Andy Paul's Blog, page 39

#480. Cold Calling — What it Means for You. With Bridget Gleason.

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

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:17] Andy feels better now, but he tells about a recent unexpected severe illness that required hospitalization.

[4:52] People say cold calling is dead. That gives cover to those who don’t want to cold call. If you are above quota, then, maybe don’t cold call. Bridget wants outbound reps to be thoughtful. Cold call, only if the contact is a likely phone user.

[8:31] Field salespeople can use cold calling as a tool that works in some situations. People have never wanted to cold call. The ‘death of cold calling’ is confirmation bias at work.

[12:12] Andy notes that a recent event by sales thought leaders like Jeb Blount, Mike Weinberg, and Anthony Iannarino for proactive outbound, proves there is life in cold calling.

[12:47] Andy says salespeople reject cold calling without trying it, because they have stopped learning. Bridget says they are just stubborn about it, because it is so uncomfortably hard.

[14:44] You can learn to do something you don’t like, especially if it will help you. Andy never liked cold calling, but he does it. He fits it into his style. Bridget does not know very many sales managers who have eliminated cold calling from outbound.

[16:24] Some companies have stopped proactive outbound, but Andy sees them as a minority. The issue is, can you make cold calling work for you? Does your company give you the option to call or not to call? Bridget says reps in Tech must call.

[18:31] Andy tells of a 100-year-old company, the #1 market leader, with 60 field sales reps, will install their first CRM in 2017. That is the real world outside of tech. The vast majority of sales reps are not in tech, and have no sales tech or stack.

[20:32] The mission of Accelerate! is to share ideas, advances, tools, and technologies with people who are not in the tech bubble, to help them do a better job. Andy is a sales evangelist! Bridget is now even more enthusiastic!

[23:33] What is the penetration of CRM into SMBs across the U.S.? Andy suggests that could be the topic of an episode! There are companies that have homegrown CRM Systems integrated with their dialers, at best.

[24:55] There are companies that have no idea that email tracking is a capability. Tech is pioneering the way sales will be done for the next years, but it’s a thin leading edge. Andy invites Bridget to step out of the tech bubble sometime.

The post #480. Cold Calling — What it Means for You. With Bridget Gleason. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#478. How to Sell to the C-Suite. With Jeffrey Hayzlett.

Jeffrey Hayzlett, CEO of Hayzlett Group, Founder and Chairman of C-Suite Network, C-Suite TV, and C-Suite Advisors, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:31] Jeffrey reviews his experience, history, and entrepreneurism, including being a global business celebrity.

[4:32] Jeffrey was CMO at Kodak, the world’s third largest patent holder. Kodak decided to protect film. That went badly. [7:06] Jeffrey explains why Kodak had a nuclear materials in the basement.

[8:33] The C-Suite Network is a network for CEOs. They vet everyone who joins. “When you get big enough, you can come in.” They have the first and largest all-business podcast network in the world, with strategic content for executives.

[10:54] The C-Suite Network has sponsoring partners. One way to get in front of the CEOs is to sponsor the Accelerate podcast, that is sent to approximately 500K execs.

[11:47] Jeffrey’s radio show on CBS is All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett. The big challenges Jeffrey hears about: uncertainty over President Trump’s effects on the market (so far, so good); but mainly, hiring, motivating, and inspiring talent and people.

[14:45] Most people who try to sell to Jeffrey as a CEO do not do their homework about him or the problem. A CEO does not have time for ‘a cup of coffee.’ Be relevant and direct. Jeffrey is a ‘driver.’ He responds best to a two-option close.

[19:36] Jeffrey discusses buying decisions that involve C-suite officers. When he was Kodak CMO, he showed all major deals to the CFO, even when within his own signing authority.

[22:44] Jeffrey’s attention as a CEO is engaged by showing him the vision of what’s going to occur through his working with the salesperson. The business case is the way to sell to him. Smart questions can start the conversation.

[23:50] Jeffrey states the transformational rule of thirds. One third adopt early. One third get it eventually. One third never do. Companies spend too much time worrying about the lost third. As you transform, focus on the ones who get it.

[26:12] The ‘power of being irrational,’ is to go for the big stretch goal, when the real objective is to get to a goal along the way. Always go for more — but be careful not to overplay the hand. Don’t cry ‘Wolf!’ Be a great coach; don’t be devious.

The post #478. How to Sell to the C-Suite. With Jeffrey Hayzlett. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#477. The Value of Sales Ops. With Matt Bertuzzi.

Matt Bertuzzi, who runs sales and marketing ops at The Bridge Group, and who is author of the new book, Lightning Sales Ops, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:08] Lightning Sales Ops is about Salesforce’s new release, the Lightning Experience, and for sales managers, for doing things quickly for yourselves, and making Salesforce fast and easy for your reps.

[4:23] Matt defines sales operations. It’s about reducing drag on the operational machine between sales teams, sales management, and executives. The task is to facilitate rep reporting and management access to data.

[6:10] Sales Ops builds most of what the reps need to manage their day and territory, and see their activity level, and their position on the leaderboard.

[6:45] Sales Ops concerns data entry, what tools are used, quote production, configuration tools, tracking deals the whole way through Salesforce, and how the business knows who’s on top, without executives needing to invest time in research.

[7:25] Sales Ops has to understand the process components chosen by leadership, and use tools that align with each component. Matt explains the data flow of a simple example.

[8:58] If sales management are spending a significant portion of their time not managing, and skilled reps are evaluating stack apps, they are performing sales ops functions. Then it would be time for a company sales ops director.

[9:35] When a company has 20 or more sales reps, with repeatable business, a director of sales ops is a good fit. They would often report to a biz ops, that reports to the COO.

[18:00] Any company that incorporates Salesforce has someone running admin, as de facto sales ops. Get a consultant, at minimum.

[24:40] Before buying a tool, evaluate its financial footing, especially with a long-term commitment. Try a random cross-section of your team on it for six months, as a test of its effectiveness.

[29:15] Some reps find their own apps to add to the stack, which makes testing less reliable, since the playing field is not level. Search for causation, not correlation.

[30:08] Apps without outcome are counterproductive. SaaS companies are spending on average $500 per rep per month for the three to six tools in the stack, above the CRM license. How can you determine which is helping or dragging down?

[33:55] Companies on the verge of tracking email opens are really confused by CRM and stacks. Matt’s secret tip on taking vendor calls: ask what professional services customers or solopreneurs they have. Because those are careful spenders.

The post #477. The Value of Sales Ops. With Matt Bertuzzi. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#476. How to Automate Sales Coaching. With Cory Bray.

Cory Bray, CEO of ClozeLoop, formerly known as CareerSofia, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:37] Cory distinguishes training from coaching. Coaching is a component of management. It enables employees to use the available tools to their best potential.

[3:32] Cory cites Bill Belichick as a great coach who established a system that works, and staffed it with raw talent he could help to become great. The system sets them up for success, and coaches help them continuously to improve.

[5:04] Cory went through Sandler sales coaching, and got a vision of what coaching can be. He went into business with a Sandler associate, to form CareerSofia. Sofia is from Sophia, wisdom, in Greek. Their focus is on sales.

[7:51] Cory discusses the vision of CareerSofia. They set out to make a software product inside Salesforce to deliver the minimum effective dose of coaching for the deal at hand.

[9:08] CareerSofia helps strategize against the competition, with the tactics a coach would suggest for moving a sale forward. Top sales reps and management curate content.

[10:13] CareerSofia supplies salespeople with tools they need to do the job from ‘Day 2.’ No long onboarding is required.

[13:09] The underlying principle is a knowledge base, structured so that relevant sales information surfaces as it is needed.

[15:46] Cory explains why testing is not a part of the CareerSofia platform. They started to include testing, and users didn’t want it. They just wanted coaching on time.

[16:48] Managers retain coaching authority. They coach one-on-one, and they supply CareerSofia with what works best in certain situations. Outside coaching is also encouraged. CareerSofia sells through sales consultant channel partners.

[21:38] The ideal end user has a a growing inside sales team of 5-100 reps, using Salesforce.com to sell one or two products. The ideal channel partner is a seller-doer sales consultant who wants to scale, without adding an associate.

[24:52] Cory sees three buckets in coaching: teaching the tools; teaching how to use them well; and teaching how to use them well under duress. CareerSofia helps the coach. Their future is in adding items to make the product more robust.

[26:53] CareerSofia has some secret sauce coaching tools coming up that Cory will announce at a future date.

The post #476. How to Automate Sales Coaching. With Cory Bray. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

Accelerate! Expresso #09: Weekly Review Show for May 29-June 3

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

These clips 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 May 22-27. That’s episodes 470-475.

Listen in as I was joined by the following experts: Doug Sandler, Kristen Zhivago, Perry Marshall, Steven Benson and Peter Winick. 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.

The post Accelerate! Expresso #09: Weekly Review Show for May 29-June 3 appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#475. If You’re In Sales, Influence is Your Job. With Peter Winick.

Peter Winick, Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:39] Thought Leadership Leverage works exclusively with authors, thought leaders, and speakers that typically have content with business applications. They build strategies, brands, platforms, solutions, and business for their clients.

[3:23] Peter discusses personal branding and its history in the corporate environment. That is your table stakes. Influence, or thought leadership, is an enhancement to your brand. What perspective can you share with others that benefits them?

[6:02] Influence is your job, when you are marketing or selling. Peter describes influence, thought leadership and differentiation. Influence is not manipulating people to do what they don’t want, but guiding them to do what they want.

[10:34] Personal brand online is a precursor to influence. Have a little courage to be human and transparent, but a stakeholder at a Fortune 500 Company you are targeting for SaaS, does not to see your posts on irrelevant personal topics.

[12:03] LinkedIn will be searched, and so will Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If there are pictures of you on social media drinking and doing silly things, that’s not smart. You can post personal family photos, but don’t push them to people.

[13:20] Peter talks about the spectrum of posting content. Some corporations control what you can post; regulations may be involved. Some corporations give leeway. Original content, such as comments on events you attend, is good.

[16:52] Content you share is not an ask. It is value you are offering, to build your relationship. Providing value is a mindset and a habit. Keep building the relationship after a sale. Play the long game. Keep in touch.

[19:45] Don’t let content marketing be in charge of your relationship with the buyer. Build your influence with sharing, and do not stop when discovery begins. No buyer self-identifies as a sales-qualified lead. Don’t treat them like it.

[22:33] Add your original thoughts to anything you share. Comment on other people’s threads, especially by responding to a question, or add a question yourself, to start a discussion.

[25:01] Leave your anxieties behind. Not everyone will agree, but if your contribution is worthwhile, it will be appreciated and discussed. In professional forums people use decorum.

[26:27] If someone disagrees with your comment, it is an occasion for a discussion. It is valuable to challenge your own views, and for others to examine their own, thoughtfully.

[29:01] Managers promote people when they’re already doing the job. Don’t wait until you are told to develop content. Do it now, within compliance issues. The tools exist for you to add thought leader value to your buyers, that leads to sales.

The post #475. If You’re In Sales, Influence is Your Job. With Peter Winick. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#474. Don’t Be a Lazy and Lousy Interviewer. With Bridget Gleason.

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

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:11] Hiring — Bridget interviews a lot of reps who list great successes on their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. Success at one company does not mean success at another. Bridget is befuddled by how badly they test on discovery calls!

[4:40] Bridget is not listening to their audition as a customer. Maybe the rep builds a rapport that leads to connections, even without having a great approach.

[6:14] The New York Times ran an article recently on the utter uselessness of job interviews as predictors of future success. Andy had a client who hired only by GPA, and he hired very smart and talented people. Bridget wishes Andy had told her!

[9:20] Always give a professional assessment, and come up with a way to test for knowledge relevant to the job. Be skeptical of your own ability to judge by an interview. Facts on resumes must be validated. Factor in past record, such as GPA.

[12:30] “Trust, but verify!” Interviews are not places for trust. Bridget puts herself in the place of a candidate. How should she prepare for an interview, if the interview doesn’t matter?

[13:28] Treat an interview as a discovery call. Ask as many questions as you need. (Let the interviewer ask all their questions.) The NYT article says if managers asked each candidate the same questions, it would improve reliability.

[15:07] In cases where several people interview one candidate, should they each ask the same 5-10 questions? The manager should not treat the interview as an opportunity to sell their own company. That defeats the intent of the interview.

[17:51] Separate your own emotions as an interviewer, from the interview process. Bridget wants to explore this topic more deeply. Her mindset and practices have been challenged!

[19:43] Hiring is difficult. The GPA method isn’t as far out as Andy once thought. It worked as well as any other method. Andy discusses variance and risk. Bridget may try it.

[21:55] Bridget is on her way to an interview, and will let Andy know how it goes!

The post #474. Don’t Be a Lazy and Lousy Interviewer. With Bridget Gleason. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#473. Maximize the Selling Time of Field Sales Reps. With Steven Benson.

Steven Benson, CEO of BadgerMapping.com, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:28] Steven notes that many companies go to market with outside sales, regardless of the trend to inside sales. The most competitive way to sell some products is in the field.

[3:57] Some business models, such as SaaS, do not support the expense of field sales. Badger has customers who have competitors using inside sales and the internet, and the Badger customers do very well against their competition.

[5:09] Field salespeople have always managed customer routes — either on paper or digitally. Badger combines maps, calendars, and customer lists, in one app, working together. Steven got the idea after working with add-ons to Google Maps.

[8:11] Steven clarifies how field sales routing differs from truck routing. Badger factors appointment times into the route.

[9:41] Is outside selling simpler than inside selling? The inside sales tech stack adds complexity. Steven reveals the name that he almost called BadgerMapping.

[12:15] With the Badger app the rep can see all the customers on a map, and filter them. Customers can be sorted by campaign criteria, selected by lasso, set up by time to see, and then routed quickly. Badger cuts the busywork of routing.

[15:32] Badger can be planned a week in advance. You can change the routes as needed, when new things come up. The more in the future you save a route, the more efficient it is.

[17:22] Badger enhances your CRM system, or it will work with a spreadsheet of your customer data. Badger pulls your appointments from your CRM and maps them by priority.

[18:40] Badger can send individual emails, or you can use your CRM mail merge. Badger has dropdowns to collect and capture activity data quickly, and send it back to your CRM.

[23:05] The measurable benefits include lower mileage, less drive time, and more meetings, with meetings more focused on the planned objectives.

[24:25] BadgerMaps is an interesting case, as an inside sales SaaS company whose product is for field salespeople. Do VCs see the long-term value of supporting field sales? A lot of field sales jobs will still be around in 25 years.

[28:26] Steven says there is no current trend away from field sales among their customers.

The post #473. Maximize the Selling Time of Field Sales Reps. With Steven Benson. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#472. How to Apply the 80/20 Rule to Your Sales. With Perry Marshall.

Perry Marshall, bestselling author of 80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:27] Perry wishes he had had the 80/20 book when he got into sales after being laid off. There was so much he didn’t know. He got fired after two years. He got another job in direct marketing, and it started to click for him.

[7:18] Vilfredo Pareto figured out 20% of the people had 80% of the money. In sales, 20% of customers provide 80% of the sales. 20% of salespeople make 80% of sales. There’s always another 80/20 inside. It’s universal, and not only about money.

[11:32] 80/20 is a law of nature, because of positive feedback. Perry spells it out by examples. Past behavior reinforces future behavior.

[13:18] Perry tells how 10 salespeople start off on an even keel, but through positive feedback, one gets way ahead of the others. Some get negative reinforcement, and drift off course. Within a few months the top salesman sells 16 times more.

[15:24] Perry talks about a rock being eroded into the Grand Canyon. When erosion starts, you are on the way to a canyon. Inequalities multiply and compound. People try to equalize things. The best salesmen seek to amplify the inequalities.

[17:33] Perry lists five power disqualifiers. Apply each of these disqualifiers to contacts before asking for an appointment. You will learn which contacts are not leads. Sales starts with, “Well, who do I not pitch?” It’s a disqualifying process.

[20:44] Perry’s friend John hiked to Las Vegas at 17 to become a professional gambler. He met Rob, who taught him ‘racking the shotgun,’ to divide the ‘marks’ from the people paying attention. In sales, separate the prospects using natural law.

[25:38] Perry found that everything in his business matched an 80/20 pattern. You can use it predictively. Perry explains how, with 1,000 Starbucks customers as an example.

[30:19] Use the 80/20 rule to escape being in the 80%. Perry talks about sales styles. He calls his first boss a hostage negotiator. Others tell stories. Perry invented the Marketing DNA Test to help salespeople find their successful sales style.

[36:25] Align the way you sell with customers who buy the way you sell, and products that match your sales style. Perry says you can’t be a consultative seller as a cold caller. Find a role that matches your strengths.

[37:01] Perry writes books rather than cold calling. For him, cold calling would be a $10/hour job. Why do that when he can have the $1,000/hour job?

The post #472. How to Apply the 80/20 Rule to Your Sales. With Perry Marshall. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#471. Sell How Your Customers Want to Buy. With Kristin Zhivago.

Kristin Zhivago, President at CloudPotential, and author of Roadmap to Revenue: How to Sell the Way Your Customers Want to Buy, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:43] Kristin’s book explains how customers want to buy. In the years since she wrote it, revolutionary trends have arisen, due to mobile and Google. People find you, and want you to fulfill their needs right now.

[4:07] Sales organizations still do outbound, but they have to be prepared at the moment of need, with the desired product or service. Voicemail is a barrier to those who are ready to buy but have just one more question. Answer when they call!

[6:14] Andy’s book, Zero-Time Selling, is based around the urgency of the customer when they contact you. Customers have tools to find you. When you are found, be ready.

[7:30] Sellers need to think like the customer. There is a GAP (Gross Assumption Problem). Find out what the customer wants from your product. (It’s not what you are promoting.)

[10:37] Kristin says even between different industries, there are trends of what the customer needed from the purchase. Seven interviews with existing customers will reveal trends. Give them what they want, and they will buy. Use big data.

[15:23] The job of salespeople is to ask questions, listen, and find out where the customer is in the buying process, what their next decision point is, and not to bore them with what they already know, and to help.

[18:35] If sales methodology at an organization does not allow customer-centric behavior, it’s a problem to solve at the top. The CEO needs to understand it’s not just smiling and dialing.

[23:49] Kristin’s book covers four levels of scrutiny. There is a lot of skepticism, especially in the software industry. Everyone has been burned, and no one wants that to happen again. Explore issues with the customer, to see if there is a good fit.

[26:37] Salespeople must master deep thinking. The first answer to a question is not usually the whole answer. Don’t just skim the surface, but get to the customer motivation.

[27:47] The book Absolute Value shows that buyers can come very close to experiencing the value of your product, before they even speak to you for the first time.

[28:37] Kristin talks about the structure of a purchase, from need, through purchase and referrals. Kristin says to follow the scent. Map the real decision points along the way.

[31:47] The NADA notes that the average car buyer visits one dealership to buy a car. B2B is headed that way. The role of the salesperson is to answer the buyer’s specific questions, and have the tools available to do that, in a timely manner.

The post #471. Sell How Your Customers Want to Buy. With Kristin Zhivago. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.