactics. But that's not the point… When buyers see you think like them. When you work a deal like it’s their internal project. You unlock trust that deserves 6-7fig budgets. P.S. We built Aligned to help manage the complexity of Enterprise Sales. A 100% FREE Deal Room used by 40K sellers. Try it https://lnkd.in/dwX_Zizk

I intentionally tanked a website's traffic by 60.59%. A B2B website selling hardware to large hospitals had 951 blog articles. We got rid of 782 of them. Many of them were old, outdated, but most importantly, irrelevant. If you were selling hardware that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and well into the millions, having articles on basic medical advice isn't going to help you generate sales. For example, having articles about the nutrition of certain foods, like a banana or what you should do if you have the flu, is irrelevant. Sure, you could say it is related to the health and medical space, but someone reading an article about the nutritional stats of a banana isn't going to spend $600,000 on medical equipment for a hospital. By keeping their site focused, they increased their traffic for relevant terms by 39.13% within 5 months. And their leads went up by 25.74%. Having more traffic isn't everything. Your goal should be to have the right type of traffic. Don't just write content to get more traffic. Write content related to your ideal customer needs and focus on revenue over traffic.

The CISO you’re selling to just retired. They’ve been replaced by a 35-year-old who hangs out on Reddit, ignores cold calls, and laughs at your "Gartner Leader" badge in a private Slack channel. The old sales playbook is dead and most vendors haven't noticed. Millennial CISOs are running security programs at scale. And the way they buy is nothing like the generation before. Conference booths don't close deals anymore. Cold emails get deleted on sight. Polished sales decks with buzzwords get laughed at in Slack channels after the call ends. Here's how this generation actually finds products: 🔹 Online communities first. Reddit threads, Discord servers, peer Slack groups, CybersecTools. Real practitioners sharing what works and what's garbage. 🔹 Genuine R&D content that teaches something new. Not SEO-optimized ChatGPT posts. Actual engineering depth. If your blog reads like a marketing team wrote it, it gets skipped. 🔹 Trust over authority. This generation leads by trusting and empowering their teams to find solutions. They ask their team: "Have you used this before? Can you find alternatives?" Not: "Gartner says it’s good we must go with it" 🔹 Problem-first conversations. Most of us got into cybersecurity because we loved the craft. Before university, before job titles. Cold pitches feel insulting. But a vendor who shows up as a partner to solve a real problem? That gets noticed. If your go-to-market strategy still relies on conferences, cold outreach, and gated whitepapers, you're selling to a CISO that retired 5 years ago. Be authentic and present where the next generation is searching.

Go Deep, Not Wide in FMCG Sales. Here’s Why. Let’s say you’re selling a herbal mouth freshener powder. You’re available in 30,000 outlets. The product is good. Customers love it. Retailers stock it. Now you have ₹50 lakhs to invest. What do you do? Option A – Go Wide: Launch a herbal toothpaste under the same brand. New category, new R&D, new channel, new ATL. • You crack 10,000 outlets • Average of ₹600 sales per outlet • 30% gross margin 📉 Result: ₹60 lakhs revenue/month → ₹18 lakhs gross margin Now subtract marketing, distribution, product dev… Option B – Go Deep: Double down on the mouth freshener. • Increase reach from 30,000 to 60,000 outlets • Run 2+1 retailer schemes • Launch ₹5 sachets for rural markets • Offer glass jars for chemists and parlors • Focus on planograms in paan shops 📈 Result: ₹1,200 sales × 60,000 outlets = ₹7.2 Cr/month Gross margin 40% → ₹2.88 Cr No new category. Just better rotation and deeper execution. That’s 6X more impact without chasing shiny new verticals. 👉 Going deep means: • Pushing more in outlets where you already win • Creating variants and packs that solve specific use-cases • Owning the shelf, not just visiting it Moral? In FMCG, depth creates dominance. Breadth without depth burns money. ⸻ 🌐 Follow for more grounded FMCG insights: 🔗 LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/dHgtAPV5 🐦 Twitter: https://lnkd.in/ddw-uBba 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dnbq-zDw 📢 Telegram: https://t.me/fmcgblueprint 🛒 Digital Products: https://lnkd.in/dNVVzXCj