Closing Time: quick insights from sales & marketing experts (Insightly)

Free trials can be a double-edged sword in B2B sales. While they offer prospects a hands-on experience with your product, they can also lead to prolonged sales cycles and missed opportunities if not managed correctly.

In this episode of Closing Time, Dave welcomes Salman Mohiuddin, a seasoned sales trainer and coach, to explore his framework for free trials in sales cycles. They delve into understanding the "why" behind trial requests, setting clear success criteria, engaging executive sponsors, and providing a white-glove experience to ensure trial success.

Trials are where deals go to die. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Tune in to refine your trial strategy and use it to close more deals efficiently.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Salman Mohiuddin: LinkedIn // Salman Sales Academy

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You know you’ve arrived as a sales professional when you have repeatable business as an enterprise seller. Large deal sizes and a 7-figure W2…you’ve arrived.

How can you start your career off on the right foot to end up a successful enterprise seller? Is sales leadership your end goal?

In this episode of Closing Time, meet Craig Surgey, head of sales at Comtrade 360 and co-host of the Struggle Bubble podcast. He’s sharing his insights and the ways the sales career path has changed over time…and remained the same. If you’ve got enterprise dreams, this is the episode for you.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Craig Surgey: LinkedIn //  Struggle Bubble podcast

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You saw the LinkedIn beef between Apollo.io and Seamless.ai—but did you catch that LinkedIn shut them both down? Media platforms hold the power, and if you want to keep playing the game, you’ve got to play by the rules.

In this episode of Closing Time, we’re joined by Tim Davidson, founder of B2B Rizz, to unpack the risks of trying to game the LinkedIn algorithm. From automation flags to fake engagement tactics, Tim shares where people go wrong—and why authenticity is the long game that actually works.

If you're serious about growing your B2B presence on LinkedIn without getting burned, this episode is for you.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Tim Davidson: LinkedIn // B2B Rizz 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website 

Can you afford to do audience research? The better question may be, can you afford NOT to? Most marketers are doing typical market research right, but when it comes to audience research, they're missing the mark.

Audience research is exactly what it sounds like: Discovering who your audience is, what they pay attention to, and what sources influence them (publications, podcasts, YouTube channels, etc.). The better you know your customers and how their purchasing decisions are being influenced, the better you can serve them.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House welcomes Rand Fiskin, CEO of SparkToro, to talk through 3 free or cost-effective audience research options that every marketer can put in their toolkit. 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Rand Fishkin: LinkedIn // Twitter // SparkToro Website

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Your company is on a roll; you’re selling your product and beginning to expand, but you’re struggling to align on what to do next.

How do you decide on messaging? In what order should you execute your marketing plan? What is your unique value proposition, and how can you add marketing as a strategic partner to your go-to-market plans?

Jennifer Zick, founder and CEO of Authentic, joins Closing Time to help B2B marketing leaders "Overcome Random Acts of Marketing®" and move toward a marketing strategy that drives your business forward.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jennifer Zick: LinkedIn // Authentic's Website

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Content marketing in 2024 looks different than it did in recent years. Why? Because the value of content marketing in B2B has been proven, so it’s no longer a question of whether your content budget is funded but how much you will spend and how you'll optimize it.

In this episode of Closing Time, B2B Marketing agency owner Ross Simmonds talks about getting more mileage from your existing content. His mantra is, "Don't just create content for the sake of creating... create something once and distribute it, reuse it, repackage it, republish it, and recycle it forever."

He’ll share specifics about how and when to recycle content and the changes AI will bring to the world of SEO. Ready to level up your content marketing in 2024? Join us!

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Ross Simmonds: LinkedIn // Foundation Marketing

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Since the advent of the telephone, cold calling has been a staple in the world of B2B sales. For decades, call volume has served as a primary measure of a salesperson's success. But hold the phone—times (specifically, the buyer's journey) are changing!

In the modern selling landscape, the old-school cold call is starting to feel a bit frosty. To cut through the noise, buyers need to see personalized outreach and authentic interactions with salespeople.

In this landmark 100th episode of Closing Time, Sam McKenna of #samsales Consulting offers a more effective and efficient sales methodology—one that feels less salesy and more intentional. So grab a cup of coffee (or bubbly) and tune in as we bid farewell to the era of cold calling.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Sam McKenna: Website // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

It’s easy for salespeople to get into a rut and deliver the same sales demo every time. Today’s buyers won’t have it…they’ll watch a recording at their leisure if that’s what they want.

You’ve got to use that discovery call to its fullest potential and customize the experience to make the most of your prospect’s time. In this episode of Closing Time, sales consultant Kim Cram talks with Insightly CSO Dave Osborne about how to be disciplined in the demo and use discovery details to make it impactful. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kim Cram: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Small changes...BIG results. If you want to grow your business, spending money on getting more web traffic may seem like the right move.

However, Sahil Patel and his team at Spiralyze take a different approach. Why not increase conversions from the traffic you already have? 

In this episode of Closing Time, Sahil shares specific tactics to increase web conversion rates on landing pages and web pages. What content converts higher for enterprise vs. SMB? To include or not to include videos? Where should testimonials, client logos, and badges land in the hierarchy?

Learn what small adjustments you can make today to yield big results in the future.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Sahil Patel: LinkedIn // Website 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The demo call is pivotal. You've identified pain points during discovery. Your buyer is interested. They've agreed to another call. You can either solidify the deal or destroy it.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CSO Dave Osborne is joined by Chris Orlob (formerly of Gong, now with Quota Signal and pclub.io) to discuss how salespeople and their leaders can set SaaS demo calls up for success. During his tenure at Gong, Chris helped grow the company from $200K to $200M+ in revenue. After listening to countless demo calls and analyzing data, Chris shares his top selling techniques and practical tips to keep buyers engaged, avoid confusion, and increase the chances of catalyzing a decision. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Orlob: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sales cycles taking longer. More people on buying committees. It’s not your imagination – B2B sales is getting more difficult for both vendors and buyers.

On this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Allyson Havener from TrustRadius to discuss the 2024 B2B Buying Disconnect Report and why this is 'the year of the brand crisis.'

Allyson shares data-backed insights around the shrinking shortlist of preferred products, the increasing involvement of C-suite executives in purchase decisions, and the critical role of brand over demand generation in today's market.

Struggling to gain executive buy-in for brand spending? Allyson and her team at TrustRadius have your back. Download the full report: https://bit.ly/3XAOPT2

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Allyson Havener: LinkedIn // TrustRadius

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You've heard the saying, “No one ever got fired for buying IBM,” but do you know the psychology behind it?

B2B sales reps often focus on how their solution is different, better, and has the latest features and functions. Buyers, meanwhile, are often fundamentally averse to anything revolutionary or innovative. 

Their professional reputation is on the line with every purchase they make - especially the big ones. In many cases, the secret to building confidence in your solution is to de-risk the purchase process.

Dale Harrison, a B2B marketing strategist, joins Closing Time to explain the difference between a buyer's perception of "value" vs. "risk-adjusted value," and why today's buyers suffer from FOFU (Fear of F***ing Up).

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Dale Harrison: LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Few decisions shape your business quite like choosing a CRM. That’s why you need a solid CRM buying guide to steer you clear of the pitfalls.

Meet Jason Kramer, Founder and CEO of Cultivize, a CRM consultancy. In this episode of Closing Time, Jason shares the must-ask questions to ensure your CRM fits your needs today—and scales with you tomorrow. Plus, he reveals why a top-down commitment is the secret to avoiding common implementation traps and driving lasting success. 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Jason Kramer: LinkedIn // Cultivize Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How can you be creative, have fun, and let your personality shine in sales? Would you believe it’s by cold calling more?

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Daisy Chung from Orum, who is on a quest to make outbound sellers love cold calling. Daisy shares her own experience in learning how to cold call effectively and provides insight into how cold calling has become significantly easier in recent years.

Get ready to change your whole perspective on every salesperson’s least favorite task…cold calling.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Daisy Chung: LinkedIn // Orum's Website 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Does the traditional sales negotiation process almost feels like a hostage situation? We build trust and form a relationship, then when the customer says "yes," the gloves come off. As a sales leader, we know you’ve been there.

In this episode of Closing Time, sales expert Todd Caponi will provide simple techniques to improve your sales negotiation skills, build trust, and create a better overall sales experience. The result? You’ll discount less and make all of your deals more predictable. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Todd Caponi: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Few software tools are as mission-critical as your CRM. Whether you're a startup, mid-market, or enterprise business, choosing the right CRM is easier said than done. With over 850 options currently available in the market, according to G2, it can be an overwhelming process.

If you're upgrading your company from Excel spreadsheets or simply looking for a new CRM, you're not alone. In this episode of Closing Time, CRM consultant Vanessa Hunt will guide you through the selection process and help you find the best value and fit for your organization.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Venessa Hunt: LinkedIn // Website

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How long do sellers have to gain trust during a cold call? 7 seconds.

Whether you’re using intent data or slightly warm leads, the first few seconds of that first outreach are the most important. But it's oftentimes where sellers miss the mark, by either pushing their product or failing to build trust and spark the prospect's curiosity.

In this episode of Closing Time, Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, shares an outbound cold calling script that helps sellers create productive conversations quickly and increase their chances of booking a meeting in less than 30 seconds. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Beall: ConnectAndSell Website // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Increasing Average Contract Value (ACV) can help your business grow faster while staying efficient. Think of it this way: all deals take time, but a $10K deal doesn’t take ten times more work than a $1K deal.

By increasing your ACV, you can grow your revenue without adding more people or technology. As such, ACV is a key metric in the health of a business - particularly in a recurring revenue SaaS business.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House is joined by Hannah Ajikawo, CEO of Revenue Funnel, to talk about 4 ways to increase ACV in your business.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Hannah Ajikawo: LinkedIn // Revenue Funnel's Website

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

It’s midway through 2024, and you’re a new sales leader…congratulations! Now you’ve got to get to work. The current and future state of the organization is on your mind.

How can you make an impact right away, keep 2024 goals moving, and still begin to plan for 2025 quotas?

In this episode, Dave welcomes Meg Peterson of On Deck Leadership Consulting to discuss what it’s like to join an organization in this role at this moment in time and how successful sales leaders can navigate it.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Meg Peterson: LinkedIn // On Deck Leadership

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Video selling can be the secret weapon to propel your sales team to higher conversion rates. Think video selling is just about prospecting? Well, you’d be wrong.

The attention-grabbing power of video can have impacts at all stages of the sales cycle – from the initial outreach to personalized demos and proposal walkthroughs.

In this episode of Closing Time, we’re joined Tyler Lessard, VP of Marketing at Vidyard, author of The Visual Sale, and host of The Sales Feed podcast, as he explores video tactics in prospecting, communicating your value prop, reducing no-show rates, mini-demos, and warm handoffs to customer success. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Tyler Lessard: LinkedIn // The Visual Sale book // The Sales Feed Podcast // Vidyard's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You’ve worked on your personal branding on LinkedIn, and now you’re looking for tangible results. How do you go from reaching out to someone in your ICP to counting them as a customer?

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Mandy McEwen, founder of Mod Girl Marketing, to talk you through her 4-step engage - connect - post - repeat process for LinkedIn social selling. She’ll share tips for using prospecting skills plus effective content to move relationships to the next level. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mandy McEwen: LinkedIn // Mod Girl Marketing

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Salespeople churn is almost 3x more than any other job role. With turnover at an all-time high, there has to be a better way to make hiring decisions and improve your hiring hit rate. And there is.

Enter the hiring scorecard for your sales team. Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, breaks down why a sales-specific hiring scorecard works, what it is, what metrics to track, how to collaborate with HR, and how to use it to keep your A-team together. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: Hiring Scorecard // Job Seeker Scorecard //  LinkedIn 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How can aligning go-to-market teams help to elevate and deliver a fantastic customer experience? Research shows that aligned sales and marketing teams produce 400% higher average annual growth rates than teams that aren't aligned.

In this episode of Closing Time, Jay Baer explains the philosophy of "Youtility" and the importance of building relationships and creating value that "transcends the transaction." He also provides actionable tips for B2B go-to-market teams to help them achieve alignment and enhance the customer experience.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Becoming a first-time VP of Sales is not for the faint of heart – the successful track record, tip-top resume, nailing the interview process. But as soon as you land that VP title, the hard work has only just begun.

In our latest episode of Closing Time, we speak with Amy Volas, owner of the Executive Search Firm, Avenue Talent Partners, about the biggest struggles VPs of sales and sales executives face throughout their interview process, the first 90 days, and how to keep the title. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

First 90 Days book: https://hbr.org/books/watkins

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The stigma is gone when it comes to sales enablement. Once the red-headed stepchild, sales enablement has grown into a key part of a successful go-to-market program.

Join Danny Wasserman of Databricks in this episode of Closing Time as he talks about all things enablement - from answering the question ‘What is sales enablement’ to the tech stack, paths to an enablement career, and metrics that your enablement team should own.

We’ll also delve into when a team is ripe for an enablement leader and how leadership buy-in is key to making this function work for your organization.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Danny Wasserman: LinkedIn // Databricks

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Do your sales team members have personal brands? There are a lot of salespeople trying to convince prospective customers to buy. And in many cases, working with a salesperson you know, like, and trust can tip the scales in their favor.

So how are you – as a sales leader - coaching this?

In this episode of Closing Time, join sales and marketing expert Jay Baer as he shares how sales reps can incorporate their personal brand into their go-to-market approach to generate more pipeline, get more referrals, and sign more deals. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The data doesn't lie: If you are not in the consideration set for a buyer before they begin their buying journey, you have less than a 5% chance of closing that deal.

It pays to be top of mind, and B2B marketers do that with brand awareness. In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House speaks with Dale Harrison, a B2B marketing strategist, on why sales leaders should support and encourage their marketing team’s efforts in branding and brand awareness.

Not sure how to communicate the value to your CFO? As a former finance leader, Dale knows how to get buy-in for branding. Find out how in this episode!

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Dale Harrison: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How you personalize your sales outreach can make or break your sales process.

Show Me You Know Me (#SMYKM) is a concept that runs through every single part of your sales process, from the first email the buyer receives – to the 1,000th touchpoint you've had in a long-term client's engagement. 

In this episode of Closing Time, we interview sales expert Sam McKenna and discuss some of the key components of success with SMYKM and how to capitalize on the data in your CRM to personalize your sales and run effective sales campaign processes. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Sam McKenna: Website // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

If your company is not in a B2B buyer's initial consideration set for a purchase, the odds of winning the deal plummet. In fact, research shows that you have a less than 5% chance of closing the deal.

How can marketers create awareness ahead of the buying process? You guessed it, with branding.

In this episode of Closing Time, Jess Cook from Island provides tips for entering the initial consideration set for saturated categories (like CRM) and category creation (like Island's enterprise browser).

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jess Cook: LinkedIn // Island's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Mergers and acquisitions are seemingly everywhere. The latest Deal Barometer forecasts that the 2024 US corporate M&A deal volume will increase by 20%, and US private equity M&A deal volume will be up by 16%.

What does that mean for sales leaders managing teams through the process? How do you keep selling business as usual when there’s nothing usual about the business?

In this episode of Closing Time, meet Pete Briggs, Sales Director at Epassi, who has led teams through the rollercoaster of M&A. He shares his tips for sales leaders on navigating this complex & chaotic process.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Pete Briggs: LinkedIn // Epassi

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

There is a ton of noise in the buyer’s journey, and many buyers are struggling to navigate through it. Things get even more complex when more stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process.

If your buyer remains overwhelmed, your deal may get stuck in the pipeline…for good. How can you help cut through the abundance of content and make sense of it all?

In this episode of Closing Time, Chip is joined by sales coach and consultant Luigi Prestinenzi to talk through strategies for buyer enablement. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Luigi Prestinenzi: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

What if AI has really just given us the ability to create mediocrity at scale? That doesn't actually help sellers or marketers write impactful emails that elicit a response, nor does it help foster brand authenticity.

What does work is a three-step guide from Ann Handley, digital marketer, author, and content guru.

Ann joins Insightly CMO Chip House to talk about the importance of relationships, connections, and branding when leveraging AI tools.

AI-driven authenticity is about using tech not to replace human touch but to enhance and scale it in a way that remains true to the brand’s values and resonates with its audience. Find out how in this episode!

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Ann Handley: LinkedIn // Ann's Website // Marketing Profs

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How do you know if you’re buying old technology? Are legacy CRM systems focused on enterprises, leaving small and midsize businesses flapping in the wind?

As organizations look to make a CRM purchase, it’s time to dig into what’s going on in the market’s biggest players and make an informed choice for what is the single source of truth for your business.

In this episode of Closing Time, Chip welcomes Mike Topalovich, solutions architect and CRM consultant, to talk about what’s going on in the CRM market, how it has evolved over time, and what businesses need to consider before purchasing a legacy system. 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mike Topalovich: LinkedIn 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

AI is transforming sales—but not everyone’s doing it right. In this episode of Closing Time, Nick Caruso, CRO at KnowledgeNet.ai, joins us to break down the smart (and not-so-smart) ways sales teams are using AI today. From AI SDRs and real-time lead research to bots talking to bots, Nick shares how to skip the gimmicks and use AI in B2B sales to drive real outcomes—not just activity.

Whether you're playing catch-up or looking to level up, this is your shortcut to getting AI right in your B2B sales process.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Nick Caruso: LinkedIn // KnowledgeNet.ai 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website 

People used to believe that marketing was art and sales was science, but today’s professionals know both need a little art and science to get the job done.

Kyle Coleman of Clari has first-hand experience and insights on making the sales to marketing career shift. He is a former salesperson who now leads a marketing team.

Join Kyle in this episode of Closing Time, where he talks about the ways marketers can make small changes to their processes and approaches to better align with sales teams. Get both the right and left brains working together; you’ll be a ‘whole brain’ marketer with these tips. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kyle Coleman: LinkedIn // Clari Revenue Platform

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

“You’ve got to be posting on LinkedIn.” Depending on your target audience, this may or may not be true.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House meets with Kyle Coleman, SVP of Marketing at Clari, about how salespeople can start to build your personal brand on LinkedIn.

They explore ways to determine content (based on your experience, expertise, or from industry leaders), the importance of writing in sales, and how you can use your posting efforts to help you crystallize your thoughts to become a better communicator and seller. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kyle Coleman: LinkedIn // Clari Revenue Platform

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Hiring a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) is a big commitment—especially for growing companies that may not have the budget for a full-time executive. That’s where fractional CMOs come in.

A fractional CMO provides high-level marketing leadership without the full-time price tag. But how do you find the right fit for your business?

Andrew Dod, an experienced SaaS marketing leader and fractional CMO, shares what companies should consider before making this hire.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Andrew Dod: LinkedIn // qmarq 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Website // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Account-based marketing (ABM) can be a more efficient way to drive higher-value deals, reduce lead lifecycle, and increase revenue for B2B businesses.

The catch? Successful ABM strategies require complete alignment and support from your sales and marketing teams - and experienced go-to-market leaders know just how challenging that alignment part can be.

John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Marketing, joins Chip House in this episode of Closing Time to talk about how your digital marketing team can power your ABM campaign, with the first and most important step being sales and marketing integration. With these tips and some help from SEO and paid media, you can launch a powerful ABM program in your organization. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM today!

Connect With: 

• John Short: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

It happens every day in every SaaS sales department: Motivated prospect. Pricing finalized. Contract sent. And yet? Silence.

Boom! Ghosted!

But when prospects go dark, how you handle the following steps could mean the difference between signature and silence. In this episode of Closing Time, Sam McKenna, CEO at #samsales Consulting, LinkedIn Ambassador, and Sales Expert, talks about how to capitalize on being ghosted when booking inbound and outbound meetings and how to avoid being ghosted after your proposal has been sent. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Sam McKenna: Website // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

No one wants to receive a “check-in.” In fact, it might be the worst follow-up email to send (or receive). No value. No update. No bueno.

Instead of the same tired cadence, the most effective salespeople use content marketing resources – blogs, articles, reports, podcasts, videos, and more – to generate interest, capture demand, and close more deals. 

In this episode of Closing Time, Jay Baer discusses the latest tips and trends in content marketing so that every email, call, and text you send also makes your prospective customers better, smarter, and more ready to buy. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Getting your startup from the minimum viable product (MVP) to unicorn status doesn’t happen by chance.

In this episode of Closing Time, we meet Stijn Hendrikse, GTM sales coach and author of T2D3 - a handbook for early-stage SaaS leaders. T2D3 stands for tripling your annual revenue for two years in a row and then doubling it for three more years.

Stijn talks through the six stages of successful start-up growth that cross product, sales, and marketing. This episode is packed with insights to help startups achieve sustainable growth and build lasting customer relationships.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Stijn Hendrikse: LinkedIn //  T2D3

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Losing team members in any position is tough. But losing salespeople? Way more common than you think.

According to a Harvard Business Review study, the annual turnover for U.S. salespeople runs as high as 27% – 2x the rate of the U.S. workforce – and that was taken in 2017. More recent data from SiriusDecisions shows that almost half (45 percent) of B2B sales organizations have average turnover rates above 30 percent.

So, how can sales leaders avoid churn in a highly competitive industry? It begins with their hiring practices and onboarding processes. In this episode of Closing Time, Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, discusses the sales candidate experience, the different levers you can pull for compensation, the secrets to onboarding remote employees, and how to ensure a high acceptance rate when making an offer. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: LinkedIn 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You’re interrupting your prospect’s day. You have 10 seconds on a cold call to pique their interest and provide some sort of value before they inevitably say, “I’m not interested.” What is your response?

According to Charlotte Lloyd, sales consultant and outbound sales guru, there are quite a few options available to you to not only respond but continue the conversation productively and increase your chances of landing that meeting.

Turn your outbound around with these eight responses to overcome the dreaded "I'm not interested" objection. Watch the full episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a demo of Insightly's CRM today: https://bit.ly/3sITbqV

Connect With: 

• Charlotte Lloyd: LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

In today’s SaaS purchasing climate, you are more likely than ever to be dealing with a buying committee. And those committees are getting larger.

What does that mean to a seller? And how does the size of the buying committee make selling against the status quo even more difficult?

In this episode of Closing Time, Doug Landis of Emergence Capital chats with Insightly’s Dave Osborne about tactics for selling to buying committees, the pitfalls to avoid, and the extra work it takes to close a deal. 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Doug Landis: LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Imagine a world where you craft each piece of content, every email, and all sales pitches with one specific individual in mind.  Sounds time-consuming and unreasonable, right?

But it's actually the approach used by businessman Warren Buffet as he writes his annual letter to shareholders. The letter is read by thousands, but written with one person in mind: Warren's sister, Doris.

To make messages truly resonate with the intended audience, sales and marketing professionals must find the perfect balance between utilizing AI for personalization and maintaining the indispensable human touch.

Join content marketing guru Ann Handley in this episode of Closing Time as she guides us through the nuances of crafting email and web copy that captivates. She also shares insights on how to personalize at scale, transforming how we connect with our audience.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Ann Handley: LinkedIn // Ann's Website // Marketing Profs

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

It’s cold season—cold calling, that is. And while we’re at it, let’s toss in cold emails too. If you’re a sales rep waiting around for inbound leads to magically appear, you’re leaving money on the table. It's time to prioritize cold outreach in 2025.

“But no one answers the phone anymore!”—hogwash! Meet Troy Munson, CEO of Dimmo and proud cold-caller. In this episode of Closing Time, he breaks down how cold calling actually works in a post-pandemic, remote-first world—if you’ve got the right tools and mindset. Plus, he shares cold email and social selling strategies to help you cut through the noise and book more meetings.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Troy Munson: LinkedIn // Dimmo 

• Geoff Coutts: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Website // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sales leaders often enter a new company and start working on their team immediately. This is important, but they are missing the larger picture by just focusing on their team. It can result in the "sales against the world" mentality.

The best sales leaders do the work early and often to understand how the entire business works before implementing their playbooks.

We'll talk about what sales leaders can do and the pitfalls to avoid in this episode of Closing Time with Amy Volas, CEO of Avenue Talent Partners. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: Hiring Scorecard // Job Seeker Scorecard //  LinkedIn 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

60% of well-qualified deals will end in no decision due to the fear of change or choice paralysis. Why? Salespeople fail to turn sales discovery calls into actual business conversations.

Doug Landis, former Chief Storyteller and VP of Sales Productivity & Enablement at Box, joins us for this episode of Closing Time to review the steps to building a real business conversation before the call. He'll also share tips for perfectly executing the discovery call and how to help buyers overcome status quo bias. FYI: This requires homework.

This proven process will get you past the “why change” question and set you up for success in the next discussion – the “why now.” Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Doug Landis: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Your team is spread across the country, and the forecasts are looking a bit anemic. Is it the economy, our industry, or just bad timing? Regardless, it’s time for leaders to step up and create an environment that attacks, supports, and retains remote sales teams. 

Join Mike Weir, CRO of G2 and former sales leader at LinkedIn, as he shares his insights into effectively using off-site team meetups to keep remote teams engaged. What’s the right mix of information vs. team bonding to maximize your time together, whether in person or online? How do we keep salespeople thriving in times of uncertainty? How does the approach differ with entry-level SDRs/BDRs vs. seasoned enterprise AEs? Mike addresses all of these questions and more in this episode of Closing Time. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mike Weir LinkedIn // G2 Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Hiring your first marketing agency? Get prepared now.

In this episode of Closing Time, we break down everything you need to know before making the leap—like when it’s the right time to bring on outside help, how to choose between full-service or boutique agencies, and the key questions you should ask during the selection process.

What’s the tipping point for outsourcing? How can you ensure the agency’s communication style aligns with your team? And most importantly, how will you measure their impact?

Get all the answers (and more) with expert advice from Brianna Doe, founder of Verbatim and host of the Stop the Scroll podcast.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Brianna Doe: LinkedIn // Verbatim agency 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Website // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

In the age where personalization and understanding sales prospects shows a big improvement in close rates and deal sizes, why is it that most reps still don’t do enough research?

In this episode of Closing Time, Chip talks with Justin Fite of J3 Consulting about a new way to conduct sales prospects research, how sales and marketing can align on ideal targets, and how sales reps can use this information to optimize every opportunity. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Justin Fite: J3 Consulting // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The perfect sales call…does it really exist? The team at Gong Labs might be able to answer. They have analyzed one billion sales calls to help sellers like you build trust, keep buyers engaged, and, ultimately, close more deals.

On this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Udi Ledergor of Gong, who will provide actionable tips that you can start using tomorrow to make your next sales call better. How to open a call, how to talk about pricing, and is it OK to swear now and then? You learn all this and more.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Udi Ledergor: LinkedIn // Gong Labs

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

More and more, companies are adding a new title to their C-Suites: Chief Revenue Officer. It was once often linked to tech or high-growth companies, but its popularity is spreading to all types of organizations.

On paper, a CRO creates synergy between sales and marketing teams that is needed to scale quickly and sustainably. The CRO may also oversee the revenue stack, which is becoming a significant investment as the number of options grows.

But where do the lines get drawn between sales, marketing, and revenue? Do they work side by side, or are the hierarchies? 

In this episode of Closing Time, Mike Weir, CRO of G2, takes us through his journey to becoming a CRO, how he interacts with marketing and sales, what his team looks like, and how he advises people looking to work in revenue. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mike Weir: G2's Website // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

What really drives a customer to click, convert, and come back?

This week on Closing Time, we’re joined by Jon MacDonald—founder of The Good and author of Behind the Click—to explore the psychology behind every stage of the customer journey.

From mental shortcuts to mobile optimization, Jon breaks down the five key phases and shares what smart marketers do to reduce friction, build trust, and drive action. He also weighs in on Google’s latest update and what it means for your landing pages—especially if you're still sending ad traffic to a generic site.

If you're not tailoring your funnel to match your buyer’s expectations, this episode is your wake-up call.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Jon MacDonald: LinkedIn // The Good // Behind the Click

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website 

How do you know if LinkedIn is really influencing your pipeline? Val Riley sits down with Deivis Rupslaukis, founder of DERU Digital, to explore practical ways to track LinkedIn ad impact—from adding “How did you hear about us?” to your forms, to manually cross-referencing CRM data, to using attribution tools like LeadsRx.

Plus, Deivis shares a clever workaround for LinkedIn’s lack of impression capping—and why showing your ads to the same accounts might be tanking your results. If you're spending time and budget on LinkedIn, this episode is for you.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Deivis Rupslaukis: LinkedIn // DERU Digital, B2B paid media agency 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website // LeadsRx's Website 

Discounting in B2B sales is one of the quickest ways to erode trust and credibility—so why does it happen so often?

In this episode of Closing Time, John Barrows, CEO of JB Sales Training and author of I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up, breaks down why proactive discounts often do more harm than good, how they devalue your offering, and why they signal to buyers that your pricing isn’t credible.

John also shares actionable strategies for keeping deals moving without relying on discounts, from leveraging creativity and flexibility to building value during discovery. Plus, he unpacks how to handle the infamous “procurement wildcard” and what every rep needs to know about their company’s pricing strategy to close deals confidently.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• John Barrows: Instagram // LinkedIn // John's Sales Training & Resources 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Website // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Successful CRM adoption can make or break a company’s ability to streamline processes and improve team efficiency, but it doesn’t stop there—customizability is key to making it truly work for your unique business needs.

In this special Customer Spotlight edition of Closing Time, Anastasia Dorsheimer of Buffalo Computer Graphics shares how her team tackled the challenges of implementing a new CRM, improving team adoption, and tailoring the system to their unique needs.

From conducting operational analysis to building custom workflows and automation, Buffalo Computer Graphics leveraged Insightly CRM to boost efficiency and better serve their customers. Tune in for valuable insights on how to maximize your own CRM investment through effective adoption and customization strategies.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Anastasia Dorsheimer: LinkedIn // Buffalo Computer Graphics

• Melinda Prescher: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

With so many sales frameworks to choose from, it’s easy to get lost in the rules and lose sight of what makes each approach effective.

We met Sales Coach Jeff Bajorek in a recent episode of Closing Time, where he walked us through the highs and lows of various sales methodologies like the MEDDICC sales methodology, Miller-Heiman strategic selling, Sandler sales methodology, and the Challenger sales method.

Jeff is back to help you tailor these methods to fit your unique selling style, navigate leadership decisions on methodology adoption, and know when to break the mold for better results. He’ll also share some common threads and discuss his trademarked Sell Like You™ and Rethink How You Sell™ approaches.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Jeff Bajorek: LinkedIn 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Can you package up the marketing needs of early stage companies into 11 key initiatives? Yes, you can if you are the ‘Marie Kondo’ of startup marketing.

Join this episode of Closing Time with Anna Furmanov, host of the Modern Startup Marketing podcast, as she details these 11 marketing essentials that startups need right out of the gate to help them grow faster. She calls it MaaS - Marketing as a System, but we call it brilliant! Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Anna Furmanov: Website // LinkedIn // Podcast

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

On average, 40-60% of B2B sales opportunities are lost to the status quo objection.

We’re not losing to competitors as frequently as we're losing to customer risk aversion – aka the customer’s gut feeling that regardless of how much "better" our solution may be, the road to "better" involves change, cost, and productivity losses.

In this episode of Closing Time, Jen Allen, head of Community Growth at Lavender.ai and Co-Founder of Social Social, will help sellers overcome the status quo, create demand, and earn time with budget-conscious buyers. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jen Allen: LinkedIn // Social Social // Lavendar.ai 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Too many salespeople use the same playbook for every buyer, every time. In 2023, that is a recipe for disaster or – at the very least – missing your sales quota.

In this episode of Closing Time, learn from marketing and CX expert Jay Baer how to customize the three essential elements of sales follow-up communication – cadence, content, and channel – to turn more prospects into leads and more leads into sales. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to stay up to date on the latest happenings in sales, marketing and customer success? Subscribe to the Closing Time podcast wherever you get your podcasts. 

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

When your solution makes it on the agenda of your prospect’s weekly meeting, you’ve got a good chance of closing that deal. But how can you get your solution or service considered at that level?

In this episode of Closing Time, Hannah Ajikawo, CEO of Revenue Funnel, talks through the pre-work you’ll need to do with your prospect and the questions to ask to become a trusted advisor.

Learn how to ‘be in the room without being in the room’ with your prospect and their team using Hannah’s tips to plant seeds that lead to a closed deal. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Hannah Ajikawo: LinkedIn // Revenue Funnel's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You can’t argue with the data—today’s business leaders are on LinkedIn, networking and building relationships with sales reps like you.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Morgan Ingram, CEO of AMP, a B2B Influencer Marketing firm, to share his advice for using LinkedIn (& Sales Navigator) to increase win rates. He’ll provide tips on what to do—and what NOT to do—on the platform, share his perspective on how the algorithm is changing, and explain how you can adapt your activity to maintain and improve your results.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Morgan Ingram: LinkedIn // AMP // Commish Newsletter

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

To connect with your prospects and convert them into paying customers, one of the most powerful stories you can share during the sales process to accelerate trust is a customer success story.

In this episode of Closing Time, podcaster, speaker, and storytelling expert Ravi Rajani shares his "ACORN" checklist for crafting a compelling sales success story. Several key ingredients go into crafting a high-converting customer success story. Unlock Ravi’s ACORN checklist to take you and your team’s storytelling to the next level. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Ravi Rajani: LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

In the world of sports, we expect a new game plan every week depending on the opposing team's strengths and weaknesses. So why do we run the same plays for every prospect?

In this episode, sales consultant Kim Cram talks with Insightly CSO Dave Osborne about how sales leaders can coach up their teams to change the plan on the fly for better outcomes. They'll share the four questions every seller should answer when working with prospects: Who are they? What matters to them? What pains/problems do they have? What is the impact of those pain points? Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Kim Cram: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Running a successful healthcare business requires top-notch service and unwavering security. In this customer spotlight edition of Closing Time, Neuline Health CEO Frank Gray III shares how Insightly CRM's automation and customization capabilities empower his team to deliver best-in-class neurodiagnostic testing to healthcare providers and patients.

Healthcare organizations like NueLine Health choose Insightly because it is a HIPAA-compliant CRM and ensures patient data security through administrative, physical, and technical safeguards.

In Frank’s own words, he “cannot imagine running Neuline Health, or any company, without Insightly.”

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Frank Gray lll: LinkedIn // NeuLine Health

• Melinda Prescher: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Your RevOps team is the key to launching and maintaining a high growth trajectory for your business.

In this episode of Closing Time, Dave Osborne is joined by Eddie Reynolds, a RevOps consultant and CEO of Union Square Consulting, to hear about a model Eddie developed while working with high-growth businesses. Dave and Eddie will talk through sales ops, marketing ops, and RevOps. Then, they’ll break down the five aspects of the model and talk about how each step can be accomplished by your team. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Eddie Reynolds: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sales professionals – are you struggling to build consensus? Today’s B2B sales cycles are complex and include more decision-makers than ever before.

According to recent data, 11.2 stakeholders take part in every deal. Unless you can convince the entire group of stakeholders to buy from you, there's no way the deal will close. But how can you receive a resounding “yes!” from all parties involved?

In this episode of Closing Time, Jen Allen, CEO of Social Social and head of community growth at Lavender.ai, shares powerful tips for facilitating meetings, overcoming dysfunction, and building consensus with the buying group. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jen Allen: LinkedIn // Social Social // Lavendar.ai 

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sellers: how are you creating connections, building trust, and cementing rapport without feeling inauthentic in a virtual first world? 

The goal is to provide your prospects and customers with a unique experience online or via Zoom that captures their attention and makes you memorable for weeks after your call has ended. The million-dollar question is…how? The secret lies in being intentional in the way you communicate so you can win every relationship, even if you don’t win the deal.

Join Ravi Rajani, a podcaster, speaker, and communication expert, in the latest episode of Closing Time to discover four simple methods to establish rapport online without appearing pushy or artificial. You will learn how to purposefully utilize your zoom background, demonstrate your interest in potential clients, and employ storytelling techniques to effectively engage and connect with your virtual audience. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Ravi Rajani: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Sure, getting leads from marketing is great. Leads served up from your SDR team? We love it! But real revenue growth happens when AEs are also self-sourcing pipeline.

Sales leaders, if you want your AEs to get excited about outbound, it's up to you to explain the "why" and enable them with fresh tactics for success.

In this episode of Closing Time, Jason Bay of Outbound Squad helps reps and their leaders really get outbound going by setting realistic activity targets, employing a solid contact strategy, and leveraging situation-based personalization.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Jason Bay: LinkedIn // Outbound Squad 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How does fostering internal and external communities in B2B help drive sales?

Organizations that build an internal community around sellers to boost engagement and morale have more success. Similarly, organizations that build an external community of engaged users via forums and social media help convince sellers to trust them.

Join author Simon Severino in this episode of Closing Time to learn how ‘community’ can de-risk the buying process in your organization.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Simon Severino: LinkedIn // Strategy Sprints

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

There’s nothing funny about sales…or is EVERYTHING funny about sales? That’s the question for this week’s Closing Time guest, Tom Boston.

The daily trials and tribulations of the modern seller are happening in offices and homes across the world every day. As a former Brand Awareness leader for SalesLoft, Tom created a safe, fun place for salespeople to relate to each other and find camaraderie in a profession that can often feel lonely and full of rejection.

In this episode of Closing Time, Tom shares his journey from SDR to Chief Funny Guy, offering insights into humor in B2B sales and some tips and tricks on standing out with personal branding. We were lucky enough to catch him on the cusp of his next professional venture. Come have a laugh with us!

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Tom Boston: LinkedIn //  YouTube // Twitter // Instagram // My Sales Coach

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Many businesses aspire to move upmarket to enterprise, but there’s a catch—long, sometimes painfully long, deal cycles and demanding customers can make it a challenging arena.

If your small business deals aren’t fueling your growth, here’s a tip: don’t underestimate the mid-market advantage. Mid-market companies (typically with 50-250 employees) offer a sweet spot for scaling your business.

In this episode of Closing Time, we sit down with Steve Oriola, CEO of Unbounce, a landing page builder that recently acquired Insightly CRM. Both companies are key players in the SMB and mid-market space. Steve shares his insights on reaching this market, effective strategies for sales reps handling mid-sized deals, and an exciting preview of what the recent merger means for customers of both companies.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Steve Oriola: LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Salespeople often operate like independent contractors in their organizations. It's a career for the self-reliant and self-motivated.

You know when your pipeline is healthy and when it’s anemic… but have you ever quantified your personal efforts that drive your pipe?

In this episode of Closing Time, Dave talks with Luigi Prestinenzi, sales coach and host of the Skalable Growth podcast, about his Sales Success Calculator and why it should be a part of any rep’s toolbox. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Luigi Prestinenzi: LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

How is your sales team’s relationship with the marketing department? According to the latest research - it’s probably not great. In fact, 87% of the words marketers and salespeople use to refer to one another are negative (good luck reaching the quota in that environment). But it doesn't have to be that way.

In this episode of Closing Time, Jay Baer shows how smart organizations are building that bridge through unified CRM systems, aligned success metrics, KPIs, and proactive mechanisms to build relationships and eliminate surprises. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

To retain, grow and inspire your sales team, your culture is everything. But how do you motivate a sales team that stays, performs, and advocates in the Great Resignation era? Sales expert Todd Caponi would argue it has to do with maximizing intrinsic inspiration.

In this episode of Closing Time, we'll discuss the six categories of sales motivation and inspiration (also referred to as the PRAISE model), along with easily actionable ideas to help you maximize them in any sales environment. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Todd Caponi: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

You’ve heard about ChatGPT in the news and online, but how exactly does it benefit Go-to-Market professionals?

In this episode of Closing Time, columnist, author, and host of the Paychex Thrive business podcast Gene Marks joins Insightly’s Chip House on Closing Time to go over five areas where you can start using ChatGPT today to save on resources and time. Actionable tips for salespeople, marketers, and customer success professionals are included. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Gene Marks: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Why do most sales presentations fail?

Because the traditional presentation choreography, used by so many organizations around the world for many years, runs opposite to how our brains engage and decide. They polarize rather than build consensus.

In this episode of Closing Time, Todd Caponi will explore why the traditional presentation choreography doesn't work, how to make a better sales presentation, and how to use story-based selling to better choreograph your presentations to compel your audience to buy. (hint: it involves reality makeover TV). Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Todd Caponi: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Today’s most successful agencies know that real growth comes from putting the customer at the center of every strategy. But shifting to a truly customer-centric approach means rethinking traditional marketing tactics and rallying entire teams around a shared vision.

In this episode of Closing Time, Tony Mohr, former CEO of strategic marketing agency Quarry and now Managing Director of Marketing Services at Marketbridge, shares insights on navigating the challenges for modern agency marketers, standing out in a crowded digital space, and building team alignment around a positive brand experience. 

From practical advice on transforming your brand to actionable strategies for boosting customer loyalty, this conversation is packed with valuable takeaways for agency leaders and marketers looking to fuel growth in 2025.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Tony Mohr: LinkedIn // Marketbridge

• Melinda Prescher: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

It's a new month/quarter, and you are back to zero again. Staying motivated in any role is difficult, but it’s even more so in B2B sales.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Jordan Benjamin, host of the Peak Performance Selling podcast. Jordan shares tips for avoiding sales burnout, bringing his perspective as a salesperson, sales leader, meditation coach, and yoga instructor. He’ll talk through the types of energy salespeople bring to their role, how to focus on the role of helper and the mind-body connection that he uses to coach salespeople and leaders.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Jordan Benjamin: LinkedIn // Peak Performance Selling podcast 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

If you’re looking to better engage prospects, coach your team to success and close more deals, you’re in the right place.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House meets with Derek Grant of Salesloft to share a newly released research study that explores call and email data benchmarks by role (SDR, AE, and CSM). The study tracks more than 570 million interactions across 20 sectors over a year. See the 5 major takeaways, learn how to implement improvements, and measure how your team is stacking up. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Get your copy of Salesloft's 2023 Revenue Team Benchmark Report.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Derek Grant: Salesloft's Website // Derek's LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Buyers – especially in B2B – learn about products and services in various ways. As social media platforms like TikTok continue to gain popularity, it becomes increasingly difficult for marketers to track web traffic and social engagement with traditional analytics tools.

Enter the phenomenon of dark social – something that is guaranteed to impact your brand. Author and CEO of Zen Media, Shama Hyder, will break it all down for you in this episode of Closing Time. She's answering the obvious questions: What is dark social? How does it affect companies? How can I leverage it? Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Shama Hyder: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

B2B buyers are making one thing clear: They want to research on their own before engaging with a salesperson. What’s shocking is how far into the funnel they get alone, as much as 83% of the way.

We call this the ‘dark funnel’ (also referred to as dark social), and on this Halloween episode of Closing Time, we’re going to break down how marketers can unearth and track what’s going on in the hidden shadows of B2B marketing.

Jen Allen-Knuth, a marketing consultant and evangelist partner at Lavendar.ai joins Val Riley to explain the impact the dark funnel is having on marketing metrics and give you tips on how to simplify your lead categorization in and around it. The dark funnel isn't scary when you know how to make it work for you, instead of against you. Find out how in this episode! 

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jen Allen: LinkedIn // Social Social // DemandJen // Lavendar.ai

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

As brands move towards efficient growth, aligning the sales and marketing teams on an account-based marketing strategy is a logical move.

Most SaaS companies either already have a plan in place or are considering adopting an ABM program to drive revenue. But more and more are considering a new strategy focusing on the entire customer journey (sales, marketing, AND customer support).

It's called Account-Based Experience (ABX).

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House welcomes Corrina Owens, former head of ABM at Gong, a revenue intelligence platform. Corinna compares AMB and ABX, talks through her 3-step playbook on building a powerful ABX program, and shares two successful champion-focused ABX campaigns at Gong.

If you’re looking for a guide on how to start ABX, this is it. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Corrina Owens: LinkedIn // Corrina's 3-Step Playbook

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Still sending the same boring emails? You may get lucky here and there, but your open and response rates are likely abysmal.

Sam McKenna, CEO of #samsales consulting, says that personalization in sales outreach is the key, but you need to take it even further. Genuine, research-based engagement will always win over generic, high-volume tactics.

In this episode of Closing Time, Sam shares practical examples of using her trademarked “Show Me You Know Me®” model in cold email, nurture email, social media, and more. Tune in to learn how to cut through the noise and make your outreach truly stand out in a sea of same.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Sam McKenna: Website // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Think cold calls and cold emails are your only shot at generating pipeline on a tight budget? Think again. In this episode of Closing Time, Chris Merrill, CEO of Better Media (the folks behind Sell Better & Market Better), shares tactical, low-cost strategies that go way beyond the inbox or the dialer.

From live events and webinars to podcasting and building niche communities, Chris unpacks creative ways to drive demand—without draining your budget or your team. Whether you're a lean team, a startup, or just looking for smarter ways to generate pipeline, this episode is packed with ideas you can start testing right away.

Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Chris Merrill: LinkedIn // Sell Better

• Geoff Coutts: LinkedIn 

• Insightly's Website // Unbounce's Website 

When marketers get marketing attribution right, it opens up a whole new world to them in terms of finding efficiency with spending. However, the complexities of a multi-channel marketing team often lead to marketing attribution only showing a small piece of the puzzle.

In this episode of Closing Time, meet Larry Todd of LeadsRx, a marketing attribution company. Larry will talk through the power of cross-channel attribution (also called full-funnel attribution) and will give you the trends to look for in 2025.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Ready to convert every marketing touch into revenue? Get a demo of LeadsRx's multi-touch attribution software today. 

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Larry Todd: LinkedIn //  LeadsRx

• Alex Nazarevich: LinkedIn //  Unbounce's Website

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Everyone in sales knows that word-of-mouth marketing is the best way to grow your business and improve your close rate. Then why are companies still spending millions on advertising instead of turning their customers into volunteer marketers?

It's because they're selling a boring and expected product or service. In order to have your customers advertise for you, you need to give them something to talk about. That means creating something unexpected and different.

In this episode of Closing Time, marketing and CX expert Jay Baer goes beyond the mundane to share five Talk Triggers that will help companies execute on their word-of-mouth strategy, generate more online reviews, and increase revenue. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Jay Baer: Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Still waving a whiteboard in desperation on your sales videos? Or kicking off with a screen share in your intro? Let’s leave those habits in 2024.

Chris Bogue, sales coach and author of The Complete Guide to Selling on Video, believes video is a goldmine for storytelling and connection—if done right. In this episode of Closing Time, Chris shares actionable tips for mastering video prospecting in 2025 using lessons from his side hustle: improv comedy.

Learn how to take what you’re given, present your point of view with confidence, and use your prospect’s values and goals to create videos that don’t just stand out—they convert.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Chris Bogue: LinkedIn // Download the The Complete Guide to Selling on Video 

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Demand capture vs. Demand creation – two of the most important areas of focus for today's marketers. Demand creation (aka demand generation) is about driving awareness and interest in a product or service, while demand capture focuses on attracting and converting the roughly 5% of your target market actively looking for a solution.

Familiar marketing frameworks – like the Predictable Revenue and Demand Waterfall – that once laid the groundwork for thousands of B2B SaaS company's go-to-market strategies, are now outdated and doing more harm than good. 

Why? Because B2B buyers are much different in 2023 than they were in 2011 when these frameworks were published.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly CMO Chip House welcomes Chris Walker of Refine Labs to take a trip down the go-to-market history lane and discuss how marketing and sales leaders can modernize their GTM strategy with an 'all-bound integrated revenue team.' Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Chris Walker: LinkedIn // TikTok // Instagram // Revenue Vitals Podcast // Refine Labs

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

To gate or not to gate? Or “Gate-gate.” Either way, this is a controversial topic in B2B marketing.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Anthony Kennada of AudiencePlus, an online content experience platform. Anthony walks us through the value of owned media and talks about how to determine what is ‘exclusive content’ and therefore worthy of a gate of some kind.

He also explains how having a first-party relationship with your audience is vital to lowering the cost of distribution, measuring the impact of content, and connecting audience engagement to bottom-line revenue.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Anthony Kennada: LinkedIn // AudiencePlus website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Pipeline looking thin? Sitting back and hoping for inbound leads won’t cut it—not in today’s market. Top-performing reps know that building a predictable pipeline means getting smart about outbound.

In this episode of Closing Time, Geoff Coutts sits down with Jed Mahrle, founder of PracticalProspecting.io, to break down seven buying signals that help reps reach the right prospects at the right time. Outbound will always be tough—but with Jed’s playbook, you’ll be miles ahead of anyone still doing it the old way.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Jed Mahrle: LinkedIn // Practical Prospecting 

• Geoff Coutts: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Website // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The B2B sales compensation market shifts quickly – how are you keeping up in 2023?

In this episode of Closing Time, we’ve invited Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, to break down what's driving the sales compensation market, risks to be aware of, and the importance of a strong sales hiring process. Why do A-players leave? Find out! 

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Amy Volas: LinkedIn 

• Dave Osborne: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

A messy pipeline doesn’t just frustrate your sales leader—it kills deals. When sellers don’t have a clear picture of where each opportunity stands, they waste time chasing the wrong prospects, struggle to forecast accurately, and ultimately lose revenue.

So why isn’t pipeline hygiene every team’s top priority? Because it takes time, discipline, and a little help from our friends at 30 Minutes to President's Club.

In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly SVP Geoff Coutts welcomes Nick Cegelski, Founder of 30mpc, to share actionable strategies to manage your sales pipeline like a president's club seller. Nick provides practical (daily) tips to help your sales org stay on top of pipeline hygiene—and win more deals because of it.

Download your copy of the Insightly x 30mpc guide: https://www.insightly.com/30mpc/

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want expert advice delivered monthly to your inbox? Subscribe to the Closing Time newsletter to never miss an episode: https://bit.ly/3C5aZUw

Connect With: 

• Nick Cegelski: LinkedIn // 30 Minutes to President's Club 

• Geoff Coutts: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Website // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

AI services like ChatGPT and Bard are already impacting how marketing professionals generate content for SEO (search engine optimization).

But most experts agree that high-performance content cannot be achieved simply by clicking a button. The human touch is necessary to be successful.

In this episode of Closing Time, we’re joined by Mitch Causey of Demandwell, an SEO growth platform, where he’ll share his team’s tactics for leveraging AI to shorten the time it takes to produce quality content that not only ranks in Google but that your team can still be proud of. Watch the full episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Mitch Causey: Demandwell Website // LinkedIn

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

When done well, a product launch can propel your business forward, engage your prospects, and drive adption. In fact, 79.5% of companies reported launches had a significant impact on revenue.  The challenge?

Orchestrating a successful product launch can be a painful process for product marketers – they require robust research, careful collaboration, and (ideally) a well-thought-out launch checklist to keep your GTM strategy on track and stakeholders aligned. 

Karthik Suresh, co-founder/CPTO of Ignition and former product lead at Facebook, joins Closing Time to guide listeners through an effective launch process where stakeholders from different teams work towards one common goal: Smoothly launching the best product possible that customers will love. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Karthik Suresh: Ignition's Website // LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

B2B sales has never been more of a challenge than it is today—buying committees are complex, sales cycles are long, and buyers are inherently risk-averse. When you’re focused on the big picture (closing deals and hitting quota), it’s easy to forget how your daily activities drive your success or hold you back. 

In this episode of Closing Time, Kevin Dorsey, a SaaS Sales Consultant, Keynote Speaker, and Sales Leadership Coach, reveals his "10 Commandments of B2B Sales Success”—a set of daily practices that will keep you sharp, focused, and ahead of the competition. 

From carving out time to roleplay and working in bursts to reflecting on your wins and preparing for tomorrow, these commandments are forged from real-world experience and proven strategies. Kevin encourages sellers to try them out for 30 days and see the difference in their sales performance.

Watch the episode on YouTube.

Shopping for a new CRM? Get a demo or start a free trial of Insightly's modern CRM that teams love. 

Connect With: 

• Kevin "KD" Dorsey: LinkedIn //  Kevin's Sales Training

• Val Riley: LinkedIn 

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

The prospect has the budget. They have the authority. They have the need. But timing? “Sorry, we’ll have to push this project for six months.”

Overcoming this lack of urgency is tough – but not impossible, and Closing Time has got you covered. You’ve got to help them recognize the negative consequences of their current state.

In this episode, we hear from Doug Landis, former Chief Storyteller and VP of Sales Productivity & Enablement at Box, on his game-changing tips to overcome a prospect’s lack of urgency. You’ll learn the skills to get your prospects to articulate why the status quo isn’t working and is costly. You’ll do this through connection, credibility, and empathy. Watch the episode on YouTube.

Want to stock your bookshelf on us?

Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests. 

Connect With: 

• Doug Landis: LinkedIn

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Is your outbound email response rate falling short? Are you struggling to meet your sales quota because of it? Adopting a Sales Engagement tool like Salesloft and optimizing it to work in tandem with your CRM could be your answer.

In this episode of Closing Time, we've brought in sales engagement expert and director of product marketing at Salesloft, Albert Rhee, to share the secrets to switching up your inbound and outbound cadences to elicit MORE responses from prospects, utilize all channels, and progress deals more quickly. The icing on the cake? He's bringing the data from Salesloft's Data Science team along with him to back the claims. Watch the episode on YouTube. 

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Albert Rhee: LinkedIn // Salesloft

• Chip House: Twitter // LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube 

Running a successful account-based marketing program can be challenging.

Whether your organization is just starting out, has a few campaigns under its belt, or is an ABM pro, there are almost certainly ways to improve your processes and results.

In this episode of Closing Time, we welcome Meredith Fuller of Quarry to talk through the various stages of ABM, how go-to-market teams need to align to properly execute ABM, and how to encourage sales support and collaboration.

Want to better align your go-to-market teams? Get a free demo of Insightly's modern, scalable CRM.

Connect With: 

• Meredith Fuller: LinkedIn // Quarry's Website

• Val Riley: LinkedIn

• Insightly: Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // LinkedIn // YouTube