My first job in B2B technology was as a . . . get ready for it . . . telemarketing rep.

My job was to book appointments for my field reps. I had a phone, a list of names, and the #1 best-selling CRM of the late 80s and early 90s: a spiral-bound notebook.

I have to tell you I did a hell of a job with just those few resources. Fast forward to today. Telemarketing has evolved into Sales Development. No longer the red-headed stepchild, it’s now the launch pad for outstanding companies and amazing careers.

As Sales Development has grown in stature, so has it grown in complexity. If you want high growth, explosive growth, the kind of growth that weather satellites can see from space then you need to build this role into your strategy (and not bolt it on as an afterthought).

Enter the playbook

I'm extremely excited to announce the official release of The Sales Development Playbook. The book is available now on Amazon and the initial reviews are unbelievably gratifying.

I was compelled to write this book because of a major problem I’m seeing. There’s a fundamental misunderstanding of how to “do” sales development. Again and again, I see

As you may know, my book, The Sales Development Playbook, is coming out later this month. (Side note: This is my first and last book so enjoy!)

The publisher is releasing the book in ebook, physical, and audiobook formats. But I'm interested in how you read business books. 

I'm hoping you can spare 30 seconds for the poll below. You can also sign up to be notified when the book is released.

Thank you!

Josh Allen is a sales leadership veteran. From inside sales rep to manager to EMEA sales director to current VP of Sales at LogMeIn, Josh has a track record of leading successful teams. We recently sat down to discuss how he thinks about and measures KPIs for his sales reps.

(Note: LogMeIn is a remote access software/SaaS company with a higher-volume, lower-ASP model.)

Josh and LogMeIn have departed from traditional (one-size-fits-all) sales KPIs in favor of customized metrics for each and every sales rep.

"We've tried cookie cutter KPIs – for example, everybody has to make 60 dials a day, create 5 new opportunities a week, etc.  But when you apply KPIs broadly across different sales teams, and try to graph it, you're going to have people who are on the high end and the low end. And very few people who are actually meeting the target."

Rather than apply uniform metrics, they decided to build a formula that would be as customized as possible to the individual sales rep. Using historical sales performance, they isolate that specific individual’s metrics.

For anyone who works in a subscription-based business, where customers pay on a month-to-month basis and can cancel at any time, you know how critical customer retention is.

Through experience, I’ve learned that the ability to regain a customer once they’ve already decided to cancel is extremely difficult. You can throw incentives at them, beg and plead for them to stay, but they’ve likely already moved on.

Here are 3 ways to make sure you minimize the dreaded “I'm canceling” notice:

Get everyone involved

Your customers interact with many areas of your business (sales, support, billing, marketing, etc.) What I’ve found is that many times, your front line staff aren't always attuned to the signs of customer dissatisfaction.