How a Sales Leader REALLY Feels About MQLs with Leslie Venetz | Horizons Pod

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Leslie Venetz is a respected B2B sales strategist, keynote speaker, and the founder of The Sales-Led GTM Agency. With 15+ years of experience as a top-performing B2B sales professional and three-time Head of Sales, Leslie has established herself as an authority on outbound sales, email strategy, and creating buyer-centric sales experiences.

Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…

1/ 🎯 The Money Myth: Top sellers aren't primarily motivated by commission• Once basic financial needs are met, money drops to 3rd-5th priority• Recognition, meaningful work, and team culture rank higher• Key insight: Build incentive structures around more than just cash2/ 🎧 Active Listening > Passive Silence • It's not just about not interrupting• Resist the urge to pre-plan your response• Focus on understanding vs. sharing your "similar story"• Use the 4R framework (including Resist) to improve listening skills3/ 💪 Earn The Right Before You Sell• Start by providing value before asking for attention• Apply this mindset to every interaction (emails, calls, meetings)• Test: "What have I done to earn the right to make this ask?"4/ 📊 Quality > Quantity for Account Load• Enterprise/ABM: ~50 accounts per rep• Transactional sales: 400-500 accounts• Work backward from revenue goals to determine actual needs5/ 🎯 Incentive Design Drives Behavior• Make quota attainment feel achievable• Structure bigger payouts at higher performance tiers• Allow reps breathing room for strategic territory management6/ 🤝 Marketing vs Sales: Partners Not Nemeses• Both face rejection and campaign failures• Attribution battles usually stem from executive pressure• Best results come from true cross-functional collaboration7/ 📝 Cold Email Excellence = Reduced Cognitive Load• Write at 3rd-5th grade reading level• Create visual space in messages• Make calls-to-action crystal clear• Focus on relevance to recipient8/ 📈 Product Led vs Sales Led: Choose Based on Price• PLG works best for products <$200/month• Higher price points justify full sales motion• Consider hybrid approach as you scale

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Where to find Leslie Venetz:

* The Sales-Led GTM Agency: https://salesledgtm.com/

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslievenetz/

* X: https://x.com/B2B_SalesCoach

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In this episode, we cover:

00:00 Leslie Venetz: Journey to Sales Leadership 01:46 Understanding Sales as a Helping Profession 06:45 Lessons from Early Sales Jobs 10:55 Navigating Product-Market Fit Challenges 16:46 Sales Strategies for Growth 19:51 Finding Product-Market Fit 24:36 The Art of Cold Outreach 32:35 Multi-Channel Sales Outreach Strategies 36:18 Multi-Channel Outreach Strategy 38:09 The Importance of Data Providers 39:43 Understanding Customer Acquisition Costs 42:41 Sales Development Rep Workload 46:25 Backtracking to Revenue Goals 48:05 The Misconceptions of Sales Motivation 51:17 Motivating Sales Teams Beyond Money 53:10 The Power of Active Listening 57:48 Incentive Design for Sales Teams 01:02:51 Earning the Right to Ask 01:06:55 The Role of MQLs in Sales

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Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them.

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