Mia Kelter

Your close rate sucks. And guess what? It's totally your fault. No, it’s not the leads. No, it's not your BDR team. No, it's not the economy. No, it's not even your product flaws. It's you. Plain old you. Here are 5 signs your approach is killing deals: ⇢ You talk too much ⇢ You don’t actually listen ⇢ You’re obsessed with “the perfect pitch” ⇢ You rush the process to hit your number ⇢ You care more about closing than helping And here’s what happens next... ⇢ You miss what the buyer really needs ⇢ You create pressure instead of trust ⇢ You handle objections that didn’t need to exist ⇢ You sound like every other rep ⇢ You lose the deal before it even starts Wanna fix it? Act less like a closer... And more like a guide. Ask real questions. Shut up more. Focus on helping, not selling. That’s how deals get done. What’s one sales habit you had to unlearn? ♻️ Repost if you're all about connection over closing. ✚ Follow Evan Pancer for real talk on sales that actually works IRL.

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I just interviewed the only SDR leader I know who's been in-seat for a full decade! Austin Hitchcock at Highspot has seen his company go from sub $2M to $100M+ ARR. Here's what he learned about why most SDR leaders hit a ceiling (and how to avoid it): Most SDR leaders get promoted up or pushed out within 24 months. Austin is different. He loves the role, the new challenges, and going DEEP on a specific function of the business. BACKGROUND At Highspot, Austin started as the founding SDR and is now Senior Director of Account Development leading a global team. He's watched the company 50x its revenue without getting stuck in the typical SDR leadership trap. His secret? "Keep giving away your Legos." Here's what separates SDR leaders who scale from those who plateau: 1. They solve NEW problems, not the same problems better - Don't just optimize dials and emails forever - Look at what the broader GTM team is struggling with - Become the person who bridges SDR function to the rest of revenue 2. They focus on pipeline quality, not just pipeline quantity - Austin scaled Highspot to 120+ SDRs then restructured the entire function - Why? Because conversion rates dropped and AE trust eroded - Now they comp on stage 2 pipeline progression and pipeline $, not just meetings booked 3. They build systems that work without them - The best SDR leaders make themselves replaceable in their current role - That's what makes them promotable to their next role 4. They stay close to the metrics that matter to executives - Pipeline creation, conversion rates, cost per opp, pipeline aging, win rate, etc. - Not just activity metrics that make you look busy or your team look good Austin's advice for SDR leaders feeling stuck: "Look at what the rest of the go-to-market team is struggling with. That's where you can help." TAKEAWAY SDR leadership is more strategic than ever. It's more valuable than it’s been in the past. The leaders who understand this will build careers that scale with their companies. The ones who don't will get left behind.

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