Patrick Wentland

Most SDRs try to pitch first on cold calls. Big mistake. Start by winning the objection - then win the trust - then sell. Here’s a simple 5-step cold call framework I’ve taught to 1000s of SDRs👇 1. Opener → Trigger the truth 🎯 Use their name and yours ❌ Don’t pitch yet 💬 Ask a low-context question to gauge their energy Example: “Hey Mark, it’s Chris Ritson - got a minute?” Listen closely to their tone - it'll tell you a lot about how they are feeling so you can respond effectively. 2. Reason for the call - Get Aligned ✅ Outline why you called them 👬 Refer to their persona so they feel like you understand their day to day challenges and role. 💥 Example: “Reason I called is I work with [insert persona] like you on challenges like [insert common challenge]. Mind if I grab a minute to chat more on that? This acts as a double permission based opener. The goal? Make them trust you so when you ask 'pain' questions they'll be more likely to tell you. 3. Comfort Blanket → Uncover Pain ✅ Recap how you help 🧠 Use “typically” language to surface real problems by listing 2/3 common challenges. 💥 Example: “Typically, when I speak with [insert persona] they tell me A, B & C are challenges. Then Ask: “Do either of those feel familiar?” The goal? Make them feel understood before you qualify. 4. Problem Storytelling → Build belief 🧩 Share a relevant story 🔍 Focus on the problem, not the company logo 📈 Use tangible, specific results Example: “John’s team went from 45% to 85% hitting quota in 3 months...” No need for industry-perfect stories - just relatable problems. 5. Confident Recommendation → Book it 🗓 Recommend next steps, take control 🎁 Highlight what’s in it for them ⏰ Offer 3 times Example: “I recommend a 30-min call. Free tomorrow at 1, 2 or 3 - what works best?” Pro tip: book it within 5 days = 90%+ show rate. Bonus: One Last Thing → Qualify Smart 🎯 “What’s your ideal timeline to fix [problem]?” 👥 “Would it help to loop others in?” Use the last 30 seconds to learn just a little more. If your cold calls feel like battles, try flipping the script: Objection first. Then trust. Then value. Which step are you most excited to try? Let’s talk cold calls 👇 Credit: Chris Ritson

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Seller ($50k deal) vs. Consultant ($5 million deal) Sellers run ‘sales cycles.’ Consultants deliver strategic consulting engagements. Here is the MASSIVE difference: Sales Cycle: - Prospect -> SDR pitches to mid level managers - Discovery -> AE ‘does a discovery call’ - Demo -> SE leads a demo (often brought in by AE with no context or prep) - Close -> AE tries to get a second meeting, often fails Result: 15% win rate, $100k average deal size Strategic Consulting Engagement: - Insight written by experts (read by executives who then bring them in for a deeper dive) - Executive Briefing delivered by experts to executive team - Analysis (paid) executed by experts ‘to get to the root cause’ - Results read out session - delivered by experts to convey findings to execs - Project established - execs buy in and are willing to pay big bucks given analysis results and reputation of consulting firm. Result: 50% win rate, $5M average deal size So these realities leave us with a few key questions: 1. Do you want to run a traditional sales cycle or a consultative engagement? 2. Have you become an expert in your space/domain? 3. Can you hold your own in a conversation with a senior customer executive? 4. Do you have experts on your deal teams? 5. Does your company have the internal capability to generate insights? 6. Is your average deal size where you want it to be? We are in the most difficult selling reality in a generation. If you aren’t rising to more advanced selling playbooks, you will fall into the abyss of transactional sales, which is the path to failure. Rise up. EDIT: P.S. Join 200+ enterprise tech sellers following the step-by-step playbook I used to close $160M in SaaS revenue: https://lnkd.in/dUgY78_R

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Instantly upgrade your cold calls: Use social proof. Here's what this sounds like (and why you need to start using this now) 👇 The avg. rep convert 4.6% of their live conversations into a qualified meeting. Top reps book at 16.7%. A key difference? How they open the first 20-30 seconds. Master this and you'll book 3x more meetings. ⛔️ Conversation stoppers: What not to do "Hi Chris, it's Jason. How's your day going?" "Hi, is this Chris?" "Hi Chris, I'm calling from XYZ company. We help..." None of these SHOW the prospect you're a peer. You're wasting time with pleasantries. You're talking all about yourself. Drop that altogether. And do this instead. ✅ Drop social proof into your opener Example: "Hey Chris, it's Jason. I'm calling from ________. We're an approved AWS partner. We work with Google, Zoom, and Shopify. Do you have 30 seconds to hear why I reached out to you specifically?" How to make this your own: - Drop in 2-3 relevant companies - If you're an approved channel/ecosystem partner, mention that ✅ Drop in relevance into your opener Example: "Hey Chris, it's Jason. I'm calling from ________. I was calling about the recent acquisition of ________. Do you have 30 seconds to hear why I reached out to you specifically?" How to make this your own: - Drop in relevant research on their company - Drop in relevant research on them as an individual - Drop in relevant industry news (tariffs, new laws, etc if applicable) ✅ Bonus: Combine them together Example: "Hey Chris, it's Jason. I'm calling about the plant you just opened in Detroit. We partner with a few other manufacturers like ___________. Do you have 30 seconds to hear why I reached out to you specifically?" Combine them together for a killer opener. ~~~~ Chris Bussing had me on his show in person recently in Austin. Catch the full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/e9J5QzRZ

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Here’s EXACTLY how CRO Kevin "KD" Dorsey made 100 cold calls by 11 am. Preparation (so you can execute in the call block)  →75 names ready to go (having the list ready is EVERYTHING)  →Research on triggers & hooks for accounts is complete  →Cold call scripts & objections have been practiced Execution (with complete focus) →4 hours of dialing (25 dials/hour) →50 minutes on/10 minute break to “shake it off”, re-look at the script →10 bursts of 10 (10 bursts becomes 9 bursts becomes 8 bursts, etc., leveraging momentum bias in your favor as you count down.)  →Count down in each burst 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 (leveraging momentum bias.) →Expect 10% will answer (9 dials took 10 minutes, 1 conversation) →No research, email, LinkedIn, Slack while in the call block (just calls) Now that you know what it takes to be a highly productive caller, how about we get you an exact proven script to increase your pickup->conversation rates & conversation->meeting rates? 📲 DM me "cold call script" & I'll share my in-depth interview with Kevin (teaser below) where he walks through his script (from opener to setting the meeting)   As a BONUS I’ll share my free cold calling system that has proven cold calling principles, mindset, scripts, & 15 objection handling examples with responses! Happy Selling & Happy Living, Chris #coldcalling #salesdevelopmentrepresentative #techsales #saassales

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How to Ruin Your Life and Still *Just Barely* Hit Quota: In SaaS, there are two types of sellers: Seller #1: Transactional Sellers (aka “grinders”) - Deal Sizes: Small - Number of deals/year: High - Annual income: $150,000-$300,000 Seller #2: Strategic Sellers (aka “trusted advisors”) - Deal Sizes: Large - Number of deals/year: Low - Annual Income: $400,000+ WHICH SELLER ARE YOU? As I speak to ambitious sellers, I’m constantly saddened by how many of them are still working as Transactional Sellers. Trying to sell strategic products … And then getting frustrated when they’re not achieving at the levels they want to. I too used to be a transactional seller - I sold more deals than anybody on my team. But they were tiny, which required me to scrape and claw to still barely hit quota. Then I made MASSIVE investments in myself to become a strategic seller. My income went from averaging $241K/year at Salesforce my first four years (2013-2016), to averaging $718K/year my last four years (2017-2020) Strategic Selling = selling fewer, but larger transformational deals in your territory. Transactional sellers choose volume over quality, spending less time on more, but smaller deals. Strategic sellers choose quality over volume, spending more time on fewer, but larger deals. In sales, more deals doesn’t equal more income. The right deals with the right executives in the right accounts equals more income. Less is more … And low-value inputs will always produce low-value outputs. Doubling down on low-value inputs is how you ruin your life and still just barely hit quota. I did it myself. I almost lost my family and self-worth in the process. Don’t make the same mistake I did. In my Untap Your Sales Potential coaching program, I not only give you the tools to become a Strategic seller… (That’s the easy part) ...but I teach you to get there while becoming an even better person. And live an even better life. Book a free strategy call here to see if you're a good fit: https://lnkd.in/gf3zQSPy

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Follow this structure to increase your connect-to-meeting ratio and build trust from the first call: Cold calling that actually works: Most reps dial and pray. Top reps follow a system. Here’s a 5-step cold call script that sourced $2M+ ARR: 1. Trigger Don’t call out of the blue. Start with a recent event about their company to prove relevance. 2. Problem Frame a clear business challenge they’re likely facing. This makes them listen. 3. Validate Check if this problem is real for them. A simple “Is this something you’re seeing too?” keeps the call alive. 4. Handle Objections Expect “Not interested.” Stay calm, acknowledge, and pivot back to the problem. 5. CTA Don’t sell your product. Sell the value of taking a meeting to solve their problem. Stop spraying and praying. Start calling with a structure. This is how top sales reps get meetings booked consistently. 👉🏻 Follow Christian Krause for more such amazing content 👉 Follow Sales Tips for no-fluff sales tips.

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 Most deals don’t fail at closing. They fail way earlier because you chased the wrong prospect. 👉That’s why qualification is everything. I call it the 5-Step Deal Qualification Cycle: 1️⃣ Verify Pain 2️⃣ Confirm Budget 3️⃣ Map Decision Process 4️⃣ Assess Fit 5️⃣ Evaluate Competition If you master these, your close rate skyrockets. Stop chasing “maybe.” Start closing “must-have.” ➡️ Swipe the carousel for the full breakdown. ❓What’s the first question you ask when qualifying a deal? 👥 Follow me for more sales strategies that help you win smarter, not harder.

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Here’s the fastest way to improve revenue: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗢𝗽𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 I speak with 5-10 CROs every week. They often share dozens of disparate issues:  - Forecasting is a mess  - Sales handoff is broken  - Inbound leads are neglected  - They can’t measure customer health  - Outbound isn’t booking enough meetings  - Expansion deals keep slipping into next qtr  - Etc. Does this make your head spin? It made my head spin for a LOOOOONG time. Until I figured out how to isolate issues. McKinsey has a method for this: MECE  - Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive In layman's terms:  - Have separate buckets  - Make sure you have all the buckets So, we sat down to do this for GTM. First set of buckets:  - New Biz vs. NRR Second set:  - NB: Pipe Gen vs. Closing/Forecasting  - NRR: Renewals vs. Expansion Then we keep separating into different buckets. I start by asking one very simple question: “If you could improve one thing what would it be?” That’s it  No complex math No crazy 12 month plan Just one single thing to focus on Then we put it in the GTM Ops Roadmap And then we focus ALL our energy on it! If a CRO and VP of GTM Ops did NOTHING except work on improving new business closing, what are the chances they would succeed and improve Close Rates, ASP, and Sales Cycles? What do you think? 🤔 If you want the high-res image…. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 #𝟭: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 1. Like and comment “Hi res” below 2. Send me a LI connection request 3. We’ll send it over to you asap! 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 #𝟮: 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 1. Subscribe to our newsletter 2. You’ll get it in your inbox tomorrow (Sat) (𝗢𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵!) We’ll go deeper in tomorrow’s 📰 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙊𝙥𝙨 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 📰 We'll explain in detail how to use this framework. Subscribe to get it here: https://bit.ly/49RCm0h ✌️

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Most SDRs try to pitch first on cold calls. Big mistake. Start by winning the objection - then win the trust - then sell. (great cold calling skills will be your secret weapon in 2026) Here’s a simple 5-step cold call framework I’ve taught to 1000s of SDRs👇 1. Opener → Trigger the truth 🎯 Use their name and yours ❌ Don’t pitch yet 💬 Ask a low-context question to gauge their energy Example: “Hey Mark, it’s Chris Ritson - got a minute?” Listen closely to their tone - it'll tell you a lot about how they are feeling so you can respond effectively. 2. Reason for the call - Get Aligned ✅ Outline why you called them 👬 Refer to their persona so they feel like you understand their day to day challenges and role. 💥 Example: “Reason I called is I work with [insert persona] like you on challenges like [insert common challenge]. Mind if I grab a minute to chat more on that? This acts as a double permission based opener. The goal? Make them trust you so when you ask 'pain' questions they'll be more likely to tell you. 3. Comfort Blanket → Uncover Pain ✅ Recap how you help 🧠 Use “typically” language to surface real problems by listing 2/3 common challenges. 💥 Example: “Typically, when I speak with [insert persona] they tell me A, B & C are challenges. Then Ask: “Do either of those feel familiar?” The goal? Make them feel understood before you qualify. 4. Problem Storytelling → Build belief 🧩 Share a relevant story 🔍 Focus on the problem, not the company logo 📈 Use tangible, specific results Example: “John’s team went from 45% to 85% hitting quota in 3 months...” No need for industry-perfect stories - just relatable problems. 5. Confident Recommendation → Book it 🗓️ Recommend next steps, take control 🎁 Highlight what’s in it for them ⏰ Offer 3 times Example: “I recommend a 30-min call. Free tomorrow at 1, 2 or 3 - what works best?” Pro tip: book it within 5 days = 90%+ show rate. Bonus: One Last Thing → Qualify Smart 🎯 “What’s your ideal timeline to fix [problem]?” 👥 “Would it help to loop others in?” Use the last 30 seconds to learn just a little more. If your cold calls feel like battles, try flipping the script: Objection first. Then trust. Then value. Which step are you most excited to try? Let’s talk cold calls 👇

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Imagine paying your top rep $60K a year… To copy-paste names into a CRM. That’s what most B2B companies are still doing. And then they wonder why quota attainment keeps dropping. The problem isn’t effort. It’s enablement. Most reps don’t fail because they’re lazy, They fail because they spend 70% of their time on things that aren’t selling. They are: > Manually finding prospects > Checking who the CEO is > Cleaning lists > Figuring out what to say next Meanwhile, the real work like talking to buyers, running calls, closing deals... Gets pushed to the last 2 hours of the day. The truth? The highest ROI task for a rep is selling. Every minute outside of that is a leak in your revenue system. That’s why enablement is everything. You can’t scale pipeline if your reps are doing admin work. Give them clean data. Give them ready-to-run playbooks. Automate everything that doesn’t require human context. Because top-performing teams don’t just outwork everyone else, They out-system them. If you want predictable revenue, Start by enabling your reps to only do what moves the deal forward. What’s one repetitive task your team could automate today and never touch again?

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Sellers - here's some psychology behind why discovery matters *early* in your sales process. Without discovery... when you just "show" product. The customer is left to map their problems to your solutions alone. When your customer thinks they have connected all the dots, you lose control of the deal. Their perspectives are shaped. They don't need you. Your ability to show them why you're different, why your solution solves bigger problems dissipates. They only want price at this point. You're pigeon holed with the competition. You're likely either chucking hail mary probing questions at the wrong person, your just accepting your fate as a "vendor" at that point. AI, inbound tooling, etc... they're only making this harder on you. Sellers... you've got to know your S*** *and* you've got to know what questions to ask. If you're not carving out time to prep for your calls, you're likely: - skipping steps - missing pain - losing deals

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