MLex

At MLex, we do more than deliver news - we empower businesses to navigate the complex world of regulatory risk with confidence. 

Our mission is to provide exclusive insights that turn uncertainty into opportunity, and as Head of Sales, I ensure this mission reaches those who need it most. 

Every client conversation starts with understanding their challenges, whether it’s anticipating a new regulation or managing compliance risks. 

Together, we uncover how our analysis and commentary can be a game-changer for their strategies. It’s not just about selling insights - it’s about partnering with our clients to solve their problems and help them thrive in an ever-changing world.

Head of Sales

MacPaw Inc.

At MacPaw, I stepped into a world where simplicity and productivity met innovation. 

My role was part strategy, part execution: building a 12-person sales team from the ground up, sending 40,000 personalized cold emails, and watching revenue triple in the first year. 

But the real story wasn’t just in the numbers - it was in the relationships. By creating a customer success strategy that put people first, we didn’t just grow accounts; we turned clients into advocates and everyday users into raving fans.

KPMG

When I stepped into the Sales Project Manager role at KPMG, I wasn’t just selling - I was solving. 

Imagine sitting with a client, dissecting their challenges, and collaborating with our developers to craft tools that transformed their operations. It wasn’t about pitching products; it was about building partnerships. Every new market we entered or client we won was a testament to the trust we earned and the value we delivered. 

For me, sales wasn’t just about numbers - it was about creating solutions that left a mark.

Sales Project Manager

I spent nearly a decade at KPMG turning data into stories that connected us to our clients. 

Picture this: crafting newsletters that spoke directly to client needs, coordinating alumni programs that brought old relationships back to life, and hosting events that made KPMG the room where it happened. Armed with tools like Factiva and Dow Jones, I dove into the numbers, emerging with insights that drove impactful campaigns. 

My mission? To make every interaction resonate and turn our brand into a trusted ally.

Marketing manager

KPMG Ukraine

Markets Senior Specialist

Regulatory updates with MLex, LexisNexis company

Most sales tactics are boring and outdated, agree?

"I feel pushy and salesy when I sell"
"I swear, if I hear the word 'funnel' again..."
"Do I really need to send 100 cold DMs per day?!"

You've probably thought the same thing at some point in your career, right? If you work in Marketing and Sales, chances are... you say these every day :)

But... sales doesn't have to be this "pushy" thing that makes you feel like you're cheating someone out of their hard-earned money.

Sales is human understanding. Psychology at scale.

What if selling didn't feel so salesy?
What if you made "funnels" fun and easy?
What if "sales" was more than just "cold outreach"? 

In my last 20 years working as a Marketing Manager and Head of Sales across companies of different size, I can tell you...

Sales CAN be fun.
Selling IS not that hard.
Marketing IS always needed.

Hey, if you've read this far...

I'm Iryna! Nice to meet you.

In my LinkedIn posts, I share lessons from my last 2 decades in business. And when I'm not on LinkedIn, I train my sales team members on how to a better job at growing the business. And when I'm not in the office, I like to speak on stages as a keynote speaker or look out which podcast I can jump on to talk even more... well... Sales and Marketing!

I love what I do. 

And I hope to share some of this love and lessons with you.

Thanks for reading.

------

For workshop and keynote inquiries, please send me a DM on LinkedIn or email at: irabgm@gmail.com

Iryna Begma

It took me 3 months to post this -
not because I didn’t know what to say,
but because the past 3 months have been very busy.

so here we go... 

I’m proud to share that I’ve stepped into the role of Head of Sales LexisNexis Europe.

It’s been intense, exciting, and full of growth already. Thanks to Stéphane Ouaki and Sébastien Bardou for believing in me, despite my imposter syndrome :)

New markets, new challenges, and the same mission:
→ bring real value to legal professionals across Europe.

I’m still MLex’s biggest fan — and I’ll keep making sure more legal teams benefit from it.

But now, I get to bring even more value to lawyers across Europe: from legal AI to workflow tools to sharp regulatory intelligence.

Grateful for the people I get to build with - and for what’s ahead.
Let’s go.

Marketing & Sales enthusiast | personal sales stories and women-in-sales support | Head of Sales at LexisNexis

We are looking for talents: Sales people in France and Belgium for LexisNexis Europe  💃

The links to the job posts in the comments below 📌

My creativity is running low guys, so either you help me find the new team members, or you continue seeing this… 😅

PS: for those who did not watch “Love Actually” - you missed the best ever Christmas movie.

Hiring - Business Development Manager in France 🇫🇷

📌Application link is in the comments below 

I am looking for a Business Development Manager to join the team of LexisNexis Europe - based in Paris. 

The person will be working with an amazing team (and me 😅) on bringing in new business for the leading provider of legal solutions. 

- English is a must 
- other European languages (Spanish, Italian, German) - a big fat plus 
- desire to travel, grow and work in a fun environment 

Like. Repost. Comment and RECOMMEND

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Some weeks I feel like a Head of Sales.
Other weeks?

Like a full-time octopus.

8 arms juggling:

- Deals
- Forecasts
- 1:1s
- Strategy
- Tools
- Internal politics
- Customer calls
- “Just a quick ask”

And let’s not even talk about trying to be a present mom,
a decent partner,
a human being with something left in the tank by Friday.

I won’t lie - some weeks feel like I’m barely holding it together.

Other weeks, I surprise myself.

But what I’ve learned is:

You don’t have to do it all perfectly.
You just have to keep swimming.

To everyone out there leading, juggling, stretching themselves:

You’re doing better than you think.

Rest. Recharge.
And next week, let the octopus rise again. 🐙

Happy Friday.

“Just following up”
“Any updates?”
“Bumping this up”

We’ve all sent those.
We’ve all ignored those.

Because let’s be honest -
That kind of follow-up doesn’t drive action.

It just reminds the prospect you’re still waiting.

Reps who win don’t “circle back”
They re-personalize the conversation.

Here’s Part 2 of my follow-up sequence -
3 more messages I’ve built with lemlist,

This time: 100% ABM + signal-based.

Built for timing.
Backed by relevance.
With one pattern-breaker that always gets a smile.

PS: grab the sequence in the comments below - yep, free to use now!

follow ups

Got a call from a cold prospect saying they wanted to sign a big deal - 
without even reading the agreement.

I didn’t answer.

They called again.
Left a voice message.
Added me on LinkedIn.
Sent a note.
And a video message. (the real one. Not AI) 

The video message was pretty nice and personalized. 

Honestly?
I was busy. Didn’t check any of it.

But then came the follow-ups.
A meme.
A cute one.

I was like “jeasus, you are sooooo unstoppable” 

Okay fine. I took a look.

They were so persistent, they signed the contract without even reading it.

I was already logging the deal in Salesforce.

And then I woke up.

Marketing & Sales enthusiast | personal sales stories and women-in-sales support | Head of Sales at MLex

What do I actually love about sales?
It’s not the “selling,” to be honest.

Yeah, closing a deal is exciting.

But when Sales people concentrate on this only - they miss the core. 

They miss the best part. 
The connections you build along the way.

Real conversations. Real people.
That’s what sticks with me.

Sales today isn’t about how many follow-ups you send
or crafting the perfect pitch.

It’s about helping.
Listening.
Figuring out what actually matters to someone -
and bringing them something that’s useful.

Just got back from Legaltech in Action in Milan - organized by Global LegalTech Hub / GLTH.

Loved the energy, the people, the networking.

Simonetta Buccellato Diana Vaccaro ALBERT FERRÉ - you created pure magic. 

Next time we’re bringing a proper LexisNexis Europe booth
to show how legal AI can really support lawyers in Italy.

And if you’re curious now - just send me a message.

Happy to chat.

If you do this small shift > you can increase the reply rate dramatically 

What kills the outreach campaign? 

Not the follow ups. Or even bad email setup. 
But treating every lead the same. 

5 years ago sending a general email to 100 leads and getting a “yes” was enough. 

Now? 
The customers are sophisticated. 

Sorry, guys but: 

Same message.
Same CTA.
Same tone.
For every. Single. Lead.

It will not work! Never! 

Imagine one ICP is a VP of Sales.
Another - a solo founder juggling 5 roles.

Same template. Different worlds.

So a shift would be > stop following up like robots.

Do the follow ups smart. 

Think out of the box, personalize messages with hiring signals, tech stack, and real triggers. 
You can do all these with tools like Jason AI by Reply. 

What worked 5 years ago: 
“Just checking in…”

What works now: 

“Noticed you’re hiring 2 SDRs - want to see how we automated onboarding for a similar team?”

Small shift.
Big impact.

You can starting making the change now with Jason AI by Reply and get: 

Replies: 1.2% → 11.4% (checked it) 
Meetings? Doubled (proved it) 

The biggest mistake in follow-up isn’t timing.
It’s being lazy.

Stop sending reminders.
Start being relevant.

We are looking for the stars to join the Business Development team at LexisNexis Europe 

We would consider Beyoncé, but we look for: 

- people passionate about sales  
- driving, proactive and willing to be a part of the same team 
- English fluent (with a second language as a big plus - Spanish, Italian, German in particular) 

📍Based in Paris or Brussels. 

We look for the people who want to make the difference and not afraid of being creative. 

We respect every culture and love to work in an international environment ♥️

Ping me if you are interested. 
Or directly apply in the link below. 

Would be grateful for the share of the post or recommendation 🫂

Certainty is the enemy of sales.
Doubt is what actually made me better.

I’ve always doubted my actions.
Sometimes too much.

I’d rewrite follow-ups.
Overthink slides that were already “good enough”
Question if I asked the right thing… even after the call ended.

But over time, I’ve learned something important:

That doubt? It’s not a weakness. It’s a superpower.

The moment you think:

“I know exactly what to say”
“I’ve done this pitch a hundred times”
“I’ve got this”

That’s when you stop listening.
You stop adapting.
You stop learning.

Some of my best deals closed because I doubted myself:

- I rewrote the message one more time
- I went off-script in the demo
- I asked the uncomfortable question I almost skipped

Doubt keeps you sharp.
Certainty makes you lazy.

The best salespeople second-guess their approach - not their value.

They test.
They tweak.
They stay curious.

So if you’re stuck on a message or reworking your sequence again…

You’re probably doing it right.

The most painful 17 minutes of my week?

A discovery call with a founder.

Here’s what happened:
I had a call with a consulting company.

30 minutes blocked. 
The goal was clear:

→ Discuss how they could help with a specific service.

How it went:

1/ The founder kicked off with:
“Let me first tell you what we do, and then you tell me how we can help.”
(Already a red flag.)

2/ Shared the screen immediately.
Walked through a deck full of irrelevant case studies from industries we don’t operate in.

3/ 10+ minutes presenting all their services.
(Spoiler: not aligned with my original request.)

4/ Then… price packages.
No discovery. No questions. Just a menu.

By minute 17, I stopped the monologue.
Kindly, but firmly.

Why? Because it is just a waste of time. 

Here’s how the call should have gone:

1/ Research the lead. 
(Even basic LinkedIn-level is better than none.)

2/ Start with questions. 
Understand what the person actually needs.

3/ Don’t show generic slides - especially not ones pulled from a random pitch deck.

3/ Show relevant clients and results - that I can relate to.

4/ Don’t sell “packages” if you sell a service. Customize. Listen. Adapt.

Some say “founders aren’t meant to sell.”

Maybe.

But if you lead a service business - you either learn sales

or you bring someone in who gets it.

Because one bad call can cost you more than a deal.

It can cost you reputation.

When LinkedIn starts sending you signs you’re not ready for…

The real reason many salespeople lose leads?

It’s not bad timing.
It’s not a weak pitch.

It’s missing the core point the client actually said -
the one that only came out in minute 17 of the call.

I’ve been there.
The call ends, the energy is good, you think you were fab…

But two days later, you’re second-guessing what the client really meant.

Actually, a piece of paper and a pen are good enough…

If you sell in 2005. 

Now? With AI and tools like Bluedot - AI Meeting Assistant  - the game has changed. 

With their new desktop app you can record any Zoom and Teams calls even if you are not the host. 

What I particularly looooved - their new mobile app which helps you to record the offline meetings (yes, people are still doing these) AND even internal 1:1 not to forget what you discuss. 

With their right tools like Bluedot - AI Meeting Assistant 

No more context missed. 
No more “wait… did they say Q1 or Q2?”
No more chasing the client just to clarify what was already said.

The AI summaries are clean.
The transcripts are accurate.
And I finally feel like I can focus on the conversation, not the notes.

The dream of every manager?

A self-driven team that brings results without constant check-ins.

The dream of every high-performing salesperson?

A manager who gives freedom - not micromanagement.

I’ve seen both sides.
And I know how rare it is to get it right.

That’s why I loved recording this episode with Dariia Gerasymova.

She’s not just a great salesperson - she’s an example of how independence + creativity = real results.

She built her own style.
She tested what others were too scared to try.
She made outbound feel like her - not just another cold email.

And it worked.

In this episode of Head of Sales Diary, we talked about how to build teams that don’t need babysitting. 

If you lead a team - or you want to be the kind of rep who runs their own game - this one’s for you.

https://lnkd.in/ek8F8Ebq

Hope you like it ♥️

My personal December sales rules 

(aka how not to waste your last month of the year)

1/ Don’t look for new leads.

Look at the ones who ghosted you in Q1 or Q2.
They’re still there. And some of them actually have budget left.

2/ Don’t chase cold accounts.

Chase warm champions who liked you but got blocked.

3/ Don’t pitch anything new.

Pitch what’s easy to say yes to.
Quick wins. Short cycles. Simple approvals.

4/ Don’t slow down just because others are.
December isn’t dead.

5/ Relax if you reached the targets and did well! 

You deserve the rest and Jan will switch on the crazy cycle again. 

What’s working for you in December?

Our MLex intern needs your help - please spend 4 minutes of your time 💞 

Jemil Tekin is working on his final thesis and is researching what drives the adoption of Regulatory Intelligence tools.

If you work in Legal, Compliance, Regulatory Affairs, Risk, or Public Policy, could you complete this short and fully anonymous survey?

Link to the survey: https://lnkd.in/ecSMKfnp 

Like, share and comment are appreciated to support the research! 🤞

taplio