In Closing Moves – Inside Brian’s Deal-Winning Playbook, trumpet CEO Rory Sadler, CEO of trumpet, and Brian LaManna, Enterprise AE at Gong, to discuss what separates top performers from the rest.
For Brian, it starts with mindset, seeing yourself as more than a seller.
Own your book like a business
Brian believes every AE should act like the CEO of their own territory.
“As a seller, you get a book of accounts or a territory, and the approach you want to take is, ‘I’m the CEO of that territory.’ That’s my book of business for the year. Maybe it’s better, maybe it’s worse, but that’s the hand I was dealt, and I need to have extreme ownership behind it.”
This mindset changes everything. It means taking full control of your pipeline, your activity, and your outcomes - not waiting on your SDR, marketing or luck to make things happen.
Plan like a founder
Brian breaks his territory down into a numbers-driven strategy:
“If I want to make President’s Club and hit 150% of goal, I do the math. What’s my average deal size? What’s my win rate? How many opportunities do I need to create? And what does that mean for daily prospecting?”
He works backwards from outcomes to daily actions, creating a plan that’s 100% in his control.
The result
When you own your territory like a business, you:
✅ Build predictable pipelines
✅ Remove excuses
✅ Create self-sufficiency
✅ Turn effort into outcomes
And if inbound deals or SDRs perform well, as Brian says, that’s just extra gravy.
FAQ
What does it mean to be the CEO of your territory?
It means taking full ownership of your book of business, treating it like your own company, and driving outcomes through accountability and planning.
Why is territory ownership important in sales?
Because it removes dependency on external factors like leads or luck, giving you control over performance and predictability.
How can AEs plan effectively like Brian?
Start with your annual target, calculate your average deal size and win rate, then reverse-engineer daily and weekly activity to hit that goal.
Head here to watch the full webinar
Closing Moves – Inside Brian’s Deal-Winning Playbook.
![How to Get Started with Buyer Enablement [With Examples]](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65cf4fecbed2754c2236665d/65cf4fecbed2754c22366bdb_65a5af83e742f76e34ce06f3_Customer%2520Onboarding%2520_%2520Everything%2520you%2520need%2520(2).png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
