How the Deal was Done | Deal Stories Podcast

Drew Wills shares his journey from a senior in college struggling to find a job to impressive runs at LinkedIn and Gong and now becoming VP of Sales at Brilliant. Drew emphasizes the importance of networking, leveraging LinkedIn, and sales negotiations. The podcast highlights Drew's approach to renewing a significant deal with a customer by demonstrating indispensable value and learning from past negotiation experiences. Background: •    Drew Wills transitioned from numerous roles at LinkedIn to a leadership position at Gong and now VP of Sales position at Brilliant. The deal, aiming for renewal with a focus on demonstrating value to resist competitive threats. Challenges: •    The rise of the CFO's role in procurement made negotiations tougher, requiring more than just the demonstration of the product's value. •    The shift from growth at all costs to profitability among companies put additional pressure on software services to justify their costs amid layoffs and budget cuts. Key Learnings: •    The importance of building a strong case with the users of the product to ensure internal advocacy during renewal negotiations. •    Clarity on dates and deadlines can significantly impact the negotiation outcome by preventing the extension of discussions beyond the expiration date. Timestamps: •    (0:01:30) Drew Wills intro and career background. •    (0:03:29) Experience and roles at LinkedIn. •    (0:07:51) Discussion on the deal at Gong and the shift in the procurement landscape. •    (0:11:29) Strategies for maintaining price points and demonstrating value. •    (0:17:24) Negotiation tactics and learning from past deals. •    (0:22:38) Drew's new role at Brilliant and the value of corporate gifting. •    (0:25:34) Approaches to sales and business development at Brilliant.Resources: Resources: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewwills/ Thank you to OrgChartHub for Sponsoring this episode. OrgChartHub helps HubSpot customers get big deals done since 2018. Learn more at OrgChartHub.com/podcast (http://orgcharthub.com/podcast) Questions, comments, ideas - reach out to: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkappel/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkappel/)