Samantha McKenna

Founder @ #samsales l Sales + Cadences + Executive Branding on LinkedIn l Ex-LinkedIn l Keynote Speaker l 13 Sales Records l Early Stage Investor l Overly Enthusiastic l Swiss Dual Citizen l Creator, Show Me You Know Me®

I had my first exposure to competitive "sales" in sixth grade when my school raised money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.  Knocking door to door and delivering a pitch was the start of my education; I still have the portable TV that I won for second place, which fuels my competitive spirit.

I’ve spent my career in sales doing a few things – breaking records, putting others first, creating global sales programs, educating through peer interaction, and going to great lengths to make people feel valued.  I’ve launched new verticals, overseen the GTM strategy for some of the most successful initiatives in company history, and put in processes across businesses that redefine how each company works and succeeds.

As the founder of #samsales, I oversee an all-women team of 14 who believe in a manners-first and buyer-first approach. We:

•	Run sales trainings that cover prospecting via your likely under-utilized LI Sales Nav licenses, how to write great email copy, Show Me You Know Me™, perfect discovery calls, etc. all while being sales methodology agnostic

•	Speak at 100+ annual events - keynoting for SKOs, international conferences, and podcasts alike re: sales, social selling, and women in tech/sales/leadership

•	Write the content you have in Outreach.io, etc using our proprietary techniques + the most up-to-date data on what works to drive opens + replies

•	Teach social selling - as an LI influencer, ambassador of Sales Navigator, and former LI leader, I understand how to use the ecosystem to truly SELL. I've personally trained tens of thousands on the platform, ranging from 10-person teams to Fortune 500 brands. 

•	Build brands for C-Suites on LinkedIn.  If you want to build a brand on LI but don't know what to write, don't understand the algorithm, and don't have the time to manage, our full-service strategy will manage it exclusively like we do for some of the most prominent/highly visible execs you see on LI.

As a founder, I have one goal - to make as much positive impact as we can.  Since our inception, we’ve raised over 120K via personal donations + our annual charity events for incredible causes, and have given away hundreds of our trainings to the military and transitioning teachers, free of charge.

When you hire us, you're not just hiring a team, but rather investing in one who constantly puts good into the world.

Who am I, otherwise - 

Philanthropist, investor, dog lover, die hard competitor, writer, former Nickelodeon game show contestant, extrovert, expert in self-deprecating humor, and willing to walk through fire to make you laugh.

Limited Partner

Sign up for our newsletters, webinars, and all our content here www.samsalesconsulting.com 

We just fired off an update to every one of our LinkedIn Executive Branding clients on the changing nature of the algorithm and reach on LinkedIn. A quick snippet from one part of our email, if you're also looking for a bit of reasoning on the changes:

What we're seeing today:

Feed saturation: 20% more daily posts competing for the same space.

Rise of suggested and paid content: now ~35% of all feeds.

Quality filters: comments, saves, and profile clicks now count more than likes.

Audience fatigue: people scroll faster and engage more selectively.

How the Algorithm “Thinks” Now:

LinkedIn now groups every post into topic clusters (AI-based “buckets” like sustainability, leadership, or innovation). The stronger your connection to a clear theme, the more likely your content is to be suggested to new, relevant audiences beyond your followers.

That’s why keywords and consistency of posting matters more than ever. The algorithm looks to your headline, about section, and recent posts to confirm your expertise before deciding who sees your content.

Note, you might still see some posts doing tremendously well and wonder, am I the only one getting hit? One of the downfalls of social: easy to feel great about yourself when your content tanks...

But, it's important to keep in mind that you only see half the story: the engagement and comments, not the impressions. Some of my highest engaged with content gets the lowest views, but some of my most curated-for-my-buyers-thought-leadership gets the lowest engagement and highest sends/saves.

Take yesterday's LI/algo post: 86 likes but 12,000+ impressions and 35 saves and 19 sends on LI. 

Then there's also my Dumb and Dumber GIF with 123 likes and 55,000 impressions so...at least it was shared around? 😏 

But as always, do a quick check on your Dark Social score (impressions/likes) - if you're sailing above 50 on average, you're doing great. Above 70 (like the above) and it means your content is resonating and useful to broad audiences.

****************************************************************

The best I can offer is that this platform is like the gym. We get easy wins when we start but things fluctuate daily, we hit plateaus, and what worked then doesn't work now, but keep at it. I've been posting since 2011 and this platform has done more for me than I could ever pay back to it, even if it's a fickle little creature most days.

#samsales #LIEB

Cvent

Regional Strategic Sales Director, Hospitality Cloud

🔬 The Practice Lab

The first sales community for B2B Account Executives ready to develop their sales skills like athletes, musicians and performers do theirs.

Founding Member

Seismic

We make the Seismic Enablement Cloud™

We exist to create a world where every individual and every business is empowered to
grow. We do it for the sellers who are never done, leaders who never quit, and the teams
doing their best work. We grow with you — from small business to enterprise, entry-level
to C-Suite.

With Seismic, you’ll never stop growing.

Commercial Account Executive (Acquired by Seismic)

Lessonly by Seismic

Helping People Do Better Work, so They Can Live Better Lives.  Powerfully Simple Training Software for customer facing teams.

Qtr 4 2021 - 118% of Quota

Sworkit

Second full-cycle SaaS Account Executive hire in the new B2B division.  Bringing the top-rated Sworkit digital fitness app and wellness offerings to organizations around the globe.

Corporate Sales Executive

Marriott International

Representing 14 Premium Hotels in Caribbean and Latin America, serving Midwest Mid-Market and Enterprise sized clients, I connected clients with the right destination and venue for their particular meeting or incentive program.  Achieved 143% of a 3.1 million dollar goal in my first year while at the same time, mentoring another salesperson to achieve 101% of her goal.

Director, Group Account Sales

Responsible for selling Corporate and Association Groups of 300+ on peak to Mid-Market and Enterprise sized clients.  
•	2018 – achieved 137% of Revenue Goal of 1.9 million dollars
•	2017 – achieved 104% of Revenue Goal of 2.3 million dollars; when market was cut in less than half
•	2016 – achieved 123% of Revenue Goal of 2.9 million dollars
•	2015 – achieved 107% of Revenue Goal of 2.8 million dollars
•	2014 – achieved 176% of Revenue Goal of 2.4 million dollars

Senior Sales Executive

Chicago Hilton Indian Lakes Resort

Corporate Sales Manager

InterContinental Chicago O'Hare

Sales Manager

Residence Inn Chicago O'Hare

Director of Sales

White Lodging Services

Sales Manager at Residence Inn Oak Brook

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
From being an expat living abroad, a kindergarten teacher, a CEO for a start-up, a hotelier in multiple environments and now, making a transition to SaaS tech sales, I have wandered down many roads. 
Sometimes without a compass or even knowing my final destination. 
They have all led me back to my purpose: by broadening my own horizons, I can inspire others to discover something new.  
With these experiences, I enrich the lives of my clients by becoming their valued resource and inspiring them to take the road less traveled themselves. Sometimes literally, by traveling to a new destination or figuratively; by trying a new product or service that can have a positive impact on their lives. 
When I am not working and learning, you can find me outside playing with my dogs, getting dirty in my garden or enjoying wine with my husband on the patio.

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Samantha McKenna

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taplio

The Battle

Samantha McKenna

Jessica Kight 🪁, NOT Knight ♞

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Samantha McKenna's LinkedIn Performance

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