Predictable Prospecting's Podcast

Contact management matters, maybe more than you already know. Today's guest knows it, which is why he goes out of his way to learn and understand even more about the business he's in on a regular basis. Today, you'll hear about Jon Ferrara, founder and CEO of Nimble. Listen in to learn more about his history, what Nimble does and how it can help, and some of the many things that Jon knows about CRM and content management. Episode Highlights: History of CRM and contact management How long Jon has been running Nimble Nimble's relationship with Microsoft Where sales professionals are today Tools and processes for building relationships Why you need a process for serving others Nimble's discount code: JON40 How a Twitter comment shifted into LinkedIn, email, and Jon's calendar Working on staying top of mind to prospects, customers, and influencers Resources: Jon Ferrara Nimble

Compelling presentations are always difficult to create, but they're an essential part of sales. And now there's something that can help you organize and curate your various slides and get them ready to become a compelling presentation. Today you're going to hear from James Ontra, the creator of the presentation management platform and communication strategy hub Shufflrr. Learn how Shufflr works, the different ways that it can help, and what inspired James to create Shufflrr in the first place. Episode Highlights: Whether presentation management is a part of pitch decks How things are changing with COVID and how Shufflrr helps Why people need a library of slides How the speaker notes work Getting metrics from slide usage How to get started with curating slides James's favorite onboarding experience Whether marketing drives the collection of assets Getting copies of a presentation What inspired James to develop Shufflrr How to check out Shufflrr Resources: James Ontra Shufflrr

In an environment where many, if not most, businesses are suffering, how does a company grow by 300% during a pandemic? Today's guest made it happen, and he wrote a book about it. Listen in to today's episode to hear Marylou interview Brandon Bornancin, the entrepreneur who founded Seamless.AI and the author of the soon-to-be-released book Whatever It Takes: Master the Habits to Transform Your Business, Relationships, and Life. Listen in to hear Brandon discuss what happened to prompt him to write his book, how his company grew during the pandemic, and why it's important to go all out for success. Episode Highlights: Brandon's book What happened to Brandon that resulted in him writing his book What Brandon's company did to grow 300% in a pandemic The daily and weekly rhythms Brandon's company used to enact their pandemic plan The okay-hour system Going all out for success Resources: Brandon Bornancin Whatever It Takes: Master the Habits to Transform Your Business, Relationships, and Life

What's the best way to sell services? How does selling services differ from selling products? How can you convince a prospect that a particular professional service is right for them? Today's guest is Liston Witherill, and his message is: serve, don't sell. Listen in to hear what Liston has to say about what "serve, don't sell" means, what the success path for selling services is, and the four steps that he recommends. Episode Highlights: Why Liston got into professional services The success path for selling services What "serve, don't sell" means Understanding that you're adding value Drawing the map Understanding clients' motivation Helping people make decisions Showing what's possible Which slides should be in your slide deck Asking questions that demonstrate that you understand the prospect's problem Case studies and testimonials What's in Liston's training Resources: Serve Don't Sell Modern Sales Podcast

What do you know about team selling? What are the advantages to approaching sales from a team position? In today's episode, you'll hear from Trish Bertuzzi, founder and CEO of The Bridge Group and author of The Sales Development Playbook. Listen in to hear what Trish has to say about what team selling models look like, what the benefits of the team selling approaches are, and how you can start thinking about team selling as an option in your business. Episode Highlights: What team selling means What a team selling model looks like Hybrid roles How to start looking at team selling as an option Different versions of team selling Developing a team sales strategy that makes sense for you What account hierarchy looks like The continuity of team selling What you can learn from being part of a team Why you need to think differently about your selling model Where sales goes from here Resources: Trish Bertuzzi The Bridge Group

Over the years, it's become more and more obvious that the subscription model is a viable business model for any number of products and services. How can you develop a membership mindset? What can successful subscription models teach you about sales? Today's guest is the expert on the subject. Listen in to hear from Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of The Membership Economy and the new book The Forever Transaction. In today's episode, Robbie discusses her background and qualification, what she knows about cultivating good customers, and what listeners can do to get started on a membership mindset. Episode Highlights: How Robbie came to be an expert in her subject Parallels to the SAAS world in Robbie's process B to C companies vs B to B companies How Robbie decided to write her book Where to get started with a membership mindset Indicators of good customers Putting customers on a path to success Whether surveys important at looking at where clients are Top three things listeners can do to get started The difference between customer support and customer success Resources: Robbie Kellman Baxter The Forever Transaction

Succeeding at the top of the funnel requires some out-of-the-box thinking, and that's what today's guest has skill and experience with. Max Traylor offers his clients productized consulting services and is the author of a new book called Agency Survival Guide. In today's episode, Max discusses the impetus for the book, how he got into productized consulting, and why he uses the agency framing to talk about his clients. Episode Highlights: The impetus for Max's book How Max first started to get residual passive income Blending consistency and customizability What Max discovered interviewing people on his podcast Separating strategy from implementation Three stages to residual income Why Max uses the agency framing The importance of a healthy balance in clients How Max plans to socialize the book Where listeners can find Max's book Resources: Max Traylor

Whether you're new to sales or you've been in the game for a while and you're looking for a way to achieve sales mastery, today's guest has some ideas for you Simon Portwain is the author of a new book, Sales Icon: Selling in the Shadows. Simon joins the podcast today to talk about some of the ideas that he covers in his book. Listen in to hear what he has to say about sales momentum, developing a sales journey plan, and transitioners for salespeople. Episode Highlights: Why Simon was motivated to write this book What sales momentum is The framework around sales momentum How sales journey plans develop Where sales journey plans start What influences sales activity How momentum and journey are linked to transitioners Finding your success formula Resources: Simon Portwain Sales Icon: Selling in the Shadows – Amazon Sales Icon: Selling in the Shadows – Barnes and Noble Email Simon: [email protected]

How are C-Suite buyers different from the typical inbound lead buyers? How is the conversation different with these different types of buyers? Today's guest is Skip Miller, sales training expert, President of M3 Learning, and author. In today's episode, Skip discusses ideas from his new book Selling Above and Below the Line: Convince the C-Suite. Win Over Management. Secure the Sale. Listen in to learn more about the difference between above the line and below the lines sales, tools you can use to create an above the line narrative, and what to focus in in above the line conversations. Episode Highlights: Whether an SDR is naturally inclined to prefer inbound The different languages above and below the line Different value propositions for buyers above and below the line Tools to create an above the line narrative Whether inbounds are typically above or below the line Use cases where getting people to go above shortens the lag of time What above the line conversations focus on When to discuss what the new normal will look like Understanding above the line energy The ratio of questions in above the line conversations Call planning Importance of understanding both above the line and below the line conversations Resources: Skip Miller M3 Learning Selling Above and Below the Line

Podcasting is still a new and growing medium, but it has a lot of exciting potential as a sales tool, among other things. Today's guest, Matt Johnson, is the founder of a podcasting production agency and he has explored some interesting ways to use the medium that may be valuable to sales professionals. Listen in to hear about Matt's LinkedIn script, his strategy using podcasting, and the results rates that he's seen from his methods. Episode Highlights: What Matt does and who he serves How Matt's LinkedIn script works Matt's response rates, and how they compare to the average The overall reaction to Matt's lead generation Matt's overall strategy Developing relationships with people in different parts of the sales process How podcasting relates to problem solving and expertise Where to start in podcasting Where to look for podcasts that are a potential fit Goals for beginning podcast hosts and guests Resources: Pursuing Results How to Get Featured

Who is the right person to talk to when you want to advance a prospect through the pipeline? When is the right time to talk to that person, and how should you do it? Today's guest has some ideas. Joining the podcast today is Tukan Das, CEO of a company called LeadSift. Tukan is here to talk about whether or not you really can predict who is ready to buy, what a good work flow is, and how you work those leads so that you can increase the yield and lower the time it takes to get from the initial conversation to close. Episode Highlights: The statistics mentioned on LeadSift's website Why Tuakan started the LeadSift tool Gauging intent data Hyper personalizing sales conversations Building an ideal signal profile The steps toward scaling How soon to jump into the middle term What comes after the middle term An exciting customer story How the audience can connect with Tukan Resources: Tukan Das Email: [email protected] Free Tool to Automate Research for prospecting LeadSift HomePage Google Alerts Twitter Search LinkedInSales Navigator BuiltWith BuiltWith Toolbar Alexa Ranking SEMRush

Is the funnel model fundamentally flawed? If so, how do salespeople approach that problem in a new and different way? Today's guest will help explain why it may be helpful to think about the funnel in a different way. Carman Pirie is the Co-Founder of Kula Partners, which is currently handling mostly manufacturing clients. Carman is working on turning the funnel sideways – but what does that mean? Listen in to find out, as Carman discusses why he's excited about his work, how to get companies to think in a way that emphasizes personalization, and how to get past resistance to sales' involvement in building campaigns. Episode Highlights: Why Carman got excited about the work that he does How Carman is turning the funnel sideways Carman's process for starting conversations How to get companies to think in a more personalized way How to get past resistance to letting sales build campaigns What changes in marketing when dealing with a smaller number of accounts Starting the engagement process Direct mail segmentation How firms get started with Kula Partners Resources: Carman Pirie Kula Partners

Can you get better performance from your team just by asking questions? Asking the right questions can build and strengthen your management coaching skills and allow your team to perform at their highest levels. Today's guest will explain how the ability to ask the right questions can help you tap into the human potential of your team. Chick Herbert is a Des Moines executive who's come up with a process that he calls question-centric coaching. Listen in to hear what Chick has to say about pinpointing where people on your team are struggling, asking the right questions, and motivating your team. Episode Highlights: Chick's background Chick's working relationship with Brad Williams Pinpointing where people are struggling Asking questions that get people to contemplate their own struggles and behavior The frustration of witnessing ineffective leaders What about Chick's process motivates people Tracking progress Whether styles of coaching differ based on sales roles Extending knowledge to other team members What to do when you're not used to asking questions How to use silence The value of preparation Truth and ground truth Resources: Chick Herbert It Begs the Question Chick on Twitter Email Chick: [email protected]