Kelly Brown

Presales leaders: You're missing the biggest playbook in B2B sales. Management consultants figured out deal velocity decades ago. It's time presales adopted their framework. Here's what I've observed: 1. MANAGEMENT CONSULTING PLAYBOOK: Problem Framing Over Solution Selling Consultants don't lead with "Our product does X" They lead with "Let's define your problem statement first" Result? Clients are pre-sold on the PROBLEM before discussing solutions 2. Hypothesis-Driven Engagement Consultants: "Based on your industry, we believe 3 things are happening..." Presales USUALLY: "Here's our feature set..." Consultants drive consensus 3x faster because they're solving a discovered hypothesis, not pushing a product 3. Decision Map Before the Deal Consultants map stakeholders, priorities, and decision criteria UPFRONT They know: Budget owner have different concerns than User owner who have different concerns than Sponsor Presales often discovers this during negotiations which is too late 4. Executive Alignment Through Data Consultants bring data narratives, not product specs They show: "Firms like you typically see 3-4 month payback and 25% efficiency gains". This anchors expectations and accelerates executive buy-in 5. Reusable Frameworks > One-Off Pitches Consultants use battle-tested playbooks for every engagement, Presales often reinvents the wheel for each deal. Consultants iterate faster, sell faster HERE'S THE MATH: Average deal velocity for presales: 120 days Average engagement for management consultants: 45 days for initial phase Why? Because consultants are selling INSIGHTS, not products. Presales can borrow this approach. THE 3-MOVE PLAYBOOK FOR PRESALES: 1. Start with Problem Discovery (Consulting style)   "What's your biggest obstacle preventing [outcome]?" Listen, Don't pitch and then Map the problem. 2. Build Hypothesis Together   "Based on what you shared, we believe the root cause is [X]. Do you agree?"   Let them validate your diagnosis. They're now co-creators. 3. Solution Becomes Obvious   Once you've aligned on the problem, your solution isn't a pitch—it's the answer. Deal velocity goes 2x. I've seen presales teams implement this framework and reduce deal cycles considerably. The secret? Stop selling features. Start solving problems. Presales teams that borrow consulting methodologies aren't just selling faster; they're becoming trusted advisors. Question for you: What's your typical presales cycle? Are you solving problems or pitching products? Let's discuss below. Presales leaders building these frameworks—share your wins. #Presales #SalesStrategy #ManagementConsulting #DealVelocity #SalesLeadership #B2B #SolutionsSelling

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If your ABM campaign isn’t landing, the offer may not be the problem. Your positioning might be too vague. Too interchangeable. Too meh. ABM forces clarity. You can’t personalize to 20 execs if your value prop sounds like it came from a brand book. Fix your POV. Then run your plays. #Positioning #ABMstrategy #MessagingMatters #B2BMarketing #RevenueAlignment #DemandCreation

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Enterprise revenue rarely fails at the deal. It fails when GTM systems drift under scale. This conversation with GreyOrange CRO Rik Schrader explores where that breakdown starts.

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📊 7 GTM (Go-to-Market) Trends That Matter for Q3 and Q4 At mid-year, if the first half felt a bit uneven or chaotic, then you’re not alone. Sales cycles are longer. Deals are smaller. Buying groups are larger. But GTM leaders are gaining traction, just not with last year’s playbook. GTM Partners just dropped their comprehensive new research that details all the specifics on how GTM teams are winning. Here’s what the data from the report says will actually move the needle: 👇 1️⃣ Aligned GTM Teams Are 2x More Likely to Hit Revenue Targets Misaligned teams slow everything down. Shared ownership and KPIs plus C-suite support change the game. 2️⃣ AI is Fueling Faster, Smarter GTM 88% of power users will pay more for tools with embedded AI, 67% of buyers now expect AI capabilities in their tools. 3️⃣ Full-Cycle Sales Is Back and Driving Expansion Buyers want fewer handoffs. Full-cycle reps close faster, build trust, and upsell more given the continuity. 4️⃣ Deal Sizes Are Shrinking, Pricing Models Look to Adapt 39% of buyers now prefer pay-as-you-go pricing, and more are moving away from multi-year commitments. 5️⃣ Your GTM Model Needs to Match Your Growth Strategy One-size-fits-all GTM structures aren't working; in the end, strategy will shape the structure. 6️⃣ GTM Intelligence is the New Growth Engine Real-time signals + AI-ready data = faster action, better results vs rigid, static playbooks. 7️⃣ Buying Groups are the Real Buyer, Not Leads or Accounts 92% of B2B purchases involve multiple stakeholders (often 13+ people); 70% of purchases have 3+ depts. The underlying themes including staying current, leveraging AI, and aligning to new models, such as the GTM Operating System. 💡 I’m a certified partner of GTM Partners, if you’re rethinking your GTM planning and want to leverage these strategies, let's talk. 📩 DM me to explore how these trends apply to your team. 📖 Check out the full report with link in the comments for GTMonday by GTM Partners. The study is based on research from Crossbeam, Pavilion, G2, Gartner, Ebsta, Forrester, and GTM Partners. Sangram Vajre Bryan Brown #GTMStrategy #GoToMarket #B2BMarketing #Sales #AI #GTMPartners #RevenueGrowth #MarketingLeadership #H2Planning

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The Scoring Page is a powerful analytics hub that helps sales leaders and managers evaluate conversation quality and rep performance at scale. Most sales managers review maybe 1-2 calls per rep per week. That's roughly 2% of what's actually happening on the floor. The other 98% becomes a total blind spot. Instead of manually reviewing calls, Attention automatically scores every conversation against your custom criteria (scorecards), giving you instant visibility into what's working and what's not. Discovery quality, objection handling, methodology adherence, whatever matters to your team. No more random sampling. No more gut-feel coaching. Just consistent, scalable visibility. (p.s. yes you can get coaching/scorecard reports pushed directly to Slack/email)

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79% of B2B SaaS CMOs say brand recognition influences their vendor shortlist. In our Wynter study of 100 CMOs at $50M+ companies, 45% called brand fame a major factor in their buying decisions. Still, the first step isn’t Google. 72% start by asking peers in private communities. Word of mouth leads the shortlist. If you're not a household name, here's how you break in: • Get peer-recommended. Be active where your buyers hang out. Happy customers in Slack groups put you on the radar faster than ads. • Clear compliance early. Security checks are non-negotiable. Have your documentation ready. • Let them try it. 38% said unknown vendors need an easy trial. Show the real product, not just a demo video. • Solve what big players ignore. Find the gaps and innovate there. • Prove ROI fast. Lower pricing won't win alone, but combined with clear outcomes, it's a tiebreaker. • De-risk the decision. Prove you understand their problems and can solve them. Big brands start ahead but smaller players catch up through peer recommendations and delivering results. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/dqgZgeuu

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5 Sales Mistakes Likely Costing Your Business 1️⃣ Your Team Talks Too Much Selling isn’t pitching, it’s problem-solving. And you can’t solve a problem you don’t understand. What’s happening: Reps dominate conversations and miss key buying signals. The fix: Train consultative selling. Use the 80/20 rule (listen 80%, talk 20%). Ask questions like: • “What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?” • “What would solving this mean for your business?” Great salespeople aren’t the best talkers, they’re the best listeners. 2️⃣ Competing on Price Instead of Selling Value If price is the focus, you’re already losing. What’s happening: Prospects push back and reps discount too quickly. The fix: Shift the conversation from cost to worth. Highlight ROI, efficiency, and long-term impact. Example: ❌ “Our service is $5,000 a year.” ✅ “Our service saves clients an average of $50,000 annually—a 10x ROI.” 3️⃣ Weak Lead Qualification A full pipeline is useless if it’s full of the wrong leads. What’s happening: Reps spend time with prospects who lack budget, authority, or urgency. The fix: Use a framework like BANT and ask: • Budget: “Is there funding allocated for this?” • Authority: “Who else is part of the decision?” • Need: “Why is this important now?” • Timeline: “When do you want to implement a solution?” If they don’t meet the criteria, move on. 4️⃣ Inconsistent Follow-Up 80% of sales require 7+ follow-ups, yet nearly half of reps stop after one. What’s happening: Warm prospects go cold due to lack of persistence. The fix: Build a structured follow-up cadence: • Call → Discovery • Email → Recap & next steps • Call → Address objections • Email → Case study / social proof • Call → Create urgency & close Most leads aren’t ignoring you, they’re just not ready yet. Follow-up wins deals. 5️⃣ Ignoring Existing Customers New business is exciting, but existing clients drive profitability. What’s happening: Teams chase new logos while neglecting upsell, cross-sell, and retention opportunities. The fix: Make customer success part of your revenue strategy: • Regular value check-ins • Loyalty incentives or upgrades • Cross-sell recommendations (“Since you use X, you may benefit from Y.”) It’s 5x cheaper to retain a customer than to acquire a new one. As a Fractional Sales Leader, I help businesses eliminate these costly mistakes by building structure, accountability, and a scalable sales engine that drives consistent, profitable growth. If you’re planning for 2026 and want to strengthen your sales foundation, let’s connect.

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GTM should run like a campaign. Not a concept. Too many GTM motions live in decks, frameworks, and workshops. Real GTM execution looks different. It has: • A defined audience • A clear outcome • Named ownership • A review cadence If your GTM cannot be launched, measured, and iterated like a campaign, it will not create momentum. Pipeline is built through execution, not intention. #GoToMarket #GTMExecution #B2BSaaS #ExecutionFirst #SaaSili

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