Floada

Didn’t plan for this, but the opportunity was too good to pass up (team, market, product, timing).

Floada uses AI to prevent cost and revenue leakage from contract data. 

Our platform recovers lost value by automating insights and actions, helping organizations boost profitability and streamline operations.

Co-Founder & Head of Sales

Pioneer Sales

Worked with early-stage SaaS founders to get their sales motion off the ground, combining hands-on selling, advising, sparring, and laying the foundation for a sales operation.

(Mandates included products in the community space, procurement, DevOps, customer service, and executive coaching)

Also, I wrote two free ebooks on some core business and sales philosophy (and lifestyle design) principles, that were downloaded by a few hundred people. 

Still available at www.dennissprute.com

Sales Advisor

BetterUp

Again, part of the region's first sales team—this time for a topic very dear to my heart. Learned lots about the science behind peak performance and well-being.

Closed six-figure deals and reached 87% of my top 15 enterprise accounts, building an $8M pipeline. Also trained teams on business writing and initiated a strategic partnership.

Sr. Enterprise Account Executive

Unbabel

In charge of EMEA Retail (grew by 6x), then DACH pod (grew by 10x to $2M+). Closed 6-7 figure deals with international enterprises. Responsible for +18% of active company revenue when I left.

Streamlined CoEs for large companies, increasing efficiency. Managed a small headcount.

Top AE (Global) - 2021
Top AE (EMEA) - 2020

Pod Leader / Sales Manager

Through my experience at HeyRide, I was trusted to work on large accounts from day one—also because I was the most experienced German-speaking rep (though I started with Retail vertical first).

Enterprise Account Executive

Groupon

Needed $ after HeyRide failed. Hit my numbers, trained teams in business writing, part of some innovation initiatives.

Sr. Account Executive

Hey Ride

Worked alongside a mentor, a former campaign manager for the NY governor. It taught me the scrappy startup hustle, building, and surviving on Burger King’s €5 daily deals.

Joining an accelerator at that age taught me more than college, so I dropped out for a bit. I also lost any fear of big-company execs by mingling with them as regular people.

We experimented a lot, but in the end, too many issues led us to shut it down.

Commercial Co-Founder

BILD

Started as an intern, then brought back for freelance gigs. In hindsight, an incredible school for sales. Tabloid journalism may get laughs, but this kind of writing that captures millions of readers is a true life skill.

Journalist

1st Sales Lead for early-stage AI startups. Main focus right now is on Procurement.

Companies are losing up to 9% of contract value without realizing it. Floada finds hidden leaks and automates fixes—recovering lost revenue and stopping overcharges across your entire contract portfolio.

Seamlessly integrates with shared drives, ERP, procurement, and finance tools to help leaders hit their targets.

Built by former DocuSign product developers with a long history of building AI-powered agreement analytics solutions.

—

My background in communication management—particularly journalism and PR—characterizes my approach to sales, coupled with an excitement for the 0-to-1 process and its strategic and tactical maneuvers.

Originally from northern Germany, I have also spent extended periods in the United States, Portugal, and Brazil.

Dennis Sprute

Pleo

🏆 PLEO H1 Top 3 Banker (company-wide)
🏆 PLEO Central Europe Highest Banker H1 2025 (all segments)
🏆 PLEO DACH Highest Banker Q2 (all segments)
H1: 112% 
June 2025 — 127% Closer #1 (new Senior Target)
May 2025 — 131% Closer #1 (new Senior Target)
First AE in 3 years to moved into Senior Role

Senior Account Executive Enterprise

April 2025 — 152% Closer #1
🏆 PLEO DACH Highest Banker Q1 (Mid-Market)
March 2025 — 108% Closer #1
🏆 President's Club FY 2024 
🏆 PLEO Central Europe Highest Banker FY 2024 (Mid-Market)
🏆 PLEO DACH Highest Banker FY 2024 (Mid-Market)
🏆 PLEO DACH Highest Banker Q4 (Mid-Market)
Jan 2025 — 110% Closer #1
Dec 2024 — 125% Closer #1
Nov 2024 — 234% Closer #1
Moved into Large segment after exceeding qouta

June 2024 —  135% #1 closer
May 2024 —  #1 closer
April 2024 — 113% (Closer of the month) #1 closer
March 2024 — 120%
Top win rate 44%

Mid Market Account Executive 

Achievements 2022:
Awarded Top 25 AEs to follow in 2022 by Demandbase 
Awarded Pleo Ambassador of the Year 2022 
Generated 3.7 million views 
Grew following from 4.2k to 11.3k
Most Outbound Meetings booked in AE Team

Achievements 2023:
Awarded Sales Leader of the year 2023 by capchase
Beyond award winner Pleo DACH 2023
10 Webinars with CFOs
Grew following from 11.3k to 17.1k
FY H2 2023 #2 of 11 MM Reps — only one Senior ahead (200 Euros behind)
FY 2023 #4 of 12 MM Reps — 2 Seniors ahead

Highlights (we have monthly targets): 
August—106%
September—110%
43 Deals closed in 2022
January—110%
March—143% (Top Banker Pleo)
April—119% (Top in Team)

FY Q1: 116% (Top Banker in Team)

July—119% (Top in Team)
H1: Top 2 AE in Team (94%)
September—130% (Top in Team)

Commercial Account Executive

SDRs of Germany

Masterclass Academy Instructor

Ambassador

Chili Piper

Advisor

Pavilion

👨‍🎓 Sales School Winter 2021 - Intensive 12-week course from the world’s best go-to-market leaders, learning all the elements of running an effective sales cycle from prospecting to close.

Member

The T-shaped Sales Community

The T-shaped Sales Community is for salespeople in tech. We produce tactical content, share opportunities, and shine a light on those who make sales happen.

Founding Member

SDR Nation

Albacross

Moving into a closing role after 18 months of exceeding quota and leading the outbound team.

Account Executive

Individual Contributor:
- Kept my IC Quota to help the team
- Q2 - 187%
- Q3 - 140%
- Added 20+ new logos to Albacross that resulted in over 350.000€ ARR
- Sourced the largest and fastest outbound deal the company has seen
- Lowest DQ rate and highest win-rate in the entire team
- Got awarded best cold email by Kyle Coleman
- Set record for meetings per month 

Team Lead:
- Each RDR hit quota 3 months in a row
- Promoted 4 RDRs to Senior or Team Lead roles
- Increased calls per month from 1613 to 4325 in the team
- Developed Success Pillars for BDR Progress
- Kept average personalization rate above 20%
- Weekly Coaching, Training, and Performance reviews
- Implemented MEDDIC together with HoS
- Ran Morning Huddles
- Leading a team of up to 7 RDRs (Enterprise & Mid-market) to scale Albacross's outbound team
- Recruited 3 new reps for January Cohort
- 50% increase in ACV from outbound deals
- Reduced average DQ rate by  60%

 Social Selling:
- Started an interview series together with the Head of Growth interviewing 20+ Revenue Leaders (e.g. Kyle Colemen, Devin Reed, Mark Jung or Lauren Wadsworth, and many more)
- Grew Followers from 500 to 4000+ in 18 months

Team Lead Revenue Development

Sales Champion November 2020 and February 2021

Q1 - 113%

Senior Revenue Development Representative

Sales Champion August 2020

Most Valuable Player October 2020

Q3 - 110%
Q4 - 103%

Revenue Development Representative

Albacross is a fast-growing SaaS company within lead generation, account based marketing, and personalization intelligence. More than 10.000 companies are currently using Albacross to generate new business opportunities every day.

Sales Development Representative

Adsensus AB - redefining sales

We are Adsensus: sales-geeks with a passion for driving and developing the sales process. We started out as a small consultancy born out of a master thesis at Lund University. At the moment, we have active projects in the Nordics, throughout Europe and the US. Through our values of teamwork, entrepreneurship and leadership by example we have a vision to redefine business-to-business sales. So far, our hard work has paid off, awarding us the Di Gasell award three years in a row!

Client assignments

• 100 cold calls per day

• Analyze and qualify critical business information.

• Analyze Nordic markets with the purpose of creating new business opportunities by contacting company decision-makers.

• Finalize qualified sales meetings.

• Document and manage CRM systems for clients.

Business Development Consultant

BAGERIET PÅ BRYGGAN I JÖNKÖPING AB

Part-time work besides studying focussing on excellent customer service.

Waiter

shopping24 internet group

Performance Marketing Intern with main SEA responsibilities for one of
Germany’s biggest Interior Blogs WOHNKLAMOTTE.de. Daily analysis of
SEA-KPIs and optimization of Ad-Templates, Landing pages and
Campaigns.

Key achievements:
- Creation of set of rules for Ad-Templates at WOHNKLAMOTTE.de
- Participation in Acquisition of shopping24.nl specifically I acquired 13
NL-Stores
- Introduction of OKRs for Interns and Temps including a weekly routine
to increase participation, effective and efficient work amongst the
temporary employees

Marketing Operations

AE @ Pleo || Interested in meaningful outreach 🤝 || Sales Leader of the Year 2023

Ex-hockey player turned SaaS enthusiast with a passion for developing people, constant learning, and drive to win as a team.

9.5 of 10 times I am optimistic, and love to face challenges with a big smile on my face.

I love running, rowing, reading history books, podcasts, and watching field hockey.

Jan Benedikt Mundorf

I once got pitched a role with $300,000 OTE

The recruiter said, top reps make it "easily.”

Sounded amazing.
Until I asked a few questions.

1. “How many reps hit quota last year?”
→ “Around 15%.”

2. “What’s the average attainment?”
→ “About 38%.”

3. “What’s the ramp time?”
→ “Technically 3 months… but most need 9.”

Suddenly, that uncapped potential didn’t feel so limitless.
The recruiter's voice sounded a little different all of a sudden 😅 

I happily declined the offer. 

Here’s the truth:
Uncapped commission doesn’t matter if the cap is realistic expectations.

I’d rather make $130K in a healthy culture
than chase $400K in a burnout machine

My take:
Big OTEs sell dreams
But good companies sell opportunity that lasts 😉 

PS. What do you think?

Helping sales teams win without the bro-energy || 1x President’s Club Winner || Senior AE @ Pleo

After 4 years my colleague is moving on to her next challenge

(and I’d love you help her find it)

Sophie is one of those people you don’t forget.
She’s sharp.
Driven.
Caring.

And the kind of teammate who makes everyone around her better - not by talking the loudest, but by showing up every single day.

When I think about Sophie at Pleo, I think about moments like:

→ Helping a teammate prep for a call at 7 AM
→ Making customers feel heard when things got tough
→ Bringing energy to meetings when everyone else was running low

She doesn’t just hit targets - she raises standards.

Now, after 4 incredible years, she’s ready for her next challenge outside Pleo.

(sucks for us, honestly)

And whoever gets to work with her next is going to be very lucky.

If you’re hiring in:
- Sales
- Leadership
- GTM / Partnerships

or you know someone building a strong team - please reach out or tag them below.

Talent like this doesn’t come around often.

Helping someone like her find her next dream role is exactly what this platform is for.

Let's make this happen.

No alternative text description for this image

Competitor A: 4,000 followers 
Competitor B: 9,000 followers 
Competitor C: 12,000 followers 
Competitor D: 26,000 followers 
Me: 45,000 followers 

- "You are so cringe"
- "You are such a fool"
- "WTF is this" 

I remember vividly how people laughed at me for documenting the journey on LinkedIn.

Turns out that you can outperform entire companies. 

Beyond grateful for our community. 

People follow people.

So don't let these comments get you down.

As a top AE, you can make $250,000 in your late twenties.

- Physicians: $180K on average (US Data)
- Lawyers: $135K on average  (US Data)
- Senior consultants: $156K on average (US Data)

That's just an incredible growth trajectory once you break into tech. 

When I decided to start my career in sales, people were laughing at me for destroying my career and “wasting my potential”.

A few years in, I'm not so sure if “wasting my potential” really looks like this 😉 

I can happily say it was one of the best decisions I ever made, not just money-wise. 

I'm not there yet, but the potential is there. 

Let's go and get it. 

What do you think?

PS.  if you want to read more about my journey, check this out: https://lnkd.in/eCi4Cx-A

Last Christmas, I asked my 83-year grandmother a simple question

“What’s the biggest difference between your generation and mine?”

A Christmas conversation I’ll never forget.
She didn’t even hesitate.

She smiled and said:
"You give up way too early."

At first, I didn’t get it.
We work hard. We hustle. We chase goals.

Right?
But the more we talked, the more it hit me.

She told me about sticking with things longer than felt comfortable.
About rebuilding after failures instead of starting over.
About investing in relationships, careers, and dreams even when progress felt slow.

Meanwhile, today, we often:
- Switch jobs at the first frustration
- Move on from goals when they get messy
- Bounce to the next big thing when results aren’t instant

She wasn’t criticizing.
She was reminding me:

Resilience used to be normal.
Now it’s rare.

So whatever you are doing today. 
Sit tight, be passionate and let's go after it. 

PS. My Oma is simply the best. 
PPS. Yes she is on LinkedIn because of his little hobby of mine.

𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻 100 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. 

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 5 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗹𝘆. 

I’ve said every single one of these. 
And lost deals because of it.

When I started as an AE, I thought demos were about 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 people. 
So I’d over-explain. 
Show too much. 
Talk way too fast.

Now? I treat demos like conversations - not performances.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝟱 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱:

𝟭. “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼…” 
Why it’s bad: It’s not about 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. It’s about 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 
Say this instead: “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 [𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯] - 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.”

𝟮. “𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹 - 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁.” 
Why it’s bad: You don’t know that. Focus on value, not hype. 
Say this instead: “𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 [𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺] 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 [𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦]. 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘰?”

𝟯. “𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀!” 
Why it’s bad: Vague. Sounds like a pitch, not a solution. 
Say this instead: “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 6+ 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴/𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘰𝘸.”

𝟰. “𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀?” 
Why it’s bad: It puts all the pressure on them. Often leads to silence. 
Say this instead: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺?”

𝟱. “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸.” 
Why it’s bad: Passive = no next step. 
Say this instead: “𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮?”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁: 
- Clearer business value 
- More engaged prospects 
- Higher conversion to next step

𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲: 
Good demos don’t wow. 
They align, simplify, and move the deal forward.

What’s one demo mistake you’ve stopped making - and what did you say instead?

𝗣𝗦. I share my demo prep in the comment below. Comment DEMO.

My take after cold calling 100 people a day for 6 months.

(here’s how I got over the fear of dialing)

I still remember my first cold call.
Heart racing.
Hands sweating.
Voice shaking.

I was more focused on not sounding stupid than on starting a conversation.

I must’ve hovered over the dial button for 15 minutes before pressing it.

And when the person finally picked up?
I panicked and hung up.
(Yes, really.)

That moment taught me something:
Cold calling doesn’t just test your skill - it tests your courage.

Now, after hundreds of calls and plenty of hang-ups, it’s one of my favorite parts of the job.

Here’s what actually helped me get over the cold feet:

1. Script → Outline

→ Reading a script made me sound robotic.
→ Switching to a 3-point outline
(Opener → Reason → Question) gave me flow.
Action: Stop memorizing. Start guiding the conversation.

2. Reps over confidence

→ I didn’t “wait until I was ready.”
→ I got ready by calling.
Action: 20 - 30 dials/day builds comfort faster than reading any blog post.

3. Record yourself early

→ Cringey at first. Eye-opening after.
→ I caught filler words, rushed tone, and awkward pauses.
Action: You can’t fix what you can’t hear.

4. Redefine rejection

→ A “no” isn’t failure - it’s feedback.
→ Every hang-up got me closer to clarity on what works.
Action: Track what objections you hear most. Build comebacks around them.

5. Build small wins

→ My first real goal wasn’t “book a meeting.”
→ It was “get through 10 calls without quitting.”
Action: Stack small reps before chasing perfection.

6. I use solid, accurate contact data

→ No data = no dial.
→ If I’m reaching out, I want the right title, right number, right context.
→ Tools like FullEnrich save hours and prevent awkward dead dials.

The result?
- More calm, less panic
- Calls that sound like conversations
- 21 qualified meetings in one month

My take:
You don’t beat cold call fear by thinking about it.

You beat it by picking up the phone, fumbling through, and doing it again tomorrow.

PS. Want my cold call prep sheet? Comment CALL below.

Brand partnership • Helping sales teams win without the bro-energy || 1x President’s Club Winner || Senior AE @ Pleo

I’ve taken 100 successful cold calls

(here’s the biggest mistake I made when I started)

When I first started cold calling, I thought success was about sounding confident.
- I practiced tone.
- Rehearsed my opener.
- Tried to sound like a “real” salesperson.

But the more I focused on sounding good, the less I actually listened.

I was so busy thinking about what to say next that I completely missed what prospects were telling me.

I wasn’t having conversations.
I was delivering speeches.

Here’s what changed everything for me:

1. I stopped pitching. Started listening.
→ Instead of “We help companies like yours…”
→ I began with “Curious, how are you handling X today?”
Action: Treat every call like discovery, not performance.

2. I started taking notes mid-call.
→ I write down exact words they use to describe pain.
→ Those words become my follow-ups and my recap email.
Action: The best messaging comes from your buyer’s mouth, not your playbook.

3. I slowed down.
→ 3-second pauses felt awkward at first.
→ Now they’re my best friend.
Action: Silence signals confidence - and gives prospects time to think.

4. I stopped trying to “win.”
→ Not every call is about booking a meeting.
→ It’s about building trust, even in 60 seconds.
Action: Focus on progress, not perfection.

5. I stopped using shit contact data
→ No data = no dial.
→ If I’m reaching out, I want the right title, right number, right context.
→ Latest and precise data is the most important thing when dialling, tools like Leadsforge - Search Engine For Leads 🏎️ save hours and prevent awkward dead dials.

The result?
More natural calls
Higher conversion rate
Fewer hang-ups (and way less panic)

My take:
Cold calling isn’t about what you say.
It’s about what you hear - and what you do with it next.

PS. Want my 5-question cold call checklist? Comment CALL below.

My take on AI after closing 60 deals in 2025

(AI helped in every single one of them)

I hate this “AI will replace sales” debate so much on here.
It won’t.

But the reps who learn how to use it will replace the ones who don’t.

I used to get it wrong (and sometimes still do):
- Testing every shiny AI tool
- Hoping prompts would replace pipeline
- Treating tech like a shortcut instead of a multiplier

Now?
AI is part of my daily workflow - like CRM, espresso, and call blocks.

And it works.
60 deals closed this year (and counting, I promise).

Here’s how I actually use it to create momentum:

1. 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 90 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀
→ Upload your call notes or a zoom summary.
→ Ask: “Summarize pain, timeline, and next steps in a short recap email.”
Why it works: You follow up faster than your competition - while it’s still fresh in the buyer’s mind.

2. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 + 𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 (𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗔𝗜 Aꜱꜱɪꜱᴛᴀɴᴛ 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻)
→ Ask: “Build a list of companies hiring new Finance Managers in EMEA, then draft a short, relevant cold email.”
→ Apollo’s new GTM AI Assistant does both - list building and sequence creation.
Why it works: Saves hours of admin. You start your day selling, not researching.

3. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀
→ Paste company data, job description, and recent news.
→ Ask: “What 3 priorities would a CFO at this company care about most right now?”
Why it works: You walk in with insight - not assumptions.

4. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿
→ Drop in deal notes and activity history.
→ Ask: “What’s missing from this opportunity? What could stall it?”
Why it works: AI surfaces blind spots before your manager ever needs to.

𝟧. 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁 (𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻)
→ No dashboards. No manual reports.
→ Ask: “Which messaging drives the highest reply rates this month?”
Why it works: Real-time insights without breaking focus. You learn faster and iterate smarter.

The result?
- Shorter prep time
- Smarter outreach
- More control, less chaos

My take:
AI isn’t the threat.
It’s the advantage - if you know how to use it.

The shift is ON so join here: https://bit.ly/46uv8iv

PS. And the reps who build AI into their workflow today?

The feeling during my first 100 cold calls

(and how I got over the cold feet)

My first 100 calls felt like standing on stage with no script.
- Heart racing
- Palms sweating
- Overthinking every word

I’d stare at the phone for minutes before pressing dial.

And when someone actually picked up?
Panic.

I’d talk too fast, miss my point, and hang up thinking:
“I’m just not made for this.”

Spoiler: I was - I just had to get through the fear first.

Here’s what helped me go from cold feet to confident calls:

1. I stopped chasing the perfect opener
→ I used to spend hours rewriting my first line.
→ None of them mattered if I sounded nervous.
What worked:
“Hey [Name] - quick one. I saw [trigger], wanted to run something by you.”
 Simple. Real. Human.

2. I made rejection normal
→ The first hang-ups hurt.
→ By call #50, they were data points.
→ I stopped seeing “no” as failure and started tracking patterns.
Action: Write down the 3 most common objections you get. Build answers around them.

3. I recorded myself early
→ Cringey at first. Eye-opening after.
→ I heard my filler words, awkward pauses, and weak tone.
→ Fixing that gave me confidence faster than any script.

4. I built micro-goals
→ My first goal wasn’t “book meetings.”
→ It was “make 10 calls before 10 AM.”
→ Small wins compound - and build rhythm.

5. I focused on recovery, not perfection
 → One bad call can ruin your day - if you let it.
 → I created my 3-call rule:
 After every bad one, make 3 more immediately.
 Momentum beats emotion.

The result?
- Less fear
- More natural conversations
- My PB: 21 qualified meetings in one month

My take:
You don’t overcome cold call nerves by thinking.
You overcome them by dialing through the fear - one shaky call at a time.

Ps. What’s the hardest part of cold calling for you right now?

In 70 % of lost deals I never got to power.

(Here’s how I get to C-Level immediately)

Most AEs know the pain of stalling with a “happy ear” influencer.

They love the product.
They give great feedback.

But when it comes to signing? They can’t move the deal.

I’ve been there. A lot.

Now, getting to power is non-negotiable in my process.

Here’s exactly what I changed after 220+ closed deals:

1.	Ask early and directly
→ “Who else needs to be involved before this moves forward?”
→ If they hesitate: “When you’ve done projects like this before - who signed off?”
 ↳ You make power part of the process, not a surprise.

2.	Decision-map every deal
→ “What does your internal approval process usually look like?”
→ “Is finance or legal typically involved at this stage?”
 ↳ It exposes silent blockers before they appear.

3.	Arm your champion
→ “If we bring in [CFO/VP], how would you introduce us so it’s aligned with your priorities?”
→ Give them the words to make you look good.
 ↳ Champions want to help - you just need to equip them.

4.	Bring exec-level value
→ Build an ROI case, customer story, or 2-slide deck tailored to the exec.
→ Example: “We helped [similar company] save X% in Y months - worth showing your CFO?”
 ↳ Execs buy impact, not features.

5.	Set expectations out loud
→ “For this to go live in [month], we’ll need CFO approval. Should we loop them in now or after [milestone]?”
 ↳ You normalize power as a natural step, not a hurdle.

The result?
- Clearer timelines
- No more last-minute stalls
- Faster deals closed with confidence

My take:
If you’re not selling to power, you’re not really selling.

You’re just hoping. 
And hope kills quota.

PS. What is you take?

You can make $350k in your late 20's as a top AE.

(here's why most never get there)

You can earn that kind of money.
I’ve seen it happen.
But not if you keep jumping every 12 months.

“Too many short stints.”
Yeah, I’ve heard that critique too - and it’s lazy.
People have different reasons for moving.
Layoffs happen. Managers change. Life happens.

But the other extreme?
Chasing every shiny offer that hits your inbox.
→ New ramp.
→ New quota.
→ New product.
→ Same results.

Every time you switch, you reset momentum.
The truth?

The biggest money in sales doesn’t come from new logos on your CV.
It comes from mastery.

Here’s why staying put (for a while) actually pays: 

1. You own your patch.
→ You know every account, every blocker, every path in.

2. You actually learn how to sell.
→ Not just demo - diagnose, negotiate, and win.

3. You build trust.
→ Deals move faster when customers know you’ll still be there in 6 months.

4. You stack wins.
 → Each success compounds into confidence, credibility, and bigger deals.

Data backs it up:
AEs with longer tenure close more.

My take:
One great run beats five forgettable logos.
You want the $350K years? Stay to become elite at what you already do.

PS. What is your take?

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The Battle

Dennis Sprute

Jan Benedikt Mundorf

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