Predictable Prospecting's Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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

Word of mouth recommendation has always been an important part of sales. Testimonials are vital. So of course, if you can find a way to leverage customer testimonials in your sales process, you can sell more effectively and close faster. Sam Shepler's company helps you do just that. Sam is the founder and CEO of Testimonial Hero, and in today's episode, you'll learn more about that company and what they do. Listen in to learn why Sam decided to start Testimonial Hero, why video testimonials are so important, and what the Testimonial Hero process is like. 

Episode Highlights:

• Why Sam decided to start a company dedicated to testimonials
• What Sam was doing before Testimonial Hero
• Why Sam specializes in video testimonials
• How COVID changed things for Sam's company
• What the process is like after testimonials are sent in
• What kicks a service like Sam's into high gear
• Who can benefit from Sam's service
• The specific benefits of video
• The process and timeline for Sam's team
• How listeners can learn more about Testimonial Hero

Resources: 

Sam Shepler

Testimonial Hero

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

Every SDR gets nervous when picking up the phone to talk to a prospect. We get scared of pushing too hard and getting a rejection, and we worry about offending our prospect or making them uncomfortable. How do you manage your own disruptive emotions so that you have the ability to influence the emotions of other people?

On this episode of Predictable Prospecting we're joined by Jeb Blount, founder and CEO of Sales Gravy and author of Fanatical Prospecting and a new bestseller: Sales EQ. We're discussing how to push past the flight or fight response that comes up when talking to clients and how to manage the emotions that make prospecting difficult.

Episode Highlights:

• Jeb Blount's inspiration for writing Sales EQ
• The fight or flight response in sales
• How to control your own fear and anxiety while on the phone with a prospect
• The Universal Law of Awareness in Sales
• Identifying the different types of intelligence and making them work for you
• Doing qualification the right way
• Walking away from a prospect that doesn't value your time
• The differences between having discipline and having habits
• Jeb's steps for continuing your education

Resources:

Books Mentioned:

• Insight Selling by Mike Schultz and John E. Doerr

• Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

• Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Jeb Blount: 

• Fanatical Prospecting

• Sales EQ: How Ultra High Performers Leverage Sales-Specific Emotional Intelligence to Close the Complex Deal 

• Visit SalesGravy for resources from top sales professionals
• Check out Jeb's personal website for blog posts and other content
• Follow him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin

As sales professionals we're often told to smile before speaking to a client so they can hear the friendliness in our voice, but how often are we trained on listening to the body language clues coming from the other side of the phone?

In this episode we're joined by Nigel Green of Evergreen Consulting, a lifelong student of sales and the psychology of buying and selling. Nigel is an expert when it comes to understanding the power of listening in sales, specifically on the types of language we use while listening and communicating with a prospect.

Episode Highlights:

• Knowing when it's time to "get serious": How Nigel Green decided to focus on top of funnel
• Creating a framework for language listening
• Is it possible to read body language over the phone?
• Red Flags: 8 signs that you're not listening to the prospect correctly
• Nigel's top three techniques for connecting better with a customer
• Implementing a training and roleplaying schedule for your sales team
• More from Nigel Green

Resources:

• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
• Ask by Ryan Levesque
• Motivational Interviewing by William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick
• Love Nigel's philosophy on listening and want to learn more? Check out his 8 Ways To Master Client Resistance free PDF! You can also send him an email at nigel@nigelgreen.me

Have you ever taken a personality test to find out more about your strengths and weaknesses? Personality tests like the Myers-Briggs are great for revealing more about our inner selves, but they can also be useful when it comes to connecting with your prospects.

Our guest today is Dr. Diane Hamilton, author, speaker, and Emotional Intelligence expert. We're talking all about the human side of sales – how to connect with a prospect based on their personality type, doing research before the first conversation, and building up relationships over time.

Episode Highlights:

• How can studying emotional intelligence and the psychology behind communications help us with sales?
• Diane's method for identifying the personality type of a prospect within seconds
• Using social media research to create a personality profile
• Developing a relationship with a long-term prospect based on common interests
• Preparing for the first call
• Techniques for improving your confidence and tone in conversation
• Diane Hamilton's radio show

Resources:

• "Your body language shapes who you are" TED Talk by Amy Cuddy
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• It's Not You, It's Your Personality by Dr. Diane Hamilton
• Want to hear more from Dr. Diane Hamilton? Visit her website for blog posts, videos, and information about her radio show! You can also connect with her on Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter

We hear it over and over -- consumers today are being bombarded with messaging and content from all sides. It's an information overload, and many businesses are struggling to cut through the clutter and target prospects in a loud and clear way.

Today's guest is an expert and consultant that helps companies do just that. Jessica Mehring is the CEO of Horizon Peak Consulting and the creator of a unique service called the Content Lab, which trains marketers and content creators on how to craft the perfect messaging. How does she do it? Jessica's method dives deep into the internal pain of the prospect, and her research-based content strategy strives to display the personality of your business.

Episode Highlights:

• The inspiration behind creating The Content Lab
• Why results are part of Content Lab's mantra
• Fighting the content fatigue with targeted messaging
• What's driving good content?
• Jessica's pre-planning process for content strategy & utilizing the virtual focus group
• Client stories and experiences
• More than what's on the surface: Digger deeper into prospect pain
• Identifying the important of open and click-through rates
• Following the customer's emotional journey
• What's next for Jessica Mehring

Resources:

• Horizon Peak Consulting
• The Content Lab

Prezi is the revolutionary new presentation software that'll change the way marketing and sales professionals think about making connections with clients. What makes Prezi unique from a standard PowerPoint presentation? Prezi harnesses the power of visual thinking by creating a visual roadmap of the story you want to convey to a viewer. In this interview, we discuss the how and why behind visual thinking, using Prezi to track consumer engagement, and how to begin using Prezi in your workplace.

Episode Highlights:

• Tracking engagement
• How a tool like Prezi can shorten the sales cycle: Conversational Presenting
• Identifying how people think
• Retraining your brain to see the Prezi roadmap
• Customer examples
• Getting started with Prezi

Resources:

• Prezi Customer Stories:
• • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ugq__LYjuU
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIqfbd5o3C0
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZErz6VRJduU&feature=youtu.be

As technology becomes a bigger and more necessary tool for doing business, Sales Development Reps who are still in the beginning stages of their career can find it difficult to truly connect with a prospect when using any form of communication other than email. The "human touch" component of sales is absolutely crucial to closing the deal with a client, but can it be taught to a new generation of SDRs?

Our guest today is Andy Paul, Founder of Zero Time Selling and host of the sales strategy podcast Accelerate!. We discuss how buyers form perceptions of SDRs, the importance of first impressions, and Andy's process for engaging clients and connecting on a more human level.

Episode Highlights:

• Blending sales technology with a human touch
• When does a prospect first form an opinion about you?
• Creating a good first impression even with non-verbal communications
• Lock your cell phone in your desk drawer: Why multi-tasking won't help you get more done
• Doing prep work for your first verbal conversation with a prospect
• Asking the right questions
• Making yourself different from the competition
• Breaking away from talking about the pain points of the client
• Speaking to the CEO like he's your peer
• More from Andy Paul

Resources:

• Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

• The Science of Selling by David Hoffeld

• Resonate by Nancy Duarte

• The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

• Selling Fearlessly by Robert Terson

• Want more from Andy Paul? Give him a call at (619) 980-4002, send him an email at andy@zerotimeselling.com, or connect with him on Linkedin or Twitter @zerotimeselling
• Check out Andy's podcast, Accelerate!

In today's episode we're chatting with Mark Galloway of Oppsource, a unique sales development software that organizes your sales day, keeps track of your prospects, and outlines a campaign for engaging your top clients in deal-closing conversations. We discuss the inspiration behind Oppsource and how it can help you meaningfully connect with prospects in an increasingly digital world.

Episode Highlights:

• Why sales companies need to put money into mentoring, educating, and supporting their sales reps
• Understanding and implementing discrete account intelligence
• Mark Galloway's background and Oppsource
• How Oppsource can quadruple your communication with prospects
• SDR touch sequences
• The ideal client
• Personalization versus automating contact with prospects

Resources:

• Oppsource Sales Development Software