When things get tough, go back to First Principles. That’s what these next few podcast episodes are all about.

In this episode, Scott focuses on the principle:

“Focus on Now now; worry about Later later.”

I’m seeing a lot of trepidation in the market right now, especially for startup founders, and founders are nervous for lots of reasons.

First, founders are seeing and feeling the crunch when it comes to the financing and funding part of the world. VCs and investors are pulling back because they like to mitigate risk, not take risk.

A second reason is the general economic slowdown. Now, I never subscribe to the excuse that the economy is slow, therefore I can't sell my stuff. As a startup, you should be focused on early adopters and nailing a niche of early customers ready to take action regardless of the macroeconomy. 

That said, if you’re selling to the enterprise, you know that large companies like the Fortune 500s are pulling back. They're pulling back on budgets. They're pulling back on expenses. They're pulling back and cutting their own workers, including some of the people you might have been working with as part of a sales deal over the last 6 months. All of a sudden you find out that person just isn’t there anymore. 

Thirdly, I think the reason for some anxiety started with the sales goals and projections founders established early in the year. Many teams go into the new year with a fervor and excitement and enthusiasm – this is going to be OUR year, putting together strategies and sales plans, maybe having hired a sales team in the last few months, expecting that now they're going to be fully onboard. Plus there are some deals in the sales pipeline which carried over from Q4.

When everything slows down, against what we wanted or needed for the year, it’s time to get back to basics and First Principles.

—

👣 Now, let's talk about YOU and YOUR startup’s journey... 👣

If you're a startup CEO that's on your journey to make the climb to $100mm ARR...

If you’re one of those rare breed of founders that’s willing to acknowledge & accept that there are no shortcuts...

If you're willing to work step-by-step, day-by-day with patience, persistence & perseverance...

Then I’ve got some pretty incredible news…

I'm partnering with Amy Volas & Avenue Talent Partners to bring you a 2-day, IRL immersive experience specifically for startup founders & CEOs whose companies are selling to the enterprise.

Yes this an "In Real Life" event – next month at a top-notch location in a world-class city with 5-star amenities provided by us.

You'll work alongside Amy Volas, me, the SalesQualia team & an unrivaled peer group of fellow founders & CEOs ready to transform their business and mindset, and yours.

👇 Here's the criteria...👇

You MUST:

✅ Be a B2B tech startup founder doing at least $50k MRR right now.

✅ Be willing to invest time, energy and focus for two days to work on scaling your sales & your team.

✅ Be friendly & coachable – you will openly ask questions & share ideas.

✅ Acknowledge & accept there are no short cuts, hacks or magicians that will bestow you a $100m revenue engine.

✅ Keep a secret…

We have VERY limited space & tickets available for purchase because of our venue & how we’re running this IRL immersive event.

If this you, and you’re ready to transform your business and yourself...

Send an email to scottsambucci@salesqualia.com and my team can send over the details of how to save your spot for this exclusive, in-person, immersive event

Let’s do this, shall we?

Over the last 10 years, Monica has built sales teams for Panjiva (acquired by S&P Global), Trello (acquired by Atlassian), and RedIQ (acquired by Berkadia/Berkshire Hathaway).

Then, in 2018, She decided to change everything.

She wanted to help founders and sales teams reach their goals in the fastest way possible. She wanted to get out of the day-to-day grind and get to the heart of what was going to drive meaningful results. Now, She has helped over 100 companies unlock their next level of growth, delivering well over $20M in revenue and $100M in value creation.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• The Concept of Product Led Growth
• The Concept of Hyper-Specialization
• The South Park Model of Account Management
• Importance of Customer Journey Post Sales 
• The Concept of Highlight Moments 

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

Links & Resources: 

5ive Limes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/5ive-limes/

Monica’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-stewart/ 

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

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Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

Getting an enterprise deal across the finish line can feel like you've just crossed the 25 mile mark... and you've still got 25 more to go 😩

How do you sustain momentum in long deal cycles? What's required to get that deal to the finish line?

Scott Sambucci shares lessons learned from being an ultramarathon athlete AND an enterprise seller. The two have more in common than you might think 😉

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Sustaining momentum with large buying committees
• Keeping deals moving even when all you hear is silence
• Mindset and preparing yourself for the long haul
• Lessons from the trail 

...and so much more! 

Join us to learn how to sustain momentum with long, enterprise deals! 

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

Links & Resources: 

Alignd's website – https://getalignd.co

B2B Power Hour – https://b2bpowerhour.com

Morgan's LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/morganjsmith/

Nicholas' LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/nicholasthickett

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Brandon Bornancin.

Brandon Bornancin is the #1 best-selling author of 3 books, a serial salesperson (sold over $100M in sales), an eight-figure entrepreneur (2x), an inventor of Seamless.AI, and a motivational speaker who is obsessed with helping you maximize your success.

Over the past 10 years, Brandon has built a following of salespeople & entrepreneurs in the millions, he’s sold hundreds of thousands of his books, popularized the concept of "Sales Lists", and founded the software company Seamless.AI that helps over 150,000 salespeople maximize their sales…. all in just 2 years.

Brandon is on a mission to positively impact 1 billion and help the world connect to opportunity. He does “Whatever It Takes” to help you maximize your success and make over $1,000,000 in sales. When you win his SIX FIGURE CLUB AWARD or SEVEN FIGURE CLUB AWARD, he sends you your very own custom-built President’s Club Award worth over $1,000.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Brandon’s Journey as a founder of a Startup
• Importing of building a Sales Process 
• The 7-7-7 Framework 
• Importance of list building and ICPs
• Tips for adding Human Approach to Outbound 

Links & Resources: 

Website – https://www.seamless.ai/ 

     https://www.brandonbornancin.com/

Sales Secrets Book – https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Secrets-Worlds

Whatever it Takes Book – https://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Takes

Sales Secret Podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-secrets/id1455492030

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbornancin/

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jenifer Smith.

If Jennifer Smith is right, the way anyone shares how-to knowledge is about to change forever. A former VC and McKinsey consultant turned accidental CEO, she interviewed more than 1,200 business leaders on a quest to understand everything there is to know about processes, best practices, and productivity. Now with her startup Scribe, she’s empowering people to own their processes by building the world’s first operating system for know-how.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• The Sales Journey of SCRIBE
• The Concept of “Top 3 Problems”
• The Concept of “Dolphin-Swimming” 
• Learning From Sales Calls
• Hiring Managers for Early Stage Startups 

Links & Resources: 

Scribe’s website – https://scribehow.com/ 

Twitter- https://twitter.com/scribeceo?lang=en

LinkedIn – hhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferreneesmith/

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Morgan Smith & Nicholas Thickettl.

Morgan Smith and Nicholas Thickett are Managing Partners at Alignd, a go-to-market and sales advisory firm, where they help B2B SaaS achieve pipeline momentum with better sales workflows and social prospecting.

Morgan is a marketer by trade, originally a web designer that became a brand strategist. Nick is a long-time seller who made his name in investment banking and turnarounds.

Together, they host the B2B Power Hour, a podcast & live show helping SDRs and AEs learn modern sales with guest industry experts.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• No Pitch Vs Pitch 
• Vampire Sales
• The Rule of 3: Three Round- Trip Conversations
• The 3 Types of People on LinkedIn 

Links & Resources: 

Alignd's website – https://getalignd.co

B2B Power Hour – https://b2bpowerhour.com

Morgan's LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/morganjsmith/

Nicholas' LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/nicholasthickett

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jarrod Best-Mitchell.

Jarrod is recognized for three things.

- His passion for Sales and sharing that knowledge with his community.

- His expert understanding of the B2B platform LinkedIn

- His undying love for the color yellow.

Jarrod is recognized as of one the top content creators and social sellers on LinkedIn in the Caribbean. With over 700K organic views on his content for 2022, Jarrod has used the world’s largest B2B platform to help entrepreneurs and companies grow their business and position them as the ‘go-to’ for their respective industries. He was recently recognized by Skaled.com as one of the top upcoming sales leaders on the platform. 

Since making the pivot to sole entrepreneurship in LinkedIn and Sales Training, Jarrod has completed training and provided consultations for numerous organizations. 

His client list spans industries such as Insurance, Real Estate, Telecoms, IT and Technology, Energy Sector, Distribution, SaaS, Media, Finance (Credit Union), Media, Telecoms, Fashion, and Retail. Best- Mitchell is also the co-founder of Sales as a Profession- – a Sales platform that is dedicated to the best profession in the world, Sales! 

Since inception in 2018, Jarrod and his business partner have made significant progress in developing the knowledge and techniques of sales professionals not just locally in Trinidad and Tobago but across the Caribbean. 

The most recent installment in the offerings of Sales as a Profession was their 2020 Sales Conference – The New Sales Perspective. Building on the success of their first conference in 2019 and adapting to the present landscape with a total virtual presentation- this conference amassed over 130 attendees along with its impressive speaker and sponsor lineup. Jarrod brings to the table over 16 years of professional experience and his personal credo of ‘Enjoy Life! Don’t worry about it!’ 

Jarrod's personality attracts individuals, organizations, and opportunities as he is known for his exuberance and uncanny sense of humor. He understands what type of conversations and content drives engagement and attracts customers to a business through his unique insights into content creation and social selling. 

Jarrod’s passion and commitment to excellence transcend the workplace as he extends himself to help others realize and achieve their full potential.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Outsourcing Sales Talent to the Caribbean
• Tactic and Strategies on LinkedIn
• Finding and Repurposing content for LinkedIn

Links & Resources: 

Website - www.jarrodbestmitchell.com

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jarrodbestmitchell

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Amy Hrehovcik.

Amy Hrehovcik is a revenue human for life and card-carrying member of #TeamHuman. After selling enterprise tech for a decade, Amy pivoted to Sales Enablement where she built out two sales enablement departments.

These days, Amy helps sales leaders launch their first internal sales enablement podcast. Who says learning to sell can’t be mad fun?!

She’s also the host of her own hit show Revenue Real Hotline. When not working, Amy can be found chillin at the beach with her dog Lola and a book.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• What is Sales Enablement?
• How are you using content in your sales?
• How to think about training and developing your sale?
• How do you go from that founder-led sales process into one that allows you to make the impact you want with your startup?

Links & Resources: 

Website - www.revenuereal.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhrehovcik/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_hrehovcik

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Leslie Venetz.

After 15 years as a top-performing B2B sales professional and people leader, Leslie is an expert in building elite sales organizations. As the founder of Sales Team Builder, Leslie uses her expertise to partner with organizations that want to build inclusive, buyer-centric sales teams. 

Leslie is committed to making sales a respected profession and applies her experience as a 3x Head of Sales to help sales professionals achieve their personal best.

Leslie also shares content daily on LinkedIn and TikTok at SalesTipsTok. She is also a published author and was recently featured in Heels to Deals: How Women are Dominating in B2B Business

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Tik Tok for B2B Sales
• Women in Sales at Startups and Tech Companies 
• Difference between Hustle and Bro-Culture vs Hardwork 

Links & Resources: 

Website - www.insidesalesteambuilder.com 

LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/leslievenetz

TikTok @SalesTipsTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@salestipstok?lang=en

Unleash Playbook - https://www.unleashplaybook.teachable.com 

Daily Does of Sales Inspiration - https://b2bsalesteambuilder.gumroad.com/

Heels to Deals: How Women are Dominating B2B Sales - https://www.bmctalkspress.com/products/heels

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jen Spencer.

Jen Spencer is the CEO of SmartBug Media®, a leading Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency that assists both B2B and B2C e-commerce businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, scaling revenue operations, and building market awareness through digital content, design, and web development.

Jen is an influential thought leader in the sales, marketing, and revenue operations space, regularly speaking at B2B conferences as well as serving as a mentor for revenue leaders through Pavilion's Rising Executives Program. She also started and hosted a weekly podcast called SmartBug on Tap for several years before launching the new Intelligent Inbound Podcast® aimed at challenging the status quo for inbound marketing with inspiring stories from some of marketing's most innovative and successful players. Jen subscribes to the notion that “we’re all in this together,” and great communication leads to a great partnership. She loves animals, technology, the arts, and really good Scotch.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• At what stage of your business should you consider hiring a Marketing Agency?
• What is the importance of having sales-minded marketing people or marketing-minded salespeople?
• What can you do as a startup in terms of marketing; if you are not ready to hire a marketing agency as yet? 
• What are the signals to know it's time to hire a marketing agency? 

Links & Resources: 

Website: https://www.smartbugmedia.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenspencer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenspencer

The Intelligent Inbound® Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1MV0CnkTDtCupFnPJzJLFG?si=2452443647174d73

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Todd Caponi.

Todd Caponi is the author of the 3x best-book-award-winning, The Transparency Sale, a speaker & workshop leader as Founder & CEO of Sales Melon LLC, and the Managing Director of Chicago’s VentureSCALE. Todd is also a multi-time C-Level sales leader, a behavioral science nerd, and has guided two companies to successful exits.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• State of the Sales Economy 
• Inflation of Hires and Roles
• Labour Demand 
• Labour Supply 

Links & Resources: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcaponi

Website: www.transparencysale.com

Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Bxenr

Here’s a link to his Media Kit for more information: https://www.transparencysale.com/mediakit

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Paul .

Andy's hit "Accelerate Your Sales" podcast was acquired by Revenue.io in 2020. Since re-named "Sales Enablement with Andy Paul", the show continues to inspire thousands of sales professionals each week. 

Andy has also written two award-winning sales books, "Zero-Time Selling" and "Amp Up Your Sales". 

He is ranked #8 on LinkedIn's list of Top 50 Global Sales Experts. 

And he has consulted with some of the biggest businesses in the world including Square, Philips, Grubhub and more, making him one of the leading voices in the sales industry today.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Opportunities to change how we sell and engage with clients.
• Ways to help our buyers think through the process of making a decision.
• Importance of being less automated in sales. 
• Having a “Buyer-Centric Approch”

Links & Resources: 

Website: https://www.andypaul.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/realandypaul

Twitter: @realAndyPaul

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jeff Bajorek.

Jeff Bajorek works with B2B sales teams to maximize performance by reframing their approach, their selling skills, and their mindset around their purpose. He helps them rethink the way they sell by reminding them of what needs to be done, showing them how to do it, and then making them believe they can.

When he’s not at work, you can find him on a golf course, or cooking something delicious for his family.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• The concept of “No Tension, No Sale”
• The Idea of Moving the Needle
• Creating a Shift in Mindset 
• Choosen Vision

Links & Resources: 

Website: www.jeffbajorek.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffbajorek

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbajorek/

Rethink the way you sell Podcast: https://pod.link/1555332957

Donate to Chosen Vision:www.jeffbajorek.com/chosenvision

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

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Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

The 3 Key Parts of Every Product Demo (and none of them are you product...)

Been working on product demos with a few clients the past few weeks and wanted to share a critical mindset shift to make when it comes to product demos…

In this video, I'm showing you a simple model that I teach to our clients all the time that will help you avoid prospects ghosting you after your demos.

Even better, you can grab a copy of the SalesQualia Product Demo Prep Pack: Visit https://salesqualia.com/demoprep/ to get yours now! 

This pack includes –

✅ 10 Questions to Ask BEFORE Your Product Demos

✅ The Demo Prep Worksheet to help you map out your meeting strategy and outcomes before you hop on the next demo.

✅ The Prospect Researcher Worksheet so that you know more about your prospects before every meeting, including their priorities and desired outcome

Click here for the Video Version of this podcast on LinkedIn

I scrapped the snazzy sales framework I had ready to go because...

I’ve got something else that’s more important – it's about what's going on out there.

Unease. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Seems everyone’s feeling it.

Maybe not everyone. Maybe everything is honky-dory & hockey stick in your world – I hope that’s the case. I want that for every company founder.

But if it’s not all puppy dogs and rainbows, know that it’s not just you.

I’ve been talking to our clients all over the world – startup CEOs, investors, program directors.

They're all sharing that everything’s just.. a... lit...tle... bit... slower... I'm guessing you are, too.

Your customers & prospects are feeling it, because their customers & prospects are feeling it.

Big company earnings reports and headlines sharply negative – Netflix. Facebook. Alphabet. Spotify. Job cuts at Wells Fargo, Novartis, Robinhood and Blend.

Ukraine. Recessions. The threat of nuclear war.

Your team is feeling it. 

Higher gas prices. Higher prices everywhere. Tax season is expensive, and summer camps are next. Summer trips to Disneyland are becoming camping trips and stay-cations. That bigger house is on hold because of mortgage rates & home prices. 

You’re feeling it, too. I know because I see it on Zoom. I hear it on phone calls. We're all just a little tired and frustrated.

All of us pushed and persevered through the last two years, and here we are, again, facing yet another test of our mettle as founders. As leaders. As colleagues. As partners and parents.

Coming out of 2021, there was a sense of justified optimism –promise for the year ahead.  While COVID persisted, it seemed the worst was behind us and this would be the breakout year we’ve preparing for. Kids were back in school. We figured out the WFH thing.

Except that it hasn't.

So now what the f&ck do we do?

Now we remember what we did for the past two years.  We use that experience to be a leader. To stay composed and in control. We lead.

We lead our customers. We lead our prospects. We lead our teams. We lead our family. We lead our Self.

---

If you'd like some help, I’d like to offer a hand –  

I'm running a private LIVE Session for our coaching clients coming up, and you’re invited – even if you're not a client. Especially if you're not a client.

We’re going to dive deep into every company's sales process – from Lead Gen to Active Deals to Pricing & CS.  

We’re going to identify specific risks and gaps, then build a plan-of-action for the next 3, 6 & 12 months for getting more leads, closing more deals, keeping more customers, and hiring the right team around us.

If you’d like to join, check out the details at https://salesqualia.com/roadmap/ 

Because this is a client event that we're opening up to non-clients, we have limited spots (like less than 10…). Our clients are a tight group that are always willing to share and help, but I’ve also got to put them first. 

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Dan Martell.

“You can only keep what you give away.” That’s the mantra that’s shaped Dan Martell from a struggling 20-something business owner in the Canadian Maritimes to a successful startup founder who’s successfully raised more than $2 million in venture funding and exited not one... not two... but three tech businesses: Clarity.fm, Spheric and Flowtown.

Serial entrepreneur, speaker & investor Dan is a perfect example of someone who has overcome all odds to achieve massive success. Dan now dedicates his time to coaching high performing SaaS entrepreneurs to scale their businesses in a predictable way. 

An activator, a tech geek, an adrenaline junkie and, yes, a romantic (ask his wife Renee), Dan splits his time between Canada (where he grew up), and San Diego with his wife Renee and two boys.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• The Not Been Knowing/Doing Gap
• Achieve/ Keep Simplicity in your Business 
• 3 Questions When Deciding To Introduce Something New To Your Business 
• Examples of the 3 Question Framework 

Links & Resources: 

Website: www.danmartell.com/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dmartell/

Instagram: @danmartell

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

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Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ernest Owusu.

As the Sr. Director of Sales Development at 6sense, Ernest Owusu leverages his passion for helping others succeed as well as his insights from the field to foster a winning team. With previous experience as an NFL athlete, Ernest thrives in team environments full of high collaboration and healthy competition. Outside of the office, you’ll find him tackling the industry’s diversity problem by mentoring and empowering under-represented people so they can confidently grow their careers.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• SDR Sales Development
• SDR Hiring 
• SDR as a Team
• Assessing SDR Candidates 
• Metrics and Quick Decisions for Hiring and Letting go 
• Importance of Communication as a Sales Rep 
• Recruiting Potential Candidates
• Sales for the Culture

Links & Resources: 

Website

6Sense: www.6sense.com

Sales for the Culture: www.salesfortheculture.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheErnestOwusu 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ernestowusu

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

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In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Mowat.

Prior to founding Gated, Andy has run marketing and operations at Upwork, Box, and Culture Amp. His vision and expertise set the tone for the entire Gated team - as we build a solution and a movement to fix email, for everyone.

You get too much irrelevant email. Gated is a free, intelligent email solution that reduces unwanted email and benefits charity - by challenging unknown senders to donate to reach your inbox. Gated works with your existing email setup, making it simple to use. It also reduces inbox volume by an average of 43%, making your inbox more productive and peaceful.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Gated
• Marketing
• The evolution of email
• Change in outbound marketing
• Alternatives to Email

Links & Resources: 

Website: ww.gated.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/netmow

Andy Mowat on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amowat

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia

Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ethan Beute.

Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, Wall Street Journal bestselling co-author of Human-Centered Communication and of Rehumanize Your Business, and host of The Customer Experience Podcast, Ethan Beute has spent the past decade helping business professionals be more personal and human through simple video messages. He’s sent more than 12,000 videos himself. 

He also spent a dozen years leading marketing teams inside local television stations in Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Colorado Springs. He holds undergraduate and graduates degrees from the University of Michigan and UCCS in communication, psychology, and marketing. A husband and father, he lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• Rehumanizing the experience of our communication.
• How do we create a personal connection with people?
• Digital Pollution. 
• Ethan’s Platinum Rule.
• Opportunities and mistakes made when using videos to connect with people.

Links & Resources: 

Website: www.bombbomb.com

Twitter: twitter.com/ethanbeute

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Ethan-Beute/e/B07LFNWL39

Ethan Beute  on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ethanbeute

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

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In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed  Amy Volas.

With more than $100MM in revenue sold and named one of Sales Hacker's Most Dynamic Women In Sales, Amy Volas is a sales fanatic turned entrepreneur. 

She was bitten by the startup bug many moons ago and couldn't imagine spending her time anywhere else. She created Avenue Talent Partners to help with the tremendous task of growing startups through some of their most valuable assets - sales leaders and enterprise salespeople.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• The importance of communication.
• The importance of listening. 
• The importance of understanding how much of what we're sharing in a sales presentation, interviewing candidates, etc. is remembered.
• How can we do better as communicators?
• How to communicate so our prospects don’t feel confused.
• Ensuring that the company that’s doing the interviewing knows who you are as a candidate.
• The state of hiring when it comes to women in technology.

Links & Resources: 

Website: avenuetalentpartners.com

Amy Volas on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amyvolas

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In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Aaron Krall.

Aaron runs SaaS Growth Hacks, the largest SaaS community in the world with over 24,000 members. He helps B2B SaaS companies increase their leads and demo conversions using his SaaS Growth Playbook model. 

He has personally worked with 100’s SaaS companies across dozens of industries and has helped 1000’s more attract their dream customers and convert them to rabid fans. He has increased leads, demo conversions, and ARR for clients like IBM, Reply.io, Freshworks, Brand24, and more. 

Aaron lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Natalie, his son, Arlo, and dog Penny. He enjoys reading horror movie synopsis on Wikipedia and leaving reviews on Google Maps.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• How to find your ideal customer
• Finding and owning a niche
• How to create a SaaS product that people will find hard to say no to
• Partnership Playbook - how to find, talk to and build relationships with high-value partners
• Difference between a niche, market, and ideal customer 
• Bias and assumptions 

Links & Resources: 

SaaS Growth Hacks Group: www.facebook.com/groups/SaaSgrowthhacking 

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Aaron-S-Krall-345461526368945 

Aaron on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/aaronkrall 

Aaron on Twitter:twitter.com/aaron_krall?lang=en 

Aaron's shock and awe page - https://on.aaronkrall.io/case-studies

SalesQualia Live Events: https://salesqualia.com/live_events

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In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jess Todtfeld.

Jess shows executives and c-suite leaders how to BE Magnetic — how to quickly gain the confidence and skills to master speeches, presentations, and media interviews.

Jess, CSP, is one of the leading communication and media training authorities in the U.S. With more than 17 years as a communication trainer and consultant. Todtfeld helps CEOs, business executives, spokespersons, public relations representatives, experts, and authors to become more confident, more in control, and to create more results from their speaking engagements and media appearances.

He brings with him 13 years of experience as a TV producer for NBC, ABC, and FOX, having booked and produced over 5,000 segments. Jess’ time in front of the camera includes features reporting, guest spots on national/international news programs, and hosting of “America’s Premiere Experts” and “Times Square Today” (2015-2019) which has been broadcast on ABC, NBC, FOX and CBS affiliates in the U.S.

As a guest, Jess went on to set a Guinness Record for being interviewed the most times in 24 hours… 112 different interviews on radio.

Some of the topics that we covered are:

• The importance of having storytelling as a key skill.
• How to be specific and memorable in your storytelling.
• How to avoid data dump when you’re telling stories to your customers.
• How to use examples to emphasize key points to deliver with your audience.
• How to think about public relations and the logistics that it takes to market the right way.

Links & Resources: 

Jess on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/todtfeld

Meet Jess Todtfeld: www.bookjess.com/how-can-jess-help-you

Cell:  (917) 207-1039 

SalesQualia Live Events: salesqualia.com/live_events

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"How do you keep people engaged in a sales call, or in the sales process in general?"

The first answer that came to mind was to remember that your prospects are people. They have stuff happening all around them everyday, just like you.

Personal stuff. Family stuff. Health stuff. COVID. Kid stuff. Spouse stuff.

Sure, the past two years have been stranger than normal, but that's the normal we're in now. Strange is normal.

Remember that when you're making that cold call, or pissed off that the prospect is late for your Zoom, or they seemed distracted during the demo.

It's probably not personal, because it could well be something personal for them.

#leadership #sales #BeHuman

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What most CRMs reflect as "Stages" in a company's sales process, are really just reasons for sales opportunities to stall out…

Qualification is not a stage. Demo is not a stage. Proposal is not a stage. Contract is not a stage.

These are all just opportunities for sales opportunities to slow down, grind to a halt and end up in "long-term follow-up."

Why?

Because the right way to treat qualifications, demos, and proposals for these sales activities is treating them as catalysts to the next stage in the sale.

That means you have a specific process for:

1. Maintaining momentum...
2. Handling objections...
3. Unstalling deals that get mired in the muck...

When you're selling a complex enterprise solution, one of your primary responsibilities is to keep control of the sale by always knowing the next step, and leading your customers through your sales process.

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In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Selling Boldly Author, Alex Goldfayn.

Alex is a global sales consultant, speaker, and author of a Wall Street Journal best-seller called Selling Boldly.

The Revenue Growth Consultancy creates an average annual revenue growth of 10-20% for its clients. About once a week, he delivers keynote speeches, sales kickoffs, breakout sessions, and workshops for various associations and companies around the country. 

The topic is sales growth, but Alex also dives deeply into confidence (instead of meekness), proactivity (instead of reactivity), and optimism (instead of pessimism). Fast sales growth is a function of mindset change and a system of simple behaviors.

After reading Alex’s book, I sent him a note on Linkedin. We talked on the phone, and we immediately clicked. So I invited him to the Startup Selling Show, and he graciously accepted.

The reason I wanted to have Alex on the podcast is to talk through the strategies he uses when he consults with large companies and their sales teams, and how you can implement them with your startup as you grow and scale.

In today’s conversation, we focused on how start-up sellers can change their mindsets and use communication to increase sales.  

Here are some of the topics that we covered in our conversation:

• How to develop friendlies in the marketplace.
• How to increase positive psychology when selling.
• Overcoming fears and how to have positive conversations with the people in your marketplace.
• How to migrate away from lazy, low-risk communications and what to do instead.
• How to have “human” interactions with your prospects.
• Communication techniques you can use to increase your sales.

Links & Resources:

• Alex Goldfayn on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/alexgoldfayn

• Alex Goldfayn on Twitter: twitter.com/alexgoldfayn

• Email: alex@evangelistmktg.com

• Selling Boldly: Applying the New Science of Positive Psychology to Dramatically Increase Your Confidence, Happiness, and Sales - https://www.amazon.com/Selling-Boldly-Psychology-Dramatically-Confidence-ebook/dp/B07BFK97QD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545081598&sr=8-1&keywords=selling+boldly

Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:

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Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.