6 lessons going from $36,000 to $1.6M

In a recent post, Chris Orlob talks about lessons from his SaaS sales career, where he went from earning $36,000 as an SDR to $1.63M in a year.

Here are his top 6 insights:

• Money follows pain: Don’t overwhelm customers with features. Focus on relieving their pain and delivering outcomes to close deals.

• Building skills pays off: Consistent learning is like future bank deposits. Studying an hour a day over time can transform your career.

• Business acumen is key: Understanding how businesses work makes all your other sales skills more valuable, from discovery to negotiation.

• Market matters: You need a good market, but don’t rely on that alone. Keep improving your skills while choosing the right opportunities.

• Be strategic with people: Involving the right people in deals at the right time is crucial. Randomly reaching out can hurt your chances.

• Sell for fast-growing companies: Aim for startups with product-market fit and solid comp plans. Avoid companies that are too early or too late.
  

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The 70/20/10 Sales Rule

Marcus Chan shares how he used the 70/20/10 rule to exceed sales targets for 13 straight years. This approach helped his team win the "Comeback Team of the Year" and produce 3 President's Club qualifiers, including the global #1 rep.

The 70/20/10 pipeline rule:

• 70%: "Singles and doubles" – Small to mid-size deals you can close frequently.

• 20%: "Triples" – Larger deals that take more effort but pay off bigger.

• 10%: "Home runs" – Massive deals that can cover 50-100% of your target.

Focus on closing the 90% (small and mid-size deals) while being strategic with the 10% (large deals).

Target absolutes:

Marcus built a sales team in 2013 using these 5 rules for large deals ($260K+):

1. Immaculate preparation: Be organized from first contact to installation.

2. Consistent prospecting: Always add new targets before they reach out.

3. Sell value: Emphasize your unique, full enterprise offering.

4. Leverage resources: Use senior leadership to support your deal.

5. Qualify relentlessly: Continually re-qualify deals to ensure they’re worth your time.

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