Join us for the first of a two-part conversation with world-renowned sales expert Brent Adamson, the co-author of The Challenger Sale and a Gartner alum, as we discuss what it means to sell on Customer Value Creation and how to win over "rational buyers". Follow the Host on LinkedIn: Howard Brown (CEO, Revenue.io) And our Special Guest: Brent Adamson (Global Head of Research & Communities, Ecosystems) Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Powering high-performing revenue teams with real-time guidance Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast

This week, join host Alastair Woolcock and New Breed’s Senior Director of Revenue, Barrett King, in a forward-looking discussion on the integration of AI within partner relationship management. This episode explores how AI-driven tools are poised to revolutionize sales ecosystems, highlighting the potential for increased scalability and efficiency in go-to-market strategies as we approach 2024 and beyond. Follow the Hosts on LinkedIn: Alastair Woolcock (CRO, Revenue.io) Howard Brown (CEO, Revenue.io) And our Special Guest: Barrett King (Senior Director of Revenue, New Breed) Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Powering high-performing revenue teams with real-time guidance Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast *If you'd like to ask the guys a question that could get answered on the show, call our new message line at (323) 540-4777. Just leave your name, where you're from, and your question and we'll do our best to answer it on an upcoming episode.

On the latest podcast episode, hosts Howard Brown and Alastair Woolcock feature Christine Li, VP of Global Partnerships at G2, to share her expert insights on the evolving sales landscape. From the impact of AI on buyer behavior to the strategic importance of partnerships in achieving sales success, Christine discusses the new paradigms shaping the future of sales. Drawing on her experiences from LinkedIn and G2, she provides valuable insights into the necessity of adapting to buyer expectations, as well as how partnerships are becoming a cornerstone for growth and success in the sales ecosystem. Follow the Hosts on LinkedIn: Alastair Woolcock (CRO, Revenue.io) Howard Brown (CEO, Revenue.io) And our Special Guest: Christine Li (VP of Global Partnerships, G2) Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Powering high-performing revenue teams with real-time guidance Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast *If you'd like to ask the guys a question that could get answered on the show, call our new message line at (323) 540-4777. Just leave your name, where you're from, and your question and we'll do our best to answer it on an upcoming episode.

Jennifer Allen is formerly Chief Evangelist of Challenger and now Head of Community Growth at Lavender. She's joining me today, along with my occasional co-host, Howard Brown, founder and CEO of Revenue.io. Jennifer discusses the psychology of no-decision and why buyers who choose the status quo are actually making a decision, just not the one you want. She also gives an introduction to the Challenger Sale and the 5 sales mindsets they discovered, as well as gives tips on what sellers can do to ensure a buyer actually makes a buying decision. Jennifer also talks about The Challenger Loop to get quick feedback from the customer about what went right and wrong in the deal. HIGHLIGHT QUOTES A better product does NOT convince a buyer to make a decision- Jennifer: "[Better] is my least favorite word in sales now because I think it's the number one word that led to a lot of my status quo, no decision deals because what I failed to realize is people don't always want better. Like, good, in most cases, especially in markets like this, is damn good enough." Show the buyer the cost of action - Jennifer: "One of the most eye-opening experiences is my job as a seller is not to show why it's better. My job is to show the cost of an action. What is the cost of the status quo before I ever start going off about what I have to offer and what that looks like." ROI is not compelling enough to move away from the status quo - Jennifer: "I would talk about here's the ROI of changing; it's 15 times ROI. Guess who else is saying that? Every other vendor competing for that dollar. It means almost nothing. And I'm not saying there's not a time and place for ROI, but compelling a business to exit the status quo is incredibly difficult. And just like the doctor's example, they need to feel that the risk of staying the same is actually far greater than the risk of change." Find out more about Jennifer in the link(s) below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferallen1121/ More on Andy: Connect on LinkedIn Get Andy's new book "Sell Without Selling Out" on Amazon Learn more at AndyPaul.com Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Unlock exponential growth with an AI-powered RevOps platform | Revenue.io Scratchpad | The fastest way to update Salesforce, take sales notes, and stay on top of to-dos | Scratchpad.com Blueboard | World’s leading experiential rewards & recognition platform | Blueboard.com Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast

Matt and I discuss how Full Funnel Marketing is a challenge to marketers and how to measure Marketing’s contribution to the pipeline.

Dan and I discuss how to keep your customers engaged and involved beyond the initial sale, and how to unify sales and customer success around common goals.

Alen and I discuss how he learned to ask the right questions to prospects and how your mindset influences your selling behavior.

Bridget and I discuss, employment-related questions and sales team characteristics of companies in different stages of growth.

Jill and I discuss how she came to focus on selling more in less time, what she learned from her research about concentration, and how to eliminate distraction.

Marylou and I discuss her journey from engineer to revenue expert, and her new methodology you can use to predictably reach new prospects.

Dave, Steve, and I discuss how to (not) control the sale and which activities support the sales process and create a higher probability of success.

Brant and I discuss how he came to write his book, how he joined the ‘Lean’ movement, and how organizations can grow with their customers.

Edward and I discuss the battle between good enough and excellent (and why good is better) and practical tips to improve your sales.

Bridget and I discuss the value and the impact of Big Data. We talk about the impacts of Big Data helps us or hurts our sales efforts.

Brit Bartolini is a Senior Enterprise Account Executive at Blueboard. She shares her initial reluctance to enter sales due to negative stereotypes, and her subsequent surprise that sales are actually a transfer of enthusiasm through storytelling. She also digs into how it is to sell to sales and HR leaders and how recognition and incentives keep sellers motivated and fresh. Brit talks about using the 5 love languages in her selling and how stories about experiences create a bond in a primarily online sales culture.  HIGHLIGHT QUOTES Give sellers experiences to recognize their hard work - Brit: "I'm going to take away that justifiability factor. Go do something nice for yourself because you pushed harder, you went above and beyond, and then come back and tell us that story because that story, as we know in sales, has a ripple effect. It makes people care, it makes people feel connected. It motivates others." Cash is not the incentive to a winning sales culture - Brit: "When we're thinking about sales culture, especially as we turn our attention to a remote world, how are we building that connection? Cash isn't going to do that. If I sit in my room and feel isolated all day long making cold calls, and then my boss is like here's a $50 gift card for hitting your cold calling goals this quarter, yay? But I don't even know half of my team."   Find out more about Brit and Blueboard in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brit-bartolini/ Website: https://www.blueboard.com/ More on Andy: Connect on LinkedIn Get Andy's new book "Sell Without Selling Out" on Amazon Learn more at AndyPaul.com Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Unlock exponential growth with an AI-powered RevOps platform | Revenue.io Scratchpad | The fastest way to update Salesforce, take sales notes, and stay on top of to-dos | Scratchpad.com Blueboard | World’s leading experiential rewards & recognition platform | Blueboard.com Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast

Anneke, Britton, and I discuss how they came to write their book and the external trends that are forcing sales organizations to change.

Tim and I discuss his journey from salesperson to sales expert and author and how social selling is becoming mainstreamed. 

Cian and I discuss the value of detailed Win/Loss Reviews and the surprising things that influence customers in their decisions to buy or not.

Will and I discuss how Will’s background in chemistry and medical device sales led to starting his podcast and how sales professionals would benefit by podcasting.

John and I discuss the importance of building your personal brand, your unique promise of value, and how you can become a domain expert.

Bridget and I discuss the connections between new sales technologies and enhanced sales productivity, as well as the future of sales technology. 

Jeremy and I discuss what sales organizations are a good fit for gamification, and how to implement gamification to improve sales productivity.

Norman and I discuss what to look for when selecting a training vendor, creating a culture of accountability, and the skills a sales manager needs.

Brian and I discuss poor implementation of sales automation tools and the lack of training to teach sales reps how to authentically connect with customers.

Craig and I discuss the current state of the sales process and how to build a sales process that supports the needs of the seller and the buyer.

Lee Salz is a sales management strategist and author of several books including Sell Different! and Sales Differentiation which helps sellers win more deals at the prices they want. Lee discusses why this is important especially when the differences between your product and the competitor's product are very slim. Lee explains that how you sell is equally important as what you sell, if not more so. He shares how to sell to decision influencers, as well as the reasons why top sellers put their buyer's needs before their own. Lee also digs into the buying experience and how to ask horizontal and vertical questions during discovery. HIGHLIGHT QUOTES Create a matrix of outcomes to guide discovery meetings - Lee: "You reverse engineer the meeting and you start by asking yourself this question, 'It was a great meeting if I accomplished what?' Identify the outcomes that would make for a great discovery meeting. And if you think of it in terms of a matrix, the left-hand column, here are the desired outcomes." "The subsequent columns are, what am I going to ask? What am I going to say? What am I gonna do before, during, and after the meeting to achieve each one of those desired outcomes? So what questions am I gonna ask? Only the ones that correlate with the outcomes on my list." Horizontal and vertical questions for discovery - Lee: "Horizontal questions parallel the scanning process. They're scan questions, they're superficial questions to acquire some data points. But that's what the dentist is doing when he is going tooth by tooth, he's scanning. But then when the hook sticks, that's when the analysis happens and we don't do that enough. And that's what I refer to as vertical questions. Getting a complete picture, a 360-degree picture of that particular data point. A lot of times I see salespeople ask questions for one reason. You know what that is, Andy? To have something to write down." Skills practice may seem like a drag but it is necessary - Lee: "Love me on payday. Love me when you make President's Club just like mom and dad made you eat your vegetables. That's what sales management needs to do with their salespeople and make sure skill practice is happening religiously." Find out more about Lee and get his books in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesalz/ Website: http://selldifferentbook.com/ More on Andy: Connect on LinkedIn Get Andy's new book "Sell Without Selling Out" on Amazon Learn more at AndyPaul.com Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Unlock exponential growth with an AI-powered RevOps platform | Revenue.io Scratchpad | The fastest way to update Salesforce, take sales notes, and stay on top of to-dos | Scratchpad.com Blueboard | World’s leading experiential rewards & recognition platform | Blueboard.com Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast

Joining me on this episode of Accelerate! is Matt “Handshakin” Holmes, Founder of Handshakin.com,and author of the eBook, Six Networking Strategies for Entrepreneurs: Networking 101 for new startups and first-time entrepreneurs. Among the many topics that Matt and I discuss are how Matt realized he could teach others about personal branding, some of his strategies to build and protect personal brand; the importance of online networking; and using networking to build your personal brand.   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:10] Matt learned that asking to interview someone about their success is a good shortcut to networking. [3:14] Matt’s shares his favorite “networking with billionaire” story about landing an interview with Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline.com. [5:22] Matt defines the critical elements of your personal brand. [8:59] The steps sales reps should take to build their brand online. [10:09] Matt describes the plug-ins to use with LinkedIn to build a powerful networking platform. [14:15] Easy steps all sellers to need to take to perfect their LinkedIn profile. [17:05] The three signs you are a poor networker: and how to address them [19:45] Matt describes how to measure the effectiveness of your online networking activity.   MORE ABOUT MATT HOLMES What’s your most powerful sales attribute?Paying it forward -- giving something of value to the other person before making an ask. Who is your sales role model?Grant Cardone. What’s one book that every salesperson should read?How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. What music is on your playlist right now? Low-energy dubstep for the office.   CONTACT MATT HOLMES Website: Handshakin.com/free Snapchat: Handshakin Twitter: @Handshakin

Bridget and I cover how collaboration and engagement can accelerate the buyer’s journey to a productive conclusion.

Joining me on this episode of Accelerate! is Brent Adamson, Principal Executive Advisor at CEB and co-author of the bestselling books, The Challenger Sale and most recently, The Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results. Among the many topics Brent and I discuss are how the ‘challenger customer’ paradigm presents a challenge both for the buyer and the seller, how it forces sellers to adapt their processes, and strategies for creating a mental model of the customer’s business and strategy and how ‘selling low’ to establish stakeholder consensus is an effective sales strategy.   MORE ABOUT BRENT ADAMSON Who is your sales role model? Steve Jobs, because I’m in the business of selling ideas. What’s one book that everyone should read? Any book that gets you to say, “Huh, I never thought of it that way before”. What music is on your playlist right now? O.A.R., Dave Matthews   CONTACT BRENT ADAMSON Website: CEBGlobal.com CEB Sales Leadership Council CEB Marketing Leadership Council  

Kendra and I discuss cold calling and whether it is an ineffective use of a sales rep’s time, and how to make yourself into an authority.

Jamie and I discuss common misconceptions about social selling, as well as the necessity for engaging the buyer on every front.

Anthony and I discuss why you need a passion to excel at whatever you do and the three essential traits all successful sales professionals possess.

Ali and I discuss the biggest challenge facing sales reps in today’s environment and problems that can result from relying entirely on data to manage sales. 

Bridget and I discuss the priority of habits before skills; time management habits and skills; and the superiority of sales conversations over scripts.

Gerald and I discuss how to provide the transparency and responsiveness that transforms the customer buying experience and produces more sales.

Lars and I discuss the evolution of Account-Based Sales Development (ABSD), and how Cloudera is effectively using ABSD to drive its sales growth with major accounts.

Daniella Bellaire is the CRO at Diversio. There has been much progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), but the real work is just about to get started. Storytelling is a powerful tool for sharing this message and Daniella shares how they use storytelling for Diversio's go-to-market. Daniella digs into the challenges of making DEI a priority in companies, as well as its tendency to shake up the very culture of organizations. Andy and Daniella also talk about how DEI is actually good for business and how encouraging diversity creates better retention and job satisfaction overall. HIGHLIGHT QUOTES DEI is inevitable as a new generation starts taking over - Daniella: "You think about what's happening in the workforce... as boomers retire, who's coming in to fill these jobs? Who's coming in as top talent in the organization? Who is now going to be coming into these leadership roles over the next 5, 6, or 10 years? That's a generation that cares about equity and inclusion and diversity in the workplace." Diverse teams produce better overall results - Daniella: "Teams that are more diverse, much higher likelihood to understand the target market and the demographics of who they're selling to. There's so many ways you can slice this. Companies that are more diverse are paying more fairly or are retaining higher levels of talent than ever before. Increased job satisfaction and increased performance overall."   Find out more about Daniella in the links below: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellabellaire/ Website: https://diversio.com/ More on Andy: Connect on LinkedIn Get Andy's new book "Sell Without Selling Out" on Amazon Learn more at AndyPaul.com Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Unlock exponential growth with an AI-powered RevOps platform | Revenue.io Scratchpad | The fastest way to update Salesforce, take sales notes, and stay on top of to-dos | Scratchpad.com Blueboard | World’s leading experiential rewards & recognition platform | Blueboard.com Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast

Glenn and I dig into why most sales training is not effective, and how to understand emotional drivers of behavior change.

My guest on this episode of Accelerate! is Laurie Sudbrink, Founder and President of Unlimited Coaching Solutions, Inc., author of the book, Leading with GRIT: Inspire Action and Accountability with Generosity, Respect, Integrity and Truth. Some of the key topics Laurie and I discuss are the key elements of selling with GRIT, how to implement change in yourself and in your organization, and the five steps of change Laurie prescribes that you can use to transform your selling.   KEY TAKEAWAYS [2:30] Laurie wrote Leading with GRIT to reach more people in the workplace than she could by coaching. [4:01] The Acronym GRIT -- generosity, respect, integrity, and truth -- is really a way you can develop passion and perseverance in your career. [11:25] The Respect and Integrity aspects help a leader to build trust, and flow right into Generosity. [15:32] Laurie describes the fundamental problem when it comes to introducing change into our lives and how to effectively teach it. [18:58] Andy and Laurie discuss the five steps to implementing change: awareness, desire, how, action, and perseverance. [20:18] Being able to use your self-awareness without judgment is a critical point of Awareness. [21:51] Taking some time to self-reflect -- a minute in the morning, a minute at noon, a minute in the evening -- is essential to making lasting change. [23:51] Desire for change is the why. We have to own that why. What's the value to me? [30:00] Action: take that first step. It's OK to make a mistake. [32:16] Perseverance: you fall off the horse, and you get back on. Keep going, because there really is no alternative. [33:52] Life's too short. Have a little fun, lighten up, and enjoy the ride.   MORE ABOUT LAURIE SUDBRINK What’s your most powerful sales attribute?Relating to people. Who is your sales role model?Jeffrey Gitomer. What’s one book that every salesperson should read?The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book), by Don Miguel Ruiz. The Only Little Prayer You Need: The Shortest Route to a Life of Joy, Abundance, and Peace of Mind, by Debra Landwehr Engle. What music is on your playlist right now? Tom Petty.   CONTACT LAURIE SUDBRINK Website: Leadingwithgrit.com Website: Leadingwithgrit.com/gritassessment LinkedIn: Laurie Sudbrink Facebook: Laurie Sudbrink Twitter: @lauriesudbrink

On this week’s episode, Bridget and I delve into dealing with ambiguity — and how to use it to your advantage in sales.

Craig and I discuss the development of online and mobile CRM, why CRM implementations fail, and integrated marketing automation.

Ian and I discuss understanding the problems your product solves for the customer and how to qualify your customer by enticing them.

Andrea and I discuss the real meaning of the word ‘no’, the cultural bases for the fear of failure, and how to rapidly grow your sales.

Kurt and I explore influence, persuasion, and negotiation. Also, how sales has changed and whether you would rather talk to a salesperson or a consultant.

Kevin and I explore the sales applications of podcasting, novel ways you can reach your prospects with podcasts, and methods to repurpose print and web documents into podcasts.

We answer the question of a listener about what you need to do to position yourself for promotion and attempt to define what persuasion is.

Jay and I discuss why more companies are looking to build their business through channel sales partners and how channel sales are transforming entire industries.

Is RevOps just Sales Ops 2.0? According to Mallory Lee, VP of RevOps at Nylas, simply renaming Sales Ops to RevOps isn't the right way to do it. Coming from a marketing background with a tight focus on Sales-Marketing alignment, Mallory knows what it takes to create a successful RevOps function that does what it's supposed to do. She shares how RevOps can help tell an objective, data-driven story about the value of what different teams are working on. Follow the Hosts on LinkedIn: Alastair Woolcock (CRO, Revenue.io) Howard Brown (CEO, Revenue.io) And our Special Guest: Mallory Lee (VP, Revenue Operations, Nylas) Sponsored by: Revenue.io | Powering high-performing revenue teams with real-time guidance Explore the Revenue.io Podcast Universe: Sales Enablement Podcast Selling with Purpose Podcast RevOps Podcast *If you'd like to ask the guys a question that could get answered on the show, call our new message line at (323) 540-4777. Just leave your name, where you're from, and your question and we'll do our best to answer it on an upcoming episode.

Justin and I discuss sales process engineering and why he believes it’s important to reduce a salesperson’s autonomy through a division of labor.

Sean and I discuss the 4 key milestones start-ups should use to assess their progress and how to acquire the data to develop an effective customer attraction strategy.