{"id":2486,"date":"2023-05-15T13:17:10","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T13:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/?p=2486"},"modified":"2024-04-02T06:04:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T06:04:56","slug":"paperflite-ae-varshni-sales-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/paperflite-ae-varshni-sales-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales Rookie to Successful AE: Meet Paperflite\u2019s Varshni Gurumoorthy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/varshni-gurumoorthy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Varshni Gurumoorthy<\/a> began her career as a network engineer. Over a year later, she switched to an AE role at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paperflite.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Paperflite<\/a>. After merely 2 years in the position, she now heads the New Business efforts for SMB at the organization. We can\u2019t help but wonder what the secret to her success is. How is she so good at closing deals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this first chapter of the <strong>Closers X Factor series<\/strong>, we pull back the curtains behind her winning discovery, demo, and negotiation strategies that have made her a top-performing AE, who consistently exceeds quotas month after month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"varshni-s-formula-for-a-successful-sales-call\"><strong>1) Varshni\u2019s Formula for a Successful Sales Call<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Varshni usually combines the discovery and demo for most prospects in one video call. The video call is scheduled for <strong>30 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is how she makes the most of the duration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>3 minutes of rapport building,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7 minutes of the discovery process,&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>15 minutes for the demo, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5 minutes for discussing pricing, onboarding, and next call if required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIf they&#8217;re like a very small startup, everything is done in that 30 minutes per se. But if it is an enterprise level conversation, it probably is going to get stretched out.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-many-questions-does-it-take-to-crack-sales-discovery\"><strong>2) How Many Questions Does It Take To Crack Sales Discovery?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Varshni\u2019s discovery process involves <strong>12 questions<\/strong>, which she uses to qualify leads. These questions are loosely based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/lead-qualification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lead qualification<\/a> frameworks like MEDDPICC and BANT.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make her conversation less interrogative, she gets the answers to <strong>5-6 questions out of the 12 qualification questions through research<\/strong>. Instead of asking those questions, she brings up the answers she found as part of the conversation and clarifies them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her 12 questions include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWhat prompted this discussion (about the solution) in your organization?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWhat are the problems you&#8217;re facing that you\u2019d like to change?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHow familiar are you with this ecosystem?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cAre you evaluating somebody with us at this point in time?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWho on the team would use the tool?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cThis is not an interrogation, and you should never make them feel like that. It&#8217;s always a good mix of give and take.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"here-s-how-to-sidestep-landmines-while-building-rapport\"><strong>3) Here\u2019s How To Sidestep Landmines While Building Rapport<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To make rapport building easier, Varshni <strong>refrains from expressing strong opinions<\/strong> about any controversial topics, like political issues, during the conversation with prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While she touches on where they&#8217;re from and their background, she chooses to stay neutral about any topics that they discuss in the initial minutes of the call.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cNever step into a conversation with a preconceived notion, because that not only talks about you, but also talks about your brand.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-art-of-un-zoning-prospects-who-zone-out\"><strong>4) The Art of Un-Zoning Prospects Who Zone Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During the discovery call, Varshni <strong>pays close attention to the non-verbal cues of prospects <\/strong>that indicate they\u2019re distracted or zoning out. These include prospects leaning back on their chair, or constantly avoiding eye contact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To win their attention back, <strong>she calls them out tactfully<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If the prospect keeps looking away from the screen, she\u2019d say: <em>\u201cHey, {first name}, looks like you probably got a message that you need to attend to. I could definitely give you a couple of minutes. And we can go back to this.\u201d<\/em><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Towards the end of the meeting, if the prospects seem agitated, she stops sharing the screen and says: <em>\u201cHey, I know that you&#8217;re probably a little anxious to prepare for the next meeting or whatever&#8217;s coming up for you next. I&#8217;d love to use the last couple of minutes to schedule another time, so we can pick up exactly where we left.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>During demos, when prospects seem too quiet, she usually <strong>asks them if a particular team member would benefit from a specific feature<\/strong>, as in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>\u201cJohn from your team would highly benefit from this. Do you think he will like it?\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This way, the prospect will brisk up as they have to put themselves in another person\u2019s shoes, and they\u2019ll remain interested and conversational for the rest of the demo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"identifying-champions-with-a-little-help-from-linkedin\"><strong>5) Identifying Champions With a Little Help From LinkedIn<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Identifying the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickleai.com\/blog\/build-an-internal-champion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">buyer champion<\/a>\u2014the stakeholder in the prospect\u2019s organization who could sell the product on the AE\u2019s behalf\u2014is not easy at all times.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, Varshni takes a different approach. She reaches out to the colleagues of the prospect through LinkedIn to identify the different stakeholders and collect other details that will help her close the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.introhive.com\/blog\/how-to-win-more-deals-with-multi-threading-relationships\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">multithreads different stakeholders<\/a> in the prospect\u2019s company. The stakeholder who engages the most with the emails could be the champion, she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIf the VP of Marketing is going to be talking to me, I talk to a marketing manager or a very simple account executive to see how it works there at this point in time. And with that feedback, you will also know who is going to be helping you.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-is-it-a-bad-idea-to-negotiate-right-after-the-demo\"><strong>6) Why Is It a Bad Idea To Negotiate Right After the Demo?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Varshni begins her demos with her product\u2019s feature that meets the prospect\u2019s high-priority use case<\/strong>, completing which she goes to the rest of the modules. She doesn\u2019t use any sales decks during demos, as she prefers walking the prospects through the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Varshni discusses pricing at the end of her demos, <strong>she does not negotiate immediately in the same call.<\/strong> As the prospects have just seen how the product looks and how much it costs, she asserts that its value must seep well for them to decide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cI like to give the buyers that time to digest.\u201d&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"reading-between-the-lines-to-negotiate-better\"><strong>7) Reading Between the Lines To Negotiate Better<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If the prospect initially agrees to the price that she\u2019d quoted, but they get back to her asking for a discount, she knows something\u2019s wrong. So, she tries to understand these <strong>3 points to negotiate<\/strong> better:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What are the vendors that they&#8217;ve looked at?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What initiatives they&#8217;ve invested in that are pushing into this budget?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What will be the value they get?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While Varshni prefers negotiating over emails, any sudden silence from the prospect\u2019s side for more than 2 days will get her to call them over Skype. If they agree to close the deal during the call, <strong>she gets an order form digitally signed by them immediately<\/strong> so that they can\u2019t ghost her after this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If she knows the price that the competitor is offering, Varshni would offer a discounted price that\u2019s 20% less than the competitor\u2019s price, <strong>only if they\u2019re willing to close the deal in a week\u2019s time.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-close-deals-in-an-economic-downturn\"><strong>8) How to Close Deals in an Economic Downturn?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The economy has slowed down, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/inflation-united-states-government-recessions-and-depressions-economy-business-c14699b792454e4d2d3d642d65ff4395\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">recession is looming<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To sell successfully in this economic climate, Varshni <strong>convinces prospects of her solution\u2019s value <\/strong>during her conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In her demos, she\u2019d discuss case studies to support her argument that her solution is the right investment in these times for the prospect.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>During her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/discovery-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discovery calls<\/a>, she\u2019d try to understand about the prospect\u2019s pain points not just at an individual level but an organization-wide level. This will help her see whether her solution can solve more problems so she can up-sell or cross-sell.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cFrom their end, you need to understand what they&#8217;re going through from their own words, so you will be able to help them better. As a process, I think you need to sell with buyers and not to buyers.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"on-the-side\"><strong>9) On the Side<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who Do You Follow on LinkedIn To Get Quality Sales Insights?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/aaronevanssalesenablement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Aaron Evans<\/a>, founder of Flow State.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/natenasralla\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Nate Nasralla<\/a>, founder of Fluint&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tedolson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Ted Olson<\/a>, strategic business consultant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is the Best Sales Advice You\u2019ve Ever Received?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong><em>\u201cBe authentic, be yourself. The moment you try to impersonate, it&#8217;s not going to end well.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>That\u2019s a wrap on the first episode of the<\/em><strong><em> Closers X Factor series, <\/em><\/strong><em>where we uncover the processes that help top-performing AEs close deals every time. We&#8217;ll be putting out a story of one outstanding AE every week, which you can read here. The series is written by me, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/akileish\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><em>Akileish R<\/em><\/a><em>, and edited by <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ashitha-j-content-writer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><em>Ashitha Jayaprakash.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Also, if you\u2019re in the mood to learn how top <\/em><strong><em>sales reps<\/em><\/strong><em> can break quota records, here\u2019s the previous season\u2014<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/resources\/sdr-xfactor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The SDR X Factor series<\/em><\/a><em>\u2014featuring <strong>8 quota-smashing SDRs<\/strong> from companies like G2, Metadata, Zinc, and more. See you real soon!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Varshni Gurumoorthy began her career as a network engineer. Over a year later, she switched to an AE role at Paperflite. After merely 2 years in the position, she now heads the New Business efforts for SMB at the organization. We can\u2019t help but wonder what the secret to her success is. How is she [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"rank_math_title":"Rookie AE to Sales Head: Meet Varshni Gurumoorthy of Paperflite","rank_math_description":"Varshni went from a rookie sales account executive to head of sales in just 2 years. Here, we reveal her processes that help her win tough deals and hit quota.","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-x-factor-series"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2486"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23844,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2486\/revisions\/23844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.klenty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}