In a recent LinkedIn Live session, Mor Assouline, founder of Demo to Close and former VP of Sales for multiple early-stage startups, shared his strategies and experiences in building and scaling SaaS sales teams. With a proven track record of tripling ARR within 12 months and reducing sales cycle time significantly, Mor’s insights are invaluable for early-stage startups looking to build effective sales frameworks.
Mor’s Journey: From Fear to Sales Leadership
Mor’s sales career began with a twist—quitting his first job within an hour due to a fear of sales. Overcoming this challenge through resilience and mentorship, he eventually embraced sales, transitioning into SaaS startups where he scaled sales teams and achieved remarkable results. Key takeaways from his journey include:
- Self-Awareness: Understanding personal limitations and strengths was pivotal to his growth.
- Mentorship: Having a mentor to guide and refine his skills made a significant difference.
- Learning from Failure: Early setbacks in startups taught him the importance of building systems and processes early on.
The Role of Playbooks in SaaS Sales Success
A cornerstone of Mor’s strategy is creating and maintaining dynamic sales playbooks. For early-stage startups, where processes are often scattered across Slack messages and Google Docs, a structured playbook can bring order and efficiency.
Why Playbooks Matter
- Standardization: Provides clear SOPs for demos, discovery, and outbound outreach.
- Scalability: Helps new hires ramp up quickly and supports consistent performance.
- Measurability: Creates benchmarks and metrics to measure success and identify areas for improvement.
How to Build an Effective Playbook
- Collaborative Creation: Involve sales reps, product marketing, and RevOps in co-authoring sections relevant to their expertise.
- Dynamic Format: Use tools like Notion to ensure the playbook evolves as the company grows.
- Focus on Onboarding: Include a detailed 30/60/90-day onboarding plan to accelerate new hire readiness.
- Real-Time Utility: Incorporate live-use sections like FAQs and battle cards for immediate reference during calls.
Scaling Sales Processes: 0 to 1M ARR vs. 1M to 10M ARR
The approach to sales evolves significantly as a startup grows:
0 to 1M ARR
- Focus: Survival and acquiring initial customers.
- Approach: Flexibility in pricing and processes to close deals and optimize for growth over revenue.
- Challenges: Lack of data and systems often leads to inefficiencies down the line.
1M to 10M ARR
- Focus: Building scalable systems and ensuring process discipline.
- Approach: Leverage data from CRM and other tools to inform strategic decisions and drive efficiency.
- Outcomes: Streamlined operations, improved metrics tracking, and better decision-making.
Crafting Effective Cold Outreach Campaigns
Mor’s insights on crafting cold email and call campaigns highlight the importance of relevance and personalization:
- Problem-Centric Messaging: Focus on a single pain point per email rather than overwhelming the recipient with multiple ideas.
- Assume, Don’t Assert: Use a tone that seeks to validate assumptions rather than making definitive claims about the prospect’s pain points.
- Leverage Social Proof: Reference recognizable brands or results to establish credibility.
- Multi-Channel Outreach: Combine email with LinkedIn engagement, personalized video messages, and voice notes for better results.
Lessons from Scaling SaaS Sales Teams
Mor emphasized the need to build systems early to support scaling:
- Prepare for Growth: Develop processes and train tracks before reaching critical milestones.
- Data Discipline: Maintain accurate CRM data from day one to inform future decisions.
- Iterate Continuously: Update playbooks and processes regularly to keep them relevant.
Advice for New SaaS Sales Leaders
Mor’s top recommendation for new VPs of sales or sales professionals in SaaS startups is straightforward:
- Get a Mentor: Learn from someone who has scaled sales teams before.
- Invest in Systems: Build foundational processes early to avoid chaos as the company grows.
- Embrace Learning: Use tools like call recording software to identify areas for improvement and refine strategies.
Conclusion
Building a winning sales framework requires a combination of strategic planning, dynamic tools, and a culture of continuous improvement. Mor Assouline’s insights provide a roadmap for SaaS startups to scale effectively and achieve milestones like $10M ARR. By focusing on playbooks, data-driven decisions, and personalized outreach, sales leaders can drive exponential growth and set their teams up for long-term success.
