Mathijs Slangen - The Sales VP

Any thoughts?

7. Sales & marketing: Better together
Putting sales & mkt under one umbrella just makes sense. It eliminates silos, enables faster decision-making, ensures both teams are aligned in responding to opps. A unified approach drives better collaboration, clearer comms, and ultimately, better results.

6. Moving beyond the hunter/farmer model
I’ve grown skeptical of the traditional hunter vs. farmer framework. Sales is rarely that binary. While people naturally gravitate toward certain strengths, the best sales pros are adaptable. They cultivate relationships while driving new opps.

5. No one-size-fits-all seller
Sales is diverse. Ideally, you’d have specialists for every niche, but smaller teams often need to wear many hats. Success comes from knowing your team’s strengths and aligning them to the right opportunities.

4. Micro-manage outcomes, not activities
Yes, I’m a believer in micro-management—but hear me out. It’s about focusing on results, not hovering over tasks. Trust your team to execute; your role is to guide and hold them accountable for the outcomes.

3. CRM: A tool for conversation, not criticism
A well-utilized CRM is a powerhouse, but it’s not easy to master. It should spark dialogue: share insights, best practices, and strategies—not just highlight gaps or what’s missing. Use it to build, not blame.

2. The player-coach model doesn’t work
I’ve tried it. Repeatedly. Having sales managers carry a quota alongside their team dilutes focus and impact. Sales managers should be dedicated to enabling their team’s success, not splitting their attention

1. Never stop coaching
The most impactful thing you can do as a sales leader is invest in coaching. It’s not just about skill-building—it’s about creating a culture of growth, accountability, and success. Coaching isn’t a “nice-to-have”; it’s the backbone of a thriving sales org.

As we step into another year of challenges and opportunities, I’ve been reflecting on the key learnings and strategies that have driven success for my sales teams. Here are a few resolutions and lessons I’d like to share:

Love it. And very true

6/ The key? Keep the customer focused on your unique value while addressing their red ocean concerns.

How do you navigate red-ocean comparisons while staying in your blue ocean lane?

(Great book btw: Blue Ocean Strategy by Mauborgne & Kim!)

5/ But don’t lose sight of your goals:
C) Stay firm. Don’t get dragged into competing on the same terms as others—avoid the race to the bottom

4/
A) Highlight your blue ocean value:

Innovative approach

Unique solutions to their problems

B) Build trust:

Show them switching isn’t risky

Demonstrate reliability alongside innovation

3/ Here's the challenge: showcase your uniqueness while also building confidence in your ability to deliver.

2/ In the blue ocean, you thrive by standing apart—no pricing wars or endless comparisons. But customers, being risk-averse, often pull you into red ocean territory, where you're compared to incumbents.

Thread: Navigating Blue vs. Red Oceans in Sales

1/ Leaving some food for thought this weekend: Sales is often about balancing between the blue ocean (differentiation) and red ocean (competition). Here's how to navigate the tricky middle ground:

Customer Lifetime Value: CLTV: CLTV vs: CAC: Balancing Acquisition Costs - FasterCapital Understanding the concepts of Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is crucial for businesses aiming to optimize their marketing strategies and ensure financial health. CL...

This is probably one of the most important ratios to watch. Not every month but once or twice a year to see if you are on the right path with your sales and mkt org. Good read: fastercapital.com/content/Cust...

Google’s NotebookLM now lets you to talk to its AI podcast hosts A few months ago, Google’s NotebookLM note-taking app debuted an Audio Overviews feature that generates a podcast with AI virtual hosts based on information you have shared with the app. Now, NotebookLM is rolling out the ability for users to interact…

Google’s NotebookLM now lets you to talk to its AI podcast hosts

Gender parity in sales - Institute of Sales Professionals The sales industry is rife with contradictions, presenting a complex landscape where gender disparity and performance often seem at odds. On the one hand, it remains heavily male-dominated, with men r...

www.the-isp.org/gender-parit...

Good overview of major differences in b2c and b2b sales

With several signs of a bit of a subdued outlook for demand in 2025, it is even more important to find this sweet spot.

Sales is the art of balancing: personalized to be effective, generalized to stay efficient. Lean too far into personalization, and you risk losing scalability; lean too far into efficiency, and you lose the human touch. Success lies in mastering the sweet spot where both coexist seamlessly.

Brick and mortar sales down—online sales up.

Forbes…

Retailers Locked Up Their Products—and Broke Shopping in America CVS, Target and other chains have barricaded everything from toiletries to cleaning supplies. It’s backfired in almost every way.

Seems like people wanna talk about all the locked-up stuff at chain pharmacies and big box stores today. Here’s a gift link to a feature I published a few months ago about why retailers started putting so much stuff behind plexiglass and how badly it’s backfired. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Sales Enablement Maturity Model: 5 Levels of Maturity Learn the 5 stages of sales enablement maturity and get actionable advice on how to go from “first steps” to a “value-driven” enablement program

I like this recent Highspot article on sales excellence. The most important element in my view is to indeed build a model and stick to it. For every project I use 3 steps:
a) setup up process
b) create insights and rhythm
c) going for excellence

Very effective

www.highspot.com/sales-enable...

Very true. Especially during this time of the year. 1001 different opinions. In my view one of the most challenging tasks in sales is to find the right plan. I would love a commission free sales plan. Seems a utopic thought right?

Many ask me how important talent is in sales. And yes, it helps especially when it comes to reading situations and timing.

But far more important is an insane level of discipline, relentless follow-up, and rock-solid structure.

Talent might open the door, but it’s discipline that closes the deal

I regret to inform you all that Bluesky has hit “I’m getting asked about it in meetings” levels of taken seriously in terms of marketing.

Great book btw from Mauborgne and Kim

New marketing strategy just dropped