Mark Wendling, Global VP of Data Cloud Sales and Alliances at Snowflake, discusses Snowflake's sales team structure and key skills for young sellers. Topics include customer pain points, memory in sales, negotiation, creating a vision for customers, tracking meaningful metrics, and scaling sales teams.
Focus on the ideal customer profile for successful sales outcomes.
Prepare sales reps for advancement by ensuring autonomy and mastery.
Assess readiness for external sales based on autonomy and expertise.
Encourage young reps to be patient and develop necessary skills before promotion.
Train sales teams for scalability and adaptation to handle future challenges.
Empower sales reps through continuous training for sustained success.
Deep dives
Focusing on the Ideal Customer Profile to Drive Success
Success in sales comes from selling change, not just features and functions. It's crucial to focus on the ideal customer profile (ICP) as this determines the success of the customer and, in turn, the sales. Sales reps must ensure they prioritize deals that align with the ICP to drive meaningful outcomes for both the customer and the company.
Developing Reps for Advancement Through Autonomy and Mastery
Preparing sales reps for advancement involves ensuring they can autonomously complete critical tasks with a 100% success rate. Reps are ready for promotion to the next level when they consistently demonstrate mastery of their core responsibilities and tasks without requiring constant supervision. Reps who exhibit autonomy, mastery, and readiness for advancement represent a strong foundation for future success.
Identifying Readiness for External Sales through Autonomy and Expertise
Determining a sales rep's readiness for external sales involves assessing their ability to operate independently and their expertise in their current role. Reps who exhibit autonomy in critical tasks and seek help appropriately when needed show readiness for external sales roles. The transition to external sales should be evaluated based on the rep's autonomy and expertise, ensuring a smooth and successful progression.
Promoting Growth Through Patience and Strategic Advancement
Encouraging young reps to be patient and not rush into promotions can lead to long-term success. It's essential for companies to educate their teams on the journey to advancement and prepare reps for the risks and challenges of moving up. Taking the time to grow and develop necessary skills before advancing can lead to a stronger foundation for future success.
Training for Scalability and Adaptation in Sales Teams
Training sales teams to focus on scalability and adaptation ensures their readiness for future challenges. Reps need to be equipped with the skills to handle different levels of accounts and adjust to new roles effectively. Balancing autonomy with the ability to seek guidance when necessary enables reps to scale their capabilities and adapt to new responsibilities.
Strategic Planning for Sales Growth and Development
Strategic planning for sales growth involves assessing metrics, such as conversion rates, to track progress and productivity. Reps who consistently meet autonomy and mastery criteria are poised for advancement. Focusing on meaningful metrics that drive accomplishment and success can help sales teams achieve sustainable growth and development.
Empowering Sales Reps Through Training and Continuous Improvement
Empowering sales reps through continuous training and improvement fosters autonomy and expertise. Reps who prioritize learning and skill development are better positioned for success and advancement. By promoting a culture of continuous improvement and strategic training, sales teams can enhance their skills and readiness for future challenges.
Sustaining High Performance Through Customer Success Focus
Maintaining high sales performance requires a customer-centric approach focused on delivering change and value. Reps who prioritize customer success over product features drive meaningful outcomes and sustainable success. By aligning sales efforts with customer needs and focusing on driving change, sales teams can sustain high performance and build long-term relationships.
Balancing Autonomy and Collaboration for Sales Success
Achieving sales success requires a balance between autonomy and collaboration within the sales team. Reps must be able to operate independently while also knowing when to seek help and collaborate with team members. Balancing autonomy with collaboration enables reps to maximize their productivity and drive success in sales engagements.
Adapting Strategies for Sales Readiness and Effectiveness
Adapting sales strategies to enhance readiness and effectiveness involves prioritizing change over features and focusing on customer success. Reps who understand the importance of change and business outcomes are better prepared to drive successful sales engagements. By adapting strategies to align with customer needs and driving change, sales reps can enhance their readiness and effectiveness.
Nurturing Talent Through Patience and Strategic Development
Nurturing sales talent requires patience and strategic development to ensure long-term success. Companies must educate their teams on the journey to advancement and the risks involved in career progression. Training and developing reps to prioritize change and customer success can lead to sustainable growth and talent enrichment.
Mark Wendling is the Global VP of Data Cloud Sales and Alliances at Snowflake. He has a successful career in sales and has held various leadership positions in companies like S.C., Michael Page International, East Search Vision, ClearSlide, and Sumo Logic. Mark has been with Snowflake for the past seven years and has played a crucial role in scaling the company's sales organization.
In this episode, Mark shares insights into how Snowflake organizes its commercial sales teams and the key skills young sellers need to learn. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on the customer's pain points and metrics, rather than just selling the product. Mark also discusses the significance of memory in sales, the value of being coachable, and the power of creating a vision for customers. He highlights the importance of tracking meaningful metrics and shares his approach to negotiation and pricing. Additionally, Mark provides advice on scaling sales teams and the importance of focusing on the ideal customer profile.
Tune in and learn more about this episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast.
HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT
[00:02:03] Overview of Snowflake's commercial sales organization [00:11:08] Command of the message framework for social selling [00:12:07] Focusing on positive business outcomes and creating a vision [00:15:08] Drive, memory, and coachability as important characteristics [00:18:04] Using MEDDICC for qualifying and forecasting [00:21:21] Coaching reps to understand and influence metrics [00:23:02] The importance of reps knowing how they are measured [00:24:45] Focusing on the answers you need, not just want [00:27:29] Focusing on what you receive, not what you send [00:28:20] Top reasons for deals going awry: lack of a champion and failure to identify pain points [00:31:45] Understanding what matters to the customer and prioritizing give-get scenarios [00:34:10] The importance of memory and being prepared with give-gets [00:37:08] Need for exit criteria before moving to the next stage [00:39:53] Importance of having multiple paths to reach sales targets [00:48:22] Importance of equitable division of potential accounts [00:56:49] Educating reps on the risks and challenges of career advancement
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP
HIGHLIGHT QUOTES [00:19:50] "It's not about the answers you want, it's about the answers you need." [00:25:02] "It's not about what you say. It's about all the signals that you receive and what you do with them." [00:32:45] "If you try to sell Snowflake, you're going to fail. If you sell change, you are going to succeed."
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