Andy Paul's Blog, page 31

#554. A New Approach to Ongoing Sales Training. With Conner Burt.

Conner Burt, COO at Lessonly, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:48] Conner says the single biggest challenge facing SaaS sales reps today is that buyers are inundated with requests to review software, which leads to a wide variety of tools within organizations. Sellers fight for priority for their category.

[4:02] Conner says sales training for larger organizations is broken, in part from all the departments with different needs demanding attention from sales. The challenge is to combine the needs into a way to help a sales rep be more productive.

[5:26] Organizations tend to overestimate their onboarding and training effectiveness. Training gets put on a back burner behind many other sales management functions.

[7:36] Sales rep productivity is stagnant. The annual expenditure on sales in the U.S. is $92 billion. Conner talks about Hubspot and The Sales Acceleration Formula. The idea was to make individual reps better, not to hire more reps.

[9:45] The disincentive to invest in sales training is the suspicion they are training reps for the next company. Sales development reps have a job tenure of 12 to 18 months. If they were trained, they might stay. Develop talent in-house.

[11:42] Hire with the intent of building a bench, to promote. Turnover may go down when the reps feel like they have a path, and you’re investing in them for the future.

[13:32] Conner discusses the history and mission of Lessonly. Conner describes what sparked its development. Lessonly focuses on helping teams drive better performance through learning topics that matter most to customer-facing sellers.

[17:11] Trainers have access to the authoring component, and reps have access to the lessons in an easy to use form, either through Salesforce, or a stand-alone app, and through a Chrome extension.

[18:14] Conner gives an example of a company using Lessonly. They invest in the content, pulling it from executives, sales enablement, and top reps. They organize it, make it relevant, and the reps engage. Managers give ongoing assignments.

[20:20] The primary model gives a lesson, a practice scenario to record, and then later, correlates the specific training with future performance. The first goal is to decrease ramp time.

[22:42] Conner suggests his clients note how long it takes a rep to get to 80% of a fully productive revenue quota or number of closed opportunities. For an SDR, it is number of demos.

[24:19] The key to moving the needle on quota is getting an organization to prioritize seller development. From there, get insights from the better reps and managers, and SDRs, and synthesize them into a training program.

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#552. Accelerate! Expresso: Weekly Highlights Show for Aug 21-Aug 25

Accelerate Expresso is a weekly round-up show that contains highlights from each conversation from the previous week’s slate of guests on Accelerate!

These snippets have been edited into a tight, short show that will give you a taste of the insights you missed if you didn’t catch every episode of Accelerate! last week.

In this episode, you’ll hear excerpts from my conversations with my guests during the week of Aug 21-Aug 25. That’s episodes 547-551.

Listen in as I was joined by the following experts: Josh Elledge, Randall Bell, Hugh MacFarlane and Srihari Kumar. As always, Bridget Gleason was my partner on Front Line Friday.

Take a quick listen now. Then go back and listen to an entire episode with your favorite guest.

Many thanks to our sponsors who help us bring Accelerate! to you:

DiscoverOrg: DiscoverOrg’s industry-leading, human-verified sales intelligence gives you all of the data and insights – like direct dials, org charts, planned projects, verified emails, and executive moves – you need to stop wasting time on research and spend more time talking to the right decision-maker with the right message at the right time. DiscoverOrg.com.

Gong.io: Gong.io is a leading conversation intelligence platform for B2B sales teams. It helps you convert more of your pipeline into closed revenue by shining the light on your sales team’s conversations. Gong records, transcribes, and analyzes every call so you can drive sales effectiveness at scale. Visit Gong.io.

Whalr: Whalr enables a product-based approach to B2B sales, with the Product Qualified Lead (PQL) method. If you sell using a freemium, open source or Trial model then the PQL method is critical to give your sales team visibility into those prospects that are ready to talk. Visit Whalr to see specific PQL examples.

The post #552. Accelerate! Expresso: Weekly Highlights Show for Aug 21-Aug 25 appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#553 Push Your Limits to Achieve the Impossible. With Dan Waldschmidt.

Dan Waldschmidt, is a keynote speaker, business strategist, ultra runner, business owner and author of Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Outrageous Success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[:53] Dan speaks to clients on ways to grow and dynamically scale ideas into massive money-makers. He also writes about concerns he faces and addresses in his own businesses.

[1:54] Dan pushes against what is “impossible,” by pushing limits — personally, with running; professionally, by strategizing to make “millions and billions” of dollars; and with clients, helping them to see the world differently, and to excel.

[2:30] Dan’s ultra-running goal for 2017 is to run another few thousand miles, in 100- and 50-mile races, and maybe a 200-mile race. Running gives him clarity for next steps. Transcendental Meditation and running keep him grounded.

[5:31] How did Dan cope when he wanted to quit, 20 miles into his last 100-mile race in the mountains of Alabama?

[8:14] Days after a race, Dan can reflect, “Dude, you didn’t even know that was possible, and you did it! What else don’t you know is possible, that is next on your list of things to do?”

[9:41] Instead of asking for salesmen to close better, ask why your business isn’t creating a brand or a customer experience so outrageously positive, that deals just automatically close?

[10:15] Dan couldn’t finish one race, because he had depleted his salt. Little things can have a fatal effect when you are trying to perform at a high level. The details matter when you answer the phone and how you brand.

[12:15] What are you prepared to sacrifice? Some people don’t progress because they have too many TV shows lined up to watch. Prioritize time. Your choices control your achievements. Be desperate to meet your goals.

[15:48] To perform at a high level, “burn the ships.” Make a list of five to ten things in your life that you need to burn right now, until you cross your continent and build new ships.

[17:54] To be amazing, you have to talk yourself down from your fears. You can learn not only to survive stressful situations, but to thrive, in spite of what happens around you.

[19:40] Successful people refuse to: excuse their mistakes; copy others (instead of building on their own strengths); or look down on others who are struggling (Dan tells of Jeff Bezos’s many years before Amazon turned a profit).

[27:09] Successful people refuse to: waste time doing things that don’t matter; or let the current chaos distract them from future success.

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#551. Connecting, collaborating and building relationships. With Bridget Gleason.

Bridget Gleason is VP of Sales for Logz.io and my regular partner on Front Line Fridays.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:30] After two years Andy is back to todo lists, because he got behind and his calendar was full. He hopes to keep the situation temporary. Bridget’s company had a good quarter. That gave her 12 hours of relief.

[5:24] Andy trained reps to cold-call sell computers in the Bay Area. One rep partied every night, and never changed his clothes. He burned out. Another rep, who had forged his transcript, left a customer’s office in the middle of a meeting.

[10:25] Companies used to hire hundreds or thousands of new grads, to see who would stick and who would wash out. Bridget has not seen such colorful hires in her experience. She maintains a professional decorum.

[12:31] President’s Club is taken as a time by many reps to go drinking. Bridget talks about why people go into sales, and not safeguard their reputation.

[16:12] There is some expectation of ‘bad boy behavior,’ in sales, including harassment. Andy mentions recent episodes of senior executives forced to resign because of abominable behavior towards women. Bridget fights against stereotypes.

[21:33] In some firms, executives know of bad behaviors, and let them go on. If you don’t address them, they become the norm. Call out harassment. Bridget’s CEO called out someone joking over the line, and Bridget and her team addressed it.

[24:03] People aren’t always self-aware. Talk about incidents before they become a big thing. Be accommodating of diversity. We need diversity. Make people feel comfortable for their voice to be heard.

[26:19] Essential skills in this age include relationships, teamwork, and collaboration. A sales rep must master these.

[27:02] As we welcome technology, and adapt it to achieve what we want to achieve, recognize what it is not set up to do, such as connecting, collaborating, and building relationships.

[27:30] How we treat other people, in and out of the workplace, determines how we will master building relationships. Research correlates behaviors towards people outside of work with behaviors towards those inside of work.

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#550. Account-based Orchestration for B2B Sales. With Srihari Kumar.

Srihari Kumar, CEO of ZenIQ, and AI-driven account-based orchestration system, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:37] Srihari says the single biggest challenge facing sales reps in B2B today is that data is being collected, but not organized, and at the fingertips of the reps. He called Salesforce a logpile, full of data that’s not being examined.

[4:18] Data often feeds our confirmation bias. The underlying assumptions need to be understood. We need the correct tools. Srihari discusses AI that finds the next best account action to take. Salesforce Einstein is headed in that direction.

[6:09] There are two plans for AI in sales: do repetitive tasks and free up reps, or provide signals for reps to follow. Srihari talks of the Gartner Hype Cycle: peak of inflated expectations, trough of disillusionment, and the plateau of productivity.

[8:07] AI will not do the selling. Reps need to learn how to sell. There is a balance between massive data processing and sales informed by data. Srihari gives a concrete use case for AI data processing.

[10:41] Practical uses for AI do not involve inserting it between the rep and the customer. Srihari is still skeptical of automated email, but has seen convincing demos.

[12:48] Srihari founded a marketing automation company and sold it to CallidusCloud. He led the marketing division. It was marketing in a silo by automating leads. Next, came Marketing and Sales orchestration to buying centers, with multiple tools.

[15:22] ZenIQ is the result of building, from the ground up, an account hub and a people hub; one system of truth about all account data and external data, about people, companies, and activities. On top is the AI Next Best Account Action layer.

[16:50] Marketing and Sales Orchestration includes individual execution systems, such as ads, Marketing, and SDR emails, calling, and so on, all tied into one orchestration layer using a unified account view across the systems. Srihari explains it.

[19:18] Srihari, talks about software finding the right match for the person you want to contact, below the CXO.

[22:44] Marketing Automation is not moving the needle on B2B and SaaS sales. Srihari discusses ABM as it has changed since before automation. Srihari says orchestration is the missing piece.

[26:53] Sales technologies ought to be able to take a company to the next step. The tools need to be used to their best effect. The top companies have the right tools, but the smaller companies cannot afford all the pieces of the stack.

[29:30] Tools should help the buyer to make a better decision. All the emphasis is on how the tools help the seller. Srihari suggests there are tools for buying centers to access better data for their research. AI gets you to the buying center.

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#549. Align Your Marketing and Sales Teams to Increase Your Revenue. With Hugh MacFarlane.

Hugh MacFarlane, originator of ‘The Buyer’s Journey,’ author of The Leaky Funnel, and Founder and CEO of Align.Me, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[3:11] Hugh says the single biggest challenge facing sales reps today is wanting to tell their story before the customer is ready to hear it, instead of hearing the buyer’s story, and letting that direct what to say to them. What’s the buyer’s idea?

[5:06] A rep must know what the customer already thinks. In the past, the rep was the source of knowledge. Today, the customer knows more about the product use case than the rep does. Marketing can supply the rep with info on the buyer.

[7:52] Sales and Marketing alignment is building a process together that both departments know, in which they both do their part. It does not require cross-training, but training specific to the role.

[11:22] Hugh compares alignment to a relay race. Reps don’t need to know how to write copy. They need to know prospects have been reading blogs and downloading white papers.

[12:19] Turf wars come from job insecurity over new technologies and processes. Working together serves the customer better. Hugh talks about the evolution of the process being an important factor in sales success.

[14:22] Hugh details the firmographics of two studies his firm did on Sales and Marketing alignment.

[16:16] Hugh was surprised by the results from the optimization of an aligned process. Sales reps are more likely to accept a marketing lead. Hugh notes the short life of a lead. Self-declared interest needs to be addressed the same day.

[21:20] When sales accepts more leads that will close, then both sales and marketing benefit from the improved results. A single, optimized process designed by both marketing and sales brings this result.

[22:37] Building a robust sales and marketing aligned process, and training both the marketers and reps, correlates with rises in acceptance, and closure, of late-stage opportunities.

[26:18] The data was not available on the quality of training in marketing and sales. The studies raised questions to explore. Some training appears to be an improvement over no training.

[28:36] Andy recently read an article comparing gender differences in sales, but there was little usable data. All reports have biases. Hugh’s research was looking for big differentiators. Alignment is the biggest they found.

[32:34] Organizations working for alignment adjust the process together. The driver for alignment in companies is when marketing and sales are not working together, and it shows. There are many voices making the case for alignment.

 

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#548. 4 Cornerstone Habits That Drive Our Success. With Randall Bell

Randall Bell, CEO of the Landmark Research Group, and author of Me We Do Be: The Four Cornerstones of Success, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:22] Randall says the single biggest challenge facing sales reps or sales teams today is keeping it simple. Have a direct message that is simple, well thought-out, and to the point. It takes time and work to get to the simple messaging.

[6:08] Randall wrote his book after a career as an economist, traveling to disasters (WTC, BP oil spill, Chernobyl, etc.) to assess damages. The book is a formula for avoiding disaster and building success. He wrote it in 25 years of experience.

[8:43] Randall wrote, “Today’s habits are tomorrow’s destiny.” An ocean is filled with drops of water. Your daily habits add up. You build wealth a dollar at a time. Simple straightforward steps create authentic growth.

[9:56] Randall’s four cornerstones of life are Me (mindset), We (connections), Do (productivity), and Be (our future and legacy).

[11:20] Me refers to habits to improve the quality of your thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. Read to think more. Develop a mission and philosophy. Know and understand your feelings.

[12:33] Andy shares quotes on thinking and life. Randall recommends to leaders to take time in the early morning to develop their Me cornerstone, before the day’s distractions.

[14:48] Randall conducted a rich international survey of the four major English-speaking nations on success status and their daily habits, and correlated the habits with successes. He notes statistical success habits. (E.g., read, and be honest.)

[16:39] The survey was by self-assessment. There were some very direct questions on honesty and integrity. Andy’s father was a tremendous role model of integrity.

[18:02] We refers to building relationships. Randall ranks social capital higher than financial capital. Randall has a network of contacts all over the world, and they are critical to his work. He reciprocates as well.

[19:45] Randall’s success circle are 20-25 long-term contacts and friends who have been greatly successful. The advice they give is smart and reflects their success. We habits include being mindful of being kind. Watch your tone of voice. Wave.

[24:58] Randall explains social exchange. For every negative thing you say or do, say or do six positive things to counter it. Studies support a six-to-one balance of positive-to-negative to maintain social capital. Don’t create a bad first impression.

[28:05] Humility is another We habit. Authentic humility is attractive. A Type A personality needs to be mindfully humble. Randall talks about one of his humility heroes, Leo Fender.

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#547. How to Build Your Authority with Effective PR. With Josh Elledge.

Josh Elledge, Founder of upendPR and Chief Executive of SavingsAngel, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:20] Josh says the single biggest challenge that salespeople face today is getting out of our own way. It’s so important to adhere to a script or a system based scientifically on what works, with authenticity, for the customer.

[3:14] It’s an open question how much sales has improved from the “old school.” Customer-centric selling has long been a topic. Business selling has to be about the prospect. We may not be evolving fast enough in that direction.

[6:06] SavingsAngel was launched 10 years ago to cut the family’s grocery bill by coupons and sales. It is an automated data site, building membership through PR. Josh used PR firms to promote it, but they all failed him.

[10:27] Because Josh felt traditional PR methods were ineffective, he started upendPR as an anti-PR type of firm, to use current marketing methods. They have a great success rate for their clients.

[11:31] Andy hired a reputable PR firm for the release of one of his books, and paid big money for no results. Facebook can calculate the predicted return on an advertising investment. But a PR campaign isn’t an advertising campaign.

[12:45] The number one job of a business is to grow.  Network with influencers and serve large audiences. The more you give, the more they will want to reciprocate, and the more they will look to you for value, and engage for a deeper dive.

[18:26] Josh contrasts PR with social sharing. The best way to get the respect of influencers is to be an influencer. Build yourself into the position of being an authority. An unknown running ads on Facebook will not be noticed. PR is the path.

[20:18] Radio, blogs, print all may reach your targeted client. Traditional media sources are hungry. Approach writers in industry publications. Josh discusses PR placement (instances where you get quoted). People want to be part of a movement.

[26:17] There is a playbook for startups to build their brand, and it usually neglects PR. Effective PR builds your authority.

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#546 Keep Your Sales as Simple as Possible. With Bridget Gleason.

Bridget Gleason is VP of Sales for Logz.io and my regular guest on Front Line Fridays.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[:53] Wake up each day telling yourself it’s a fantastic day! Start your day with a smile.

[2:27] Do you prefer treadmills or running outdoors? Does the weather make the choice for you?

[3:58] The topic is whether we are over complicating sales. The human connection is the key in any methodology. As in soccer, the fundamentals win the game, or the deal.

[6:03] Process may obscure the buying journey. When Andy reads a sales book, as he does for every author guest he interviews, the “gold” he finds is in the small stuff, not in big concepts. It’s all about human interactions.

[8:30] Bridget may not find a new concept in a book, but often finds timely reminders that relate to her current situations.

[9:20] The sales process is necessary, like “table stakes.” The differentiators are more nuanced, and are personal to the sales professional. They are independent from the process. [10:43] Many guests on Accelerate market the importance of the process. To compare sales to golf, you can learn all you want about the swing; the action takes place where the clubface squarely meets the ball. That will not change.

[12:06] Lessons in the fundamentals are more relevant than tools and trends. «Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.» (The more things change, the more they stay the same.) Humans are fundamentally unchanged since sales began.

[15:02] In episode #432 the topic was relationships. It goes back to that. People buy from people. Bridget is in the majority of buyers, in optimizing buying around trust.

[16:27] There is no sale without a connection. Andy created a mnemonic acronym for the fundamentals: BALD — Be present, Ask great questions, Listen without judgment, and Delivervalue.

[19:00] Being present means not being distracted. Listening without judgment means letting the buyer disclose who they are. Don’t categorize them without knowing them. Don’t allow your confirmation bias to fool you. People are unique.

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#545. Accelerate! Expresso: Weekly Highlights Show for Aug 14-Aug 18

Accelerate Expresso is a weekly round-up show that contains highlights from each conversation from the previous week’s slate of guests on Accelerate!

These snippets have been edited into a tight, short show that will give you a taste of the insights you missed if you didn’t catch every episode of Accelerate! last week.

In this episode, you’ll hear excerpts from my conversations with my guests during the week of Aug 14-Aug 18. That’s episodes 540-544.

Listen in as I was joined by the following experts: John Rossman, David JP Fisher, Drew Neisser and Katie Bullard. As always, Bridget Gleason was my partner on Front Line Friday.

Take a quick listen now. Then go back and listen to an entire episode with your favorite guest.

Many thanks to our sponsors who help us bring Accelerate! to you:

DiscoverOrg: DiscoverOrg’s industry-leading, human-verified sales intelligence gives you all of the data and insights – like direct dials, org charts, planned projects, verified emails, and executive moves – you need to stop wasting time on research and spend more time talking to the right decision-maker with the right message at the right time. DiscoverOrg.com.

Gong.io: Gong.io is a leading conversation intelligence platform for B2B sales teams. It helps you convert more of your pipeline into closed revenue by shining the light on your sales team’s conversations. Gong records, transcribes, and analyzes every call so you can drive sales effectiveness at scale. Visit Gong.io.

Whalr: Whalr enables a product-based approach to B2B sales, with the Product Qualified Lead (PQL) method. If you sell using a freemium, open source or Trial model then the PQL method is critical to give your sales team visibility into those prospects that are ready to talk. Visit Whalr to see specific PQL examples.

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