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

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Phyllis: Thanks for your email! I'm not the right person, Rebecca Taylor is.
Rep: Hi Rebecca, Phyllis suggested I reach out to you...
😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑😑

A few ways to level up your replies to these kinds of referrals:

A. Always reply to these emails. This person did the unthinkably kind thing - they replied AND gave you the name of the contact. Gratitude FTW.

B. In the email, ask, "I'll send her a note in just a minute - do you mind if I reference your name or would you prefer I not?"

"in just a minute..." signals your hope for a quick reply

C. Change your subject line 

"Training Inquiry - Referred by Phyllis Nefler" (with permission)

"Training Inquiry - Referred by a colleague" (without permission)

Bonus points if you add a little Show Me You Know Me here and really make an effort.

D. Don't bury the lede 

The reason you want to change the subject line is that you worked to get the most powerful thing: a piece of information that will exponentially up the odds of an open, but also a reply. 

I most often see this info pop up in the body or in a PS, which robs us of using that really great piece of data right in the subject line.

E. "Suggested" isn't exactly truthful, right? 

Be super careful with language as "suggested" ...well, suggests...that the person thought it was a good idea for you to reach out when, in fact, they simply gave you the correct name.

Imagine if Rebecca asks Phyllis who says, "I didn't suggest anything, I simply pointed them in the right direction", and now we've lost trust, and potentially the reply/meeting.

Bonus?

Connect with all parties on LinkedIn, especially Phyllis. Just because she wasn't the buyer this time, doesn't mean she won't be down the line.

This and about 12 other plays for proactive and reactive referrals is part of our Show Me You Know Me masterclass, and with 91% of buyers willing to offer referrals, one of the easiest ways you can set your pipeline on fire for 2026. 

#samsales

85% of sellers use spreadsheets to manage their books and deals. I know because...I'm one of them. What? Who said that? 

But, I can tell you why: because it's maddening to not have a single pane view of all our deals, next steps, contacts, client data, etc. 

As a seller, moving between countless tabs and products to remind myself of status and next steps, was inefficient, so I built something that made sense for how I think...the ever-so-modern-Google spreadsheet 💁‍♀️

If you're like me, what ZoomInfo launched with their GTM Workspaces solution should stop you in your tracks. 

One home for complete buyer context and even a way to help scale your Show Me You Know Me with automated research, making it even easier for you to stand out with your buyers. 

We know that sellers still spend more time admin'ing than selling, but I don't think we consider as much how the inefficiencies of running through all these different tabs and platforms costs us in pipe and deal progression. 

This product happens to be one step in the very right direction. https://lnkd.in/eQP9g3ee

#samsales

Much like the calendar-era convention, my life follows the same B.C. (before children) and A.D. (after descendants) model of tracking years. Over a decade ago, B.C., I was walking the halls of Congress, head in my BlackBerry, while running into a lot of Senators who have now passed, are ex-Presidents, or are competing on Dancing with the Stars. I often spoke to publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR about controversial issues in the early 2000s, like stem cell research and hanging chads. I also ghostwrote a recurring column in Washington, D.C.’s Capitol File magazine, where my actual name was listed in its “The List” feature of people to know in politics.  

I was that total nerd in my 20s working loads of hours and falling asleep after one glass of cheap chardonnay every Friday night. None of these skills, however, prepared me for the events of summer 2008, the very first day of my “A.D.” It is often said that motherhood is “the hardest job you will ever have.” I can confirm that I found communicating the inner workings of a nation’s political system to the media and public to be a walk in the park compared to communicating to a toddler why they shouldn't bite your newborn sister. That said, I loved those early days of motherhood and signed up for more by hanging up my hands-free pumping bra to become a part-time messaging consultant.  
 
Three kids and an international move later, I began helping startups and working alongside founders and CEOs between playdates and 1st-grade math homework.  The time came, however, when I decided I had enough of trying to stay awake while my child explained what species lizards belonged to, and realized I should be trying to stay awake while someone explained HubSpot to me.  
 
When the opportunity to join #samsales arose, I thought, if I could sell a Senator to the voting public, or broccoli to a picky toddler, I could sling software. After a few months under Sam's wing, I was hooked on sales - the strategy, the messaging, and the challenge of trying to turn around an industry with a less-than-stellar reputation one #samsales trainee at a time.  

What inspires me about what we train our clients on is how quickly my masterclass in all things GTM/sales via #samsales made me a pro. I was smashing quotas for our team and our clients, while helping to hire, train, and onboard our entire sales and BDR staff. For years, I have had the privilege of sharing our sales enablement/GTM strategy with over 300 clients.
 
The rest is still being written!

Kimberly Collins

Kimberly Pencille Collins

SVP, Strategy + Product @ #samsales Consulting + GTM Messaging + Sales Strategy & Enablement + Always Pulling Some Thread + Voted Most Likely Tell You All About My Dog + Recovering Stay-At-Home-Mom

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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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