Jen Allen-Knuth

SDRs & AEs: are you using COI (cost of inaction) or ROI (return on investment) in your outreach to earn meetings right now?

Here's why COI is powerful.

ROI = by doing something, you COULD see this return
COI = by changing nothing, you ARE seeing this cost/risk

We have inherent skepticism about ROI claims.

Let's play this out.

My wedding is in 2 months. I have a compelling event to get in shape.

But, I've been complacent about going to the gym for the last 7 months. As much as I'd LIKE to tone up, I've become accustomed to not going. That's my status quo.

I know that by going to the gym I COULD tone up. But, it's not a guarantee (other things would have to change, too, like my diet).

So, it's easier for my status quo to prevail, even though I have a compelling event.

Or, I settle for minor “good enough“ DIY improvements, like cutting down on post-dinner snacks.

Now, let's say I went to the doctor. The doctor ran some tests and showed me I was at serious risk for a heart attack.

All of a sudden, there's a serious cost to my status quo. That's my cost of inaction (COI).

It's no longer about realizing a benefit (“I might be able to tone up for my wedding“). It's about something much bigger and much more urgent.

I'm not suggesting we tell every buyer their business is at risk of a heart attack.

But, to defeat status quo and earn time with budget-conscious buyers, we won't be able to rely on the same benefit-led outreach that kept us fed when cash was abundant.

Ask yourself 3 Qs:

1) What's the under-appreciated cost/risk if your buyer does nothing differently in 2023? (If your answer is, “they won't see 10x the leads/growth/etc.“, go back to the drawing board.)

2) How big are those costs of inaction relative to the costs/risks of buying and implementing your solution? (Think of it like a see-saw. Which side would win?)

3) What are the alternative investments/DIY approaches your buyer might be considering? (AKA what are their after-dinner snacks? What are the under-appreciated risks/costs of those alternatives?)

If this feels hard - you're on the right track. It's much easier to slap a 10x ROI in an email.

It's much harder to consider WHY a buyer's business can't afford to tolerate status quo.

But, that's the exact same business case they're going to have to make to their boss to get budget.

Here's a company I'm being paid $0 to say nice things about who deserves our attention.

Bereave.

According to their research, 1 in 9 employees will face a devastating death this year.

51% of employees who lost a loved one left their job within 12 months.

An employee's mental toll of grief is even harder because of the overwhelming list of tasks to do when someone dies.

Bereave helps employers + employees navigate death & grief beyond giving the employee time-off.

Their LinkedIn content is A+.

It's tactical, helpful, and genuine. They're one of the few company accounts I genuinely enjoy following on here. Their content is designed to help.

With so many traumatic events happening in 2024 - I'd love to see more founders and CEOs pay attention to this space ❤️

Chungus Humungus is officially a foster fail!

Beyond grateful for the best husband in the world for making my Christmas wish come true.

I started bawling as soon as I opened my gift bag and saw a collar with Chungus’ name on it🥹

Happy Holidays to you all!

(As always….adopt, don’t shop 🩷)

today I learned you can request $ in a group chat. follow me for more money-making tips.

See these 2 Frenchie puppies? They, along with 23 other dogs, were just rescued from a house of horrors. A breeder selling cute Frenchie puppies who were living in hell.

I’ll spare you the horrific photos.

25 dogs who lived in rusty cages. No blankets. No love. Terrified. Some had no access to food or water.

Some of the dogs were being used as bait dogs. One needs to have their eye removed. Another is in surgery right now because her ear was nearly ripped off.

If you’ve been following me, you know that I share a different rescue dog every Saturday from Many Paws Global Rescue.

Well, they just took in 17 of those dogs. And they need our help.

The shelter director was in tears when Nicholas I. Knuth 📸 and I walked in today. She’s the toughest woman I know. But, she hasn’t slept or eaten in 2 days because she can’t get the images out of her head.

I try not to ask for much on here.

But, I’m begging you for help.

Many Paws just took on thousands of dollars in medical bills.

If you are in a position to help - please visit their website and make a donation. Or, call them to foster. Or, adopt.

Or, simply repost this to get the word out.

I just made a $1000 donation.

If everyone reading this made a $10 donation, you could make such a difference.

The last time I did this, y’all raised $8,000 in a day.

Thank you for whatever you can do to help ❤️

Last week, I flew to NYC to deliver my final in-person Sales training workshop for 2025. And, by the looks of this picture, I did a terrible job. Everyone's looking at their laptops.

But, it's intentional.

A big part of how I build my workshops comes from being in the participant's seat for 18 years.

The trainings that helped me the most weren't those where I watched a facilitator deliver slides for hours.

They were ones where I worked on real stuck accounts in my territory.

In this one, we worked on how to prepare for and run discovery convos with outbound-originated opps. How to show up with a status-quo-busting POV. How to avoid mindless open-ended disco questions that scream "I haven't bothered to do research on your business....can you just give me the answers to the test?". How to avoid solution dumping when our Happy Ears hear a pain we know we can solve.

There's a heavy focus on using AI as a research assistant to do discovery before the discovery call.

So, what you're seeing here is sellers applying the AI prompts to the accounts they chose in pre-work.

They're building out their account POVs in the workshop.

The tenure in the room ranged from 2 weeks to 20+ years in Sales. This team worked hard, leaned in with great questions, and made their leaders proud. Great teams like this are why I love what I do.

My favorite feedback quote: "At my age, I'd consider myself an experienced seller, but the stuff Jen is sharing is absolute gold. I'm really grateful for these types of sessions."

Now, home for 2 months before SKO season kicks off in January! Dropkicking this suitcase to the basement.

5 ideas for your 2026 Sales kickoff.

1. Swap 1 happy hour with a volunteering event at a local animal shelter

Want to build camaraderie? Puppies. Can't think of a shelter that wouldn't be over the moon for some extra hands right now. Post photos on your company LinkedIn page.

2. Offer headshots.

Saw this a lot more in 2025. Sellers love it. You're saving them $ and helping them build a more credible digital presence.

3. Customer panel.

But, don't make it feel like a staged ad. Ask Qs about a day in the life of a CXO. What made them take the initial meeting? How did they involve their team in the buying process? What did their biz case look like to their CFO/boss? What other options did they consider? What kind of Sales tactics are a turnoff?

4. Pickleball tournament.

Good arrival day event to bring the team together and help break down silos. Bring in Morgan J Ingram as the celebrity referee.

5. Musical chairs with the ELT.

I have 0 evidence this does anything positive for business or morale. But, it'd be a fun way to break up a long slog of PowerPoint presentations post-lunch. And I like the idea of watching ELT members wrestle.

Bonus: try this if you have a hard time getting people back in their seats after a break. Anyone who enters the room late has to sing Pink Pony Club on stage. I learned this when I was at Challenger. One of the facilitators made me sing "I'm a little teapot" to an audience of 300 sales engineers. I was never late to a break again.

Sellers & AMs: here's an idea to re-engage a closed-lost opportunity. It'll cost you a stamp and a $20 ChatGPT subscription.

Step 1: Copy/paste the transcript of your last meaningful call with them into ChatGPT (using a Pro or Enterprise account)

Step 2: Prompt it with, "Come up with a crossword puzzle for this client, based on this transcript". Suggest ideas if you don't like the answers. (Ex: "focus more on words the client used when describing their business problem".)

Step 3: Copy/paste the reply into a free crossword puzzle builder (like Puzzlemaker).

Step: 4: Print it. Drop it in the mail with a handwritten note. Don't know their address? An email or LinkedIn DM works, too.

I just tried this on a recent call with a CRO. They're asking AEs to own more outbound pipe gen in 2026.

The first 11 Across answers spelled “OWN PIPELINE.”

And, one of the answers was "VNECK". Clue: "the kind of black shirt Beth swears by". (We showed up to the call wearing matching shirts and had a laugh about it).

Will EVERY prospect like this? No. Nothing always works and nothing never works in Sales.

But, is it a little more creative than "BUMPING THIS TO THE TOP OF YOUR INBOX!" or "THOUGHTS?!!!".

I think so.

Didn’t hit 100k on here this year

Did hit a tiny jump yesterday in Jackson Hole

Not on purpose

But it was a solid 1 cm vertical, so I’m going into 2026 with the energy of an Olympic skiier

Much love to you all for a happy and healthy new year

(And happy birthday today to my wonderful husband and everyone’s favorite dog photographer, Nicholas I. Knuth 📸)

5 cold email subject lines that would work on me right now (to get an open):

Jen > Kyle Asay
Many Paws Donation
Chris Farley, Sales Icon
Vermont, Amsterdam, Toronto
Deliliah + Koa + Pogo

Why? Because it shows the rep spent a few mins on my LinkedIn and has a genuine interest in speaking with me. I'm not just a name on a list of 1000 email addresses for people with the title of "Founder".

If you have a prospect who shares content on LinkedIn or X, take the time to be curious. (And, yes, not all prospects post on social. This only applies to the ones who do.)

Now, to compare, here are the 5 most recent cold email subject lines I received:

contact update
You might like this, Jen!
Elevate Your Digital Presence with Wikipedia
Quick question about DemandJen's operational efficiency
Quick question, Jen

The job of a subject line is to earn the open. It doesn't earn a reply. That's the job of relevance. And, it's why nailing relevance in your email body matters so much.

But, we can't earn a reply if we don't earn an open.

(PS - Samantha McKenna has some of the best advice on cold email subject lines, using her Show Me You Know Me approach).

Y’all raised $6k yesterday! 😭😭

That money goes directly to helping dogs like Willie (aka one-eyed Willie) get the eye surgery he so desperately needs.

If you missed yesterday’s post, he’s one of 17 dogs Many Paws rescued from a truly horrific breeder/dog fighting situation this week.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. I’m beyond grateful for your kindness. You made a real impact on these dogs and this rescue. I’m so moved by your kindness.

If you missed yesterday’s post and would like to donate, there’s still a ton of medical and spay/neuter expenses looming. A $10 donation or simply reposting this post goes such a long way.

Photo credit: Nicholas I. Knuth 📸

Willie (and many others) are available for foster or adoption at Many Paws Global Rescue in Palatine, IL ❤️

Meet Kenzie 🩷

A beautiful, 1 year old gal with a heart full of love and a tail that never stops wagging.

She’s sweet, soulful, and loyal.

And she could really use a foster family.

Fostering costs you nothing.

It’s the most rewarding experience to watch a dog feel what it’s like to enjoy the comfort and joy of a home for the first time.

To sleep in comfort instead of a crate. To know what it feels like to have a family.

Dogs like Kenzie never did anything wrong. They’re great dogs who were let down by humans.

Best of all - fostering allows the rescue to save another dog. You help two deserving dogs.

There’s never been a better time to foster. Rescues need your help.

Photo credit: Nicholas I. Knuth 📸

Available at Many Paws Global Rescue in Palatine, IL.

5 things I’d like to see more on my LinkedIn feed in 2026 (and 1 thing I’d like to see less):

- creators who share a mix of business and hobby content (ex: Keith Weightman’s drawings, Irina Soriano’s photography)
- acts of charity
- rescue dogs (duh)
- leaders recognizing team members (not just what they achieved, but how they did it)
- earlier career sellers learning out loud (ex: Alex Murphy is wonderful at this)

One thing I’d like to see less:

- mundane events turned into soap opera style posts to appease the algorithm (ex: “I dropped my pen. And, in that moment, everything changed. Because here’s the brutal truth: my pen is the window to my soul.”)

Your turn. What do you want to see more? Less?

I stopped doing paid brand partnership posts. Here's why + what I prefer instead.

1. I dreaded writing them.
Why do stuff I dread? Isn't that half the point of going off on my own?

2. Many (not all) B2B brands want you to write like a corporate marketer.
It got boring pushing back on requests to write posts that sounded like stale bread.

3. I don't want to be known as an influencer. I want to be known as a SME.
At times, those two things felt at odds with each other. Not saying it can't be done well. I just personally didn't like that feeling.

So, here's where I'm at with brand partnerships.

I think the magic is in in-person event activations.

AKA working with a SME who has the attention of your ICP as a magnet to attract your target market to your events.

I've done this with a few orgs now (and have seen other SMEs do this very well, too). What I love is how much of a win it is for the brand, the SME, and the attendees.

I get to do what I love (speaking, teaching).

The brand has an easier time filling the room and opening up new connections.

Attendees walk away having learned something (vs. being pitched).

So, putting it out there that one of my goals for 2026 is to work with a brand on an event that blends my two passions - sales/marketing + rescue pups.

Would that be chaotic? Potentially. But, that's on-brand for me.

Some DemandJen-isms you've heard if we've been in a Sales training workshop together:

1. "Your outbound message is your movie trailer."
Our prospects decide whether to hit "play" or "skip", based on our message. Pushy, product-focused, and "we-we"? The prospect assumes that's what a Sales call will be like, too. Skip.

2. "A better way" rarely defeats "good is good enough".
Let's say you own a house. Would you move homes every time a realtor showed you a better home? Humans rarely act to realize 'better'. We act when we perceive there to be an intolerable negative consequence with how we're solving the problem today.

3. "Never be nice, never be mean."
Don't be a jerk to someone who is trying to learn. But, don't withhold constructive criticism out of a desire to be perceived as "nice". The nicest thing we can do is tell them the truth.

4. "The hard work works because it's hard."
Imagine your prospect makes the decision to buy based on who delivered the better Sales experience - you or your competitor. Do the hard work to set your experience apart early. Most sellers choose easy.

5. "How we open is how we win."
Want to become a better closer? Learn how to be a better opener. Most late-stage deal problems are consequences of early-stage failures.

And, last but not least:

"In Sales, nothing never works and nothing always works".
Don't believe anything that promises the secret "hack" to success. If Sales were that easy, everyone would do it.

Here’s a great example of why tonality matters in a cold email. Read the first 2 sentences.

Do they make you want to lean towards or away from this person?

Does the copy make you feel uniquely seen, heard, and understood?

Does it make you feel like this sender has a sincere desire to meet with you?

Weigh in with your take. No wrong answers.

Here's a super simple tactic to try in your next discovery call.

It works when you notice your prospect has a pet, mentions a hobby, or has something meaningful hanging in their office.

Let's say they have a dog. You know because the pup shows up in the Zoom screen or you hear them bark.

Step 1: Stop and ask, "Who's that?".

"Oh, that's Guster."

Step 2: Read the room. Do they offer more about Guster? Or, are they dismissive. If dismissive, get back to the convo. If they offer more, engage in that before pivoting back to the convo.

Step 3: Fast forward in the sales process. You're trying to reach your prospect by phone, email, text, etc. But, not getting a reply.

Try sending the subject line "Guster". Why? It's something you'd only know if you spoke with them. It helps cut through the inbox noise.

Or, let's say they have a 1997 Bulls Championship banner hanging in their office. Use '97 Bulls as your subject line.

BIG, IMPORTANT NOTE:

Nothing always works and nothing never works, but I don't love this move for prospecting. We run the risk of looking like a creep who's been digging around in their personal social media accounts to find their pet names. If it's something they're publicly putting out there on LinkedIn, ok. But, otherwise, no.

And, definitely never ever ever do this with their kid's name. That's just weird.

Let's play a game. Here are the hooks of my top 10 LinkedIn posts in the last 90 days (based on # of impressions).

Which one do you think had the most # of saves? Which one do you think generated the most inbound leads? And, which one had the most comments?

Hint - they are 3 different posts. None of them are the post with the highest impression count.

#10: 5 cold email subject lines that would work on me right now (to get an open).

#9: Steal this prospect dinner idea.

#8: There are average CROs. There are good CROs. There are great CROs. And, then, there's Kara DelVecchio.

#7: I use SkinCeuticals Vitamin C serum. It's stupid expensive, but it works well, so I keep hate-buying it.

#6: Looking for a 2026 Sales Kickoff speaker? Here's how to decide if I'm the right option for your company (which isn't always the case).

#5: Petition to remove "budget" as a closed-lost reason in CRM.

#4: Here's how I open a discovery call with an outbound-originated opp.

#3: Are you buying a private jet? Me either. So, why did I watch a 7 min video of a Sales meeting for one?

#2: Here’s a great example of why tonality matters in a cold email. Read the first 2 sentences.

#1: Yesterday, my son's travel basketball team needed an extra player. Coach asked my daughter to sub. And, I don't know what made me more proud.

(I don't sell any services or workshops re: LinkedIn content or social selling. There are way more qualified people for that stuff. But, I've been running some experiments for fun. Will be sharing some of what I'm seeing/learning here in the coming days, if you're interested!)