As spring rolls in over the Rockies and brings fresh growth along with it, job opportunities in Colorado tech are also beginning to bloom. After 2020, the world has gradually begun to reopen its petals and employees have started resuming their commutes back into the office.
Planning for the future helped many companies ride out the effects of the pandemic. That said, these six sales leaders were prepared to take on an array of obstacles long before last March. Procare Solutions and Signpost both attributed their success to long-term goal consistency, and Agility Recovery already combats clients’ business disasters daily.
In addition to sharing the lessons that have helped them persevere, these leaders told Built In Colorado about the tech that is helping their unique teams achieve even bigger wins in 2021.
Looking for a new role as you thaw out? They’re ready to see you now.
Denver-based software company Procare Solutions assists with childcare management, parent engagement, payment processing and other administrative taskwork so that teachers can better engage with children. Ryan Gwaltney, vice president of sales, said he believes in the value of consistency to keep his team’s prospect pipeline stable and that examining existing data in a new light can be an invaluable tool.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
The sales team at Procare has over 100 years of combined sales experience in our childcare and edtech industry, which is definitely unique for a growing tech company! Over the past two years, we have been scaling the teams in an effort to bring our services to more customers in the industry – and we’ve been extremely successful. This growth has created an amazing culture and professional development opportunities for every individual.
Our new sales reps are learning from the subject matter experts in the industry, and our more tenured reps are gaining insight into new sales strategies and processes. This two-directional mentorship and knowledge sharing is a core part of who we are as a team, and has helped us define career paths so that everyone, regardless of their sales or industry experience, has clear opportunities for continued growth.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
The value of consistency! I think a lot of sales professionals can be susceptible to the highs and lows of the sales cycle. When the pipeline is full, it’s easy to get complacent and rely too much on what is already in the funnel. On the other hand, when the pipeline is slim there is a tendency to panic and get away from the fundamentals of what leads to success.
I'm a big fan of showing up every day and trusting your process. For me, that usually translates to holding myself accountable to doing the little things that everyone (myself included) tends to avoid. As a rep, this might simply be something like making the 10 extra cold calls to reach a new prospect. As a sales leader, this might be having a quick coaching session with a rep, or taking the time to step away from the immediate project and connect with a rep to let them know I appreciate their contribution. I’ve found that these are the difference-makers between “good enough” and “great.”
I'm a big fan of showing up every day and trusting your process.”
Beyond the standard sales softwares, are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
Like many SaaS companies, we are constantly learning how to better use data to guide our decisions and processes.
Over the past year, we have taken exponential strides in the amount and type of data we view in order to improve the success rates of our sales reps. We are constantly looking for ways to maximize how and where our team spends their time. This is not unique to Procare, but when I compare our approach in this area today versus a year ago, it feels like we are a completely different organization.
At Agility Recovery, a business continuity and disaster recovery platform, helping companies plan for and navigate unexpected threats is routine. By digging deeper into customer problems and introducing product improvements based on direct feedback, SaaS Account Executive Gordon Guild says their extensive methods of preparation keep them ahead of the competition.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
I really enjoy being able to continually bring new products to market and create improvements to our tools based on customer needs and feedback. There is a hunger to continue to be innovators in our space and think about how we are staying ahead of the market needs.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
The most valuable lesson has been to provide solutions that are relevant to the customer and truly answer the needs of their business. I am continually peeling back layers and gathering confirmation that what we are providing is solving their needs. This lesson starts from the first call and goes all the way until an agreement is finalized.
There is a hunger to continue to be innovators in our space.”
Beyond the standard sales softwares, are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
We equip our sales team with the tools they need, including sales engagement platforms, auto dialers, networking tools and of course sales CRM. But what sets us apart is our extensive training program that includes a sales bootcamp, regular training and role playing within our team and across all sellers, and our ability to share feedback throughout the organization all the way up to the CEO. This helps to make sure the sales team is well equipped to be successful, and the feedback we hear from the market is baked into company and product strategy.
Hotel Engine is an online platform that provides hotel booking solutions designed for business travel. By implementing automation into their outreach process, Senior Account Executive Kara Atkinson said she has more time to pin down new business and support her teammates to victory.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
The collaboration within the entire sales organization is unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of. In working with our account managers and account executives all the way to our sales leadership, it’s clear that everyone wants each other to win. Everyone wants to see each other succeed, and that can be a really unique thing in sales.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
To maintain consistency with my work and maintain an extreme amount of organization in my day! You need to be efficient to keep up with your activity and daily tasks, and Hotel Engine is amazing at making sure we have everything we need at our fingertips to set us up for success.
Everyone wants to see each other succeed, and that can be a really unique thing in sales.”
Beyond the standard sales softwares, are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
We’ve really begun implementing a lot of automation within our sales processes. We’re realizing how important automation is in freeing up time. It is really making an impact.
Outreach is the newest tool we’ve added to our arsenal. It is fantastic for helping us automate daily emails and calls to prospective clients, and creating time to hunt for new business opportunities. I can’t say it enough – our leadership is so supportive in making sure we have whatever we need to succeed.
At Duda, a web design platform, sales team members are encouraged to treat their roles as their own business. To achieve bigger results, sellers need to develop a style that works for them but be guided by a process, according to Vice President of Sales Adam Ferris.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
Fostering a truly collaborative sales environment by setting the expectation that business development representatives, account executives, sales engineers and account managers should collaborate to sell and grow our customers. Then, giving them the autonomy to treat their roles as owners of their own business.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
It is best to coach to results, not to style. Sellers need to develop a style that works for them but be guided by a process. Success comes in many forms, and people use their superpowers differently. I apply this in my day-to-day by having a growth mindset and seeking alternative ways to get the same thing done with ever-improving results.
Success comes in many forms, and people use their superpowers differently.”
Beyond the standard sales softwares, are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
We just recently invested heavily in our sales tech stack, and have a great SalesOps team that has pulled all the best-in-breed sales tech together for use by our sellers and BDRs (ZoomInfo, Chorus, SalesLoft, Salesforce.com and LeanData).
In addition to that, we are always experimenting with news tools like voicemails in LinkedIn and Vidyards to really get our story across… and of course cadence testing and industry-specific messaging. We apply the SPICED framework by Winning by Design to our core systems, coupled with clear exit and entrance criteria for each stage in the sales process. This allows us to understand conversion rates at each stage and enables us to understand where deals accelerate and drop off.
Evolve is a dual-purpose platform that helps homeowners list their available properties to generate income and assists vacationers in finding a great rental property to book. Senior Manager of Property Acquisition Kelly Helling said she finds power in her work by putting people first, both as a team leader and a homeowner correspondent.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
Something unique about our sales team is our commitment to hospitality as an organization. We have a responsibility to ensure each homeowner who comes to us is a good fit for our services and is aligned with our goal to provide five-star guest experiences. We approach sales like a partnership – it only works if clear expectations are set, trust is built and the commitment to hospitality is clear.
Our teammates approach each other with the same sense of hospitality. To accomplish our mission, the sales team fosters an environment of inclusion, collaboration, continued learning and enablement. We love to have fun (this is vacation rental after all!) but we also work hard to grow our business quickly yet durably. It takes a huge amount of cross-functional synergy to do our best work. On any given day, our sales reps may collaborate with upwards of five to 10 other specialized teams. It’s imperative that we have alignment with those groups on Evolve’s key objectives to execute consistently.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
As evidenced by a chaotic (but pivotal) 2020, uncertainty isn’t always easy to navigate. However, I continue to challenge myself as a sales leader to inspire confidence and provide a true north direction for our team. There is power in leading by putting people first. Care is one of our core values, and it took an enormous amount of that last year. To have a successful sales team in a rapidly growing organization, our teams must care for and believe in what they are setting out to accomplish each day.
There is power in leading by putting people first.”
Beyond the standard sales softwares, are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
Our sales process has been greatly impacted by the volume of leads funneled to us from our marketing team. One of the most useful tools we’ve used to connect with these leads has been Chili Piper. The tool allows prospective customers to schedule with a member of the team directly, meaning that we’re able to call at a time that we know is best for them.
As a customer relationship management platform, Signpost helps companies with consumer engagement and marketing efforts in order to increase revenue and earn new business. By instilling a strong work ethic into his team and focusing on long-term objectives, Director of Sales Romeo Duran said they are able to achieve success on a daily basis.
What’s something unique about your team from other sales orgs you’ve been part of?
What I love about our team that makes us unique is the level of work ethic and grit we bring to the table day in and day out. A strong work ethic is not something that you can easily train – it’s inspired by your experiences in life and your motivation to succeed. Being on the same page about what we all need to get done and then actually doing it is what gets me up in the morning. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for the team we have right now.
What’s the most valuable sales lesson you’ve learned in the time you’ve been with your company?
A few years ago, I had a manager give me the best advice I’ve heard in my career: “Control what you can control.” I had my eyes set on a promotion and I was having a bad month. I started to overthink my process, my pitch and my ability to sell. Having your eye on the “immediate prize” can lead to an extreme level of nearsightedness. I began to focus on what I could control to strengthen my consistency, which also allowed me to truly think about my long-term goals and what I needed to do to get there. “Plan for six months, one year, two years, and not just this month.”
A strong work ethic is not something that you can easily train.”
Beyond the standard sales softwares, are there any new or emerging technologies or tools your team is leveraging in their work?
We work closely with the marketing team to ensure that our activities are in sync and we have the best opportunity to close new sales. The sales team recently switched over to Hubspot, after using Salesforce for nearly 10 years. Now we have so much more transparency on marketing activities, and our marketing-to-sales handoffs are much more effective.
