Sales and marketing misalignment is one of the biggest (and most expensive) problems facing modern go-to-market teams. It slows down deals, creates internal friction, and leads to inevitable revenue loss.

In this episode of Closing Time, we are joined for a second time by the author of Create Togetherness, Jeff Davis, so he can finish sharing the final two of his five big ideas around sales and marketing alignment: why RevOps is responsible for creating one source of truth and how culture is the foundation for sustainable alignment.

Jeff breaks down what has changed in the modern buying landscape—and why GTM teams can no longer afford to operate in silos. If you're navigating misalignment, struggling to scale your revenue engine, or looking to strengthen sales and marketing collaboration, this episode is for you.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/

Connect With: 

• Jeff Davis: Create Togetherness // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

Running a paid media strategy for one brand is tough. Running it for three—with entirely different go-to-market motions—is a whole new level of complexity.

In this special internal spotlight episode of Closing Time, Val Riley sits down with Unbounce's Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, Alexa Tsongranis, to unpack how her team of one built a unified playbook for scaling paid media across Unbounce, Insightly, and LeadsRx.

From shared infrastructure and flexible frameworks to unified measurement and data-driven decision-making, Alexa shares how operational clarity and focus help her run three distinct paid programs—without reinventing the wheel each time.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Explore Unbounce go-to-market solutions: https://unbounce.com/go-to-market-solutions/

Connect With: 

• Alexa Tsongranis: LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

Are you ready for the next generation of search? AI search is coming…now. About 2.5% of searches are currently run on sites like ChatGPT, but the experts say that number will grow exponentially—and fast. Marketers need to know what GEO is and how to optimize for AI search to stay ahead.

This week on Closing Time, we welcome Anthony Chiaravallo, CEO of Vallo Media, to talk us through the steps to adapt current content, generate new AI-friendly assets, and ensure your strategy is future-proofed for both GEO and traditional SEO.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Anthony Chiaravallo: LinkedIn //  Vallo Media

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

B2B buyers are making one thing clear: They want to research on their own before engaging with a salesperson. What's shocking is how far into the funnel they get alone, as much as 83% of the way.

We call this the 'dark funnel' (also referred to as dark social), and on this Halloween episode of Closing Time, we're going to break down how marketers can unearth and track what's going on in the hidden shadows of B2B marketing.

Jen Allen-Knuth, a marketing consultant and evangelist partner at Lavendar.ai joins Val Riley to explain the impact the dark funnel is having on marketing metrics and give you tips on how to simplify your lead categorization in and around it. The dark funnel isn't scary when you know how to make it work for you, instead of against you. Find out how in this episode! 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jen Allen: LinkedIn // Social Social // DemandJen // Lavendar.ai

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

When done well, a product launch can propel your business forward, engage your prospects, and drive adption. In fact, 79.5% of companies reported launches had a significant impact on revenue.  The challenge?

Orchestrating a successful product launch can be a painful process for product marketers – they require robust research, careful collaboration, and (ideally) a well-thought-out launch checklist to keep your GTM strategy on track and stakeholders aligned. 

Karthik Suresh, co-founder/CPTO of Ignition and former product lead at Facebook, joins Closing Time to guide listeners through an effective launch process where stakeholders from different teams work towards one common goal: Smoothly launching the best product possible that customers will love. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Karthik Suresh: Ignition's Website // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The perfect sales call…does it really exist? The team at Gong Labs might be able to answer. They have analyzed one billion sales calls to help sellers like you build trust, keep buyers engaged, and, ultimately, close more deals.

On this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Udi Ledergor of Gong, who will provide actionable tips that you can start using tomorrow to make your next sales call better. How to open a call, how to talk about pricing, and is it OK to swear now and then? You learn all this and more.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Udi Ledergor: LinkedIn // Gong Labs

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

In the age where personalization and understanding sales prospects shows a big improvement in close rates and deal sizes, why is it that most reps still don't do enough research?

In this episode of Closing Time, Chip talks with Justin Fite of J3 Consulting about a new way to conduct sales prospects research, how sales and marketing can align on ideal targets, and how sales reps can use this information to optimize every opportunity. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Justin Fite: J3 Consulting // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a powerful tool for salespeople, but like any app, you've got to stay up to date. Recently released features have resulted in some changes that can help sellers streamline the process of finding new leads and making more connections.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Mandy McEwen, founder of Mod Girl Marketing, to talk us through LinkedIn Sales Navigator tips and new features that will turn the platform into a lead-feeding machine. 

Everything from leveraging buyer personas to tracking changes in buyer intent and building hyper-targeted lists – be prepared to level up your prospecting game with these tips. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mandy McEwen: LinkedIn // Mod Girl Marketing

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

When your solution makes it on the agenda of your prospect's weekly meeting, you've got a good chance of closing that deal. But how can you get your solution or service considered at that level?

In this episode of Closing Time, Hannah Ajikawo, CEO of Revenue Funnel, talks through the pre-work you'll need to do with your prospect and the questions to ask to become a trusted advisor.

Learn how to 'be in the room without being in the room' with your prospect and their team using Hannah's tips to plant seeds that lead to a closed deal. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Hannah Ajikawo: LinkedIn // Revenue Funnel's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

If you're currently using a one-size-fits-all sales funnel (that ignores buyer intent or pipeline source) and is focused on top-of-funnel metrics like MQLs... it's time to rethink your strategy.

The 'old' sales funnel, originally coined as the Demand Waterfall by SiriusDecisions in the early 2000s and then later revamped in 2012, fails to acknowledge that all MQLs and SQLs are not created equally. As a result, it can lead to misallocation of marketing budgets and misalignment within your sales and marketing teams.

That's why Chris Walker and his team at Refine Labs propose a new Go-To-Market (GTM) framework. This new approach focuses on accounts rather than leads, employs multiple funnels based on aggregated buying intent, and measures marketing success using metrics directly tied to revenue.

Join Chris and Chip in this episode of Closing Time to revamp your GTM strategy and adopt a new sales funnel designed to increase sales velocity and ROI. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Walker: LinkedIn // TikTok // Instagram // Revenue Vitals Podcast // Refine Labs

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Demand capture vs. Demand creation – two of the most important areas of focus for today's marketers. Demand creation (aka demand generation) is about driving awareness and interest in a product or service, while demand capture focuses on attracting and converting the roughly 5% of your target market actively looking for a solution.

Familiar marketing frameworks – like the Predictable Revenue and Demand Waterfall – that once laid the groundwork for thousands of B2B SaaS company's go-to-market strategies, are now outdated and doing more harm than good. 

Why? Because B2B buyers are much different in 2023 than they were in 2011 when these frameworks were published.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House welcomes Chris Walker of Refine Labs to take a trip down the go-to-market history lane and discuss how marketing and sales leaders can modernize their GTM strategy with an 'all-bound integrated revenue team.' Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Walker: LinkedIn // TikTok // Instagram // Revenue Vitals Podcast // Refine Labs

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

"What are we getting for our ad spend?" This question is getting even more difficult to answer since the death of marketing attribution as we know it is looming.

GDPR and CPAA have killed third-party cookies, and almost all privacy laws are getting even more strict. Will it be a return to the metrics of impressions, views, and engagement?

In this episode of Closing Time, Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro, talks about what marketers need to do to prepare their teams and board rooms for a reporting shift and how to surface metrics that contribute to an overall lift. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Rand Fishkin: LinkedIn // Twitter // SparkToro Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sales professionals – are you struggling to build consensus? Today's B2B sales cycles are complex and include more decision-makers than ever before.

According to recent data, 11.2 stakeholders take part in every deal. Unless you can convince the entire group of stakeholders to buy from you, there's no way the deal will close. But how can you receive a resounding "yes!" from all parties involved?

In this episode of Closing Time, Jen Allen, CEO of Social Social and head of community growth at Lavender.ai, shares powerful tips for facilitating meetings, overcoming dysfunction, and building consensus with the buying group. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jen Allen: LinkedIn // Social Social // Lavendar.ai 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

What happens when a fast-growing consulting firm removes the bottlenecks in their marketing workflow? For Viva Executive Assistants, the results were dramatic: a 6x increase in landing page output and a 7.5% increase in conversion rates.

In this customer edition of Closing Time, host Melinda Prescher, Senior Director of Product and Customer Marketing at Unbounce and Insightly, sits down with Dania Maduro (Senior Executive Assistant) and Desiree de Leon (Organic Growth Manager) from Viva to unpack their story.

 Viva's small but mighty marketing team cut landing page build times from eight weeks to minutes, scaled output without relying on developers or agencies, and used A/B testing to refine messaging for different audiences. With the agility to pivot quickly and integrations that streamlined their stack, they reduced wasted spend and boosted overall marketing efficiency.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Try Unbounce for free (no credit card required): https://bit.ly/46dwxej

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Viva Executive Assistants: LinkedIn // Website

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

"You've got to be posting on LinkedIn." Depending on your target audience, this may or may not be true.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House meets with Kyle Coleman, SVP of Marketing at Clari, about how salespeople can start to build your personal brand on LinkedIn.

They explore ways to determine content (based on your experience, expertise, or from industry leaders), the importance of writing in sales, and how you can use your posting efforts to help you crystallize your thoughts to become a better communicator and seller. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kyle Coleman: LinkedIn // Clari Revenue Platform

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Video selling is on a steep growth curve, so why isn't everyone on board? You can equip your salespeople with the hardware and software required and train them, but they still may not be comfortable with the process.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Tyler Lessard, VP of Marketing at Vidyard, author of the book The Visual Sale, and host of The Sales Feed podcast, to talk us through ways to get your sales team enthusiastically on board with video selling. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Tyler Lessard: LinkedIn // The Visual Sale book // The Sales Feed Podcast // Vidyard's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You've worked on your personal branding on LinkedIn, and now you're looking for tangible results. How do you go from reaching out to someone in your ICP to counting them as a customer?

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Mandy McEwen, founder of Mod Girl Marketing, to talk you through her 4-step engage - connect - post - repeat process for LinkedIn social selling. She'll share tips for using prospecting skills plus effective content to move relationships to the next level. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mandy McEwen: LinkedIn // Mod Girl Marketing

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

On average, 40-60% of B2B sales opportunities are lost to the status quo objection.

We're not losing to competitors as frequently as we're losing to customer risk aversion – aka the customer's gut feeling that regardless of how much "better" our solution may be, the road to "better" involves change, cost, and productivity losses.

In this episode of Closing Time, Jen Allen, head of Community Growth at Lavender.ai and Co-Founder of Social Social, will help sellers overcome the status quo, create demand, and earn time with budget-conscious buyers. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jen Allen: LinkedIn // Social Social // Lavendar.ai 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

People used to believe that marketing was art and sales was science, but today's professionals know both need a little art and science to get the job done.

Kyle Coleman of Clari has first-hand experience and insights on making the sales to marketing career shift. He is a former salesperson who now leads a marketing team.

Join Kyle in this episode of Closing Time, where he talks about the ways marketers can make small changes to their processes and approaches to better align with sales teams. Get both the right and left brains working together; you'll be a 'whole brain' marketer with these tips. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kyle Coleman: LinkedIn // Clari Revenue Platform

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Video selling can be the secret weapon to propel your sales team to higher conversion rates. Think video selling is just about prospecting? Well, you'd be wrong.

The attention-grabbing power of video can have impacts at all stages of the sales cycle – from the initial outreach to personalized demos and proposal walkthroughs.

In this episode of Closing Time, we're joined Tyler Lessard, VP of Marketing at Vidyard, author of The Visual Sale, and host of The Sales Feed podcast, as he explores video tactics in prospecting, communicating your value prop, reducing no-show rates, mini-demos, and warm handoffs to customer success. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Tyler Lessard: LinkedIn // The Visual Sale book // The Sales Feed Podcast // Vidyard's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How do you know if you're buying old technology? Are legacy CRM systems focused on enterprises, leaving small and midsize businesses flapping in the wind?

As organizations look to make a CRM purchase, it's time to dig into what's going on in the market's biggest players and make an informed choice for what is the single source of truth for your business.

In this episode of Closing Time, Chip welcomes Mike Topalovich, solutions architect and CRM consultant, to talk about what's going on in the CRM market, how it has evolved over time, and what businesses need to consider before purchasing a legacy system. 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mike Topalovich: LinkedIn 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

There is a ton of noise in the buyer's journey, and many buyers are struggling to navigate through it. Things get even more complex when more stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process.

If your buyer remains overwhelmed, your deal may get stuck in the pipeline…for good. How can you help cut through the abundance of content and make sense of it all?

In this episode of Closing Time, Chip is joined by sales coach and consultant Luigi Prestinenzi to talk through strategies for buyer enablement. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Luigi Prestinenzi: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Few software tools are as mission-critical as your CRM. Whether you're a startup, mid-market, or enterprise business, choosing the right CRM is easier said than done. With over 850 options currently available in the market, according to G2, it can be an overwhelming process.

If you're upgrading your company from Excel spreadsheets or simply looking for a new CRM, you're not alone. In this episode of Closing Time, CRM consultant Vanessa Hunt will guide you through the selection process and help you find the best value and fit for your organization.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Venessa Hunt: LinkedIn // Website

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sales leaders often enter a new company and start working on their team immediately. This is important, but they are missing the larger picture by just focusing on their team. It can result in the "sales against the world" mentality.

The best sales leaders do the work early and often to understand how the entire business works before implementing their playbooks.

We'll talk about what sales leaders can do and the pitfalls to avoid in this episode of Closing Time with Amy Volas, CEO of Avenue Talent Partners. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: Hiring Scorecard // Job Seeker Scorecard //  LinkedIn 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Can a sales mindset shift unlock better performance? According to today's guest on Closing Time, the answer is a resounding yes.

Join Jaime Diglio, Founder of The WIN Room, as she breaks down how sales leaders can move their teams from the WAR Room (working against revenue) to the WIN Room ("What I Need" to succeed). Jaime has taken the TEDx stage, coaches students at Harvard Business School, and now she's here to share practical ways to build confidence, clarity, and lasting performance in sales teams.

Learn how to recognize negative "WAR words," strengthen your reps' self-awareness, and create a culture where every seller leads with confidence.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Jaime Diglio: LinkedIn //  The WIN Room

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

Can you package up the marketing needs of early stage companies into 11 key initiatives? Yes, you can if you are the 'Marie Kondo' of startup marketing.

Join this episode of Closing Time with Anna Furmanov, host of the Modern Startup Marketing podcast, as she details these 11 marketing essentials that startups need right out of the gate to help them grow faster. She calls it MaaS - Marketing as a System, but we call it brilliant! Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Anna Furmanov: Website // LinkedIn // Podcast

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Why do most sales presentations fail?

Because the traditional presentation choreography, used by so many organizations around the world for many years, runs opposite to how our brains engage and decide. They polarize rather than build consensus.

In this episode of Closing Time, Todd Caponi will explore why the traditional presentation choreography doesn't work, how to make a better sales presentation, and how to use story-based selling to better choreograph your presentations to compel your audience to buy. (hint: it involves reality makeover TV). Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Todd Caponi: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

As a sales leader, whether you're new to the field or experienced, managing and redistributing sales territories can be a challenging task.

There are numerous factors to consider–industries, geography, ideal customer profile, and deal size–and it's not a one-time process. If your team operates remotely, it could be even more complex.

So, how do you begin? How frequently should you reevaluate and redistribute territories? Is it fair for the best reps to get the best books?

In this episode of Closing Time, Dave Osborne from Insightly and Brad Rosen from Sales Assembly discuss effective strategies for creating sales territories that drive success. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Brad Rosen: LinkedIn // Sales Assembly

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Do your sales team members have personal brands? There are a lot of salespeople trying to convince prospective customers to buy. And in many cases, working with a salesperson you know, like, and trust can tip the scales in their favor.

So how are you – as a sales leader - coaching this?

In this episode of Closing Time, join sales and marketing expert Jay Baer as he shares how sales reps can incorporate their personal brand into their go-to-market approach to generate more pipeline, get more referrals, and sign more deals. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

As brands move towards efficient growth, aligning the sales and marketing teams on an account-based marketing strategy is a logical move.

Most SaaS companies either already have a plan in place or are considering adopting an ABM program to drive revenue. But more and more are considering a new strategy focusing on the entire customer journey (sales, marketing, AND customer support).

It's called Account-Based Experience (ABX).

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House welcomes Corrina Owens, former head of ABM at Gong, a revenue intelligence platform. Corinna compares AMB and ABX, talks through her 3-step playbook on building a powerful ABX program, and shares two successful champion-focused ABX campaigns at Gong.

If you're looking for a guide on how to start ABX, this is it. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Corrina Owens: LinkedIn // Corrina's 3-Step Playbook

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Salespeople often operate like independent contractors in their organizations. It's a career for the self-reliant and self-motivated.

You know when your pipeline is healthy and when it's anemic… but have you ever quantified your personal efforts that drive your pipe?

In this episode of Closing Time, Dave talks with Luigi Prestinenzi, sales coach and host of the Skalable Growth podcast, about his Sales Success Calculator and why it should be a part of any rep's toolbox. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Luigi Prestinenzi: LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Salespeople churn is almost 3x more than any other job role. With turnover at an all-time high, there has to be a better way to make hiring decisions and improve your hiring hit rate. And there is.

Enter the hiring scorecard for your sales team. Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, breaks down why a sales-specific hiring scorecard works, what it is, what metrics to track, how to collaborate with HR, and how to use it to keep your A-team together. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: Hiring Scorecard // Job Seeker Scorecard //  LinkedIn 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Lead referrals should be treated like gold, and too often in sales, our peers fall flat. The most important pillar to remember when receiving a referral is that you're teaching the person that referred you whether or not you're worthy of future referrals, and it all rests in how you handle the first one.

In this episode of Closing Time, Sam McKenna of #samsales Consulting will explore the best ways to handle referred leads through increased urgency, personalization, gratitude, and follow-up – to show you're worthy of future referrals and build your lead referral machine. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Sam McKenna: Website // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

If you're looking to better engage prospects, coach your team to success and close more deals, you're in the right place.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House meets with Derek Grant of Salesloft to share a newly released research study that explores call and email data benchmarks by role (SDR, AE, and CSM). The study tracks more than 570 million interactions across 20 sectors over a year. See the 5 major takeaways, learn how to implement improvements, and measure how your team is stacking up. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Get your copy of Salesloft's 2023 Revenue Team Benchmark Report.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Derek Grant: Salesloft's Website // Derek's LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

More and more, companies are adding a new title to their C-Suites: Chief Revenue Officer. It was once often linked to tech or high-growth companies, but its popularity is spreading to all types of organizations.

On paper, a CRO creates synergy between sales and marketing teams that is needed to scale quickly and sustainably. The CRO may also oversee the revenue stack, which is becoming a significant investment as the number of options grows.

But where do the lines get drawn between sales, marketing, and revenue? Do they work side by side, or are the hierarchies? 

In this episode of Closing Time, Mike Weir, CRO of G2, takes us through his journey to becoming a CRO, how he interacts with marketing and sales, what his team looks like, and how he advises people looking to work in revenue. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mike Weir: G2's Website // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Ready to make the leap from W-2 to 1099? As the global macroeconomic environment continues to shift, gig work is becoming more and more common. And if you've got experience, you're in a good place because fractional executives are in demand.

On this episode of Closing Time, join Sangram Vajre from GTM Partners as he walks through how his consultancy can help experienced sales, marketing and customer success leaders build a fractional GTM business. He covers the biggest obstacles, how to land your first five clients, and the steps to build long-term success.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Sangram Vajre: LinkedIn //  GTM Partners

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

The demo call is pivotal. You've identified pain points during discovery. Your buyer is interested. They've agreed to another call. You can either solidify the deal or destroy it.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CSO Dave Osborne is joined by Chris Orlob (formerly of Gong, now with Quota Signal and pclub.io) to discuss how salespeople and their leaders can set SaaS demo calls up for success. During his tenure at Gong, Chris helped grow the company from $200K to $200M+ in revenue. After listening to countless demo calls and analyzing data, Chris shares his top selling techniques and practical tips to keep buyers engaged, avoid confusion, and increase the chances of catalyzing a decision. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Orlob: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Losing team members in any position is tough. But losing salespeople? Way more common than you think.

According to a Harvard Business Review study, the annual turnover for U.S. salespeople runs as high as 27% – 2x the rate of the U.S. workforce – and that was taken in 2017. More recent data from SiriusDecisions shows that almost half (45 percent) of B2B sales organizations have average turnover rates above 30 percent.

So, how can sales leaders avoid churn in a highly competitive industry? It begins with their hiring practices and onboarding processes. In this episode of Closing Time, Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, discusses the sales candidate experience, the different levers you can pull for compensation, the secrets to onboarding remote employees, and how to ensure a high acceptance rate when making an offer. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: LinkedIn 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The days of 'growth at all costs' appear to be over as firms move towards efficient and sustainable growth models. This seems to pave the way for justification of your SEO budget…planting seeds for a slow yet methodical rise in SERP.

As brands look to balance demand gen with lead gen, how can the whole GTM support SEO efforts?  In this episode of Closing Time, we're joined by Mitch Causey of Demandwell, an SEO growth platform, to talk through striking the balance between organic and paid efforts. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mitch Causey: Demandwell Website // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Everyone in sales knows that word-of-mouth marketing is the best way to grow your business and improve your close rate. Then why are companies still spending millions on advertising instead of turning their customers into volunteer marketers?

It's because they're selling a boring and expected product or service. In order to have your customers advertise for you, you need to give them something to talk about. That means creating something unexpected and different.

In this episode of Closing Time, marketing and CX expert Jay Baer goes beyond the mundane to share five Talk Triggers that will help companies execute on their word-of-mouth strategy, generate more online reviews, and increase revenue. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

In the world of sports, we expect a new game plan every week depending on the opposing team's strengths and weaknesses. So why do we run the same plays for every prospect?

In this episode, sales consultant Kim Cram talks with Insightly CSO Dave Osborne about how sales leaders can coach up their teams to change the plan on the fly for better outcomes. They'll share the four questions every seller should answer when working with prospects: Who are they? What matters to them? What pains/problems do they have? What is the impact of those pain points? Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kim Cram: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Is your outbound email response rate falling short? Are you struggling to meet your sales quota because of it? Adopting a Sales Engagement tool like Salesloft and optimizing it to work in tandem with your CRM could be your answer.

In this episode of Closing Time, we've brought in sales engagement expert and director of product marketing at Salesloft, Albert Rhee, to share the secrets to switching up your inbound and outbound cadences to elicit MORE responses from prospects, utilize all channels, and progress deals more quickly. The icing on the cake? He's bringing the data from Salesloft's Data Science team along with him to back the claims. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Albert Rhee: LinkedIn // Salesloft

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Running a successful account-based marketing program can be challenging.

Whether your organization is just starting out, has a few campaigns under its belt, or is an ABM pro, there are almost certainly ways to improve your processes and results.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Meredith Fuller of Quarry to talk through the various stages of ABM, how go-to-market teams need to align to properly execute ABM, and how to encourage sales support and collaboration.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Meredith Fuller: LinkedIn // Quarry's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

B2B buyers want personalized experiences, including instant access to the brands with which they do business. That's why the ideal response time from chatbots is 5 seconds. The quicker the response, the higher the satisfaction. But personalized experiences don't end with marketing either – they must extend through the sales process.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House and Drift CMO Katie Foote discuss ways to enhance your digital customer experience through conversational marketing and utilizing chatbots to boost pipeline and revenue. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Katie Foote: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

All of your go-to-market teams need to buy into your ICP in order to rally around it – but doing so is easier said than done. To start, you need to define who your ideal customer is. Then, you need to closely monitor the metrics to ensure your ICP is still relevant 6, 9, and 12 months down the road.

This can be especially challenging for high-growth companies who are looking to go upmarket. In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly's Chip House is joined by Brad Rosen of Sales Assembly to talk through developing and aligning around an ICP that resonates across your organization.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Brad Rosen: LinkedIn // Sales Assembly

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Becoming a first-time VP of Sales is not for the faint of heart – the successful track record, tip-top resume, nailing the interview process. But as soon as you land that VP title, the hard work has only just begun.

In our latest episode of Closing Time, we speak with Amy Volas, owner of the Executive Search Firm, Avenue Talent Partners, about the biggest struggles VPs of sales and sales executives face throughout their interview process, the first 90 days, and how to keep the title. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

First 90 Days book: https://hbr.org/books/watkins

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Most marketers understand the basics of attribution. First touch. Last touch. Maybe even multi-touch. But here's the thing: there are seven different attribution models—and each one tells a slightly different story about what's driving your conversions.

Larry Todd, who leads the team at LeadsRx by Unbounce, has spent years helping marketers figure this out. He's seen firsthand how attribution can transform decision-making—and how the wrong model can skew results. In this Closing Time episode, Larry will break down the 7 types of marketing attribution models, explain how they work, their pitfalls, and when to use them.

Get a demo of LeadsRx's multi-touch attribution software today: https://bit.ly/4dziJv2

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Larry Todd: LinkedIn //  LeadsRx

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

More sales activity = more meetings? Maybe, if you have the right strategy.

When it comes to a B2B seller's daily activities, there is a mathematical angle, but sales leaders need to explore their team's outbound strategy as well.

In this episode of Closing Time, sales consultant Kim Cram talks with Insightly CSO Dave Osborne about how sales leaders can leverage a sales activity calculator and coach their teams to optimize outbound selling time and book more meetings. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kim Cram: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Your team is spread across the country, and the forecasts are looking a bit anemic. Is it the economy, our industry, or just bad timing? Regardless, it's time for leaders to step up and create an environment that attacks, supports, and retains remote sales teams. 

Join Mike Weir, CRO of G2 and former sales leader at LinkedIn, as he shares his insights into effectively using off-site team meetups to keep remote teams engaged. What's the right mix of information vs. team bonding to maximize your time together, whether in person or online? How do we keep salespeople thriving in times of uncertainty? How does the approach differ with entry-level SDRs/BDRs vs. seasoned enterprise AEs? Mike addresses all of these questions and more in this episode of Closing Time. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mike Weir LinkedIn // G2 Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How long do sellers have to gain trust during a cold call? 7 seconds.

Whether you're using intent data or slightly warm leads, the first few seconds of that first outreach are the most important. But it's oftentimes where sellers miss the mark, by either pushing their product or failing to build trust and spark the prospect's curiosity.

In this episode of Closing Time, Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, shares an outbound cold calling script that helps sellers create productive conversations quickly and increase their chances of booking a meeting in less than 30 seconds. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Beall: ConnectAndSell Website // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube