Sales Multi-Threading Explained
In this episode of The Buyer’s World LinkedIn Live, host Hannah Ajikawo is joined by Kristen, a seasoned sales professional with a teaching background, to discuss multithreading and how it can strengthen your pipeline. They share practical tips and strategies for effectively multithreading deals to improve win rates and de-risk decisions for buyers.
Kristen's Background
Kristen has been a sales rep at three unicorn companies: Salesforce, Tableau, and Outreach. With a strong background in both sales and teaching, she now focuses on using her experience to help others learn from her successes and mistakes. Her approach combines high-level sales experience with educational techniques to guide reps and leaders toward success.
What Multithreading Isn’t
Kristen and Hannah clarify common misconceptions about multithreading:
It is not mass emailing everyone in an organization.
It is not asking at the end of a call who else should be involved without a strategic plan.
It is not connecting with multiple people at a target account without a purpose.
What Multithreading Is
Multithreading involves strategically engaging multiple stakeholders within an organization to build consensus and support for a decision. This approach de-risks the decision for the buyer, making it easier for them to move forward with a purchase.
Initial Interaction and Preparation
Before the first interaction with a new prospect, reps should:
Conduct thorough research to identify potential stakeholders.
Reach out to key decision-makers and influencers to inform them of the upcoming meeting.
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator or similar tools to map out the organization and develop a hypothesis about the decision-making unit.
Post-Meeting Strategies
After the initial meeting:
Verify who the key stakeholders are and involve them in follow-up discussions.
Send concise, value-focused recaps to all relevant parties.
Use digital sales rooms or virtual selling environments to facilitate ongoing communication and track engagement.
Internal Multithreading
Kristen emphasizes the importance of internal multithreading:
Engage internal executives and other team members to align with the prospect's executives.
Use ghostwritten emails to facilitate introductions and communications between internal and prospect executives.
Addressing Common Challenges
When dealing with large organizations with many potential stakeholders:
Focus on strategic initiatives and compelling events highlighted in public documents like 10-K reports.
Develop a hypothesis based on the organization's priorities and structure communications accordingly.
Handling Resistance
If a leader expresses concern about reaching out to multiple people:
Be transparent about your approach from the beginning.
Use permission-based strategies to keep stakeholders informed and involved.
Recognize that resistance can indicate a potential blocker and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Final Tips for Sales Leaders
Sales leaders should:
Provide reps with a Persona Matrix to simplify the process of identifying and engaging stakeholders.
Create templates for initial outreach, follow-ups, and introductions to make multithreading easier.
Encourage reps to seek insights from customer success and marketing teams to refine their approach.
Actionable Takeaways
Conduct Thorough Research: Identify key stakeholders and develop a hypothesis about the decision-making unit before the first interaction.
Be Transparent: Inform all relevant parties about meetings and follow-up actions to maintain trust and alignment.
Leverage Internal Resources: Engage internal executives and team members to support multithreading efforts.
Use Tools and Templates: Provide reps with the resources they need to effectively multithread and track engagement.
Embrace Mistakes: Understand that mistakes are part of the learning process and focus on continuous improvement.
