Aligned

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It’s almost 2026 and AEs are STILL selling like it’s 2016 – 37 email threads, 8 links, 12 decks and proposal V1–V5… expecting 10 busy buyers to make sense of it all, then acting surprised when they ghost. There’s a better way (and Gartner predicts 30% of deals will run this way next year): I spoke with 100s of buyers, here’s what's really happening: - Buyers DON’T read most of it since it’s all just a big mess - Execs getting internally forwarded emails read about 1% - Champions are flooded; they can’t build a clear narrative - Stakeholders joining in late have zero context - Buyers are lost in deck V1–V3, proposal V1–V5… - 95% of buying is without AEs; this chaos keeps it that way - And it’s all untracked: Who’s involved? What do they do? Gartner calls it an “inevitable evolution” and says: “By the end of 2026 – 1 in 3 deals will run in a Digital Sales Room.” Designers moved to Figma. PMs to Monday. com. Sellers & buyers will shift to a better digital workflow. Especially when buying is so MUCH more complex. And as buyers become AI-first, sellers HAVE TO level up too. It’s inevitable. It’s already happening. In Aligned, we see over 1M B2B buyers every month engaging. CTR is 2-3x higher than email. As well as time spent. Buyers want one link and clarity. Not email-file-link chaos. Sellers want a smart workspace built for them. To execute. Not more back-office tools for manager control. Moving to a shared digital workflow changes everything: - Buyers can finally make faster, clearer decisions - Champions get the tools to sell internally - Sellers see a clear buying map and journey - Execution stays consistent and guided - And AI finally lives where selling actually happens In 2018, a board member laughed when I said: “I can build a non-field Enterprise Sales team.” In 2016, I rolled my eyes when my VP Sales said: “Turn on cameras during Zoom. Buyers will too.” Sales keeps changing Don’t stay stuck. Try new things. P.S. I’m biased, but if you’ve followed me for a while, you know how passionate I am about buyer enablement and complex sales. That’s why we built Aligned, now used by over 1,000,000 buyers & sellers. Try it’s free https://lnkd.in/d_49kHZE

Real ghost stories. From real sellers. Welcome to the #GhostedHotline.

"Hey Sara, just wanted to check in and see if you were gunna help get me off this PiP before the weekend."

Buyer gone dark? We have a number for that. #GhostedHotline ☎️ 👻  

If every attempt to AI-ify your sales process has ended in frustration, give us one hour and we’ll show you 12 plays that are actually working right now across every part of your process. 1 hour, 12 plays, 4 sales leaders: 3 Prospecting and Enrichment plays (taught by Yash Tekriwal 🤔, founding GTM Engineer at Clay) 3 Sales Admin Automation plays (taught by Nishit Asnani, co-founder & Head of Growth at Sybill) 3 Deal Momentum and Management plays (taught by Gal Aga, CEO at Aligned) 3 Coaching and improvement plays (taught by Matt Green, co-founder and CRO at Sales Assembly) No fluff. No sales pitches. No wasted time. Just tested, actionable playbooks you can use the same day. When: Oct 21, 2025 11:00 AM ET Register here: https://lnkd.in/eX5hQpJK

Just canceled all my advisory roles, date nights, and hobbies to apply for a $1.5M gig writing content for a CEO 🤯 Only later realized I have no clue what Virio even does… Still feels like destiny though. Anyhow, $1.5M makes sense. We bring in well over $1.5M ARR a year just through my LinkedIn posts. Heck, just last month we closed a $180K deal from a LinkedIn post. And that’s just the obvious value of Founder Brand… Investments. Retention. Hiring. Strategic Partnerships. LinkedIn drives all of it for us. I wrote this before, and Ryan Roslansky (CEO of LinkedIn) even reposted it: “LinkedIn isn’t just a social channel. It’s an all-in-one growth engine. A year ago, I’d have laughed if you told me 700k would read what I have to say every week or that LinkedIn would drive 65% of Aligned’s leads. I was so wrong.” So if you’re still on the fence, read this: https://lnkd.in/dMwuyQTU It’s the BIGGEST playbook ever written on Founder-Led Content. Straight from the LinkedIn team. Honored to have contributed. Thanks, Purna Virji and Ruby James. P.S. Be honest, do you think it’s NOT a CEO’s job? Why? Would you rather pay $236K like Paypal for someone to help?

Most reps think discovery is about gathering info for their CRM. We had a chat with Alex Kremer and he says, "It's not..." Discovery is about helping your buyer understand themselves. Here’s the 3-step flow he swears by for discovery calls: Step 1: Get a Lay of the Land - Where are they now? Ask questions that probe into their current tech stack, how long they've been dealing with the problem, what they've done so far, how much the issue is costing them, etc. Step 2: Figure Out the Vision - Where do they want to be in 12 months? - What numbers do you want to be producing? - How big is your team? - What else becomes possible? Step 3: Help Them See What Happens If They Stay Stuck Staying stuck can bring with it several consequences. Help them realize that themselves by asking questions relating to what's blocking them from their vision, what happens if that doesn't become unblocked, and what does their life look like this time next year if nothing changes. When your prospect connects those dots themselves, the conversation shifts from selling to helping them navigate. Which part of discovery do you think most reps get wrong? P.S. Follow Alex for his full breakdown

haha that's so funny haha so anyway, shall we talk about timeline?

I’ve led sales 4 times between $1M–$100M ARR and spoken with 600+ VPs of Sales at Aligned. The best ones share a magic you can’t fake — they think like CEOs, lead like NFL coaches, and still sell like top AEs. So when you meet a truly kick-ass VP Sales, you just know. Here are 7 things they do differently 👇🏽 1. They think P&L, not just “let’s hire more heads” Bookings without gross margin, CAC payback, and renewal quality are a trap. VPs report to CRO, not “Chief Closing Officer.” The latter always burns the business in the long run. The best VPs I’ve met can talk unit economics and comp plans with a CFO, support a price raise with product, and still coach disco. 2. They build systems, but let reps dance! Deals happen inside a machine they’ve designed: hiring profiles, scorecards, enablement assets, deal reviews, an “exec sponsorship” routine, and a living playbook that evolves every few weeks. But the best ones know process is an anchor, not a cage. It keeps everyone grounded, not trapped. They set the standard for what good looks like – but they still let reps dance! Because great selling never fits neatly into a process flow chart. 3. They make “how we sell” their POC The sales experience IS the product. From first minute to final signature, they insist on sense-making discovery, problem-first demos, bulletproof business cases, and speed in follow-ups. They know that How > What we sell, and don’t want to be dependent on product to always hand them enough differentiators. 4. They are in the field selling like their best rep Many won’t agree. VPs have a million things to do. And at 200 reps, your day-to-day is very different. However, the best VPs push themselves to be in the field, to learn the product, run demos, and even book meetings… because they know it’s the ONLY way to understand their reps. 5. They run a sales company, not a sales team Lone wolves are out. Great VPs educate the entire company and rally everyone to be in sales. They teach their team to loop CS in ahead of strategic closes and leverage execs to multithread. The AE is the quarterback; the VP is the offensive coordinator. 6. They build talent Elite VPs hire for upside, coach like crazy, and promote internally. Their top reps follow them from place to place. The first thing Meredith Chandler did when she joined Aligned was say, “We need a clear career path plan built and presented to the team.” We’re about to release it, and it’s the most thoughtful plan I’ve seen. This is non-negotiable. 7. They carry class They have high standards, but zero drama. They don’t win with pressure. They win with clarity, honesty, and respect. And that tone flows into every touch buyers feel. The sales floor DNA feels like a great sports team, not Wolf of Wall Street. —— What am I missing? Who’s the best VP Sales you know + what do they do differently?