Steli Efti

Your biggest competitor isn’t the market—it’s your own habits. CEO Steli Efti shares why SaaS founders must overcome fear and evolve old beliefs to grow.

Break into software sales: roles, responsibilities, salaries, and a step-by-step path to land your first tech sales job.

Think you’ve achieved product-market fit? Learn the signs of true product-market fit, avoid common mistakes, and build a product customers can’t live without.

Startup founder Steli Efti shares his advice for defining core values that will shape your company’s culture and keep your team aligned as you scale.

Discover tips for founders on how to hire a startup’s first employees. Learn how to evaluate candidates and which traits to look for in a startup employee.

Steli Efti shares his tips for using founder-led content marketing as a strategy to fuel early stage startup growth.

B2B SaaS founder Steli Efti shares his customer acquisition strategy for startups. Learn key tactics to acquire your first 10, 100, and 1,000 customers.

Nearly every successful startup undergoes a pivot at some point. Steli Efti shares his advice for when and how to pivot your startup idea.

Steli Efti shares his advice for B2B SaaS startup founders looking to bootstrap—aka launch and scale a business without outside funding.

Close founder Steli Efti had six failed attempts before getting into Y Combinator. Learn what worked–and what didn’t–in the process.

Every small business founder faces a choice: to scale or not to scale? Learn how to build systems and operations to help you grow beyond solopreneurship.

Discover the key to supercharging your sales team by hiring the right sales consultant. Ready to boost your team's performance? Let's dive in.

Lack of cash flow is the number one reason new startups fail. So, implement these six startup marketing strategies to get powerful wins and gain market share.

If you’re criticizing yourself during a sales call, you’re going about it all wrong. There’s a time and a place for self-criticism. Understand why you’re probably going about it the wrong way and how you can use it to improve your sales mindset.

Boost your win rate with 11 proven sales closing phrases and 6 strategic questions to help you close more deals and shorten your sales cycle.

Grab 15 proven cold email templates with high reply rates. Perfect for sales teams, freelancers, or startups. Bonus: free cold email generator included.

Stop guessing what your customers want. Our guide to a customer-centric sales process will teach you how to meet customers where they're at and build trust.

Learn 12 expert sales closing techniques to increase your win rate, shorten the sales cycle, and turn prospects into paying customers.

Compare inbound vs outbound sales strategies and learn how to choose the right one for your business—plus build a killer sales process.

We all hate note-taking, but strong sales call notes can help you impress your customers (and can even affect your bottom-line)! Learn how to improve and automate your sales notes.

Learn how to use the MEDDIC sales methodology to qualify leads, reduce bad-fit prospects, and close more B2B deals with confidence.

Learn how to use LinkedIn for B2B sales with tips, message templates, and outreach strategy examples.

Learn how to handle sales objections like price, need, trust, urgency, and authority. Use proven objection-handling techniques to win more deals.

Build lasting customer relationships with CRM tools and strategies that boost loyalty, sales, and satisfaction.

Good sales management accelerates revenue growth and takes the sales team to new heights. Unlock the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of effective sales management.

Master sales data with actionable dashboards, guiding you to build effective tools that spotlight key metrics and drive smart decisions.

Get the best leads fast with cool email finders - they're a game-changer for your sales and growth!

Enhance sales with Close: Zoom integration for better CRM, efficient lead tracking, and insightful call recordings.

Train your sales reps with mock sales calls using our 10-step guide, templates, and real scenarios to improve confidence and close rates.

You’re in the market for a CRM for financial advisors. What do you need and where should you look? Here’s everything you need to know.

Uncover the latest B2B sales trends and learn how to evolve sales strategies for success in the rapidly changing digital marketplace.

Discover top lead distribution software to streamline your sales process and boost conversions effectively in our comprehensive guide.

Explore the shift to permanent remote sales work post-COVID, how to find and excel in these roles, and the rise of remote sales jobs in the U.S.

Boost B2B sales with 7 urgency tactics—from scarcity to social proof—without damaging trust or sounding pushy.

Thinking you might pursue a sales career? Learn the roles, skills, (dis)advantages—everything you need to know about the industry.

Explore essential inside sales metrics and strategies for achieving your sales goals, perfect for remote and in-office sales professionals.

Discover how to craft engaging job descriptions with our guide, featuring expert tips and templates for attracting top sales talent in just 14 seconds.

The better your sales reps sound on the phone, the better they sell on the phone. Here are the 3 best sales headsets to win deals this year.

57 of the best sales prospecting tools (free & paid) for you to use in 2024. Sales tips and practical examples included.

Boost your sales skills with these 24 must-watch sales movies. Learn motivation, negotiation, and closing lessons from the big screen.

It's easy to focus on the first contact-but the follow up is the key to making sales. Here's how to get it right.

Cold calling is one of the oldest forms of marketing, yet not much has changed since it first came about. Read on and see why salespeople still cold call.

Looking to create sales demos that sell this new year? Here’s your step-by-step guide as well as the industry-leading best practices you need to succeed!

Discover 7 proven meeting request email templates with examples for cold outreach, follow-ups, and demos to boost replies in 2025.

CRM software helps you store customer data, create a sales process, and nail forecasting all in one. See our picks for the best CRMs for startups in 2024.

Supercharge inside sales with B2B cold email templates! Use curiosity hook, 10X personalization + more for high prospect engagement.

Sales funnel empty? Try these 22 killer lead generation ideas to find qualified leads and drive revenue—templates, webinars, events + more!

Discover the 10 best real estate CRMs for agents in 2025. Compare features, pricing, and tools to manage leads, listings, and close deals faster.

The average cold call conversion rate is 2%, which sucks. But it's not the whole story. Learn how to improve cold call success rates by looking at the whole funnel.

Spend more time selling by leveraging the top sales automation software tools. Here's how to choose the right one.

Master 7 essential soft sales skills—from active listening to adaptability—to build trust, close more deals, and grow your sales career.

Personal, face-to-face selling is back post-pandemic. Brush off the dust and rust, and test out these tips for closing deals during in-person sales calls.

Use these cold calling statistics to gain incredible insight and maximize the effectiveness of your sales calls in 2024.

Download 9 free sales forecast templates (Excel & Google Sheets) to predict revenue, set goals, and supercharge growth in 2025.

Get an immediate dose of the best sales quotes to motivate yourself and your team to close more deals.

Highly targeted lead generation can be the difference between a growing business and one that’s about to tank. Learn what is lead generation, plus strategies to implement.

New to cold calling? We’re about to dive deep into how to start cold calling, why this is a key sales activity, and tips for successful cold calls.

How often do you conduct sales call reviews? Once a week? Once a month? Take a moment to answer that question.

LinkedIn is a powerful platform—if you use it right. This guide will teach you to generate leads with LinkedIn so you can crush your sales quotas.

Explore the hunter vs. farmer sales model. Learn their roles, benefits, examples, and how to structure your sales team for growth and retention.

Get 15 proven cold call scripts with real examples and tips to increase conversions and close more deals.

Build a customer intimacy strategy with 12 proven methods. Boost CLV, retention, and referrals using CRM workflows, feedback loops, and real examples.

You work hard to connect with prospects and book sales meetings. That's why no-shows hurt. Don't worry, I'll give you eight tips to avoid them.

Learn what sales messaging is, how it differs from brand messaging, and 6 steps to create a framework that boosts conversions and sales.

Wondering why you can't reach quality prospects with your phone calls or follow-up emails? Learn how often to follow up in sales (hint: it’s more than you think!)

Learn how to turn Google Sheets into a simple CRM with our free template. Organize leads, track sales, and boost productivity without costly software.

Learn how to run a sales analysis with our 4-step guide. Discover key metrics, methods, and tools to boost sales performance and make data-driven decisions.

Learn how to build a CRM in Excel with 4 simple steps. Download our free Excel CRM template to organize leads, track deals, and boost sales.

Discover the best sales organization structures—Island, Assembly Line, and Pod—and learn how to scale your team for growth and revenue success.

Discover 22 essential sales KPIs to track team performance, boost growth, and optimize your sales process with actionable metrics.

Want to level up your cold outreach campaigns? Work to improve your email response rates. That way you connect with more prospects. Here's how to do it.

The breakup email is one of the most effective follow up email templates you can use when a prospect isn’t responding to your emails.

The best sellers build trust with prospects. This is much easier to do with a value based selling strategy. Read on to see if it's right for you.

Hone your sales development process + team to qualify leads, boost growth, and close deals—faster and better than ever before.

Learn 9 proven tips for handling sales rejection—from cold calls to late-stage deals. Stay resilient, refine your sales process, and close more deals.

Are you a good listener? As a salesperson, nothing is more important. Learn how to improve your listening skills with these 8 practical tips.

A sales voicemail script helps you nail your next cold outreach call--even if you get their voicemail.

A couple months ago, you hired an ace sales rep named Mike. When he started out, he was out in the field crushing it every day, making 150–160 cold calls a day, setting up demos, and closing new customers.

Understand the 7 main differences between B2B and B2C sales—market size, cycle, decision-makers, and customer value.

Ready to launch a new product? Follow these 17 steps to make sure your product launch strategy is on point. You'll be glad you did!

Looking to pour rocket fuel on your sales team? These 11 sales optimization strategies will help your department run like a well-oiled machine.

Want to close more deals? Use these 15 pipeline metrics to optimize your sales process, get better quality leads and boost your bottom line.

What’s the future of AI in sales? How have things changed since 2017? Let’s find out about the good sides of using AI and some weak spots (that are still there.)

Annual contract value (ACV) measures how much revenue a single customer brings in every year. Learn how to use this to prioritize accounts and get context for your business.

Learn how to master sales cycle management with 8 stages, tips to shorten sales cycles, and proven strategies to boost revenue growth.

Discover what a Sales Account Executive does, key skills, daily responsibilities, and average salary in this career guide.

Maximize your potential with this comprehensive guide to startup sales. Learn from Close's founder about what it takes to achieve long-term success and scale up.

Sales discovery meetings are like the first dates of the sales world. Use this 7-step agenda to guide your meeting and make a memorable first impression.

What does it take to become a sales manager? Here are the top skills you need to take your sales career to the next level.

What is B2B sales? Basically, it means selling your products to another business. Learn more about the B2B sales process + how to overcome challenges.

Master SaaS sales with these 10 proven strategies. Learn how to reduce churn, improve onboarding, and close more deals with a scalable sales process.

Planning a virtual retreat for your company? We've walked that path. Here are 7 tips we learned. Implement them to ensure your retreat is top level.

Inside Sales vs. Outside Sales: is one option better? In short, no—you need to see which is best for your specific company & sales goals.

Not sure how to respond when prospects "dont' have time"? Here's what to say next if you want to close the deal.

Ready to supercharge your lead generation efforts? Invest in an email extractor tool. These are the 13 best ones on the market in 2024.

Learn 6 proven strategies to get past gatekeepers in cold calling. Build trust, handle objections, and secure meetings with decision-makers.

Beat price objections with 18 expert strategies, scripts, and examples. Diagnose the real issue, quantify value, and close with confidence.

Which sales methodology is right for your sales team? Check out the 15 most popular methods, then learn how to create your own in this article!

Realtors that use cold calling are some of the highest paid and most successful due to connecting with quality leads. It's time to start cold calling.

Learn why in-person customer visits are still crucial in B2B sales and how to plan them to improve loyalty, uncover upsells, and build better products.