“Prioritizing the Long-Term. The Power of a Quota-Free Approach.”

By Shawn Conahan, CRO of the Year, and Tristan Barnum, CMO at Wildfire.

Introduction

In the sales world, quotas and commissions have long been the driving force behind the behaviors and outcomes of salespeople. However, Shawn Conahan and Tristan Barnum have taken a different approach. They believe in the power of long-term relationships with clients they refer to as partners, and have built their sales team around this philosophy. In a recent podcast interview, Shawn and Tristan shared their insights on how they train and mentor their sales team to focus on building lasting partnerships rather than simply closing deals. Let’s delve deeper into their approach and explore the implications and potential impact it can have on the sales industry.

Establishing Long-Term Relationships

Shawn Conahan makes a clear distinction between sales and business development.

He explains, “Sales is more akin to having a product that I’m going to sell, and once the sale is done, I walk away, and someone else deals with servicing that client. Business development, on the other hand, is about establishing a long-term relationship.”

At Wildfire, the team structures their approach to ensure business development is not a one-time transaction. Shawn elaborates, “When we get to the starting line with a partner (client), we stack an entire team against that deal, including the business development person. You don’t walk away. You’re still part of the deal. You are the relationship manager ultimately responsible for that relationship’s business side.”

This overlapping of functions ensures that the business development team remains involved throughout the partnership, fostering a sense of continuity and trust. It also allows for a more cohesive and collaborative approach to serving the client’s needs.

A Cohesive and Overlapped Relationship

Wildfire takes a unique approach to client partnerships by fostering a cohesive and overlapped relationship between its departments.

Shawn explains, “Rather than having a siloed relationship between our departments, we have a much more cohesive, overlapped relationship, and we work as a team to make our client partners as successful as possible.”

This approach involves various departments working together to support the partner’s success.

Shawn mentions, “There’s a dedicated Customer Success person or people who have ultimate tactical control over the relationship, and under Tristan, there is also a partner marketing group that does nothing but help apply best practices and other learning to each of our partners.”

By aligning their departments and resources, Wildfire ensures that their partners receive comprehensive support and guidance, leading to long-term success.

Incentivizing Long-Term Success

One of the key challenges in shifting the focus from short-term sales quotas to long-term relationships is incentivizing the sales team accordingly. Shawn and Tristan have developed a unique compensation plan encouraging their team to prioritize long-term success over quick wins.

Shawn explains, “The comp plans for everyone involved in generating revenue look more like long-term incentives, stock options. Yes, there are bonuses. Those bonuses are largely subjective. And one of the subjective criteria is the quality of the deal, not necessarily the quantity of the deals you closed.”

By rewarding the quality of the deals rather than the quantity, Wildfire ensures that its sales team is motivated to prioritize building strong and sustainable partnerships. This approach aligns the team’s incentives with the company’s long-term goals and fosters a culture of relationship-building rather than transactional sales.

“We are incentivizing for the long term. There are no monthly, quarterly, or annual quotas.” – Shawn Conahan, CRO of the Year

Implications and Potential Impact

The approach taken by Wildfire has significant implications for the sales industry as a whole. By shifting the focus from short-term quotas to long-term relationships, they are challenging the traditional sales mindset and paving the way for a more sustainable and customer-centric approach.

First, this approach allows for deeper customer engagement and satisfaction. Maintaining a consistent relationship manager throughout the partnership makes clients feel valued and supported. This leads to increased loyalty and the potential for long-term partnerships.

Secondly, the collaborative and overlapped relationship between departments ensures that clients receive comprehensive support. This enhances the client’s experience and allows for a more holistic understanding of their needs, leading to better product development and tailored solutions.

Lastly, the incentivization of long-term success encourages the sales team to prioritize the quality of the deals rather than the quantity. This shift in mindset promotes a more consultative and strategic approach to sales, focused on finding the right solutions for the client’s needs rather than simply closing deals.

Conclusion

Wildfire’s sales and business development approach is a refreshing departure from the traditional sales model by prioritizing long-term relationships, fostering collaboration, and incentivizing quality over quantity,