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“Self-care has become a new priority – the revelation that it’s perfectly permissible to listen to your body and do what it needs.” ― Frances Ryan Burnout - lets talk about it!It’s one of those subjects that often gets mentioned, but never really discussed. I think it’s time to change that.I am actually quite surprised that in today’s day and age it has not been classified as a medical condition yet, because let’s face it – it is.Burnout is very popular and happens more often than people would like to admit. It’s that state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, caused by prolonged, work-related stress. In order to come up with ways of avoiding it, let’s break down the definition to see how each of the factors can be FIXED!Emotional exhaustionEmotional exhaustion is a state of feeling emotionally worn out and drained. This can be easily improved by ensuring we eat right, take technology breaks, meet with our friends, and of course exercise. Yes, many people could argue that exercise is a suggested remedy for almost everything nowadays, but in this case it is true. Exercise releases chemical endorphins to the brain which triggers a positive feeling in your body. So there, we have proof that going for a run or taking that HIIT class is worth it!Mental exhaustionMental exhaustion is similar, but the symptoms can be more severe, as the person experiencing this feeling starts to be detached, showing apathy towards their work colleagues and the work itself. The first thing to do if possible is to remove the stressor. If it is an overwhelming task at work, perhaps speak to your Supervisor – see if they could offer you some help. Don’t feel that you have to go through this alone.Again, try to eat well and stay active, but also practice relaxation techniques like yoga, massage, or mindfulness – all scientifically recognized to lower stress and anxiety.Physical exhaustionPhysical exhaustion is an extreme state of unrelenting fatigue and sometimes it can be brought on by the previously mentioned mental exhaustion. Being in this state can cause dizziness, chronic tiredness, and headaches, which if untreated can lead to moodiness, slow reflexes or even bad judgement/decision making.Get some sleep! Clocking in your 7 - 9 hours of sleep a night can restore well-being. Set aside some time each day to stretch and try eating foods that improve your energy level, like nuts, fish, and cheese. Magnesium is an essential mineral to promote a healthy nervous system, energy production, and for muscle relaxation.Also, if you ever notice that someone around you is starting to display any of the above signs, see if they are ok, offer them help. Trust me, it will make their day!

As businesses across the globe are forced to transition to a remote and digital workforce, so are interviews.  Zoom, Skype, Teams and other video conferencing tools are becoming today’s interviewing norm. The truth is, whether you’re an interview guru or just jumping back into the job market, technical issues and unexpected trip-ups are now more possible than ever before.  So be prepared. Put yourself in the best situation to ensure you crush your video interview.Below are a handful of tips and tricks gathered from recruiters, hiring managers, candidates and industry professionals to put you in the best position possible: PREPARE YOUR TECHNOLOGY In an ideal, even typical situation, you would be sitting across the table from your recruiter or hiring manager.  However, with today’s circumstances, video conferencing is the next best thing.  With this, comes different video platforms; you should check to see if you need to create an account, download an app, or insert a password.  Additionally, be sure to test your connection prior to the interview.  You don’t want your first impression to be that you were late because you couldn’t figure out the platform. Test your camera and mic – nothing else can start an interview on the wrong foot, than a webcam or mic malfunction.  You don’t want to be the “Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?” interviewee. This one seems simple, but is commonly one that is forgotten…charge your device!  Whether you are taking the interview on your phone or computer, be sure you are sufficiently charged or if possible, plug into a power source. DRESS THE PARTYou should still dress to impress!  This helps to not only boost confidence, but will also leave a strong first impression.  Plan to wear the same clothes you’d wear if you were meeting in-person…yes this includes pants.  We have all heard the jokes about taking video calls in your underwear, but don’t let that be you.  Most likely, the interviewer(s) will only see your face and shoulders, but you should be prepared. BODY LANGUAGE AND SPEECHVideo interviews can be uncomfortable and seem unnatural, but do your best to be yourself and get your personality across.  Be mindful of your posture, remember to nod and be engaged, try not to fidget, and don’t forget to smile!  Gesture with your hands as you normally would and don’t feel restricted or stiff just because you are talking to a computer screen. Do your best to speak clearly and deliberately.  Issues with internet and connection can occur and this can cause delays or sound quality issues.  So be adaptable and do your best to ensure your audience is understanding you.  Try pausing momentarily before responding, as there can be a delay and cause you to talk over one another. Eye contact.  This one can be a bit more challenging depending on your computer/webcam set up, how many interviewers are on the call or how the platform displays the video.  Your impulse is typically to look at the face on the screen or be distracted by yourself.  A few helpful tips:Look at the camera as much as you can (this will give the appearance of making eye contact)Place a sticky note over yourself on your screen as to not be distractedPosition your camera at eye-level for the most flattering and straight forward anglePractice! (remember it doesn’t come natural to look at the camera rather than the people on the screen) BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR ENVIRONMENTBeware of any potential distractions such as family, friends or pets.  Try to ensure you have privacy and won’t be interrupted or distracted.Turn your camera on before your interview and evaluate your background and lighting.  Have a professional, clean and clutter-free background within the frame. And don’t forget to check your lighting, no one wants to join an interview and realize you are so backlit, it looks like you’re taking the call from a dungeon. If the lighting isn’t favorable:Try facing a window to get natural lightSet up a light or two behind the screen to brighten yourself and backgroundIncrease the brightness on your screen to add some illumination to your face BE ADAPTABLEIt’s important to remember that technical issues or distractions can and do happen, even if you prepare.  Things can take place on your end or the interviewers, they are in the same situation as you and working to do what they can to give you the best interview experience. Be patient and be understanding. DON’T FORGET TO FOLLOW UPThis will always be a best practice for any type of interview.  Remember to leave a strong impression and send a thank you note to the interviewer(s)

Landing a highly sought-after position at a cutting-edge tech company is certainly not an easy feat. An executive sales position in the technology industry is even more challenging.The application process is essentially an audition — before you can sell the service, first you must sell yourself to your potential employer. Even if you have many years of experience, you may feel like your job applications are just being thrown away without consideration. I understand how this can feel defeating, but don't lose your motivation.The good news is, if you are experiencing a lack of replies, there's a good chance it's not due to lack of ability. You probably just need to rethink the way you are tackling the application process. For example, working with a recruiter is highly beneficial, but you need to find the right one. Networking can do wonders for your career development, but you don't want to waste your time. As a recruiter, I hear the frustrations of job-seekers just like you every day. At the same time, I also hear first-hand from tech companies on what they are looking for in the ideal candidate. I've compiled knowledge from both sides of the playing field to create this list of the five most effective practices for landing a position in technology sales.Finding a recruiter you connect with will make all the difference If you are eager to grow your career in enterprise SaaS sales, partnering with a stellar recruiter is not only going to be ultimately game-changing, it's going to be the distinguishing factor in landing your dream role. Connecting high-growth organizations with the right candidates is what recruiters do for a living; it's their passion. They are experienced and eager to provide you valuable insight into the interview process, and even suggestions on your resume. They'll help prepare you for finalizing offers, including compensation conversations and tips for turning in your resignation. Most importantly, your recruiter knows what's out there; they will be able to point you in the right direction for the highest growth opportunities.To get the most out of your recruiter, be upfront and transparent with them from the very beginning. With collaboration from you, your recruiter will schedule top-notch interviews for you and advise you about the growth path that is best for you and your future. Start the relationship off on the right foot by telling them not only your strengths but also the areas in which you need to improve. They'll take the time to help you frame your weaknesses as opportunities while making your experience stand out from the masses. Your recruiter will be your greatest advocate, as long as you allow them to be.Always keep your finger on the pulse of the latest industry news Even if you are content with your current position, you must stay current with industry trends and developments.  In technology sales, the last thing you want is to look out-of-date. In addition to helping you build credibility, staying current will give you resources to offer everyone you talk to — such as your boss, colleagues and clients — a valuable piece of information. Soon, your peers will view you as a thought leader, and they will seek you out for expertise and wisdom.Reading the news from relevant publications every day will keep you current on what is happening around the globe, and how it impacts your industry. Having this unique insight will not only impress your potential boss but will also make you appear knowledgeable to current and future clients. Additionally, find journals and blogs that you enjoy reading and sign up for their email newsletters, this will make it very easy to keep track of the latest trends and technologies. Put yourself in the best position to seize opportunities before the rest!Networking is crucial Opportunities are often hidden in the most unlikely places. You should never, ever put networking on the back burner, especially if you are looking to move up the sales career ladder. Networking consists of using your peers, both professional and personal, to assist in the achievement of career goals. A study conducted by LinkedIn found that 70 percent of people were hired at a company where they had a connection. Regular online interaction with your professional network will keep you current on the latest job opportunities, help you create new partnerships and give you an insider perspective on the company you've had your eye on. Professional conferences and networking events are outstanding resources for meeting like-minded professionals and learning about opportunities coming up. It can often be challenging to identify which events will bring you the highest return, so talk to your recruiter; they'll be able to help you uncover the best ones.Market yourself wisely If you are growing your career in SaaS sales, you are likely competing with some of the most skilled sales reps out there. It's essential that you know your worth — and that you are prepared to talk about it. Interviewing is all about storytelling and marketing yourself. You'll want to tell your story by painting a story of how all of your sales experiences have led to this very moment.Luckily there is a growing number of professionals who can help you market yourself and prepare you to compete against other people in your industry looking to grow. Career coaches can help you make knowledgeable decisions about your career course and the next steps in your professional development. They can even help you with your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Make sure you find one with plenty of experience in your industry.Understand your personal metrics To a seasoned business development professional, this may often seem too basic, but in fact not understanding what makes you successful or holding yourself honest can be the downfall of performance. Setting sales key performance indicators (KPIs) for yourself, regardless of the ones your company has set for you, is critical for being able to sell yourself during an interview, especially in the SaaS industry. Though some primary KPIs are still important, modern-day SaaS salespeople should embrace newer sales goals, as this industry has less focus on selling a product, and more emphasis on providing trustworthy customer service. Measurements should concentrate on turning leads into happy monthly customers, and then upselling them to more premium services.Here are some common KPIs to measure:New leadsClient acquisition ratesSales volume by locationCompetitor pricing strategiesExisting client engagementUpsell ratesNet promoter score (NPS)Sales cycle lengthOnce you've analyzed your data to come up with the KPIs, practice talking about how you got these results, determine how you can improve upon your performance, and outline the steps you are taking. Make sure you are meeting your self-set quotas every month and try your best to be in the top 20 percent of your team.Working with cutting-edge technology, meeting talented people in the industry and having the opportunity to learn and grow with your peers are all great benefits to working in technology sales. I work with many of the world's fastest-growing tech companies who are looking to recruit exceptional sales talent, such as yourself. With a background in middle- to senior-level sales myself, I have a unique perspective on supporting employees in making big career moves. If you have a proven track record within SaaS sales and are eager to grow your career to the next level, reach out to me today at lynn.tang@adaptivetech.io.I look forward to hearing from you; the possibilities are limitless!

Displacing an existing solution is one of the toughest challenges in sales. Here’s how to tackle it.Running into an incumbent supplier throws down a gauntlet to any ambitious account executive.It’s a true test of salesmanship to uproot an existing provider, but it can seem like an impossible task to triumph in the face of your established competition, especially when they likely have longstanding relationships and superior customer knowledge in their favour. However, the rewards of doing so can be exceptional.Toppling incumbents requires research, strategy and outstanding execution.How do you pull it off?PositioningHow you first approach the discussion with a prospect is critical. Adopting the stance that you are competing directly with the existing solution - as though you were both pitching for the same first-time business - quickly leads to a head-to-head feature battle where you are the unknown contender up against a reigning champ.Inertia and resistance to change will quickly win out.    Rather than take this path, move the discussion to a choice between investing in your solution and maintaining the status quo, positioning the incumbent as the ‘doing nothing’ option rather than revitalising them as a competitor to be defeated from scratch.  Re-framing the dialogue in this way helps add freshness and momentum to your proposal and legitimises a discussion around change and an investment opportunity with ROI potential. Find Someone Who Really CaresEvery sales rep’s training double-underlines the importance of pitching high up the org chart and impressing the fabled C-suite.While this is important (we’ll see why later), somewhere in the decision-making group is someone whose job performance (and potentially, career path) will change if they have a better tool to deliver better results. Rather than waste time presenting feature comparisons to a disinterested boardroom, invest this time detailing the superior functionality your solution offers to the key user group and getting them personally invested by understanding the impact this investment could have on their own trajectory.If you’re working at a smaller vendor, the chances are that your product goes deeper in key areas and has a high chance of evolving faster than a creaky enterprise solution that has workarounds, patches and add-ons used to tape over the cracks. It also helps to weight your demos towards any short-term feature advantages, so that prospects can envisage real-life improvement with your solution straight out of the gate.To back you up, work with marketing and sales enablement to get real-life customer success stories. It’s a cliché for reps to tell customers that “tons of people are moving over to our product”. Even if it’s true, it sounds hollow.Few things hit harder than a compelling customer testimonial detailing why they switched and what the results have been.If your company has a genuine chance of winning business away from comfortable incumbents on a meaningful scale, it’s worth showcasing the rationale to move in full.Aim high, think bigJust as your interactions with those closest to the product should be big on user benefits, it’s vital to switch gears when your time comes to pitch to senior leadership.A few things are important here: Demonstrate value creationSenior business leaders are primarily concerned with cost, risk and revenue.Moving away from an established solution creates risk.Unless your offering is significantly cheaper, any cost savings may fail to outweigh the risk of change (plus disruption caused by migration, integration, retraining etc.).This leaves you with revenue.Focus on how your solution creates new revenue opportunity for the customer wherever possible (quicker time to market, creation of actionable data insights, employee productivity, advanced competitor intelligence etc.).Keep in mind that hinting at and demonstrating revenue potential aren’t the same thing. If you’re pitching to a large buyer, you’ll need to show detailed projections in your proposal exactly as an entrepreneur would pitching for investment. Treat your C-suite audience as investors and show them how adopting your solution leads to top-line growth.The chances are that the incumbent is asleep at the wheel regarding the way their product is impacting the customer’s financial performance, so if you deliver a compelling presentation you stand a chance of pitching against an opponent who fails to show up.Sell the dreamTo win over big-picture thinkers in senior positions, reps need to present their solution as a long-term game-changer that helps the customer achieve their strategic goals. This means beginning with a vision of the full solution in action, showcasing all the ways that it supports business objectives. Taking this as a start point has a radically different impact from beginning with a feature-led product demo and working your way up to how the solution creates value in the long term. Meet risk head-onA big headwind against anyone trying to displace incumbents is the risk associated with change. From who shoulders responsibility if a supplier switch goes south, to the financial and performance impacts on a business level, risk is on everyone’s minds.Leaving this up to the customer to figure out on their own is only delivering half the pitch.Instead, you need to work (much) harder than your customer to show that you have stepped into their shoes and understood the risk of change, creating a thorough, actionable transformation journey that demonstrates how each relevant risk factor can be managed and mitigated. ***Check out Adaptive Tech's SaaS sales jobs across the US and Europe in our job listings here.We recruit for AEs, CSMs, SDRs, VPs and Sales Engineers across fast-growing and established SaaS vendors at all levels.

What does personal brand mean, how do you build one… and do you need it to sell software?The idea of ‘personal branding’ doesn’t seem to fit naturally into the software sales space at first. Personal branding for, say, a life coach?Sure. Life coaches are what they sell, so it stands to reason that they work hard on building their own reputation as much as that of the service they offer. Software sales rep? Perhaps not so obvious.Sales reps concentrate on promoting an existing brand – that of the software manufacturer whose product they’re representing. Why would they need – or want – a brand of their own?And yet some of the world’s greatest brands (many of them in tech) are closely linked to the reputations of the key individuals who are behind their success. Apple had Steve Jobs, Microsoft and Bill Gates are inextricable for many, and the visionary leadership of Jeff Bezos continues to push Amazon to new heights. In these high-profile instances, personal brand and corporate success intertwined to create an enhanced reputation and ultimately drive spectacular results. In the era of social selling, can sales reps learn from this marriage of personal and commercial brand-building pioneered by entrepreneurs, and what benefits can it bring?What is a ‘personal brand’?It can be helpful to start by clarifying what personal brand is not. Despite the efforts of many would-be internet entrepreneurs, a personal brand is not about working meticulously to create a public-facing image which is at odds with a concealed reality. Instead, personal branding is about taking action to ensure that your passions, values and experiences are clearly and authentically communicated to an audience – ideally a targeted audience that moves within your commercial field and will derive value from being included in your network. In it’s simplest form, personal brand is how others see us. While sales reps may work for someone else’s organization, represent a product they didn’t build, or earn a living by selling a solution they didn’t design, each person is an individual with a unique trajectory and set of experiences. Throughout their careers, sales reps (while following a broadly similar career pattern):Help different customers in different marketsEncounter and solve different commercial challenges Read, analyze and react to different news sourcesNetwork with different peers, managers and out-of-industry contactsAttend and learn from different events, conferences and trainingsDevelop different methodologies, approaches and valuesThe sum of these factors – plus many others – creates a unique profile. If the prominent characteristics of this profile can be accurately and regularly shared with a relevant community, the result is the development of a personal brand. How does it help?The way we develop our professional personas can have a direct impact on our ability to exert influence, attract opportunity and ultimately drive sales.An easy way to understand personal brand in action is to take a moment to think about the people we would turn to in our personal lives for guidance or advice.They often have a lot in common with one another.They’re usually people we trust, people with integrity, experienced in the field in which we’re asking for assistance, and – if they’re outside of our immediate circle – people we’ve heard positive things about from our own close contacts.Personal brand in business replicates this pattern, and helps professionals in all disciplines to establish a reputation in their domain which draws business and opportunity towards them. That reputation can differ greatly from one individual to the next.One person’s personal brand may be anchored in work ethic, another’s in innovation.Someone else may build their brand around thought leadership within a niche field.Whatever the foundation, personal brand provides people with a platform from which to communicate with an engaged audience – ultimately creating the opportunity to impart advice, generate discussion, facilitate introductions, share content or recommend a purchase.How do you build your brand?Although the power of personal brand lies in its authenticity, it does require careful definition in order to be consistently communicated.  As with any brand, this exercise involves some fundamental categorization:Your audienceWho is it that you help, what is the market sector in which you hope to attract a following and develop a reputation?Your valueWhat core problem do you solve, and what value does your network and audience derive from their connection to you?Your authorityWhat is your credibility founded on, what is your experience and what have you accomplished?Your identityWhat’s your story, what are you passionate about, and how does this fit your brand narrative?Defining and brand and inventing a brand are not the same thing.Where inventing implies plucking a set of values from thin air in order to create a desired (and unsubstantiated) veneer, definition means working out what’s at the heart of your professional identity and making sure brand-building activities are aligned with this. ***Once you’ve defined your personal brand, it’s time to put yourself out there and engage with your audience. Opportunities to develop brand identity are all around, as long as activity supports brand objectives by sharing relevant value with a target audience.Common steps to build personal brand include:TwitterLinkedIn (articles, vlogs, groups and thread discussions)Podcasts (personal and guest participation)YouTube channels (explainer videos, Q&As, tutorials, reviews)WebinarsBlogs (corporate blogs, Medium articles, industry publication guest blogging)Meetups and networking events (hosting, organizing and attending)Conference and event participation (panel moderation, roundtable participation, keynote speaking)Whether it’s solving a specific business problem, reposting an article or patting yourself on the back by sharing positive customer feedback, there are abundant opportunities to connect your daily professional experience with your target audience in a way that creates value for them while strengthening your persona. Telling stories, teaching and entertaining all help to reflect your values and interests.Build the right connections with the right people, and the rewards will soon follow. ***Adaptive Tech recruits on behalf of high-growth SaaS vendors, filling roles at all levels including SDR, CSM, AE, Sales Engineering, VP and more.You can check out Adaptive Tech's SaaS sales vacancies in our job listings here.

Money-maker or deal-breaker – is your LinkedIn profile optimized to help you sell?A busy sales rep’s LinkedIn profile gets views from hundreds of people for hundreds of different reasons, reaching far beyond direct prospects checking them out online.Every post, comment, like or share reverberates through the online community of 500m+ members, and building a powerful profile that pro-actively contributes to pushing new and existing prospects along the sales funnel can be an investment worth many thousands of dollars in its cumulative impact.Looking to turn your LinkedIn profile from a static bio into a lead-gen engine?Here are the essentials:1. PhotoOK, let’s get through this one fast - LinkedIn profile photos have the simple purpose of presenting you as an approachable professional.You might be amazed that this point even makes our list, but… let’s just say that there are some wide-ranging interpretations out there of what this concept might mean.Remember, the function of your photo is to help bridge the gap that exists from not meeting your customer in person.So, if your picture shows you cropped out from a blurry wedding group photo, behind reflective ski goggles or zoomed out to 1,000 yards on top of a mountain peak, you’re creating a needless barrier that can be solved with a neutral background and a cell phone camera.Easy fix.2. Banner imageYour profile’s banner image is freely available advertising space – why not make use of it?As a minimum, it should represent your brand for top-of-mind awareness – ideally with your company’s tagline.At best, have your marketing team create a banner image that delivers an elevator pitch of your offering, compelling headline sales data, an engaging screen capture or a client quote. What’s likely to move prospects down the funnel faster – a generic cityscape backdrop or a powerful customer testimonial?3. HeadlineLinkedIn offers you the chance to customize your ‘headline’. This is not the same as your current job title – it’s what sits at the top of your profile, and what people will see when you pop up in their news feeds.To get the most out of it, tell people about the results you create, not your job function.Who’s going to get a foot in the door faster with target prospects in the video adtech space?'Account Executive' or 'Helping marketers improve ROI on video ad spend'Quick hint – it’s best not to go overboard here. Remember to keep it intelligible and relevant. You’ll see plenty of quirky and well-intentioned headlines that actually confuse more than they help, e.g. "Delighting customers with awesome user experiences"OK... so what do you do?4. SummaryYour summary sits right under your photo and is the centrepiece of your profile.This is your chance to promote your solution - not yourself.As well as an engaging overview of your product and how it helps customers, remember you can drive prospects to even more compelling sales materials – product overview videos, customer testimonials etc.Use specific page links - don’t make prospects work to find good information about your offering.If you want to frame your solution with some context about the company behind your product, try and keep it concise.A deluge of stats about growth, investment, awards etc. can obstruct your key message – the problem you solve for your customers.5. ActivityThis is where prospects can see what you’re up to on the LinkedIn platform.If you’re a real solutions expert in a niche community, that should shine through – what do you like, what do you share?What do you comment on, what do you say?Who do you engage with?Details like this can be the difference between prospects returning calls or answering emails… if they look for evidence that you’re engaged with your community but your profile is a ghost town – you have to work that much harder.6. ExperienceWhen top sales reps summarize their experience, they find a way to intertwine their experience with results they’ve achieved for their customers.You can still showcase your personal performance, but take a look at the difference below:'Exceeded sales quota by 15% for 3x consecutive years' vs 'Exceeded sales quota by 15% for the 3x consecutive years, helping over 120 accounting firms save an average of 30% on payroll processing costs'7. MediaAttaching media to your profile (in the form of flyers, product overviews, data sheets etc.) is a chance to get any visitor who lands on your profile to explore your product.It often takes weeks of emails, calls, voicemails and old-school prospecting to get a chance to show a prospect the highlights of your solution – why miss the chance if they’re on your profile, ready to learn?Just make sure it’s up to date, and work with marketing to ensure content is evergreen. Outdated market reports, product releases or company news weaken your relevance and can do more harm than good.8. RecommendationsWhile you’re not in control of any unsolicited recommendations graciously bestowed by benevolent co-workers or customers, it’s common practice for mutually respecting peers or business associates to request recommendations to round out their profile.If you do pro-actively seek recommendations (plenty of people do), it’s worth asking if connections can reference your business impact as well as your personal qualities.Again, the difference can be powerful:'Helen was a pleasure to work with - responsive and professional' vs 'Helen was a pleasure to work with - responsive, professional, and helped us dramatically reduce the amount of time we spent finding key data across our organization.'***Adaptive Tech recruits on behalf of high-growth SaaS vendors, filling roles at all levels including SDR, CSM, AE, Sales Engineering, VP and more.You can check out Adaptive Tech's SaaS sales vacancies in our job listings here.