Employment Hero

UK SDR Manager

MySalesCoach

MySalesCoach match SDRs who need coaching with SDR leaders who are willing to share their knowledge and deliver expert 1-1 coaching on-demand.

Over the course of 2024, I've coached 19 SDRs at 15 different SaaS businesses.

As of 2025, I'm regularly coaching 5 SDRs and 2 SDR Managers at different stages of their journey in:

- Cold Calling
- Cold Emailing
- LinkedIn Outreach
- Objection Handling
- Account Based Sales
- Outbound Prospecting
- Confidence & Direction
- Personal Growth & Mindset
- Conflict management & resolution

SDR Coach

Sales Development Leaders (SDL)

Member

Flexprts

Too many SDR teams are failing because their organisation lacks the expertise to build and scale them right, stunting growth for everyone involved.

With a trusted trio of flexible sales development experts (AKA “flexperts”) - Chris Ritson, Laurence Langstone and Gabs Bojilova - Flexprts provides SaaS founders and sales leaders with the expertise they need to build a high-performing SDR team, how and when they need it.

We offer:
- Bootcamps for SDRs and SDR Leaders
- SDR Training Programme
- Fractional Management
____________________________________

Worked on Flexprts full-time after quitting Hook in Aug 2023 until my next full-time role at Employment Hero in Jan 2024.

In those 6 months, I built my own pipeline of companies to work with - the highlight being building out and selling my own 8-week outbound selling progam. As a result, I trained 15 SDRs at two different companies over the course of my program, and consulted those companies on GTM strategies for sales development.

Co-Founder

Hook

Joined as the first SDR leader at Seed-stage:

- Hired, onboarded and trained team of 4 SDRs
- Built frameworks for outreach & experimented with messaging
- Built SDR <> AE rules of engagement, HubSpot processes & data hygiene
- Built SDR playbook on Notion for scalability and benefit of SDRs & AEs
- Prospected and cold called with the team to lead by example
- Promoted 1 SDR; built development plans & career progress paths for SDRs
- Tech stack = HubSpot, SalesLoft, Gong, Apollo, Cognism, Lavender, Sales Nav

Awarded Top 50 SDR Managers 2022 by Sales Confidence.

SDR Team Lead

SaaSLeads.io

This was an Academy for SDRs - we hired & trained SDRs for top start-ups.

Company went into insolvency, but before it did:

- I was one of the first CSMs, advising Founders & VPs of Sales on building & scaling their SDR process, strategy & team.

- Transitioned into training SDRs over a 12-week programme.

- Coached SDRs at companies like Talkwalker, Papirfly & Lokalise.

Sales Development Coach

Tessian

Gave being an IC a go - it was great exposure & experience - but an opportunity to go back into the SDR world came along, and I wholeheartedly wanted to do it!

Account Manager

- Took on more leadership opportunities
- Mentoring new SDRs
- Hosting upskill workshops

Senior SDR

Full year attainment after ramp = 113%.

I won't lie though - I had a sub 100% quarter and learned how to not get myself in that position again!

Reflect > Adapt > Grow :)

Sales Development Representative

DSJ Global

- Completed a 2-week intensive sales academy.
- Closed my first deal just 8 weeks after starting for £17,500.
- My candidate then wanted to pull out due to personal reasons so I had to manage that process and make sure that both her and the client were pleased with the outcome - she still went through with it and even bagged her a 19k increase on her previous salary!

A big first win and a high to ride, however, I decided that recruitment was not for me and wanted to progress my career in SaaS.

Recruitment Consultant

Became an SDR in 2019.

5 years later:

- Promoted 5 times
- Moved into leadership
- Coached 30+ SDRs in a year
- Generated over $3m in pipeline
- Quit my job to become an SDR Coach & Trainer
- Realised that solopreneurship wasn't for me in the end
- Joined a fast-growth scale-up, Employment Hero, as SDR Manager

Enter 2024.

Follow me for free content on outbound prospecting, cold outreach & all things SDR! :)

Gabs Bojilova

I started as a telemarketer selling lottery tickets and now I work as an AE at Deel, one of the fastest growing SaaS companies in the world.

If you’re passionate about cold calling, sales, and what it takes to win, let’s connect!

For brand partnerships: sheriffshahen@hotmail.com

Sheriff Shahen

I went from SDR to AE exactly 2 years ago.  
Here's everything I learned the hard way:
(this is not a sales playbook)

𝟭. 𝗜𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀:
It took me 3 full quarters to finally hit target. That’s normal. Anyone telling you otherwise is either lying or got very lucky.
Build pipeline. Learn your market. Get your reps in. Time + volume = competence.

𝟮. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲. 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁.
You’ll have weeks where everything closes.
You’ll have weeks where nothing moves and you question your career.
Neither means much. You just gotta keep going.

𝟯. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 > 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆:
Most deals don’t close. Accept it early.
The faster you kill bad opps, the more time you get back for real ones.
Hope is not a strategy.

𝟰. 𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘅𝘆𝗴𝗲𝗻:
No pipeline = panic selling.
Enough pipeline = calm, confident conversations.
If you ever feel stressed, the answer is almost always: build more pipeline.

𝟱. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 > 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴:
Great AEs don’t convince.
They uncover reality.
If there’s no pain, no urgency, no authority, no moneyy, walk away.

𝟲. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂:
Win discovery and the close is a formality.
Lose discovery and you’ll spend months chasing ghosts that never intended to buy.

𝟳. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿:
Multi-threading. Next steps. Follow-ups. Internal alignment.
Deals die in the gaps, not in the demo.

𝟴. 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲:
You’ll get ignored. Ghosted. Discount-shopped.
Show up anyway.
Detach your self-worth from your quota.

And finally:

Play the long game.
Get obsessed with helping, not selling.
Build skills that compound.

The results always follow, just never on your timeline (unfortunately :().

P.S. Get a FREE cold calling framework here: https://lnkd.in/d-xPXJbV

Senior AE @ Deel | I post about cold calling, sales & mindset

Sales is so lonely and it's not talked about enough.

So I’ll start.

You’re expected to show up every day,
calm, sharp, confident.

No matter what’s going on in your life.

Bad sleep.
Family stuff.
Health issues.
Anxiety.

Doesn’t matter.

You still have to prospect.
Handle rejection.
Run meetings.
Close.

Quota doesn’t pause because life gets heavy.
Your pipeline doesn’t care how you feel.

And you’re only as good as your last deal.

This isn’t a job you can do on autopilot.

Your mental state shows up in your calls.
Your energy shows up in your follow-ups.
Your confidence shows up in your closes.

When you’re off, your numbers feel it immediately.

That’s the part people don’t see.
They see the wins.
The screenshots.
The celebrations.

They don’t see the quiet pressure.
The self-doubt after a bad week.
The weight of carrying a number alone.

Sales can be incredibly rewarding.
But it can also be isolating as hell.

If you’re feeling that…
you’re not weak.

You’re just in sales.

Am I way off here?

Senior AE @ Deel | Cold calling & sales tactics you can apply immediately

It took me a decade in sales to realize what I’ll tell you in this post.

Forget the myth that a great salesperson can “𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵.”

That’s complete bullshit.

You can’t (and shouldn’t) sell something to someone who doesn’t need it.

Not if you want a long career.
Not if you value your reputation.
Not if you care about sleeping at night.

You could be the best salesperson on the planet,
but if your product sucks, leadership doesn’t care, or quotas are insane…
you’ll burn out trying to “sell sand in the desert.”

That’s why choosing the right company and product matters as much as sharpening your sales skills.

Before you accept a job, do your homework:
• Does this product really solve a problem?
• Do I believe in it?
• Can customers survive without it?

If the answer is NO, you might wanna rethink your choice.

Don’t make your life harder than it needs to be.

Sell something people actually need, at a company that sets you up to win.

7 common cold calling objections.

(and how to handle them like a pro)

Objections on cold calls are inevitable.

Here are 7 you’ll hear every week, and how to handle them.

(save this for later)

𝟭. “𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.”
“𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶?”

This is rarely a real objection. It’s a reflex.

𝟮. “𝗜’𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.”
“𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦.”

You earn permission without asking for it.

𝟯. “𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗫 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀.”
“𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘟 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯?”

If nothing changes, the callback is fake. Treat it as such.

𝟰. “𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹.”
“𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵?”

If they answer, you’ve earned the follow-up. If not, you know where you stand.

𝟱. “𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁.”
“𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘹?”

Budget isn’t a blocker on cold calls, priority is.

𝟲. “𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿.”
“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?”

You’re not competing yet. You’re gathering leverage.

𝟳. “𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿?”
“𝘐 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘙 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘟 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵?”

Confidence here disarms suspicion fast.

The goal is to keep the conversation alive long enough to earn the next step.

Repost ♻️ to benefit your network!

What's the hardest objection to deal with in your opinion? Nr. 1 for me!

P.S. Get my cold calling framework for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/d-xPXJbV

If you're serious about cold calling.

This is the playbook I wish I had from day one.

I’ve made over 100k cold calls in the past decade.

Here’re 10 lessons I learned the hard way:

(hope this saves you a few scars)

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴:
People don’t hang up because it’s a cold call.
They hang up because you sound unsure, scripted, or boring.

• Be calm.
• Be confident.
• Be clear.

𝟮. 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸:
Don’t ask “𝘏𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?”
Don’t ask “𝘐𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?”
Just try:

“𝘏𝘦𝘺 (𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦), 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧.”

That opener alone will double your talk time.

𝟯. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻:
You could have the best pitch in the world. 
But if you’re not calling the right numbers, you won’t get the meetings.

I highly recommend Prospeo.io for data. Don’t take my word for it, check out their data yourself.

𝟰. 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁:
No one cares that you’re the “𝘯𝘰.1 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘟.”
Tell them what pain you solve, fast.

𝟱. 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
“I’m not interested” just means they don’t understand you yet.
Use the FFF method: Feel - Felt - Found.

“𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦… 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 (𝘣𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵).”

𝟲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
If they’re talking, you’re winning.
If they’re curious, you’re in.
If you book the meeting, that’s the win.

𝟳. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲:
Don’t waste time trying to convince people who don’t have the problem you solve.
Laser focus on your ICP, the ones who feel the pain.

𝟴. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆:
Your tone > your script.
People say yes to people who sound like they believe in what they’re saying.

𝟵. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁:
Most meetings I book happen after the call.
Send a short LinkedIn DM or a value-driven email right after.

𝟭𝟬. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁:
They have a framework.
They prep.
And they don’t build pipeline on stale data.

Cold calling fails because you’re calling the wrong people.

Good data = more connects.
More connects = more conversations.

And conversations are the whole job.

P.S. Drop your #1 objection you hear. I’ll reply with a clean response in the comments below!

Brand partnership • Senior AE @ Deel | Cold calling & sales tactics you can apply immediately

8 mistakes to avoid when cold calling.

(no. 3 is a free ticket to rejection)

𝟭. “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂?”:
It’s polite, but it's ingenuine.
Prospects know you don’t really care.

𝟮. “𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 (𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁)?”:
A waste of valuable seconds.
It makes you sound like a stranger who hasn’t done their homework.

𝟯. 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲:
They've already picked up the phone so assume they have time. They’ll stop you if it’s inconvenient.

𝟰. 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱:
Reading a script word-for-word? Big mistake!
Your tone should be natural, curious, and conversational.

𝟱. 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴:
“I’m sorry for bothering you…” No need.
You’re a professional offering value. Be polite, not passive.

𝟲. 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵-𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴:
Jumping straight into your product? Nobody cares about that.
Pitch the problem, not the solution.

𝟳. 𝗨𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗷𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗼𝗻:
Prospects don’t have time to decode industry buzzwords.
Keep it simple and relatable.

𝟴. 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
On a cold call, your main goal should be to verify there's a pain you can solve. Ask for a meeting once you've established that. No need to ask for budget, decision maker, etc.

Which mistake are you guilty of? No. 7 for me!

P.S. Get a cold calling framework for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/d-xPXJbV

Give me 3 minutes & I'll make you a cold email pro.

(steal this framework to write better)

𝟭.𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 (𝟮–𝟯 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀, 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲):
Make it look internal.

Examples: 
𝚙𝚊𝚢𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚜
𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚊
𝟹𝚡 𝚙𝚒𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎

If it smells like marketing, it never gets opened.

𝟮. 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 = 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: 
This is the preview text on mobile. Win here or lose instantly.
My highest-performing opener: “𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗫”

Examples: 
“𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘋𝘙𝘴” 
“𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺” 
“𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥”

Pure relevance.

𝟯. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 (𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿):
Connect what you saw to what usually breaks.

Example: “Teams scaling outbound usually struggle with reply rates. Is that something you’re seeing too?”

𝟰. 𝗢𝗻𝗲-𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 + 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳:
Show you’ve done this before.

Example: 
“𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘟 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 12 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴”

Short. Calm. Credible.

𝟱. 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗖𝗧𝗔 (𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻):
Never ask for a meeting first.
Example: 
“𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘸?”

Always format for mobile and make sure every word in your email counts.

And if your emails land in spam, none of this matters.
 
That’s why I recommend Maildoso for cold email infrastructure.
 
Mailboxes built specifically for cold outbound, with ~95–98% inbox placement, even to Outlook.  

Starts at $1.80 per mailbox, built for scale (not personal email).

Write better emails. 
Land in the inbox. 
Then judge performance.
That’s the game.

P.S. How many words should a cold email be?

It’s January, so everybody is territory planning.
Here’s my strategy as a SMB rep:
(only 3 things I focus on)

𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗽 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆.
January is not about optimism.

If there’s:
• no clear next step
• no active buyer
• no urgency

…it’s not an opportunity. It’s hope sitting in your pipeline.

If it can’t move in the next 30 days, it doesn’t stay open.
Follow up where it makes sense.
Close out what’s dead.

January is when I delete hope from my CRM.

𝟮. 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟱𝟬 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.
This is where territory planning usually goes wrong:
• inflated contact counts
• duplicate records
• signals firing on outdated emails

That’s fake focus.

Before I lock my list, I use Common Room to filter reality:
• see when 3–5 CRM records are actually one account
• remove contacts I can’t confidently reach
• make sure signals map to real humans

If I can’t clearly name the buyer and how to reach them, it doesn’t make my top 50.

A “top account” with broken identity is wasted effort.
Common Room helps me filter that out.

𝟯. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗗𝗥.
Before sequences. Before targets. Before activity goals.

We align on the same source of truth:
• one view of the buyer
• no duplicate outreach
• no calling ex-employees

This is how we avoid burning accounts before Q1 even starts.

Territory planning usually fails because the data underneath isn’t trustworthy.

That’s where Common Room helps. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gABnx_He

Do you territory plan?

One small change in my outbound sequences lifted replies ~20%.

I added SMS to my sequences.

Reply rates are already up ~20%.

Not because the copy is better.
Not because the offer changed.
Not because prospects suddenly love sales.

Because messages now show up where people actually respond.

Before:
• Follow-ups lived in email
• Replies came late (or not at all)
• Interested prospects went quiet

There’s a faster way to do it.

With SMS:
• Short nudges land instantly
• Replies come while intent is still warm
• Email handles context and detail

Same sequences.
Same leads.
Higher reply rates.

This isn’t about replacing email.

It’s about letting each channel do what it’s good at.

Comment SMS and I’ll send you what I’m using.

You can try it for free.

Have you ever cold texted a prospect?

6 practical AI use cases in sales.

(what actually works day to day)

AI won’t replace sales. I think we can all agree!

But it will replace reps who waste time doing things machines should already handle.

Here are 6 real AI use cases top sellers are actually using:

𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹:
Serious sellers start by killing bad accounts.

AI scans hiring, growth, tech stack, and intent signals and cuts your list down to accounts worth your time right now.

Cold calling gets easier when your list stops lying to you.

𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗴𝗼:
Company → decision-makers → enrichment → sequencing.

No tab-hopping.
No duct-taped tools.
No GTM gymnastics.

This used to take hours. Now it takes minutes.
And it actually launches, not just gets planned.

𝟯. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵:
AI gives you a clean summary of:
• what the company does
• why they might buy
• what to lead with on the first call

You still think.
AI just removes the prep tax.

𝟰. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀:
AI helps generate call angles, objections to expect, and discovery prompts.

The goal isn’t to outsource thinking.
It’s to test your angles before you dial.

𝟱. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀
Which titles reply?
Which sequences stall?
Which messages die quietly?

AI spots patterns humans miss and helps you adjust before pipeline quietly dies.

𝟲. 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁
Auto summaries.
Clear next steps.
Deal risk surfaced early.

No more “looks good” pipeline that magically slips.

This is why I’ve been testing Apollo.io’s new AI Assistant.

It runs end-to-end GTM workflows in plain English, from targeting to sequencing to analysis.

Less noise.
Fewer tools.
Better decisions.

The AI Assistant is currently in beta, and early access is open.
If you’re serious about hitting target in 2026, this is worth trying.

Join the beta waitlist: https://lnkd.in/gZM-wd9y

Am I the only one in love with AI?

#ApolloPartner

Everyone is racing to add AI into their sales stack.

AI SDRs.
AI personalization.
AI prioritization.
AI forecasting.

But most teams are building AI on top of broken CRM data.

And when that happens, RevOps pays the price first:
• Emergency cleanup projects
• Broken routing and attribution
• “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨?” conversations
• Fixing automations that quietly stopped working

AI doesn’t fix bad data.
It amplifies it.

If your CRM has:
• Outdated contacts
• Duplicate people
• Duplicate accounts

Your AI will confidently:
• Route leads to the wrong owners
• Personalize outreach with false context
• Score and prioritize the wrong accounts

That’s not an AI problem.
That’s a data trust problem.

This is why the launch of Common Room’s DataAgent matters.

DataAgent isn’t another rules engine RevOps has to maintain.

It uses Person360 identity resolution to continuously:
• Detect role and company changes
• Resolve duplicate identities across systems
• Surface where CRM data is actively undermining GTM execution

So RevOps can stop patching leaks and start operating strategically again.

This is how data trust becomes operational, not aspirational.

Because AI-powered GTM only works if the data foundation is correct.

P.S. Common Room just launched DataAgent, details here: https://lnkd.in/d2MsZgXD

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Sheriff Shahen

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The Battle

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Sheriff Shahen

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