Strategic Sales and Planning in SaaS

Samarth Mital, Senior Director of Global Sales Strategy, Planning & Analytics, Renewals & Sales Development at Rubrik joins CJ for this episode to talk all things pipeline, territory creation, commission plans, and renewals. Samarth joined the company when it was doing 70 million in ARR. Rubrik is now doing $1 billion and recently went public. He sheds light on his role at Rubrik in fostering this growth, the teams under his purview, and the cadence of the recurring meetings they have for forecasting. He discusses the value of an “accountability forum”, the best practices for inspecting pipeline, how to set up sales reps for success, and the art and science of territory design. He explains why territories get smaller as you add more products. He also delves into the characteristics of a good comp plan and how he deals with reps who feel their quota’s too high, before breaking down what a healthy renewals function looks like.

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Preview and Intro

(01:33) Sponsor – NetSuite | Operators Guild

(04:48) Samarth’s Role at Rubrik

(06:26) The Cadence of Recurring Meetings

(08:59) Getting Down to the Tactical Level of Which Deals Matter

(13:39) The Value of an “Accountability Forum”

(16:52) Sponsor – Maxio | RemoFirst | Mercury

(20:14) The Roles of Tension and Friction in Samarth’s Work

(22:02) Best Practices for Inspecting Pipeline

(27:22) Setting Sales Reps Up for Success

(33:51) The Art and Science of Territory Design

(36:23) Preventing Reps from Horse-Trading Accounts

(37:54) Not Leaving Opportunities Untapped When a Rep Leaves a Territory

(38:41) Why Territories Get Smaller as You Add More Products

(44:03) The Characteristics of a Good Comp Plan

(46:32) Dealing with Reps Who Feel Their Quotas Are Too High

(49:30) What a Healthy Renewals Function Looks Like