Meet Julian Flowers

• Role: Senior Business Development Representative, Vena Solutions (≈1 year)
• Segment: Financial Services (banking, real estate, insurance)
• Daily rhythm: Prospecting 8–10am; call during peak connect times; end‑of‑day prep toward AE path
• Approach evolution: From volume to quality—fewer, better‑researched accounts
• Tooling: UserGems + Salesloft (running an outbound cadence inside Salesloft), Salesforce; for research/talk tracks he uses Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT

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The Signal‑Stack Playbook Julian Runs

Step 1 — Identify & stack the right signals

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Stack these relationship signals to find the fastest path to a “yes”:

1. Previous Champion/Past User at a past company → now at a new company without your product.
2. Closed‑Lost / Prior Intro or Demo → revive with a fresh angle.
3. Event Attendance Match (bonus) → instant rapport and context (e.g., Vena Accelerate).

<div class="pro-tip"> 💡How Gem-E Automates This Process: These signals are automatically stacked, ranked, and surfaced to sales teams. Instead of manually combing through CRM and outreach tools, reps get a prioritized list of prospects along with pre-written AI-driven messaging. </div>

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‍Julian’s flow:

1. Check the signals: past champion, past demo/intro, past user.
2. Ask about their experience: what they liked, implemented, or used.
3. Test fit at the current company: why/why not now.
4. Ask for the meeting: if “no,” probe and try for an exploratory chat.

Why this works

• Relevance: You’re not educating from zero; they already know the product.
• Timing: Job changes + revived interest = budget/new processes in motion.
• Speed: Short path from context → meeting ask (Julian aims for 4–5 minutes per call).

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Step 2 — Work the workflow inside Salesloft from Gem-E

Julian runs a UserGems outbound cadence in Salesloft, focused on prospects who previously used or evaluated Vena at another company. He emails first and reuses that copy as a call script to keep the message consistent.

Copy/paste — First‑touch email (Signals: Previous Champion + Closed‑Lost)

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Subject: Quick reconnect from your [Previous Company] days
Body:
“Hey [Name] — noticed you evaluated/used [Product] at [Previous Company].

Curious how you’re approaching [process, e.g., budgeting/forecasting] at [New Company].

A bunch has changed since you last saw us — worth a 15‑min walk‑through to see if it fits your current stack?”
— [Your Name]

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Call talk‑track (matching the email)

• “Saw you were involved with us at [Previous Company] — what worked / didn’t?”
• “How are you handling [process] today at [New Company]?”
• “If there’s a fit, would a 15‑min [this week/next] make sense?”

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Step 3 — Mention events they attended for instant rapport

Julian leverages event match (e.g., your user conference) as a credibility boost. In one win, the prospect mentioned they had attended Vena’s Accelerate—that context was integral to landing the meeting.

One‑liner to add to email or call:
“Also saw you were at Accelerate — curious what stood out and whether those priorities are still live at [New Company].”

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Step 4 — Keep it brief and ask clearly

Julian trims the fluff: short pitch, simple questions, clear ask. He often books the meeting within 4–5 minutes.

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His example ask:
“Listen, [Name] — I know you’re busy. Mind if I make a brief suggestion? Let’s sit down next week for 15 minutes to show how we’ve helped [peer company] with [outcome]. What does your calendar look like?”

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Step 5 — Use AI to look sharper on calls (without overcomplicating)

Julian uses Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT to:

• Pull use cases, competitors, integrations for the account.
• Draft talk tracks before callbacks.
• Summarize call notes (anonymized) to prep for next steps.

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Copy/Paste Library

1) First‑touch email (Past Champion + Closed Lost + Event Mention)

Subject: Reconnecting from [Previous Company] + saw you at [Event]

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Body:
“Hey [Name] — looks like you evaluated/used us at [Previous Company] and also caught [Event].

How are you handling [process] now at [New Company]?

We’ve shipped a lot since then — up for a 15‑min walkthrough to see if it fits better today?”

2) Call opener (30 seconds)

“Name, congrats on the move to [New Company].

I’m calling because you were involved with us at [Previous Company].

Two quick questions: what worked/didn’t back then, and would it help to see what’s changed now?

If yes, let’s grab 15 minutes next week.”

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3) Follow‑up after light interest

“Appreciate the chat. Here’s a quick 2‑minute overview of how we complement [their current system]. If it’s worth a deeper look, what’s a good 15‑minute window [this week/next]?”

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Quick Tips for SDRs

• Focus on the call at hand, not your target number. It makes you less rigid and more human.
• Make prospects your friend. Be genuinely curious—ask what they are trying to solve today.

• Respect time; be brief. Keep the pitch tight and the ask clear; 4–5 minutes is plenty to earn a next step.
• Let AI be your co‑pilot, not a replacement. It doubles bandwidth and keeps you sharp for conversations.
• Follow the cadence. “UserGems does a lot of the work for me… everything was well integrated.”

Julian’s playbook is a reminder that great sales isn’t about overcomplicating things — it’s about staying curious, keeping your process simple, and being persistent even on tough days. His focus on cutting the fluff, building genuine connections, and leveraging intent signals shows exactly how SDRs can stand out.

If you want to connect with Julian or learn more from his approach, you can find him on LinkedIn

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