If you’re a sales leader working at a startup, your main goal is to drive revenue ASAP.

Because the longer it takes to generate revenue, the harder it is to hit targets (but you know that).

Reaching faster time to revenue for startups is an uphill battle. And here’s why.

• There’s a lot of pressure since you rely heavily on funding.
• You don’t have previous data to analyze.
• You don’t have many case studies or testimonials you can share.
• You don’t have many customers who can recommend/refer you.
• Your product is still going through major changes.
• You don’t have a ton of leads.
• And the list goes on…

Don’t be discouraged. 

You’re a sales leader, which means you have the means to make a huge difference (especially in a startup). 

There are steps you can take to help accelerate the process and start generating revenue quickly.

*Spoiler alert* One of them involves working closely with marketing. Stop it you two; it’s time to bury the hatchet.

Salesforce automation is non-negotiable for any revenue team (that uses Salesforce, of course).

If your team isn’t using Salesforce integrations and automation to cut down on annoying repetitive tasks, they’re not making the best use of their time.

You know it. And they definitely know it.

Salesforce has its own automated workflows (and they’re great), but there are other services and sales automation tools that integrate with the CRM and that offer far greater functionality and freedom for the user.

If you want your sales, customer success, and RevOps teams to focus on what you hired them for instead of tasks they have recurring nightmares about, you’ve come to the right place.

As a B2B sales leader, your main objective is to ensure that your entire revenue team succeeds.

Aside from coaching, motivating, and honing your team’s sales skills, there’s another factor that plays a major role in determining success.

Your B2B sales tech stack.  

According to InsideSales.com, small companies spend, on average, ~$4,600 per rep annually on sales technology, followed by ~$5,200 per rep for medium-sized companies and ~$3,100 per rep for large organizations.

If your entire revenue team consists of 30 employees (including SDRs, AEs, CSRs, and RevOps), you’re looking at roughly $140,000 in sales tech stack spend annually.

That’s not nothing. That’s huge.

So how do you choose sales technology tools that are aligned with your company’s sales and growth strategy?

And how on earth do you ensure a high adoption rate of said tools?

All your team’s efforts boil down to successfully closing a sale.

If your AEs spend weeks or even months with a lead and it all ends in a dead end, it can be very discouraging. 

Yes, rejection is a massive part of sales, but what if your team could get a leg up?

(Pause for intrigue)

What if there are certain sales closing lines and techniques that could help them seal the deal?

(Pause for more intrigue)

What if there are mistakes they’re making that are hurting their chances of closing the sale?

We interviewed one of our sales managers here at Mixmax and she gave us some juicy insights about what works–and what to avoid–when trying to close a sale.

Ah, salespeople.

The often-stereotyped driving force behind most businesses. 

The ones who are out on the front lines, trying to close deals and bring in revenue. The ones who mostly get ignored (and sometimes yelled at) for just trying to do their jobs. 

But they’re also the ones who take on the huge task of trying to maintain a high level of efficiency. And they’re good at it, too. 

Sales teams are often the most efficient departments in a company, thanks to their experience with managing leads, developing relationships, and, of course, closing deals. 

Yet, for all their efforts and all the (often expensive) tools they have access to, they’re still spending time on repetitive or lower-value work that hasn’t been automated.

The result? 

They constantly feel like they’re swimming upstream. It’s a real challenge to stay afloat and keep up the motivation when you feel like you’re constantly fighting against the current.

Time. To. Fight. Back.

Great sales leaders are constantly evolving their processes to help their team be more efficient and effective.

However, according to a study, sales reps still spend 65% of their time on tasks that don’t involve selling.

Like the dreaded CRM updates after each communication. Or manually setting up reminders to follow up. Or going back and forth to schedule meetings. Or… 

You get it. 

If this is the case for your team, it might be time to look into sales automation tools that integrate with your CRM and that encourage prospects to respond.