Catalyst Sale Podcast

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss Leading Well Into the New Year. Key Takeaways: We can control our attitude, we can control our effort. When leading self, ask what is going to be different about next year and how will I make it happen? We know we should lead self, but we spend so much time reacting to the things in front of us rather than taking a leadership perspective and shining the light a couple of feet ahead and asking if we are moving in the right direction. We fall into the trap of focusing on what others should do, but we haven't taken care of ourselves. Put your list together and then prioritize. Start with simple things - it feels good to check things off your list. Focus your time and energy on the right things. Be consistent in the way you execute. If you're a leader and you're not holding yourself personally accountable to doing the things you say you are going to do, are you really leading? Consistently review work that is being done to determine if you are making progress toward your over-arching objective. Give yourself freedom to adapt and iterate. This episode is brought to you by the Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan. Learn more about it here. Have a question you would like us to answer or a topic you would like us to discuss in a future episode? Contact us: [email protected] www.catalystsale.com twitter Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. You can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Catalystsale.com

On this episode, Camille Clemons once again joins Mike for a great conversation. They discuss leading well into the new year, characteristics of a good leader and the role of being a mentor. Key Takeaways: Remember what got you where you are. Make incremental changes along the way. Leadership is a choice, not a title. Harness your business and understand where you thrive. Take time to really figure out what your ideal client looks like. There does come a time as a leader where you need to say we're going. Keep yourself honest - this takes re-assessing. "Be where your feet are" - Camille Create people who are making change. We are way better, we're way stronger when we each carry out our strength in the process. Be ok to defer, even if it means someone else gets the credit. Being a leader requires giving people a certain amount of grace. Keeping standards high can only be executed by those executing on a plan. It's important that we remind ourselves why we're here and why we're doing what we're doing. Take time with your team. It will be time well spent. Show Links: Camille on Twitter Camille on LinkedIn We Are Smarter Than Me by Barry Libert Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course

In this episode, Mike is joined by Brandon Fluharty. Brandon is the VP of Strategic Account Solutions at Live Person. He is also the Founder of Be Focused, Live Great. Key Takeaways: A lot of people haven't found purpose in what they do - the best motivation is intrinsic motivation. When you look at elite performers, many have a drive that is driving them toward something most people can't see. When you can align to that personal north star, that's when special things can occur. If we're too busy being busy, when does the real work get done? Elite performers integrate their life and their work because they don't necessarily view work as work - it is their calling. Everything is connected. We can move through things much faster when we put them in their appropriate buckets. During your peak energy, do your high level tasks. Leverage the tools available to you. Operate at an elite level so it can be a consistent mode of operation. Unlock insight into yourself. We have two things we can control during the work day - the start of the day and the end of the day. Have a simple routine for the start and the end of your day. At the end of the day, review objectively and plan for tomorrow. Pomodoro Technique - set a timer for 25 minutes and concentrate on one task. When the timer goes off, give yourself permission to take a break. Allow yourself to be a curious human being. Keep a dedicated place for work and a dedicated place for personal time. You ironically will perform better doing less than you felt like you were doing before because you've created a personalized operating system. You're not just working, you are building a craft. Show Links: Brandon on Linkedin Be Focused, Live Great Atomic Habits by James Clear Pomodoro Technique Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

Gratitude and Reflection In this episode, Mike and Jody reflect on 2021 and they each share a few things they are grateful for. Let us know what you are grateful for at [email protected]. Key Takeaways: Figure things out and move things forward There are a number of different ways to inspire or create reflection and gratitude It is important to take time to reflect and to express gratitude. Have a question you would like us to answer or a topic you would like us to discuss in a future episode? Contact us: [email protected] www.catalystsale.com twitter Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike has some exciting news and he talks with Jody Maberry, about getting your message out, those who are catalysts in your life and podcasting. Key Takeaways: A catalyst is somebody that gets you started. A spark or inspiration that gets you started down the path. You have a lot in your head that other people are going to find valuable. It helps sometimes to have another person to bounce things off of or to give you a reason to speak it out loud. When you have to show up every week and have something to say, you start to understand what you believe and what you stand for and what your experience really is. This is a great benefit of doing a podcast. It is so powerful to have to say what you think and believe all the time. Call To Action: Think about the thing you have been putting off and go out and start doing it. Email us at [email protected] and let us know who your catalyst was that encouraged you to start - we would love to have them on the show! Show Links: www.jodymaberry.com Jody on Instagram The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Thank You

In this episode, Mike and Jody talk about why it is a good idea to really know your customer and what is important to them. Key Takeaways: Knowing your customer makes it easier to design a specific approach that makes it easier for them to solve their problems. If we don't take the time to understand our customers, we increase risk. Get our of your own head space. Ask simple questions of your customer. Get passed your own assumptions. Know what is important to those you intend to serve. Questions to Ask Your Customer: Why do you do business with us? Why did you decide to do business with us? Why do you continue to do business with us? Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

Jeff Noel joins Mike this week on the podcast. They cover a number of topics in the conversation, including balance, perspective, health, preparation, scary things and gratitude. Jeff is the host of If Disney Ran Your Life, he is a keynote speaker and educator. He will help you and your organization Think Differently. Key Takeaways: "When you change what you see, what you see changes" - Jeff Noel Why is it scary to believe that balance is possible? Take time - notice the shadows. There is a difference between reading the work, saying the work, and doing the work. "It's not the magic that makes it work, it's the work that makes it magic" - Walt Disney Why do we not put in the work in to practice, or avoid the work? "We are medicated, entertained, and distracted." Jeff "The wolf is coming, be prepared" Jeff Can you be thankful for pain? Everyone has gone through a hell that nobody knows about What would your "I am grateful for..." list look like? Sore feet might be the greatest gift, for someone - it's a matter of perspective. Be grateful for the struggle, for the harder work. Ask this question - What do I get to do vs what do I have to do? Links If Disney Ran Your Life - Jeff Noel Jeff Noel Find Jeff on Twitter Jeff's Tweet Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale.

Key Takeaways: If you can take a creative approach to problem solving, it's amazing what a group of smart, committed, creative individuals can accomplish. It's awesome to see the lightbulb go off when people realize they aren't the only ones with that problem. You don't solve complex problems with complex solutions. Take a simple framework and apply it to the challenge you are dealing with. It can be a 2x2, Franklin T, the Catalyst Sale Territory plan (or other Catalyst Sale tools and frameworks.) Most organizations fall into the trap of talking about things in the context of what they do, not what they do for their customer or what challenges their customers are running into. We create our own blindspots by focusing on ourselves. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike talks with Alexine Mudawar and Gabrielle Blackwell. They are the Co-Founders and Co-Hosts of Women in Sales Club. Find them on Clubhouse on Saturday afternoons. Key Takeaways: The most unexpected thing about Clubhouse is seeing how much interest there is. People want to participate and contribute. There is so much noise in Sales, it is easy to get distracted. There is value in the voices and strategies out there but it can create analysis paralysis. Set clear goals for yourself. Stay disciplined to your objectives. We don't leverage data enough. We need to teach new reps differently - show other activities that are important. Show the clear metrics and teach them how to look at and use the data. Find people that are entrepreneurial minded. Not everyone wants to be the CEO of their own business but they can be great for your team. Work hard to be better. Show Links: Alexine Mudawar on LinkedIn Gabrielle Blackwell on LinkedIn Women in Sales Club on LinkedIn Women in Sales Club on Clubhouse This episode of The Catalyst Sale Podcast is brought to you by The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E Plan. Find out more at www.catalystsale.com/gameplan Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn.

In this episode, Mike and Jody talk about how to overcome your fear of sales and why sales isn't scary. Key Takeaways: Things are scary when they are unknown or uncertain Tools can be used to improve the likelihood of success. Ex: Catalyst Sale Account Plan, Catalyst Sale Call Plan, Catalyst Sale Territory Plan. Have a list of desired next steps to help limit the uncertainty. Once you start doing it, you start to get more comfortable. Taking in your environment and knowing what things should feel like, you can overcome some of those fears. Having someone who has gone through the path share their experience is good. However, that doesn't take the place of the personal experience that you will need to gain to overcome your fears. Guideposts can help keep you moving toward the objective. But, at some point, you need to get rid of the rails. Do the work! This Episode of The Catalyst Sale Podcast was brought to you by the Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan - www.catalystsale.com/gameplan Show Links: Catalyst Sale Account Plan, Call Plan and Territory Plan Documents Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter or LinkedIn.

In this episode, Mike talks to Liz Heiman, CEO and Chief Sales Strategist for Regarding Sales.They talk struggles, process, funnel and ways to identify your ideal customer. Key Takeaways: It's fun to help people realize Sales isn't a big, bad, scary thing. Many Founders struggle because they don't realize they can ask certain questions of prospects. Work on becoming more comfortable talking about what you do. Ideal Customer Profile Customer that is most likely to buy from you Customer who is most likely to be happy with the outcome Customer who will continue to buy from you Customer with a short sales cycle Customer where the timing is right Customer who you really designed your product for Saying no to a prospect feels like we are giving up on what we could have. However, we have to say no so that we use the resources we have as efficiently as possible. If you focus on the wrong customers, your company will always go in the wrong direction. Pipeline - opportunities that are coming in and moving through the process to close. Can also be referred to as a funnel. Qualify Out - purposely look for opportunities to move people out of the funnel. Teamwork is the best thing that should happen in a team meeting. Focus on the things that matter in team meetings: Where do we stand? What's new? Updates. What are our partners doing? Team exercise There is always a frantic focus on what's closing right now, which is the worst focus! Pipeline reviews should be 1:1, not in a group setting! Pipeline/funnel review: What's going on? What do you need from us? When is the deal going to close? What have you done to put stuff in the top of your funnel? How is your prospecting going? What is going on with your qualification? During a pipeline/funnel review, it is important to have a discussion and not beat your Sales Rep up. It is important to have some sort of value exchange. We leave so much money on the table by not growing our existing accounts. Show Links: www.regardingsales.com Liz on LinkedIn Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks to Shelton Banks, CEO of Re:work Training and Co-Founder of Sales For The Culture. Key Takeaways: People don't ask the questions they should because they are scared to work and are afraid to fail. Grandma's baby effect tends to happen in businesses too - no matter how much you grow, they will still see you as Grandma's baby. We tend to want to help everybody, but we can't. Sometimes we unintentionally make things tougher. At Rework Training, we take things that people are familiar with and relate them to what they are not. Show Links: www.reworktraining.org Shelton on LinkedIn Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Luke Thomas have a great conversation about remote work and the implications of the continuation of remote work. Luke Thomas is the Founder of Friday and the author of The Anywhere Operating System. Key Takeaways: People don't need to be convinced to work from anywhere because they already are. Instead they need a series of practical tooling on guidance on how to actually make it work. The thing missing the most from the work from anywhere environment is context. We need to ensure there is an easily accessible place for people to get company announcements around strategy, new hires, company goals, etc.. The act of documenting requires a level of intention and care. As more people work from home, more tools to help will become available. Be thoughtful about the communication channel you use to deliver your messages. Ask yourself, if the conversation has a job, what would that job be? 2x2 for communication: Do you know the person? What kind of information are you sharing? Lasting changes will unfold or are currently unfolding. Hybrid work will probably be the default initially with a shift more toward remote work. We likely will experience a lower demand for commercial real estate and restaurants near large office areas. Show Links: www.friday.app Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E Plan

In this episode, Mike and Vicki Znavor have a great conversation about authenticity and purpose in the workplace and in life. Vicki is the author of Authenticity Reawakened: The Path To Owning Your Life's Story and Fulfilling Your Purpose and she is a certified leadership coach. Questions Answered: What is authenticity? Why do we struggle with authenticity? How often should we ask the question, "who am I?' What are some good practices to get to authenticity? How do we overcome the fear of being authentic in the workplace? How can authenticity help us to reduce/manage conflict? How do we discover purpose? Key Takeaways: Authenticity is knowing who you truly are, knowing what matters most to you and having the courage to show up in the world in a way that reflects that. You need to fully understand your story in order to live a life of purpose. We struggle with authenticity because it is painful to look inward. Reawakening - we learn, we grow, we learn, we grow. There can be rewards especially in corporate America to show up in a non-authentic way. We get so busy with life that we forget to ask, "Who Am I?" Ask basic questions, write down the answers. Simple exercises to know who you are: Know what matters most to you Know what you value Think about 5-7 pivotal moments that made you who you are It is important to have leaders that talk about showing up as yourself. The heart of building better relationships with clients is authenticity. It's common to not handle conflict well in the workplace. We aren't really taught how to handle conflict and we don't see a lot of good role models. Intentional Conflict Model - 8 Steps: State your Intention Describe what happened How are you impacted Describe your feelings Ask for explanation Describe what would make it right Negotiate how to move forward Express gratitude If you can name your fear, you are halfway to conquering it. Most of us don't analyze our lives very thoughtfully at all until we are faced with a crisis. P.I.N.: Problem - can you state the problem in a sentence or two? Information - evidence of the problem Need - what do you need Purpose is really important Questions when considering your purpose: What do you want? When you are at your best, what does that look like? What do you believe? Show Links: www.vickiznavor.com To purchase Vicki's book, click here Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

Reflecting on 9-11 and the past 20 years. This is an unedited podcast episode - we will do more of these going forward. Key Takeaways Take time to reflect Take time to push your imagination Thank those who serve, and continue to do so Find common ground Lead Thank you

In this episode, Mike is joined by Amy Volas. They discuss the importance of listening, asking questions, and engagement - when conducting an interview or being interviewed. Many of the stories, ideas, and concepts discussed can also apply to listening in all aspects of life. Key Takeaways: Learn to love active conversation again. Founders, Leaders - stop taking a back seat approach to interviewing Get to the practical nature of the work that needs to be done Basic questions can open up deeper conversation Our ego has a tendency to get in the way - we want to sound like the smartest person in the room. This isn't necessary. The best business conversations aren't laden with jargon Pause the minute you start making absolute statements Practice knowing when to insert your knowledge If you feel you have to push or convince, you have more work to do. The only way to be understood is to slow down The basics are the basics for a reason and there's a reason why they stood the test of time. Show Links: AvenueTalentPartners.com Amy on LinkedIn Amy on Twitter Thursday Night Sales Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike is joined by Chip Huth. Chip is a division commander with the Kansas City Police Department, a Senior Consultant with the Arbinger Institute and producer/contributor to the Changing Discourse Podcast. Key Takeaways: You have to have people at the strategic level at any enterprise. Think about how your work impacts your partners. To build credibility with others, involve them. Think about the impact of your work on other people. Have others operate with you. Help others to shift to long-term thinking, making an investment in the future. The cost of your good habits are in the present. The cost of your bad habits are in the future. Get your priorities straight right off the bat. Invite people in and look at the problem objectively. Network. Mentoring = customizing, modeling, talking, partnering together and making it relative to them. Focus on the process as much as you can Aim for the ideal. Show Links: Changing Discourse Red Team Mastermind - August 20 - 21 Red Team Thinking Changing Discourse Podcast - can also be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon and more. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Craig Sybert, Senior Systems Consultant at Envolve Media and Producer/Creator of the Music Musing Podcast. They discuss creativity and its importance in the workplace. Key Takeaways: You can be creative, but unless you have the basics, you can't really starting playing with it and creating. Creativity helps you think things through deeper than the surface level In order to be creative in a certain field, you need to keep up with the current trends. Knowing your audience is definitely one of the things you have to do in order to pick the right tool. Everyone has an interest in something. The creative side comes out if you put the passion that you have for that hobby or that thing you like into creating a different way of looking at that or a different way of experiencing that. Creativity is not something everyone chooses to show or chooses to put out into the world. Creativity gets lost if you don't know the tool well. Have people question you and challenge you to do something different. Go to a conference in your field and talk to people. ADDIE - Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation Show Links: Craig on LinkedIn Craig on Twitter Music Musing Podcast www.Envolvemedia.com Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn.

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss the importance of a positive mindset and slowing down. Question for the Audience: Do we lose people or your referrals because we say "Sales" in the name of the podcast? Key Takeaways: Our job in sales is to cover the gap between problems known or unknown and solutions that are known or unknown and helping our customers actually make an impact in their business. Slow down even when dealing with urgent things. Assess the situation, breathe, ask for help, then take action again. If you take a positive mindset when you look a these challenges that are in front of you, no matter how big or how small, you can get through it together with folks. OODA Loop - observe, orient, decide, act Leverage your network when you need it. For more on the OODA Loop, listen to episode 80 of The Catalyst Sale Podcast. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with DeJuan Brown, Senior Director, Seismic. This conversation covers a number of topics including community, learning and the buyer journey. Key Takeaways: Those of us that have any type of audience should make a better effort to bring attention to where attention is warranted. Use the platform you have to magnify other voices. Look for the voices you learn from and help to amplify those Learn-Teach-Learn Best way to retain what you've learned is to teach someone else. Learning is never-ending This attitude makes it so you can learn from anyone and then can pour it out to anyone. Know what journey your buyer is taking. Know how you support the buyer journey. When buyers become aware of a problem, what do you have that meets them where they are? Know how you can serve them along the way. We can get better at asking simple questions of our customers. As leaders, in whatever sphere we lead in, I think a top priority is making sure the environment in which we lead is a safe environment for people to have ideas that are dissenting, for people to disagree appropriately and respectfully and for people to speak up often and frequently. Show Links: DeJuan on LinkedIn DeJuan on Twitter Sales for the Culture Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Darryl Praill, CRO VanillaSoft. They cover a myriad of topics ranging from Sales and Marketing Alignment to creating a culture where people feel comfortable with cross team collaboration. Key Takeaways: Misalignment comes when you think your view is the only way/view. Have an intentional perspective. Are you being intentional and trying to understand all perspectives. If you want the cheapest source of information that's going to have the most profound impact on your success, identify 10 different customers you can talk to and ask them why they invested in your product/offering. When you ask existing customers you gain: An understanding of your prospect An understanding on how to engage your prospects The ability to utilize storytelling - the most powerful secret sauce. Do things because they will have a positive impact on the business in 3-6 months. No time like the present, do it. It's hard to create a culture where people feel comfortable with cross team collaboration, you have to be intentional. Create actual teams. Bring issues to meetings for team troubleshooting. Create a community of people who support and invest in one another. Force each other to work together and learn from one another. Doing so, now gives you relationships in other departments. Give people time and space so they understand the desired outcome. Give yourself permission to fail and then give yourself permission to fix it. If you make the same mistake more than once, then you are in trouble. You only learn from taking risks. Show Links: Darryl on LinkedIn Darryl on Twitter Darryl's handle on Clubhouse @ohpinion8ted Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Jen Spencer about the role of sales and marketing in demand generation and her new role as CRO at SmartBug Media. Key Takeaways: You have to make hard decisions when it comes to demand generation, having data helps. Organizations struggle when they don't have that data - it becomes an emotional decision when data is absent. Use data to tell a story. Failure comes when you're not aligned across the board. We are still in the early days of the CRO role in organizations, it will change things. But, we are in the early adoption stage of that philosophy. Cross-functional collaboration among teams is starting to emerge. Most people are sitting on a ton of data and they don't know how to access it or organize it in a way that is useful. Initially it seems hard to justify carving out time to set up data gathering/documenting correctly, but it is worth it to spend the time upfront. Lay the foundation as early as you can. Job shadowing work - members of the team participating in some of the conversations they might not otherwise, offers great insight and the ability to ask different types of questions of the client. We don't sell alone. Leverage members of your team to set better alignment. Everything needs to roll back up to company goals and initiatives. Then it is about pulling the right levers. Show Links: Jen on LinkedIn SmartBug Media website Revenue Collective SDR Nation Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Download some of our free resources here Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Chris Walker about marketing, sales, and revenue operations. Chris is the Founder and CEO of Refine Labs. Key Takeaways: It's the mindset of the executives at the highest level that drive everything down. The first tree to plant is a ridiculously intimate understanding of your customers. It's often marketing on the hook for continued growth. Figure out your logical benchmark conversion rate that you should be aiming for. Is there a gap? Focus long-term on brand, not sales. The failure of marketing comes in 2 buckets: The CMO doesn't know what they are doing The metrics created force the CMO to operate in a certain way. Strategy: Capture existing demand. Do they find you when they are looking? Create new demand. Do this in a targeted way that drives product consideration and product awareness. Focus on organic brand marketing. People don't set-up the environment to tell you the truth. Go into it objectively. Center everything around customer intimacy. Show Links: Chris on LinkedIn Refine Labs website State of Demand Gen Podcast Episode 206 of The Catalyst Sale Podcast with Chris Walker Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

Generating Revenue - Common Mistakes In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss four common mistakes Sales Reps make when it comes to generating revenue. Common Mistakes: Believing that people care about the problem you solve for enough to pay for your product or service. If they aren't interested enough to pay for your product or service, you won't generate revenue. If they aren't solving for the problem today, they either haven't been able to find a solution or they don't care. Not enough pain behind the problem to solve for it. If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. Forgetting to go back and ask existing customers core questions. Why did you do business with us? Why do you continue to do business with us? Are there other people like you that you think should be doing business with us? We over think the process or approach. We focus on feature functionality rather than the challenge that exists inside an organization. What common mistakes have you seen made when it comes to revenue generation? Let us know via Twitter, Instagram or email us at [email protected]. Want More Catalyst Sale Content? Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Sign-up for our newsletter Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike and Jody continue their discussion on the topic of mindset and discuss internal versus external locus of control. Key Takeaways: Internal locus of control - you are able to look at situations and say "I understand what happened and I can go accomplish what I need to accomplish." External locus of control - things tend to happen to you There are things we can control and things that are outside of our control. When we understand the difference between the two, we can go forward and make a positive impact on the things we can drive directly. Look for the specific things you can do to influence a positive outcome. Lean on your network. Episode Links: Ray Edwards - Copywriting, Sales and Coffee Episode Ask For Help Episode Queen Bee Syndrome Want More Catalyst Sale Content? Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Sign-up for our newsletter Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike and Jody talk about the different ways that music can affect your mindset. Key Takeaways: Music can have a visceral impact. Range helps. Music is powerful. Music can help to shift a mindset. Mindset is an important aspect of Sales. Find something that inspires you - don't be embarrassed by the music that works for you. Tag us on Twitter and let us know what your go to song or soundtrack is. Episode Links: Mindset with Jeff Noel - A Practical Discussion Mindset Blog Post Want More Catalyst Sale Content? Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Sign-up for our newsletter Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike and Jody talk about their experiences so far on Clubhouse. Key Takeaways: You need to go in knowing value you want to get out of it. Currently an iOS device is needed for access. In order to join, you need to be invited. The level of intention you put toward it is extremely important. You need to be really deliberate about listening. Be selective about the rooms you decide to enter. Find rooms that have fewer people. This allows you the chance to be heard and to ask questions. Clubhouse provides access to people you might not have otherwise. It can be a quick road to procrastination - be careful. Leave it as a better place than when you arrived. Don't just pitch. Do you want an invite to join Clubhouse? Send your sales process, sales skills, sales leadership and sales coaching questions to [email protected]. We will draw at random 5 people to invite to Clubhouse. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss negotiation and why it isn't as hard as you think. Questions Answered: If negotiation doesn't happen at the end, when does it happen? What is negotiation? What questions can you ask to determine what your customer values? Key Takeaways: Common mistake - thinking negotiation is something that happens at the end. You are always in a negotiation. You are always trading pieces of information with folks. Negotiation happens throughout the entire journey with your customer. People are making decisions as you engage with them. Do I like this person? Can I trust this person? Am I interested in the information they are sharing? Negotiation is a series of trades where you are interested in getting something in return for a value you are delivering. Exchange for value. If you ask the right questions, you start to get the sense of what people really value. What's important to you? Why is it important? Are there other things that we haven't considered? You don't determine the perception of value on the other end. Your confidence will improve as you develop rapport with your customer. Never Split The Difference - by Chris Voss This episode was brought to you by: The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss project management and what it has to do with Sales Skills. Questions Answered: What does project management have to do with Sales Skills? How do you break project management down? How does it change if we are a small organization? What are the elements of project management? Key Takeaways: Planning - can I put together a plan that will help me execute? Assess risks, identify gaps. Resources - what resources are required? Accountability Interactions that we have with our customers - managing an account Deals that we have with customers - opportunities we might be working on. Objectives - ex: putting together a plan to execute on Q1 objectives Someone needs to be responsible for managing these aspects Be deliberate about the focus of the project at any given time If you are a smaller organization, you can use project management to identify gaps where you may want to lean on others. Freelancers can be a good option for smaller organizations Many small organizations utilize tools such as Trello boards or individual blocks of data on a spreadsheet or in a calendar. Elements involved in project management: Planning Resource Identification - people, time, money, things (tech, etc..) Time table for execution Associate each task in the plan to the resources you have available. This helps to identify risk. Don't overcomplicate it! Use project management concepts as a way to create clarity and focus. This episode was brought to you by: The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike is joined by Ray Edwards. Ray is a communications strategist and author of How To Write Copy That Sells. Ray is also the host of the Ray Edwards Show. Questions Answered: How do we create the same type of sales experience when we are not in the room? What can we learn from movies about writing copy? Does it make sense to be deliberate about the copy you write for videos? What can folks do to get better at writing copy? Key Takeaways: It is better to think it through than shoot from the hip. If you know your customers well enough, you can write to that avatar. You can write copy to speak to the issues you believe affects all of your clients. Think of your 5 best customers, are they exactly alike? Likely not. Answer enough in the Sales page to cover the questions and objections they may have. Through technology, we can deliver a different sales page to everyone that visits the website. Intent has everything to do with whether what you're doing is manipulative and exploitative or whether it's service. Trailers are super short version of long form art. The best movies always have an intriguing open and expectations are set that there is a problem to be solved and throughout the movie, we are going to solve it. Movies leave a lot of open loops/questions. Well made movies close the loop at the end. When doing video, have bullet points, key phrases. Do practice runs. If you are going to write anything down for a video, write the beginning and the end. Goal - be finished speaking before they are finished listening. Find a good process for writing copy. Record yourself giving the presentation and have it transcribed. Show Links: www.rayedwards.com How To Write Copy That Sells on Amazon This episode was brought to you by The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan. The G.A.M.E. Plan for goal-setting and execution is a proven system for clarifying goals and breaking them up in a way you can finally accomplish them. Click here to learn more. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss the importance of saying "I don't know" when talking with prospects or customers. Key Takeaways: It is shocking how many people are uncomfortable saying "I don't know." It is important to follow-up with "I will find out," "I will get an answer," or "I'll get back to you." Don't be dismissive when using "I don't know." You come across as more confident saying "I don't know," followed by one of the phrases than to fill in the gaps with random information. Saying "I don't know" can lead to customer confidence that you aren't just trying to see them a bill of goods or make things up as you go along. It's important to take notes throughout your call. Find a note taking system that works for you. It's critical to follow-up with the prospect/customer after saying "I don't know." Decide to take some type of action. If you follow-up after saying "I don't know," you will build a reputation as someone who solves problems. Leverage "I don't know," follow-up with an answer, execute and deliver a solution. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss how to prepare for your initial conversation with a prospect and why the preparation piece is important. Questions Answered: How do you prepare for the initial conversation with a prospect? Key Takeaways: Determine how you found out about the person you will be talking to. Did they contact you or did you identify them as a prospect? I want to gather as much information as I can about the person based on the data we have collected from our website, etc.. Identify some of the things you would like to know about them. Realize that some information you will be able to get only by speaking directly with them. Validate that they have a problem and validate that they care about solving the problem. Your initial call should be about discovering things about them and their company. Deliver some sort of value back to the prospect. Have a clear understanding of the design of the call. Have desired next steps defined prior to your call. If you take the combination of the research that you're doing, the design work that you're doing and the documentation in the call plan, you will have better calls with your customers and prospects. Don't overcomplicate it! Show Links: Call Planning - A Tactical Discussion This episode was brought to you by: The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Dan Cockerell about his new book, What's The Culture In Your Kingdom? Key Takeaways: The book is broken into 4 sections: Leading Yourself, Leading Your Team, Leading Your Organization and Leading Change. Studies have shown that CEO's who have emotional intelligence have better results. It doesn't take a lot to be good at connecting with people. Growth mindset is key. You never know the door that you open, what door will open after that. Don't sell a product, invest in a relationship. Ask your team, how many people did you introduce yourself to? Ask your team, what are you putting into place now that will pay off in 6 months? You need to reward individual performance and you need to reward team performance. If you want to know what your customers want, go talk to your customers. If you adjust your behavior and make your team more successful, it will come back to you. Show Links: www.cockerellconsulting.com How's The Culture In Your Kingdom on Amazon Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike and Jody talk about ways to start the year off right even if you have already abandoned your New Year's Resolution. Questions Answered: How do we start the year off right? What do we do to get back on track? Key Takeaways: People cannot disrupt the attitude that you take, the effort you put forth, the attention you use when doing work. Go back to the why behind the decision and start executing again. There is no shortage of good things you can do. You have to do the work and build a daily practice. Get the work done that you can control. Things will get tough, there will be challenges. Listen to or read information from Simon Sinek If your why remains the same, get back to it again tomorrow. Move forward Reflect on what things got in the way. Feel comfortable cutting goals short if they are not actually helping you solve the problem. Show Links: Steve Anderson podcast episode - The Bezos Letters The Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan Root Cause Analysis Ending 10K Steps Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course

In this episode, Mike and Jody talk about why it is a good idea to break down a problem in order to execute and solve. Key Takeaways: You aren't going to know where your blindspots are until something or someone helps reveal those things. If you can break a problem down enough, then you can get it done. Establish time, understand risk, and then make a decision. Be specific about what you want to solve and why you want to solve it. Limit it down to the things that you can achieve, that you can execute against. In order to execute on the exciting things, you have to do the early things really well. This Episode of The Catalyst Sale Podcast was brought to you by the Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan - www.catalystsale.com/gameplan Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Seven Traps

In this episode, Mike talks to Liston Witherill. Liston is the Author of Serve Don't Sell, the Chief of Sales Insights at Serve Don't Sell and is the host of The Modern Sales Podcast. Questions Answered: What is the connection between environmental science and sales? Why do sales folks struggle with systems thinking concepts? Do you believe people struggle with practice? Why is it important to discuss ethics in sales? What challenges our ethics when it comes to sales? How can we create better alignment between business and personal ethics? Key Takeaways: Environmental Science and Sales both need systems thinking What are the variables and factors that influence how the system works? How can we picture our business as a system that has inputs and outputs? The only way to make sales a science is to have really large data points and the reality is, that is tough to get. We can apply the scientific method to sales - hypothesis, test, ask questions, isolate for certain variables. Science is about finding cause and effect. You must have a methodical approach and some repetition. People don't know how or what to practice or what practice would even look like. Not having a process contributes to how a discovery call goes. Write out questions. The value of practice is it frees you up to be in the moment to ask really good follow-up questions. If you don't have your team present in the same way, there is no way to optimize the process. We can't pinpoint what causes success or failure when there is too much variability. It is important to sell ethically if you want to sustain being effective at sales and live in a way that is compatible with your values. It is important because the bottom line is, it is the right thing to do. Serve Don't Sell - sometimes it means to give advice that's counter to my own personal incentive. We need to understand what our boundaries are and then we need to honor them once we have reached them. Challenges to ethics - loss aversion, mindset and faith. If you have a bigger pipeline and you have more financial security, then it's going to be a lot easier to honor your ethics. Have a clear understanding of what values your company has that you don't want to honor. What you have control over always is your behavior. Show Links: Liston on LinkedIn Serve Don't Sell Liston on YouTube The Modern Sales Podcast This episode is brought to you by The Seven Traps To Goal Setting Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale course

Jeff Noel is back for a special episode of the Catalyst Sale Podcast. We talk about a number of things, with a specific focus on Home. Make sure to take the 72 hour challenge that we mention at the end of the podcast. I'm going to keep the show notes short - your can learn more about Jeff Noel by following his podcast "If Disney Ran Your Life" or following him at junglejeff.com Jeff's Podcast - If Disney Ran Your Life Jeff's Blogs Mind Body Spirit Family Health Work Health Jeff's Twitter Jeff's first episode on the Catalyst Sale podcast Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale Course

In this episode, Mike talks with Amber Naslund. Amber is a Principal Consultant at LinkedIn. She leverages her expertise to help some of the top brands in the world build outstanding digital content strategies. Questions Answered: Why can't we do more of what the internet is good at? Are there ways for us to leverage the good? How can we converse better on social channels? How can we get better? How do you differentiate between fundamentals and tactics? Key Takeaways: The internet is its own magnifying glass of what we all are. The internet brings us closer to so many things that we are insatiably curious about. The internet makes it easier than ever before to lean into community. People feel seen and a sense of belonging. It is critical to use our ability to connect to advocate for what we care about. It takes a conscious effort to pull away from the negative. You have the power to unfollow, block and mute. You need to tend your own garden. Reinforce your boundaries. Slow down enough to have empathy for other people. Show up as a good digital citizen When we model the kinds of behaviors we expect from other people on these digital channels, we start to set standards for how we expect people to behave and treat us. You have to build the network long before you need it. You have to start by putting value in. Value as a good citizen of the digital universe. The internet has a short fuse, but a long memory. Show up with good intent. So much of good marketing is about consistency and caring about the audience you are trying to reach. Gimmicks don't have staying power. Good fundamentals aren't sexy but they are so critical. Fundamentals are the strategy. They why and the what. Tactics are the execution pieces. How are you going to get that done. Show Links: Amber's website Amber on LinkedIn Amber on Twitter Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit The G.A.M.E. Plan - a Catalyst Sale Course

In this episode, Mike talks to George Randle, Managing Partner at EF Overwatch and Co-Author of Talent War. Questions Answered: What inspired the book? Why do we fall into the trap of thinking industry experience is critical? Why do HR professionals struggle with pushing back? What is effective intelligence? What is resilience? What is Hire for Character, Train for Skill? Key Takeaways: Drive home the point that it is critical to have people with the 9 character attributes we talk about in the book. Look at your company through the lens of talent. If we know the problem we solve for, we have much more context for the role we are trying to fill. How many leaders actually know what is making someone successful? Effective Intelligence - a person's ability to apply their knowledge to real world scenarios. Resilience - the ability to get back up and keep going after a failure. B and C level players don't have the ability to see A level players. A level players have team ability Character attributes are more predictive of success than previous experience or skills Show Links: George Randle on LinkedIn Talent War EF Overwatch EF Overwatch on LinkedIn Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss how to be in Sales without being salesy. Questions Answered: What advice do you have to help folks avoid being "Salesy"? Key Takeaways: When people think of "salesy" they think used car salesman or door to door sales people and they don't want to be that because they don't feel comfortable with that approach. You have to believe in the product you are selling. Even more important, you have to believe in the problem you are solving for. You can be more empathic to the customer if you believe in the problem you are solving for. Ask questions and then take a genuine interest in the response. If you don't want to have that kind of conversation, pause, think about it more and come up with a different approach. Sales is not about convincing people of things, it's about compelling folks to take action. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. The GAME Plan - a Catalyst Sale course

In this episode, Mike and Jody answer a listener question about building comp plans. Listen in to know what you should consider when building a comp plan and what you want to avoid. Questions Answered: What should I consider when developing a comp plan? What are common mistakes people make when doing a comp plan? Key Takeaways: Know what you are trying to accomplish Know what modeling you are comfortable using when thinking about the over-arching cost of sale. Know how much risk you are willing to take on in instances where someone exceeds the plan by a significant number. Mistakes Made: Going back and implementing what you did last year Applying the same concepts to next year Trying to make the comp plan the same for everybody across the team Comp based on validated opportunities Test your modeling to see where it breaks down Be direct and deliberate with all the stakeholders within the business Adjust for whatever variables you can isolate for Work to simplify as much as you can 3 distinct groups - 1st 50%, next 25%, last 25% to get to 100% on the variable side Have a question you would like us to answer in a future episode? Contact us: [email protected] - list "Listener Question" in the subject line www.catalystsale.com twitter Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. The GAME Plan - a Catalyst Sale course Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Tanner Brock about the conclusion of the three month test with Catalyst Sale. This is the fourth round of this series. Check out episodes 212, 215, and 220, if you missed the first three sessions. Questions Answered: What would Tanner never do again? What did we learn throughout the test? What would have done differently? What will change as we go forward? Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here or contact Tanner - [email protected] Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Ep 212 Ep 215 Ep 220 Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. The Reset - a Catalyst Sale course Product Market Fit

Listen in as Mike and Jody discuss how to use the Catalyst Sale G.A.M.E. Plan template for goal-setting and execution. Questions Answered: What is the G.A.M.E. Plan? What do each of the letters stand for? How do we download the guide? Key Takeaways: A framework you can use to help improve your ability to execute on your goals. G = Goal A = Activities Actions you are going to take to reach your goal M = Metrics Measurables - A way to hold yourself accountable E = Execution Things you use to keep you focused. When you run into hard times, what will you look to, in order to move forward. The why behind your goal Show Links: The G.A.M.E. Plan Let us know how you are applying this document to your life. [email protected] Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. The GAME Plan - a Catalyst Course Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss some of the traps Mike has identified that keep people from obtaining their goals. Questions Answered: How did you come up with the 7 Traps? What are some of the traps? How do we download the guide? Key Takeaways: There are things that we all do and reasons that we do these things. Imagine if you put a little structure behind it, how much more you could accomplish. Trap # 1 - Being Vague With Your Goals Take a more specific approach Design backward so you can start executing Trap # 2 - Not Breaking Your Goals Down Into Smaller Components That Can Be Measured and Tested Breaking into smaller components helps you execute You can constantly evaluate whether or not you are making progress Trap # 4 - As Soon As I Fail, I'm Done Every day is a new day Failure is a lesson you learn from Put controls in place so you don't succumb to failures. Even if you fail, you made some sort of progress. Show Links: Seven Crucial Mistakes That Keep You From Winning Let us know how you are applying this document to your life. [email protected] Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough The GAME Plan - a Catalyst Sale course

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss the importance and value of practice. Key Takeaways: There is a time and place for thinking Planning is so important in all the work we do. You can draw a correlation between business and many things - business and sports, business and cooking, etc… You increase your ability to execute if you operate in that muscle memory mode. There is value in being intentional in the way you practice. Ask what missed opportunities your sales team had See if your team can ask follow-up questions during your role play exercises/scenarios Make sure to practice discovery calls Be thoughtful about how you approach things Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

On this episode, Mike is joined by Tim Clarke. They discuss building out process & timing and how you can build out your revenue operations engine. Tim is a Managing Partner at Growth Sigma. Growth Sigma helps growth leaders align and execute against the four most important parts of the enterprise sales system. Questions Answered: How does system design apply in the context of Sales and building out revenue engines? What are the 4 P's? Why do we overcomplicate building out a process? How can we build a culture over a period of time? What types of lifecycles do organizations go through? What are some questions reps can ask during an interview to know if an organization is using a systems based approach? Key Takeaways: 3 Roles of a Chief Revenue Officer Recruiting, onboarding and developing great Sales talent. Build an unbeatable Sales culture Build the sales execution system, go to market strategy, understand the buyer journey, sales process and scale. Chief Revenue Officers should be spending 100% of their time on building a great culture. 4 P's Priorities Process - should be collaborative Positioning - what message resonates Performance - what types of behavior do incentivize Reality is, you should be looking to see who you can bring in that can bring the team together, communicate a clear cut strategy, understand how your customers buy and organize the team. It is important for leaders to set expectations properly. Organization Life cycles - Iterate - focus on product Growth - net new acquisition, retain what is sold Scale - how do we move to scale? Define ideal customer, determine how your buyers buy. Rep interview questions - What are you going to do to enable my success? How would you define your ideal customer? What tools can I use across the buyer journey to help with my success? Show Links: Tim on LinkedIn www.growthsigma.com Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss confidence in sales, asking for help and enjoying the thinking that sales requires. Questions Answered: How do we gain confidence when starting in Sales? Why do Sales experts not seek help? How do we enjoy the thinking that goes into Sales? Key Takeaways: Being able to trust the process leads to confidence When you have a stable set of systems, tools, methods and approach, you can improve confidence and capability. Territory Planning - understanding your ideal customer Account Planning - who, what, why, where, when, how Call Planning - who will be in the room, what are their objectives, what are our objectives, desired next steps Ego is the biggest challenge We struggle with "I don't know." If we check our ego at the door then we can improve our interest or capacity for asking for help. Don't just assume people aren't asking questions in the background. If you aren't enjoying the process, maybe it isn't the right field for you. Redirect into something you do enjoy. If you want to enjoy it again, train others. Have a question you would like us to answer in a future episode? Contact us: [email protected] www.catalystsale.com twitter Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Tanner Brock about his continued onboarding experience with Catalyst Sale. This is the third round of this series. Check out episodes 212 and 215, if you missed the first two sessions. Questions Answered: What's not working? What are some of the things we will test regarding follow-up? What are some common challenges? What are some things we are going to start? Key Takeaways: Spraying and praying approach is not working. Squinting too much to fit people in. Go back and use frameworks to readjust. Focus more on people, not numbers. We may know what we should do, but that doesn't necessarily translate into what we do. Stop creating unrealistic plans for the day. Create a combo of sequences to use with various prospects. Personalize the sequence to the people. Try to add value every time you reach out. Common challenges: deals stall, pipeline development, articulating what we do, confidence. Focus on and celebrate the little things. If you go into it positive, you have higher energy, you're more effective, you're more useful to people. Establish gates you want to move through and celebrate as you go through the gates. What qualifies as a win can be a challenge. Make sure you are doing the basics. Follow-up is important. Each success opens another gate. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here or contact Tanner - [email protected] Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Ep 212 Ep 215 Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

Mike Conner is back.... In this episode, Mike talks with Mike about ways to apply basic sales skills when job hunting, along with a number of other things. Don't miss the last 10 min where we discuss some foundational things many sales pros miss. Questions Answered: How can you apply sales skills to a job hunt What basic things can early Sales Pros do better? Key Takeaways: Be sure to take time to have an evaluation process. Ask if you really enjoy what you are doing. Ask, is this new thing that I am looking to do the right fit for me? If you do good things over a long period of time, things tend to work out. Use the following criteria when thinking about a new position: Who is hiring? Who is thriving? How have they navigated their way through our current working environment? Are they living their mission? Try to make meaningful connections. Basic things that any early Sales Professional can work on doing better: Pick the company you are going to invest your time in wisely. Ask questions and take the information in. Listen to the answers. Don't wait to build your network and build a diverse network Do the basics - ask questions, put together project plans, account plans, territory plans and call plans. Do the work. Don't wait to continue learning new things. Leverage the people that are inside your organization. Show Links: Mike Conner on Twitter Mike Conner on LinkedIn Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss a listener question regarding the Catalyst Sale Frameworks. Questions Answered: Why is it that the Catalyst Sale Frameworks are effective not just for sales, but for other areas of life? How does it change things to have a plan? Where else can the frameworks apply? How often do you think of the frameworks being used outside of sales? Why did you decide that The Reset was worth doing? Key Takeaways: Sales is Life and Life is Sales. In any engagement, you are likely trying to compel someone to take action. There is a direct correlation between the stuff we do everyday and sales. Life skills - communication, gathering data & conducting research, leveraging story, time management, project management. Having a plan creates a higher level of predictability that you will reach the desired outcome. By applying these processes and frameworks, you can get better in sales and in life. Sales for Non-Sales Professionals is for anyone who is interested in solving problems, in moving things forward, is interested in helping and transition in their lives or in the lives of others. Sales for Non-Sales Professionals shows you how to use sales frameworks in the work you do to improve your ability and execute. The Reset and Sales - sales is about connecting the dots between a problem and a solution. The Reset helps connect the dots between your problem/goal and the solution. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or [email protected] Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization Thank You Please send listener questions and feedback to [email protected] or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit