Andy Paul's Blog, page 80

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 121 with Kevin Craine. 7 Steps to Create Compelling Content That Sells.

Kevin Craine is the Executive Director of Craine Communications Group. His podcast, Everyday MBA, interviews best-selling business authors, innovative thought leaders, and top-shelf executives. Kevin is also a professional writer and editor, an internationally respected business technology analyst, and an award-winning podcast producer.  Among the topics that Kevin and I in this episode:

How to develop new customers through value-based thought leadership content.
What it takes to become an acknowledged thought leader.
Key ways to grab your customer’s attention through compelling content.
7 steps to create credible & compelling content that cause customers to take action.

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 121 with Kevin Craine. 7 Steps to Create Compelling Content That Sells. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

The Best of Accelerate!: Episode 23 with Mike Weinberg. You Can’t Run A Sales Organization When You’re Buried In Crap

This is one of my favorite episodes from the Accelerate! archives.

Mike Weinberg has written two excellent books about how to develop new business and how to manage sales. In this episode we had a fast, fun conversation about some of the key lessons he teaches about sales management in his latest book: Sales Management. Simplified.

We all know that growing sales is hard work. In his most recent book, Sales Management. Simplified, Mike Weinberg takes dead aim at the self-destructive, self-defeating behaviors of sales managers (and senior management) that unnecessarily impede and slow down sales growth. In this episode, Mike, with his trademark bluntness, provides the diagnosis and the cure for common sales management challenges. And he outlines his simple framework for sales management that any organization can use to achieve their sales goals. Sales leaders: this was a must listen episode when it first aired. It still is essential listening today!

 

The post The Best of Accelerate!: Episode 23 with Mike Weinberg. You Can’t Run A Sales Organization When You’re Buried In Crap appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 120 with Bridget Gleason. What Happens When Cold Calls Aren’t Enough?

My regular guest on Front Line Friday is Bridget Gleason, VP of Corporate Sales for SumoLogic. In this episode, Bridget and I have a conversation about what you can do when your cold calls stop working. Learn more about what’s in store for sales in the future. Among the many topics we are discuss are:

What alternatives to cold calls are sales teams using?
Can inbound marketing ever completely replace proactive outbound lead generation?
What must sales reps do to maintain their relevance to their buyers?
Does the method used to generate a lead affect its conversion rate and deal size?

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 120 with Bridget Gleason. What Happens When Cold Calls Aren’t Enough? appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 119 with Sue Barrett. Hunter vs Farmer: Do the Old Labels Still Apply in Sales Today?

Sue Barrett is the CEO of Barrett Consulting Group based in Australia. She is a sales philosopher, activist, strategist, speaker, trainer, coach and adviser. In this episode, Sue and I have an interesting conversation about a wide-range of sales topics including:

Hunter vs Farmer? Are the old labels still relevant?
Why are Managers, CEOs, and Entrepreneurs stuck on these broad, easy categories for sales reps?
What are some significant trends that will impact how you sell in 2016 and beyond?
Why everyone is a “salesperson.”
Why selling is a life skill as well as a business skill.

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 119 with Sue Barrett. Hunter vs Farmer: Do the Old Labels Still Apply in Sales Today? appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 118 with Nikolaus Kimla. The Future of the CRM System.

Nikolaus Kimla is the founder and CEO of Pipeliner CRM.  In today’s episode, among the topics Nikolaus and I talk about are:

The future of CRM systems and how they will evolve.
Whether companies will still need CRM systems.
The reasons why most salespeople are slow to embrace the use of a CRM system.
How Pipeliner is addressing the shortage of true sales solutions for sales reps.

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 118 with Nikolaus Kimla. The Future of the CRM System. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 117 with Tom Searcy. Small Business Needs to Shift Their Mindset to Compete For Bigger Deals.

Tom Searcy is the author of the book, Life After the Death of Selling: How to Thrive in the New Era of Sales. He is also co-author of the book, Whale Hunting: How to Land the Big Sales and Transform Your Company. In this episode, Tom and I discuss how small businesses have to change how they think and act to compete with larger companies for bigger deals. Among the topics we discuss are:

Why do some of the “Experts” say that ‘sales’ is dying?
What do U.S. Department of Labor statistics indicate about future sales employment?
How the consultative model is changing in sales.
Why small businesses have to solve bigger problems to stay relevant to their customers.
How smaller companies must structure themselves to go after the bigger deals.

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 117 with Tom Searcy. Small Business Needs to Shift Their Mindset to Compete For Bigger Deals. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 116 with Mark Magnacca. Is Traditional Sales Training Broken? Utilizing Video as Reinforcement for Training Sales Reps.

Mark Magnacca is the co-founder and President of Allego, a mobile based sales learning platform. He is also the author of the book So What? How to Communicate What Really Matters to Your Audience. In today’s episode, Mark and I discuss why the traditional model of sales training is broken and how it is being replaced by a new framework that emphasizes continuous learning and reinforcement instead of classroom training. Among the topics we discuss are:

How has traditional sales training become broken?
How sales learning differs from sales training and what that means for educating your sales team.
What is the difference between Skill Based & On-Demand Based Knowledge?
What are the new generation of learning tools, such as Allego, doing to effectively address the shortcomings of traditional sales training?

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 116 with Mark Magnacca. Is Traditional Sales Training Broken? Utilizing Video as Reinforcement for Training Sales Reps. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 115 with Bridget Gleason. How to Maximize Opportunities and Deals from MQLs and SQLs

My regular guest on Front Line Friday is Bridget Gleason, VP of Corporate Sales for SumoLogic. In this installment, Bridget and I have a conversation about Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs), and how to maximize opportunities and deals from them. Among the topics we discuss are:

The definition of MQL and SQL.
The reasons for low conversion rates of MQLs into qualified opportunities.
Are your MQLs being released too soon to your sales team?
How do you balance quality vs quantity in lead gen?

Be sure to join us for this information packed episode!

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 115 with Bridget Gleason. How to Maximize Opportunities and Deals from MQLs and SQLs appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 114 with Richard Ruff. The Fundamentals of Account Based Selling in Today’s Market.

Richard (Dick) Ruff is a top sales trainer and leading expert on major account selling. He is the author of  Mastering Major Account Selling and the co-author, with Neil Rackham of the book Managing Major Sales. In this episode we tackle the importance of integrating Account Based Selling into your sales process. Among the many other topics we discuss in this episode are:

How to utilize the fundamentals of account based selling.
What is SPIN Selling and is it still relevant to account based selling?
What are the steps a company should take to reinforce the training that has been taught to their sales reps?
The right ways companies should invest their time, effort, and money on sales training.

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 114 with Richard Ruff. The Fundamentals of Account Based Selling in Today’s Market. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

On Accelerate! Now: Episode 113 with Doug Devitre. Making Your Sales More Effective – Using Screen to Screen Selling.

Doug Devitre is the author of  Screen to Screen Selling: How to Increase Sales, Productivity, and Customer Experience with the Latest Technology. Virtual selling, or remote selling, is an integral part of sales today. And Doug Devitre is an expert on how to use technology to create a compelling customer experience during the sales process. Among the many topics we discuss in this episode are:

What is screen to screen selling and is it changing sales?
Why one-on-one sales via screen to screen selling is the future of sales.
Why is it in the best interest of the customer to screen share or have a video meeting?
What are the best tools for screen to screen selling?
What are some of the tools recommended to enhance the value of initial sales calls?

The post On Accelerate! Now: Episode 113 with Doug Devitre. Making Your Sales More Effective – Using Screen to Screen Selling. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.