Supercharge Your Sales Velocity: 11 Strategies for Predictable Revenue Growth
- Fergal O'Carroll
- Dec 11, 2024
- 4 min read
It was a cold and frosty morning here in Dublin when I sat down to record episode 2 of the Supercharge Your Sales Velocity podcast. Before diving into this week’s content, I shared a bit of personal news that I hope you’ll allow me a moment to enjoy.
A new client has booked me for a speaking engagement at a major annual convention in the US. The topic is right in the sweet spot of what we’re talking about here, boosting sales velocity using Generative AI. I want to give a huge thank you to Mike Weinberg, four-time Amazon bestselling author and expert in winning new sales, for this opportunity. We’ll be delivering multiple sessions together and I’ll be sharing plenty of what we learn along the way, both here and on stage.
Now, back to business.
What Is Sales Velocity?
If you missed episode 1, I broke down the concept of sales velocity in more detail. But in short, it tells you how efficient your sales process is by measuring how quickly you convert opportunities into revenue. Think of it as your daily revenue output from your active sales pipeline.
The formula has four levers:
Opportunity Volume
Deal Size
Win Rate
Sales Cycle Length
Today’s episode covered 11 practical strategies to move each of these levers. Let’s walk through them.
Driving More Opportunities
For Existing Clients:
Start with segmentation. Focus on those with high current revenue and future growth potential. Then build a proper key account plan. Not the boring documents you’ve seen before. My framework focuses on creating and sharing a vision with your client, setting SMART objectives, and clearly mapping the value you’ve delivered and the outcomes you plan to achieve together. I shared a story in the episode about how this approach helped me uncover a major pain point and turn a stagnant account into a big opportunity.
For New Prospects:
Define your ideal client profile. Look at who your best clients are today and go find more like them. Understand the different buyer personas and the jobs they need to get done. Then connect those jobs to your offerings. This approach is based on the Value Proposition Canvas and it helps you speak directly to what matters most to the buyer. From there, build a targeted list and messaging strategy.
Increasing Deal Size
Do Better Discovery:
Spend the time to understand the real business needs. Talk to multiple stakeholders. Build proposals that reflect value, not just features.
Focus on Long-Term Value:
Don’t chase short-term wins if they leave value on the table. Go after deals that align with your client’s long-term success.
Think Big:
One of my old sales leaders drilled this into us — if you do not ask for all of the business, you are unlikely to get it later. Be bold. Even if you fall short, you will usually land a bigger deal than if you played it safe.
Boosting Win Rates
Keep Qualifying:
Just because a lead looked good at the start does not mean it still qualifies today. Keep asking questions throughout the process. I told a story about a deal that looked nailed on but fell apart late because the salesperson never re-checked the approval process.
Craft a Strong Sales Story:
When someone asks what you do, do you talk about your product or about the problems you solve? Make it about them. Lead with value.
Build Trust and Control the Close:
Handle objections honestly and clearly define your close process. Do not hand over all control to procurement. Own the outcome.
Shortening the Sales Cycle
Set Realistic Close Dates:
So many reps throw in a date without confirming it with the client. If the close date is the 30th or 31st, that’s a red flag. Ask why the deal would close on that specific date. If there is no strong reason, it probably will not.
Fix Internal Bottlenecks:
Review your sales process. What slows you down? Is it legal review, pricing approvals or resource allocation? Fix just one of these and you may see faster deal cycles.
Use Generative AI:
AI will not replace the human element of sales but it can take repetitive tasks off your plate. Use it to move faster and work smarter.
AI Takeaway: Faster Insights
To wrap the episode, I shared a practical AI tip. If you want to extract insights quickly from long content like videos or reports, grab the transcript, paste it into ChatGPT, and ask for a summary. It turns two hours of content into something digestible in minutes. You can even ask AI to turn it into a quiz to test what you have learnt.
This one technique alone can save you hours and help you retain more of what matters.
That’s a wrap on episode 2. If you want to dive deeper into these strategies, I’ve put together a free guide that brings together this episode and episode 1:
How to Get the Revenue Growth You Crave
You’ll find the link in the show description. Please rate the show, subscribe, and if you found this helpful, share it with someone who wants to grow their sales faster.
Until next time, here's to more opportunities, bigger deals, and faster wins!
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