Sales professionals face a lot of challenges: Identifying ever-changing customer needs, overcoming objections, and closing deals to hit high sales quotas can cause even the most adept salespeople to feel overwhelmed.
One way they can stay organized and close more deals? Data.
Just ask Mike Cauley, a strategic account executive at BigTime. When he is approaching a potential client in government contracting, IT services or a law firm, he has to make sure that he’s done his research with the help of some trusted tools and his tech stack.
“The better prepared you are, the greater your impact and the more you stand out from the crowd,” Cauley said.
Built In spoke with Cauley about the tools he uses to gather data and close deals.
BigTime is a software company that helps consulting firm teams do their best work. The company’s flagship product is a SaaS-based system that is custom-built for accounting, architecture and engineering, consulting, creative, government contracting, IT services and law firms.
Tell us about your tech stack. What tools do you use to gather and organize data? Which tools do you rely on most in your daily work?
I separate my “tech stack” from “tools,” though both are essential. My current tech stack includes Gong, Outreach, 6sense, ChatGPT Enterprise and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, while my go-to tools are LinkedIn, YouTube, Wayback Machine, Clutch.co and G2.
Of these two are daily must-haves, LinkedIn and Gong. On LinkedIn, I go beyond personnel research — I uncover insights like open roles, headcount trends, current tools, KPIs, responsibilities, trigger events (mergers and acquisitions, awards, etc.), service offerings and geography details. Gong, meanwhile, serves as my safety net. Even though I take thorough notes, Gong helps me pressure-test my understanding and capture the small but crucial details that may not make it into notes. Those details often make the difference in vendor selection, as success can hinge on how well a rep understands the business and articulates how their solution drives it forward.
How has data helped you close a deal?
The CEO of this 200-plus employee outsourced financial services firm had a few interviews published on YouTube. The one I referenced during the late stages of our evaluation had seven views. Not only did I show an unmatched level of “I do my homework,” but I also made light of the situation because I represented 14 percent of his video’s viewership. The emotional aspect of this had an immediate and obvious impact.
How does sales and customer data enhance your company’s sales org? What data do you find most important in the sales process?
I approach this from the perspective of new sales, whether in an evaluation process or business development effort and see it primarily as an exercise in preparation. The better prepared you are, the greater your impact and the more you stand out from the crowd. For example, being able to name-drop a prospect’s peers or perceived stakeholders demonstrates credibility and relevance. When engaging with private equity-backed companies, I focus on tying the solution to an eventual exit event, showing direct alignment with their long-term goals. And if there’s precedent for mergers and acquisitions, I reference a proven playbook that not only highlights how the solution can be leveraged but also how it can streamline onboarding for future acquisitions.
