The Startup Selling Blog
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Amy Hrehovcik Amy Hrehovcik is a revenue human for life
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Leslie Venetz. After 15 years as a top-performing B2B sales
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jen Spencer. Jen Spencer is the CEO of SmartBug Media®,
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Todd Caponi. Todd Caponi is the author of the 3x
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Paul. Andy's hit "Accelerate Your Sales" podcast was acquired
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jeff Bajorek. Jeff Bajorek works with B2B sales teams to
As I left class on Saturday, I asked my BJJ Professor (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) – "In the next week or so,
The 3 Key Parts of Every Product Demo (and none of them are you product...) Been working on product demos
Myth: Prospects want to see a Product Demo. Truth: Prospects don’t care about your product, because product demos shouldn’t be
I scrapped the snazzy sales framework I had ready to go because... I’ve got something else that’s more important –
Hi Crew – It was all going so well, wasn’t it? The prospect replied right away to that outbound email...
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Dan Martell. “You can only keep what you give away.”
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ernest Owusu. As the Sr. Director of Sales Development at
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Mowat. Prior to founding Gated, Andy has run
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ethan Beute. Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, Wall Street Journal
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Amy Volas. With more than $100MM in revenue sold
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Aaron Krall. Aaron runs SaaS Growth Hacks, the largest
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jess Todtfeld. Jess shows executives and c-suite leaders how
Did a keynote talk at a client's Sales Kickoff this week. They asked me – "How do you keep
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Selling Boldly Author, Alex Goldfayn. Alex is a global
From Day 1, that’s all we do – we think about that problem. We learn everything we can about
Yep – that is a question lots of startups are asking themselves every day… Most founders have been told to
This is a growth position – we're adding new clients every month to our Sales Coaching Program for B2B
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Cirrus Insight Co-Founder Brandon Bruce. Brandon is the Co-Founder
Build Your Startup's Scalable Sales Process Learn EXACTLY What To Do To Grow & Scale Your B2B Startup’s Sales in
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed John Roberts. John founded Successly in 2016, a company
If I was to lead a free sales planning session next Monday (12/20), would you come? It’d be exclusively for
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Damian Thompson. Damian is the co-founder and Chief Customer
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Marylou Tyler. Marylou is the author of Predictable Revenue
Here's another topic we'll be covering in our upcoming Sales Masterclass: The 4 Forces of The Entrepreneur's ApocalypseJust like
I’m getting together a small group of startup CEOs next week to work on building out their sales process.🚀
Saw this post from the inimitable Leah Chaney. Got me thinking about what benefits do team members and employee REALLY want
Thank you, Jade GreenDay 2 of our Client Intensive ended differently from most of our sessions.Jade Green joined me in a fireside
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Louis Jonckheere. Louis is Co-founder and Co-CEO of Showpad.
Last week we hosted a private 2-day event for our clients where we had Amy Volas as a guest speaker. During her
❌ “Demo” should NEVER be a stage in your sales process. ✅ In fact, an optimal sales process scoots prospects in
Days get crazy running your startup – sales, customers, fundraising, hiring, firing, product, managing... At home, we’ve got kids
Days get crazy running your startup – sales, customers, fundraising, hiring, firing, product, managing...At home, we’ve got kids home
Mia Paulus is the Founder & CEO of The Admin Center. I’ve worked with Mia over the years and
David Sandler famously said: “If you don’t have a process for selling you’re at the mercy of your buyer’s process
Last month, a friend asked if I was up for a half-marathon in November. I've been taking some down
Every scalable startup is simply an organized set of processes working together, with a high-functioning team running and improving those
One of the biggest challenges startup founders face is dealing with the daily distractions and all the options available
David Sandler famously said: “If you don’t have a process for selling you’re at the mercy of your buyer’s
If you’re a company founder like me, you know it’s time for the big push in Q4 to hit
One of the biggest challenges startup founders face is dealing with the daily distractions and all the options available
One of the biggest sales mistakes most startups, especially ones selling enterprise solutions and targeting Above-the-Line executives make, is
Think about it… most of us started our company with an idea, to solve an important problem for a
Your vision is what happens when your mission is completed. —Stephen Steers If you’ve been listening to the Startup
Yep – that a question lots of startups are asking themselves every day… Most founders have been told to “do
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Stephen Steers. Steers Consulting Group is a global training
If you’re a company founder like me, you know it’s time for the big push in Q4 to hit
I haven’t shared this with anyone until now, and I thought you or someone you know might find it helpful.
In the final part of my conversation, I asked Zach to share his advice with someone who is thinking
We often purchase from or support brands that we may not be aware of their climate-friendly approach. ♻️ In this part
You’re not doing it because every action will have an impact – you’re doing it so that every action
“The vast majority of the time when you make a choice around ethical purchasing or in the economy –
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Zach Stein. Zach is a multi-time founder and is
Scott Sambucci: What do you tell people when they say “cold email or cold calling doesn’t work anymore. It’s
“Remove the surprise and then leverage the permission-based opener” —Jason BayIn this part of my conversation with Jason Bay, we
In this segment of my conversation, Jason Bay talked about the Mass Blast and Quality Approach in outbound.Mass Blast Approach –👍
“What we tend to make the mistake of with sales, in general, is that we try to take autonomy from
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jason Bay. Jason is the Chief Prospecting Officer at
When you’re a startup with the latest and greatest new product, there’s no shortage of interesting conversations. Everyone wants
For me, yesterday was particularly hard – the 4am alarm 🕓, two workouts 🏋️, no carbs in my diet
I took 6 months to train for the Western States 100. After that, I took a vacation to spend
That journey extends for the race itself—starting at 5:00 AM when the gun went off, all the way through
Monday's are usually a day I'm feeling rested and ready to go for the week. Not today. As I
You may have big lofty goals to be the unicorn🦄 or to be the next Facebook, Tesla, or Google for
🏃🏼There were 44 people in the ultramarathon that I just knew were way faster than me. I finished the
I've got this thing when I'm training called "Headlamp Miles" – it's the miles I knock out in before
I don't know about you, but whenever I've got something that seems hard in front of me, I get
However things go in that race that you're on as a Startup – ???? You hit the finish
????In my pacer manual for the ultramarathons I wrote these two things – 1️⃣“After I Superman????♂️– I get up, I dust
Wednesday means repeats out at Lagoon Valley Park – 1.5 miles and down, three times. I didn't want to
Part of communicating with your team is recognizing that, for example, you’re midway through the year and a couple of
This is a tough week, a transition week. As of today, I'm 3.5 weeks since the Western States 100
Give it everything – A Startup Selling Lesson from the TrailYou've got to find people that are going to support
You can think about this as your startup — If you're at $2.5 million ???? in a year, you thought
By first implementing our product on a small scale in an actual working environment, the customers can see how it
If you're running a startup particularly on the sales side of things and you're trying to figure out how
“Diversity isn't necessarily about color—it's about experiences, it's about different thoughts, it's about different perspectives; you can find that
✔️ When you work with experts... ✔️ You get the right plan in place... ✔️You start focusing on what’s
So glad to have had Jay Webb on The Startup Selling Podcast. ????In this segment of my conversation, I asked Jay
One of the biggest #sales mistakes most #startups make, especially startups selling enterprise solutions to Above-the-Line executives, is that they don't focus on their
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jay Webb. Jay runs a search firm that focuses
Wherever you are in your journey as a startup founder — ????You've gotten those first customers... ????You've got that
So many times as entrepreneurs we've got this mindset ???? where we're undaunted and we go out there and
When you’re in sales calls ???? and you're a CEO or a Founder, and you're talking to another executive
There's going to be ups and downs… There's going to be peaks ⛰️ and valleys… You've got to be
Here it is... The 4th and final, installment of my post-race "Startups are Ultramarathons – Lessons from the Trail"
????♂️When I’m driving out to the mountains for a long trail run, I often dial-up a ???? podcast in
Here are some things to think about going into your product demo: ???? Did you prepare? ???? Did you
Monday's are usually a day I'm feeling rested and ready to go for the week.Not today.As I sat there
Wait, what?! I'm NOT out running on a trail this morning? What gives? ????????Here's what...August coming, and so is
It’s been a few weeks since I ran the Western States 100 – a 100-mile ultramarathon from Olympic Village
This is the third installment of my post-race "Startups are Ultramarathons – Lessons from the Trail." The first two
This is the second installment of my post-race "Startups are Ultramarathons – Post-Race Lessons from the Trail." The first
As entrepreneurs we are self-reliant. When we see opportunities, we are willing to take advantage of them. But this feels
"You’re future pacing a year ahead before you’ve even done product demo! Not only that, you’ve given your prospect confidence
I don't know about you, but whenever I've got something that seems hard in front of me, I get
“When selling your product, you should be able to show at least a 10x return on investment (ROI). In many
Remember, you chose this. The struggle is guaranteed; success is not. The ups and downs are part of the way
There’s a quote from Lord Kelvin, a nineteenth-century physicist and mathematician. He said, “When you can measure what you are
You can apply the concept of “Incrementalism” to: 1/ Price – You’re probably under-pricing your product for the value
“If you’re able to show prospective customers that their investment of $1,000 a month to buy your software will
It's been nearly two weeks since I ran the Western States 100 – a 100-mile ultramarathon from Olympic Village
These are final two pre-race "Startups are Ultramarathons: Lessons from the Trail" leading up to the 2021 Western States
“The buyer will be spending both money and, more importantly, time to implement your product. Plus, buyers have different incentives
It's not enough when you say "I’ll tell my prospects about this or that” or “I’ll share with them how
“Have you ever had a situation where you know you’re talking with the right buyer at the right company who
Are you preparing when you’re going into a meeting with a prospect? Some things you want to think about are:
This means you can’t skip steps in your sales process.You’ve got to think about your selling process as well as
When I begin working with a new client, one of our first activities is to review the current sales pipeline.
It's less than 3 days from the race start – the Western States 100 – an ultra-marathon from Olympic
“How do you know if the conversations you’ve been having are moving you forward in your sales process? Setting key
Really love what Gabrielle “GB” Blackwell & Alexine Mudawar shared in this segment. [BTW shout out to Shelton Banks] Three power phrases that you want to pay
“You’re future pacing a year ahead before you’ve even done product demo! Not only that, you’ve given your prospect confidence
You know what’s hard and intimidating?1/ Being the conduit of information to women on your sales team.2/ Being the only
“Moving your qualified leads through your sales pipeline requires that you have a clear strategy for taking customers from qualified
It's been nearly two weeks since I ran the Western States 100 – a 100-mile ultramarathon from Olympic Village
“...It’s also important to collect anecdotal wins and success stories. If you’re getting a team of people up and running
“Asking the right questions, the right way is critical in the recognition of the needs stage of the sale. Confirm-Ask-Explore
Earlier in the winter and the spring, I was doing two trail runs which then moved into three for
You still have a potential sales opportunity—the prospect didn’t say “no” or “not interested.” She’s still indicating interest, but you’re
We had Todd Caponi do a training on his Five F’s on how to run an effective sales organization. The first
Ran a podcast a couple of weeks ago and covered a few lessons from the trail. One of them was
The Triangle of Transformation looks at the sign waves in your sales process to help you identify the strategies that
On June 26th at 5 am, the gun went off and I took my first step in the Western
You’ve got someone at the end of the sales funnel. You know you need the business but it’s hard
Question: What are Momentum Maintainers and Stalled Deal Strategies? Answer: The techniques you use to keep your active sales opportunities
A lot of people are scared to do videos. As the sales leader, you are the face of the company.
“If you’re selling enterprise software, you’ll talk with people such as the vice president of engineering, chief technology officer (CTO),
A hard thing that you need to make #routine is doing cold calls. At some point, you may want to
"Person: Begin by identifying the buyer you’re working with— what is their role within the company, and how are they
“If you propose collaborating on an implementation plan, and the prospect tells you, “Let’s wait,” or “Draft something up and
There's some things around selling especially as a Startup that is hard. There’s no way to make them easy. There’s no
Two more days until the ultramarathon!! ???? So… Here’s another example of making hard things routine. Do heat training.
“If you sense you’re dealing with a buyer vampire, or you’re not sure, here are a few more questions you
Over the past six months, I've been training for the Western States 100 – the oldest, arguably most prestigious
Startups are ultramarathons, even though most of us are sprinting every day – Sprinting to the next product release...
I don’t HAVE the time. I MAKE the time – every week, every day. Making time meant crawling out to
“When you’re selling to large companies, there are lots of managers, directors, and VPs. There are even lots of senior
“This past year, for me specifically, has been my biggest transformation professionally ever. –Alexine Mudawar In this segment of
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Alexine Mudawar & Gabrielle Blackwell. Who is Alexine Mudawar?
June 26th is 8 days away. At 5am, the gun will go off and I'll take my first step
Unless you’ve got a Prospecting Partnering System in your #sales process. In prospecting partnering, what you really need to
“If a prospect you’re talking with tells you, “I’m making the decision on this,” then that person is assuredly a
Discovery: You want to identify your customer’s problem and the buyers that need to be involved. Implementation: Look at
“Ever had a situation in which you’re talking to new prospects and five minutes into the conversation, they ask, “This
“As you’re engaging with your prospective customers, most of the people who you encounter aren’t buyers. They might think of
In this segment of my conversation, I talked about #discovery which is the first part of the sales process.There are different parts
Demos are where sales opportunities go to die. Unless you've got a Prospecting Partnering System in your #sales process.
If you’re selling enterprise software, you’ll talk with people such as the vice president of engineering, chief technology officer (CTO),
Think about this framework in your 60-minute demo: Confirm–Show–Explore.You will use about 10% of your meeting to explore, 30%
“It’s important to identify the specific needs of the user buyers, so you know how they will benefit from using
Person: Begin by identifying the buyer you’re working with— what is their role within the company, and how are they
When you get into the demo, focus on the customer’s problem—This is what they care about, not your product.
“Depending on the size and scope of your sale and implementation, you might need to go high up in the
Instead of allowing people to request a demo on short notice, give yourself some space and time to prepare
There are four buyer types in every enterprise sale. 1️⃣ The User Buyer – This is the person, or the
If you build your Demo Design the right way, your demos will be short, focused, and even better, move
“Demo” should NEVER be a stage in your sales process. In fact, your entire sales process should minimize your
We are going LIVE in 8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 ????If you are seeing this now, the time is 9:53 am PT and
3 Things I'm excited about (including lots of running and baby goats...) #1: The last stretch of training for the
Tomorrow, June 3rd I will be running a Free Live Training where we will learn the 5 key selling strategies
“If you propose collaborating on an implementation plan, and the prospect tells you, “Let’s wait,” or “Draft something up and
3 Things I'm excited about – #1: The last stretch of training for the Western States 100. I've got 50-mile
Let’s say that one of the milestones in your sales process might be “Get sample data from the prospective customer.”
“In the final 30–40 percent of your sales meeting, explore what the next steps should be in the sales process.
You’ve completed the BIG demo. After the demo, the lights go off and everything goes dark.Why? They have seen the
???? Are the leads you have now getting dusty and stale? Only getting a trickle of new leads instead of
To avoid the need to “follow-up”, use BAMFAM— “Book A Meeting From A Meeting”. Often times in your discovery
"I guess I'll follow up with them..." If that's your action plan for a deal that's gone dark or
The next 2 months will make or break your Q4/2021 sales numbers which is why you'll want to join on
I'm running a sales training on June 3rd to help b2b startup founders nail their 2021 sales targets. I'm teaching
"I guess I'll follow up with them..." If that's your action plan for a deal that's gone dark or
“Demos should be treated as a way to show how your product will solve a key business problem, and then
Yesterday I shared a podcast snippet with the first parameter of a 5-factor rubric designed for BOTH founders and
“If you have two or three meetings and 90 percent of that time is spent showing demos and talking about
Hiring is a two-sided market – the hiring company and the candidates. After closing a Series A, a founder needs
“When you get to the product demo, the agenda isn’t just about giving a room full of people the “nickel
Hiring is a two-sided market – the hiring company and the candidates. After closing a Series A, a founder
Say your goal is to hit a target of 100 outbound touches per day. Commit to 30 minutes a
“Now when you get to the product demo, the agenda isn’t just about giving a room full of people the
“Think of the recognition of needs stage as the “no demo” stage—I absolutely, positively forbid you to do any product
Communication starts by scheduling and making sure your team and your family knows. Most importantly, share WHY it's important that
“Most companies sell on the known said problem, because that’s what the customers talk about and complain about every day,
One of the key strategies that helped me with #consistency is to schedule everything. I schedule EVERYTHING so I can see what time
In a recent podcast, I shared how CONSISTENCY is a key principle in my ultra-running, business, and life in
"Let’s say that one of the milestones in your sales process might be “Get sample data from the prospective customer.”
I'm running a live workshop for B2B #startup Founders that want to grow from 6-figure ARR to 7-figure ARR in the next
One of David's discovery tactics is giving the prospects a reason why you are asking. You can do this by saying:“The
“Nope. Product demos are a step in the process. Just like you wouldn’t consider a lead qualification call to be
In this segment of my conversation David Priemer & I talked about giving the Disney experience to your customers. Ultimately,
“In the final 30–40 percent of your sales meeting, explore what the next steps should be in the sales process.
“Asking the right questions, the right way, is critical in the recognition of the needs stage of the sale. Confirm
David Priemer has a 5-step framework in his book, “Sell the Way You Buy”. These frameworks are:1️⃣ Polarization2️⃣ Juxtaposition3️⃣ Provocative questions4️⃣
“If you want to be a top seller, you have to execute with science and empathy”. – David Priemer
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed David Priemer. Like most of us, David never thought
"Implementing = Learning" – This is a mantra I stress over and over with clients. When we're making a change, learning a
The actions, decisions, and choices made in the past got you to where you are today. They won't be
Would you like to work with the most innovative Tech Startups across the world? We are #hiring our next Content Strategist to
"If you don’t have a process for selling, you’ll be at the mercy of your buyer’s process for buying.” –
I've found that there are five (5) traits that make for a coachable person. The first trait that I
In the spring of 1997, I got a mailer that Brian Tracy was coming to Greensboro to teach an all-day
A lot of times I would hear a “BUT” from some people that want or that needs coaching. “Yes I
I'm reading "Trillion Dollar Coach" by Eric Schmidt about Bill Campbell – a coach to some of the top Silicon
The 4am alarm was unwelcome. I haven’t slept well this week even with getting to bed early. I woke up
“Saying No is just as powerful as saying Yes; It’s how you say it” – Amy Volas In this segment
In Schmidt's book and in Mumford's interview, they both talk about what makes a person coachable. In reading and listening,
Why am I telling you this?Well, I'm really proud of that & I want to share it. :-)But the real
This week, Tim Ferriss posted his interview with George Mumford – a person most people don't know. But they know
“The biggest piece is the misconception that all salespeople are created equal”. – Amy Volas It was great having
“This means that the startup has identified a key problem that their product solves and can prove that their product
I'm reading "Trillion Dollar Coach" by Eric Schmidt about Bill Campbell – a coach to some of the top
“Let’s say you met an executive at the Big Industry conference. The executive is excited from your initial conversation and
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Amy Volas. With more than $100MM in revenue sold and
Consistency could mean making #time and investing in yourself to learn and grow. When you see an opportunity, take
One of the toughest challenges in enterprise sales is balancing the customers’ buying process as compared to your sales process.
The idea of “consistency” in your team meetings is just as important as having consistency in your sales work.
Here is a SNEAK PEAK for the "Idea to Impact" Sales Training that I'm teaching this week.We've still got a
If you’ve been running your business for any period of time, you’ve come across the concept of a “Sales Process.”
For your sales process to work, you need to do the work. Every day! Consistency is doing things like...
CONSISTENCY is a principle that's made the biggest difference in my ultra-running training and my work. Consistency means putting in
When you have a team member that's not performing… Is it an obstacle or an opportunity? When you have
Confirm-Ask-Explore is a sales-meeting methodology that I developed that’s useful for needs-analysis meetings and sales conversations and translates well into
An opportunity can be to… ????Pivoting your company ????Taking a break from your startup ????Trying something new The way
All of us faced a huge obstacle last year. Most of us are not where we want to be.
"Control of your daily sales work means that you know who to qualify in and out of your sales pipeline
Thinking about all of the work that needs to be done is an obstacle. When you acknowledge the situation
When it's 3am and you can't sleep, what do you do? I had a choice – I could lay
Diagnosing the problem is a necessary step before you can know if or how you can help your buyer. When
"The first three questions in the Q Framework will help you identify the best lead generation strategy. First, knowing what
Qualifying your leads will speed up your sales for the right-fit prospects. If you do not have a lead qualification
“Recognition of needs, the first stage, is exactly that—analyzing the prospective customer’s need. Your job as a seller is to
Just because a lead requests a demo, doesn't mean they get a demo. They have to deserve it. And
“You can use the “price question” to then qualify the person and the situation to know whether or not there’s
Either your customer is aware or unaware that he or she has the problem that you solve. If your prospective
Your customers will be more honest and open with you. They’ll tell you the real issue and the politics
Your customers are in this world where they are a hero. They have to go and fight and figure things
Your town is the problem that you solve for your customers in your marketplace. Show your customers that you can
I know you're frustrated and tired. We all are. A year ago, I packed my bags for a two-week
“If you find yourself in a situation where you feel like you have this cool technology, and you’re looking for
"Either your customer is aware or unaware that he or she has the problem that you solve. If your prospective
A constant question that I get is “Everything is slowing down in my marketplace, what to do if “all” of
The second selling strategy in a volatile market is #Relationship. Your customers are challenged with different problems—hiring strategy, exit
I am frequently asked the question “What should be my selling strategy when we’re in a volatile market?”The #1 strategy
“Our target customers knew that we had an authoritative perspective in the market. We could point them back to articles,
To build an Authority Voice strategy you must get front & center with your prospects before they reach out to
“I started working with Altos in 2007. By 2007–2009, during the housing crash, we had emerged as a voice of
Here are nine tips for selling in a volatile market: Don’t believe everything you think. Relationships first. There’s no
Before showing a demo to your prospects, you first need to educate them. Teach them about new ways to
Many companies in various industries probably suffer from the problem you solve, and the more you search for the problem,
In this model, we look at the old way versus the new way of doing things. Most prospects are still using
You know your prospect’s problem. You’re probably an expert in the problem. That’s why you started your company—to solve the
57% of the purchase decision is made before a prospect contacts you & 67% of the buying journey is now
“Me: “Hi, [his name]. Scott Sambucci from Altos Research.” Him: “We’re not interested.” Click. End conversation. Me: “Expletive! Expletive!
You know more about the problem your product solves than anyone – that’s why you started your company in the
Pajama Prospecting…One of the questions I’m getting from our coaching clients right now is…“How do I fit in my prospecting
“You might have already found yourself in this situation—you’ve talked to prospective customers and once they understand what you
Once you have a clear view of the critical business issue, shift your attention to answering, “Who are we solving
You know more about the problem your product solves than anyone – that’s why you started your company in
Either your customer is aware or unaware that he or she has the problem that you solve. If your prospective
Would you walk away if your customers are not willing to take advantage of your levers? Or would you lose
A question I get all the time is – "How do you stay so disciplined? I see you get up
“Are you better at connecting with certain types of people? When you go to a conference or meet people professionally,
“In a technology negotiation, playing this transparent card will help you to get to a point where you are exchanging
Most founders hear advice every day like this. “Do this, and you’ll get more leads . . .” “Make sure
“I listed out four things that we care about; volume; how much you buy, timing of cash; how fast
You know your prospect’s problem. You’re probably an expert in the problem. That’s why you started your company—to solve the
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Andrew Verboncouer. Andrew is one of the
“When we hide our price, it’s actually a form of not being transparent”. -Todd Caponi In this part of my
"Every time I would go to an industry conference, I would ask HousingWire if it would be interested in having
I developed a relationship with a COO at a mortgage company, which started off with an InMail (cold email) on
“You can incrementally start by changing how you think, and then secondly, you can make a change by immersing yourself
When I first speak with a startup entrepreneur or CEO, I like to ask, “What problem are you solving?” Frequently,
“It is essential to narrow to one market segment and focus on that segment until you are 100 percent clear
“We know from experience that diversity in these businesses will make a difference” -Robert Wallace In this segment of
“Your number one priority is to get your company to profitability as quickly as possible.” -Robert Wallace In this segment
“As I looked at the faces of the young people; it was Black kids, it was White kids, it was
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Robert L. Wallace. Robert is an internationally known entrepreneur,
Often, startups spend too much time jumping from one lead generation tactic to the next, or they copy a lead
Allowing your prospects and customers to see their problems being solved, will earn their trust in your product and company.
When you build and successfully execute your prospecting plan of action, you will get the following. 1/ Clarity: Clarity means
Friendly buyers show up on time, they’re prepared and they have information. Executive Sponsors have the problem that you solve,
“Think of the recognition of needs stage as the “no demo” stage—I absolutely, positively forbid you to do any product
“The size of an account and the size of the price are based upon the size of the problem.”
Most companies have the vision to build a billion-dollar company, but really, their intention is to make an #impact, solve
To establish repeatability, there are three challenges that startups need to overcome. The first challenge is focusing on lead generation.
I developed a relationship with a COO at a mortgage company, which started off with an InMail (cold email) on
“Remember when you’re a founder, job #1 is to “Survive”. -Tom Searcy There are four key areas that are necessary
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Tom Searcy. By the age of 40, Tom had
There is a HUGE difference between “wanting” to make changes and grow, and being “ready” to make changes and grow.
"Assumedly, you started your company because you found a specific problem that the market failed to address effectively. And, oftentimes,
I have a maxim with my clients. Implementing = Learning™ That means you too! You have to read the
Oftentimes company founders are looking for the “Sales Unicorn”, but sometimes the founder is the sales unicorn themselves. In this
“These are the qualities of a sales unicorn – ✔️this is somebody who figured it out, ✔️did it all themselves,
"Clarity means that both you and your customer know why they will buy your product, the results they will enjoy,
"Clarity in your sales pipeline means that you know all the steps that you need to take with your prospect
“We have to be good before we can be good for others, and then the next extension of that
“Usually the team that gets them to that 1 to 2 million is not the team that's going to get
Mary Grothe is a former #1 MidMarket B2B Sales Rep who after selling millions and breaking multiple records, formed House
“When you use the Q Framework to develop and build your sales process for your startup—from prospecting to pipeline to
“By now, you’ve probably identified a couple of places where your startup is struggling right now. Maybe you’re in the
Ask yourself what your prospects moan about over the dinner table with your partner at evenings”. In this part of
To establish repeatability, there are three challenges that startups need to overcome. The first challenge is focusing on lead generation.
“Before we actually spend time with this prospect, do they really match the criteria that we put time and
“Whatever price you share will seem expensive or inexpensive, because the buyer has no benchmark or relative comparison. That’s why
“Spend less time selling to people who probably aren’t gonna buy from you and more time selling to people
“It’s unusual that a single person is going to be the person who is going to make the final decision
“Your best-fit customers are the ones that ultimately innovate your product the best”. In my conversation with Richard Smith,
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Richard Smith. Richard is the Co-Founder and Head of
“If a prospect you’re talking with tells you, “I’m making the decision on this,” then that person is assuredly a
“This buyer vampire is the person who says something like this: “This sounds really great! Send me a one-pager. I’ll
Are your prospects telling you "seems expensive" or "we don't have budget" or "we're not adding any new costs right
It’s all about finding the right talent and looking at people that have done a player-coach role”. -Jeremy Macleod
Hiring SDRs vs Outsourcing – Which option is better, and when should we bring in some help on our
“In the previous chapter, we talked about the importance of identifying a specific market when you’re selling your product. You
Doing the work isn't enough – It's about doing the RIGHT work. In 2016, I competed in Uberman – an
“The User Buyer is the person, or the team of people, who will use your product every day. Depending on
“The Economic Buyer is the person who will write the check—the person whose budget provisions the purchase. Depending on the
Hiring SDRs vs Outsourcing – Which option is better, and when should we bring in some help on our
“The Technical Buyer is the buyer, or buyers, who have a particular domain expertise within their company. Their job in
The pipeline's thin. Lead gen is a grind. You’re booking demos and slinging proposals, but deal flow is slow.
Start at the Beginning... It's January 4th. The Internet is slow. Zoom keeps cutting out. Slack isn't working. After holidays
Is this you? I’m starting a group for February – it’s designed for B2b startups that want to grow by
On Friday, I hosted a Clubhouse room – "Tech Founders Tackling Structural Racism: Weekly Forum" (link goes to this week's
Lots of good conversation happening right now on Richard Smith’s post from yesterday –“Rich - please can I just have a
I'm no more qualified to write and share this post than you or most people – I'm a 1%-er that's
I’m already hearing it … “Nobody’s buying this time of year…” “I'm focusing on Q1 deals now…” “My prospects
If you're in this zone where deals are coming in that are way lower than what we charge, I
Start at the Beginning... It's January 4th. The Internet is slow. Zoom keeps cutting out. Slack isn't working. After
Good work! You’re off and running with your sales prospecting work for your startup:1/ You’ve built your target list
The Product Champion is your coach and cheerleader. He or she is the person who is internally helping you to
“You might not realize this, but you have a distinct advantage right now as a startup—you don’t need that many
In 2016, I competed in Uberman — an ultra-triathlon consisting of a 21-mile ocean swim, a 400-mile bike from LA
It's a simple model: 1/ Contacts – Who you contact (your target prospect) & How (how many, how often)
“Assumedly, you started your company because you found a specific problem that the market failed to address effectively. And, oftentimes,
After holidays every year, I feel disappointed that I didn't get all the projects done I wanted during the break.
“If you’re unsure of the answer to this question, talk to people. For example, find people on LinkedIn and at
I’m not a resolution kind of guy. If I really want to do something, I’ll do it whether it’s January
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jeremy Macleod. As a proud Kiwi, Jeremy hails from
“Think about Amazon. Before it sold lawn furniture, pet food, and everything else under the sun, it started with books.
Many companies in various industries probably suffer from the problem you solve, and the more you search for the problem,
1. LinkedIn is a “jobs site” — Disagree. While it is a jobs site for many people, it isn’t for
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Arjun Rai. Arjun Rai is an NYC based entrepreneur
“They’re trying to tell you about their business and their problems, and you’re focusing on your product and how
“The key objective of the ramp-up stage typically is all about reaching $1,000,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR). This is
Stop Hustling and Start Scaling In this video, I show you why and how you have to move from hustle
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Tom Pisello. Known as the ROI Guy,
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Todd Caponi. Todd is the author of the 3x
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Doug Brown. Doug C. Brown is a highly acclaimed Sales
Just because a lead requests a demo, doesn't mean they get a demo. They have to deserve it. And
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Todd Caponi. Todd is the author of the 3x
11% of the year, the Status Quo Fallacy & Why Sales is a Numbers Game Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ I’m
I’m running a LIVE Training TOMORROW to help you convert your Q4 pipeline Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Registration link in
You know more about the problem your product solves that anyone – that’s why you started your company in
Lead generation and filling your sales funnel is the most important sales work your startup needs do every day.
Why is it so hard to break through to the magic $1MM ARR? Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ You’ve hustled &
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Scott Cowley. Scott Cowley began selling at
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ethan Beute. As the Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, coauthor
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Paul. Andy has written two award-winning sales books,
Failure was always an option – That's what made it worth trying Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ This is a tough
As soon as you begin to think that there's a good time or a bad time, you've lost it. Your
Feeling scared... Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ It’s all coming together. Months of planning and training and prep. On Friday at
Sales = f(Contacts, Conversations, Conversions) Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ It's a simple model: 1/ Contacts – Who you contact (your
“Demo” should NEVER be a stage in your sales process. Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ In fact, your entire sales process
Lead Qualification Strategy – Sales Accelerator #3 Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Just because a lead requests a demo, doesn't mean
Every day feels like a race when you're growing your startup. But do you have a system in place to
Show Your Authority Voice – Sales Accelerator #2 Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ You know more about the problem your product
Funnel Filler Foundations – Sales Accelerator #1 Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Lead generation and filling your sales funnel is the
When's the best time to do your prospecting work? Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Right freaking now, that's when. As soon
When's the best time to do your prospecting work? Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Right freaking now, that's when. As soon
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Nick Casale. Nick is the Director of Sales at
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Anthony Garcia. Anthony is an expert in sales training, recruiting,
When's the best time to do your prospecting work? Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Right freaking now, that's when. As soon
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Doug Sandler. Doug has over 30 years of business experience
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Doug Sandler. Doug has over 30 years of business
Blend officially reached unicorn status three weeks ago, with the announcement of their Series F – now valued at $1.7
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Greg Accardo. With over 20 years of business and
Startup Selling Lesson From the Trail: Where's your garage? Powered by Restream https://restream.io/ Every day feels like a race when
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jeroen Corthout. Jeroen is the co-founder and CEO of
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Todd Caponi. Todd is the author of the 3x
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Steve Benson. Steve is the Founder and CEO of Badger
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ernest Owusu. As the Sr. Director of Sales Development
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Doll Avant. Doll, Founder and CEO of Aquagenuity, is
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Adam Springer. Adam has been the first salesperson
What Should My Startup be Doing Right Now When it Comes to Sales? GROW. Because that’s what your competitors are
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Joseph Fung. Joseph is the CEO of Uvaro,
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Latane Conant. Latané was instrumental in aligning sales and marketing
This is an uncomfortable conversation, and that's why I'm doing it. Over the past two weeks, I've been watching and
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Carson Conant. Carson Conant is the CEO and Founder of
It is rarely going to be a first or second-level connection. You will probably need to work through several layers.
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Aaron Krall. Aaron Krall helps SaaS companies drive more
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed CEO at Chorus, Jim Benton. Jim joined Chorus.ai as
How do you get back into a flow after time away from an important project or initiative? I see it
Question: What’s the most effective method for “outbound” sales of SaaS products? Answer: Good points from Jonathan, though I would label
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Laura Janusik. Laura Janusik is a dynamic professor, trainer,
Question: Does the salesperson really add value to his customers in B2B sales? Answer: Absolutely, assuming the salesperson is a good salesperson.
Question: How can I avoid getting a short, yes/no answers? Answer: If you manage the sales process question, there is
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Business Coach and Mentor, Jason Everett. Jason Everett
Question: Or is it just another sales job. Answer: Every sales job is different. Your product is different, your target market
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed best-selling author, and coach, Brian Robinson. Brian Robinson is
Question: Obviously, this depends on the market, product, etc. but generally speaking, how do SaaS companies land that first “big
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I was interviewed by Neil Fontenot. Neil is an entrepreneurial and versatile
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed CEO of Chili Piper, Nicolas Vandenberghe. Nicolas started his
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed entrepreneur and Founder of Lead Cookie and Content Allies,
GROW. Because that’s what your competitors are doing. Over these past 6 weeks, I’ve coached and talked with over 100
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed President and COO of Aspireship, Christine Rogers. Christine is a
I write a lot about sales and startups and making relentless forward progress. I run ultramarathons, and it might seem
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed author and CEO, Chris Spurvey. After consciously choosing entrepreneurship as
1. Don’t believe everything you think. 2. Relationships first. 3. There’s no such thing “All” and “Everyone” 4. Christmas was
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKMO2vdGKu0&feature=youtu.be We’re two weeks into the “Outbreak of Volatility,” and I’m reading posts every day that say – “There’s so
1. Don’t believe everything you think. 2. Relationships first. 3. There’s no such thing “All” and “Everyone” 4. Christmas was
Question: The specific use case is SaaS sales but could be related to any sales process. There
I laid in bed this morning, vacillating between conscious states for nearly 40 minutes before I pulled myself out from under the
“A startup is not a smaller version of a large company.” – Steve Blank This goes for the sales funnel.
A huge challenge in running a startup is the isolation that goes with it – building strategies, figuring out to
I’m a planner. Months ahead of my ultramarathons, I search for race reports from past years. I research the course
No more $10 ice cream sandwiches. It’s been two weeks since I finished the Tarawera 100 – a 100-mile ultramarathon
It’s time to stop being a reader and start being an implementer. One of the most challenging aspects about building
Think of each of these three systems as dials to your startup’s sales process. Your job is to turn these
The key measurements to track are: Price Per Customer: As you continue to establish your product’s worth to each new
This is the development and implementation action plan with your target customer to move them from their purchasing decision to
“This is why we do what we do, right? The entire sales process from lead generation to product demos to
Clarity: Clarity in your sales pipeline means that you know all the steps that you need to take with your
I’m 10 days from my next ultra-marathon — the Tarawera 100. The locals refer to it as “the miler…”
Where are you with each sales opportunity? When is the next step in the sale? This is important because your
Your company’s process for moving your qualified sales opportunities through your sales pipeline. Think of this as your “sales map”—all
Top-of-the-sales-funnel work is focused on generating qualified leads through daily marketing and sales activity, such as the following. • LinkedIn
Moving your qualified leads through your sales pipeline requires that you have a clear strategy for taking customers from qualified
Zach Stein joined me on my podcast, describing the decision-making frameworks he used as CEO at Osmo. (Check the comments
Lead Development Rate: The rate at which you are generating leads for your target market. Depending on your capacity, time
A master plan that describes the regular activities that you and your team deploy on a daily, weekly, and monthly
“At the earliest stage of your company when you’re finding your first 5–10 paying customers, those first customers should come
I’m two weeks from the Tarawera 100-miler and I’m asked all the time – “How to do have the
The three phases of the sales funnel are listed here. 1. Prospecting Plan of Action: This is where you’re finding
“The scale from “complete sale” backward might look like this. 1. Full implementation 2. Partial or phased implementation 3. Pilot
“The first principle for a successful pilot is to keep it small and short— as small as possible and as
“Think about a new show on TV – the television network won’t know how the audience will respond until the
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Refract Co-Founder, Richard Smith. Richard has over ten years
“Running the pilot program allows the customers to see their problems being solved, thereby earning their trust in your product
“Even if your sales prospects love your product and your approach to solving their problems, they just don’t trust you.
“You have probably noticed in some of your early selling that the sales cycles for selling to large companies can
“If you’ve been selling your product for any amount of time, you’ve gotten to a point where you’re juggling multiple
By first implementing our product on a small scale in an actual working environment, the customers can see how it
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Refract Co-Founder, Richard Smith. Richard has over ten years
“This version of an implementation plan is more specific and is more representative of a functional work plan that your
The 7x1 framework also future paces the prospective customer about the additional people and resources that will be needed to
The past is the past – Startup Lessons from the Trail If you've watched my videos lately you know that
The 7x1 framework is designed for earlier stages in the sales process. As soon as you have someone who is
I just signed up for my next ultra marathon – it's in February down in New Zealand. This past
"There are a couple of ways to construct your implementation plan. The first is less formal and designed for use
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed TaskDrive's, Chief Revenue Officer, Mark Colgan. Mark has over
“In the sales world, too often we hear about “closing the sale” and “getting to the finish line.” Guess what?
During the sales process, your prospects are asking themselves (sometimes you) questions about product features and functionality and also asking
When selling your product, you should be able to show at least a 10x return on investment (ROI). In many
“Dude – Are you good?” This kid was 8-years-old and he needed to know. This was serious business – a
Once you’ve identified what problem your product solves, companies will buy answers to those problems. Consider again the question from
“Have you ever had a situation where you know you’re talking with the right buyer at the right company who
This step is important, because it’s an accumulation of a few of the previous steps. By accessing your prospective customer’s
Early in the sales process, you’ll likely communicate rather formally with your prospect via email, and the responses might be
“A second milestone that I like to use for larger enterprise sales is the signing of a nondisclosure agreement (NDA).
This is exactly the way it sounds—you give your prospective customers a little bit of work to do to gauge
Think of these checkpoints and milestones as metrics, signals, and indicators that you’re advancing each sale. These vary across companies
Ep. 77: Name It To Tame It, Asking Questions & Making Tough Decisions – An Interview with Zach Stein
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed former CEO of Osmo Systems, Zach Stein. Zach is
“In this case, when the prospect asked you to “circle back in a week to set up a demo with
Think about your most recent sales call or meeting with a prospective customer. Got it in your mind? Now, answer
“Creating a standardized list of checkpoints and milestones in your sales process allows you to establish repeatability. Over time, as
https://youtu.be/dfxcMgJ2QAA My son was having a rough morning. He was awake at 5:07am (which is better than the 4:45am wakeup
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed keynote speaker, sales coach, and author, David J.P. Fisher. David
Reason 1: Measuring Progress “Often, it’s hard to be objective because we have so much enthusiasm about our product and
“Think of the sales process as knowing the checkpoints and milestones in your sale or knowing when the next step is in
What we need to do is develop a system that identifies checkpoints and milestones along the way for each sales
“One of the toughest challenges in enterprise sales is balancing the customers’ buying process as compared to your sales process.
During implementation, focus early and often on the seven Rs of customer success.These are: 1. Reconfirm: Give your customers confidence
The transition from ‘resolution of concerns’ to ‘implementation’ is often subtle. The reason it can be subtle is that we’re
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Sarah Tuneberg, Co-Founder and CEO at Geospiza. She leads an
“In the resolution of concerns stage of the sale, you’ll receive objections about your product, capabilities, and company. If you
“Before showing your product in the business demo, make sure to collect all your findings and gain agreement from the
“The two biggest mistakes most salespeople make in the ‘Recognition of Needs Analysis’ stage are these: 1. Showing a product
The second stage of the sale is ‘evaluation of options’. Just like the name of this stage indicates, this is
“Asking the right questions, the right way, is critical in the recognition of the ‘needs stage’ of the sale. Confirm-Ask-Explore
“As a startup, you’re looking for “innovators” and “early adopters” as your first customers — companies and executives actively seeking
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Oscar Santolalla, Author and Sales Engineer at Ubisecure. Oscar
"Either your customer is aware or unaware that he or she has the problem that you solve. If your prospective
“Recognition of needs, the first stage, is exactly that—analyzing the prospective customer’s need. Your job as a seller is to
Neil Rackham and his book, Major Account Sales Strategy, influenced much of what I’ve learned about the stages of the
"Managing your sales pipeline can be a frustrating process, especially when you’re relying on the buyer’s process for buying. The
“It’s unusual that a single person is going to be the person who is going to make the final decision
“Whatever price you share will seem expensive or inexpensive, because the buyer has no benchmark or relative comparison. That’s why
“All that needs to happen is a quick conversation with my manager,” or “Send over a proposal so I can
“Well, look, how do you price your product, or what are some of the factors that go into pricing?” That’s
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Brett Gilliland, Co-Founder & CEO at Elite Entrepreneurs. As
As you are working with each buyer and stakeholder at your target customer, map them to the buyer-problem qualification diagram
The Product Champion is your coach and cheerleader. He or she is the person who is internally helping you to
“At Blend, I was selling early versions of our product to the top 50 mortgage lenders in the US. Most
Relentless Forward Progress — Lessons from the Trail Cuddled in a sleeping bag around me in the back of my
“The Technical Buyer is the buyer, or buyers, who have a particular domain expertise within their company. Their job in
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Joe Curtis, Chief Operating Officer at Pango Group. Joe expertly
“The Economic Buyer is the person who will write the check—the person whose budget provisions the purchase. Depending on the
The User Buyer is the person, or the team of people, who will use your product every day. Depending on
“When selling enterprise solutions, such as data, analytics, and consulting while at CoreLogic and large-scale enterprise software at Blend, I
“Ever had a situation in which you’re talking to new prospects and five minutes into the conversation, they ask, “This
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jason Bay, Chief Revenue Officer at Blissful Prospecting where he
“All that needs to happen is a quick conversation with my manager,” or “Send over a proposal so I can
“As you’re engaging with your prospective customers, most of the people who you encounter aren’t buyers. They might think of
Many companies in various industries probably suffer from the problem you solve, and the more you search for the problem,
You might not realize this, but you have a distinct advantage right now as a startup—you don’t need that many
If you’re unsure of the answer to this question, talk to people. For example, find people on LinkedIn and at
Today’s guest is Leah Chaney, CCO, and Co-Founder at BetterGrowth. Leah is a Customer Success pioneer with almost two decades
“Think about Amazon. Before it sold lawn furniture, pet food, and everything else under the sun, it started with books.
Last night, I got to thinking about all of the “life” I have outside of work every week a partner,
Assumedly, you started your company because you found a specific problem that the market failed to address effectively. And, oftentimes,
Now . . . here’s the thing. Narrowing your market can take some time. It was really hard in the
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Dan Martell. Dan is
The Q Framework uses seven key questions to help you identify exactly where you are with every sales opportunity and,
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with John Messina. John currently
“Whether a startup leverages investor capital or reinvests its own cash flow, once repeatability is established, the startup is ready
“By now, you’ve probably identified a couple of places where your startup is struggling right now. Maybe you’re in the
“The key objective of the ramp-up stage typically is all about reaching $1,000,000 in annual recurring revenue (ARR). This is
Have you ever had a conversation with new prospects and feel like you’re talking past your customers, not talking with
“When I first speak with a startup entrepreneur or CEO, I like to ask, “What problem are you solving?” Frequently,
Every time I tackle the next big challenge, I want to feel SANE – Scared. Anxious. Nervous. Excited. Feeling these
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with master storyteller and
“While at Altos Research, I was working on a sales opportunity with one of the largest investment management firms in
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with another guest from
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Jonathan Soares. Jonathan is
If you want to grow your startup and grow as a person, everything HAS to change. But the question is
In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I sat down with Alex Berman. Alex is the chairman and
In today’s guest episode I had the privilege of sitting down with CEO and Founder Shawn Finder as we discussed
We have a first in today’s episode! It’s our first returning guest. Joining me on the show today is Marylou
If you’re in the FinTech space, you’ve probably heard about Blend’s recent Series E funding round. I was fortunate enough to
In today’s podcast, we have with us Erik Jacobson and Jonathan Barshop with BeMyGuest. Erik Jacobson spent three years learning
I ran a sales training yesterday, and I walked the group through an exercise called “Buyer Mapping” and I wanted
Today’s guest is Paul Rush, founder of Substantial – a digital design agency based in Seattle, Washington. Substantial is a
Today’s episode is a very special edition because it relates to my personal life and the lessons learned from it.
Episode 58: Build & Manage Your Startup's Hiring Process - An Interview with Lever’s Kelly Del Curto
In today's podcast, we have with us Kelly Del Curto, Director of small business and corporate sales at Lever, the
In today's episode Stephen and I will be discussing 'Live Events' – why should you run live events for both
This weekend, I came across a 2018 study published in Science magazine – "Prevalence-induced concept change in human judgment,” by David E. Levari,
You push and you push to make your startup grow. But are you thinking about the effects you’re having on
[This article is part of a series in which I’m sharing my Startup Lessons Learned from a 100-mile ultramarathon I
[This article is part of a series in which I’m sharing my Startup Lessons Learned from a 100-mile ultramarathon I
In this episode, Stephen and I discussed the importance of consistency and defining the importance of Discipline vs Motivation. Discipline
[This article is part of a blog post series in which I’m sharing my Startup Lessons Learned from a 100-mile
In a recent podcast, we spoke to Patrick Campbell about how to create a pricing strategy. This article summarizes some
Tracking can make a huge difference to startups. This article summarizes a recent interview we held with go-to-market operations expert
As a startup founder, you have undoubtedly dealt with a big issue…Your business has started to grow and you are
Sales leaders may find themselves struggling to get their teams to execute an effective cold emailing strategy. In a recent
When was the last time that you sat down and had real conversations with the people on your team? As
Are you tracking your deal quality? What about pipeline stages? Tracking can make a huge difference to startups. In a recent
Sales experts around the world usually struggle with the concept of cold emailing This is very understandable, as it is
The process is the process! In today's episode of the Startup Selling podcast, we did a Daily Dose edition. Stephen
Can you write an effective 125-word sales email? Data shows that 125-word emails yield a 51% response rate. Surprised? Email
On one of our weekly coaching calls yesterday, a client shared how they were struggling to convert their inbound leads
Today's episode is a little bit of an experiment. Every month I run what's called a Live Sales Q
I remember one particularly cold, gray January day, sitting in a conference room atop a Manhattan high-rise while I was
Most of the time, I’m all about systems, efficiency and predictability. But sometimes hustle is just something you gotta do.
I did a 50k trail race this weekend. I know… I know… It’s just what I do… My wife tells
If I was leading sales at an enterprise/B2b startup, there’s one thing I’d be hammering to my team this month
It all started so positively. The prospect was excited to talk after they filled out the “I’d like more info”
“The real secret to growth hacking is repeated experiments.” - Howard Kingston Today’s guest is a Digital Marketing Expert and
It’s all come to a head. It’s all too much to handle. Too many “we gotta do this” to-dos on
This episode is going to be more of a human to human conversation. As an entrepreneur, you're always expected to
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Selling Podcast! In today’s episode, we have Andy Mowat, the VP of Growth
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, in today’s episode we have Alex Goldfayn. Alex is a global
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Selling Podcast. Today’s episode is a bit different because there’s no special guest.
Hiring any salesperson too soon. If you've yet to acquire paying customers, then it's too soon. You're still in Customer
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Selling Podcast. Today we have Matthew Harrell as our special guest. He is
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Selling Show - Talking Sales with Scott Sambucci... in today’s episode we have
Salespeople are masters at taking the right actions, listening to customers, asking questions, and implementing a clear strategy. Most of
Do you spend a lot of time and effort building the perfect demos? ….Only to get: “This looks pretty cool,
1) Configuration & Implementation, 2) Platform & Users, 3) Professional Services 1 - Configuration & Implementation - This is all
“The prospect asked me a question [or a bunch of question...] via email about... Price, Product, Integrations, timing, etc. etc.
Build a PIT Crew – A Project Implementation Team Most of all, get your customer ACTIVELY involved – give them
Welcome to another episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, in today’s episode we have Brandon Bruce the Co-Founder
You need not attend. Simply go to the event website and find the speaker and attendee list. These people are
You need a team. And unequivocal support from your loved ones. The more I prepared for this swim, the more
You’ll be shocked by who’s willing to help you. I needed some help finding a kayaker, and Tom found Kathy
Take it one stroke at a time. When you’re starting a 10.5 mile swim, it’s easy to think about the
You start in the dark. “Meet at the dock at two o’clock and we’ll start the swim at three,” Tom
It is rarely going to be a first or second-level connection. You will probably need to work through several layers.
In today’s episode of the Startup Selling Show we have Niko Hughes. Niko is the Co-Founder and COO of SDRemote.
Justin Vandehay, along with his brother, Jeremy, Co-Founded Disco. Disco is a software company focused on helping teams appreciate each
In today’s episode of the Startup Selling Show we have Xan Gentile. Xan is the Head of Account Management at
Today’s guest is David Dulany, he’s the CEO and founder of Tenbound, which is a consulting and training firm that
Let's do this! 3 more sleeps until Monday's Startup Selling Sales Intensive.
Today’s guest is Brian “I Help Startups Grow” Manning, he’s the Head of Growth at PatientPing which is a company
Today we have Kris “Speedhunter” Duggan on the Startup Selling Podcast. “If you’re not a sales-oriented founder, sales is a
On today's episode, I chat with Tim Phebus. Tim is an expert in financial planning and helping individuals, families and
Today's guest is Wayne Herring. Wayne is an expert on coaching business owners on how to build, grow and manage
How do you get back into a flow after time away from an important project or initiative? I see it
Last month, I ran the Zion 100 – a 100-mile ultra marathon in the Southwest Desert near Zion National Park.
Growing your startup from idea to IMPACT, and why hustle & hard work isn't enough.
The Q FRAMEWORK: The 7 Questions to Gain More... CLARITY, CONTROL & CONFIDENCE in your Startup's Sales Process.
Episode 7: What are your Constraints?Why Hustle isn't enough... LIVE Sales Q&A with Scott Sambucci
Live Sales Q&A Session #7: The 4 P's to The PERFECT Product Demo
My guest David Cichelli is the leading expert when it comes to sales compensation. His book - Compensating the Sales
This episode of the Startup Selling Podcast focuses on how video affects the sales process. We talk about how to
Session #6: LIVE Sales Q&A with Scott Sambucci Topic: Building Your Sales Team
Just one week to go before the Startup Selling Sales Intensive in SF. Here's what you can expect from me,
Episode 36: Recommendations To Startup Founders On How To Structure Outside Sales with Steven Benson
Badger’s tag line is “automating busy work for outside sales reps to save ten hours a week.” Badger is #1-selling
Episode 4: LIVE Sales Q&A with Scott Sambucci (FYI - camera set up in the first 20 seconds... 🙂 Today's
Are you willing to get uncomfortable? Do three things you can do TODAY to make your company, or yourself, better.
Today’s featured guest is Scott Sambucci--your podcast host and Sales Geek extraordinaire. He has spent more than two decades building
Ask Scott: Live Sales Q&A with Scott Sambucci Installment #3: Live From Dreamforce in San Francisco
Ask Scott: Live Sales Q&A with Scott Sambucci Episode 2 Topics: 1. Outbound Prospecting: My outbound prospecting emails & outreach
John Roberts founded Successly in 2016, a company dedicated to helping Customer Success teams make a big impact. John recently
A Special Message for my friends at the TINC Program about Monday's Startup Selling Workshop
Got a Sales Question? Then join me for "Ask Scott: Live Sales Q&A with Scott Sambucci" on Wednesday, October 25th
FAQs: The Startup Selling Intensive on Oct. 16th in San Francisco
Question: What are the typical top sources for the first $100k of revenue for customers in early-stage SaaS companies? Answer:
3 Reasons Why You Should Only Run PAID Pilots With Your Prospects (Hint: if it's not paid, it's just a
Question: What's the most effective method for "outbound" sales of SaaS products? Answer: Good points from Jonathan, though I would
The Startup Selling Workshop & The HealthTech Nordic Community
Question: As a consultant, how can I improve my presentation skills in front of an executive audience? Answer: Certainly not
Handling Objections: Those pesky last-minute questions from your prospects...
Prepping for "The Big Meeting" - One key trick to make the most of your time
Question: Product Marketing: We are an early stage software company and our solution falls at the intersection of a couple
Question: What do you like most about networking with people? Answer: That I learn something new from every conversation, even
Question: What is the ideal structure of a web marketing team in a mid-sized B2B company? Answer: As small as
Question: What are the basics of marketing a B2B product online? Answer: Find your voice. It used to be that
"What's the best way to convert sales leads from our trade show booth?"
"What do I do if I can't access to the final decision-makers on the sale?"
Question: I am new to technology sales. As an offshore enterprise software services vendor, how can I effectively answer the
"What's the best way to plan out my weekly sales focus, especially when I've got the rest of the business
"Is it too early to set up a Reseller Program for my startup?" In helping clients build their 100-Day Sales
Question: I'm going to run a startup, but I am struggling on whether to go full-time or do part-time. I
Question: Should early stage startups worry about generating revenue? Why or why not? Answer: Yes, absolutely, and as early in
The 60-Day Sales Sprint: Why you need to reserve your spot for the "Sell Your Way to Series A Workshop"
Question: Is LinkedIn a worthwhile networking tool? Answer: Yes, depending on your definition of "networking." Personally, while I always enjoy
Sales Lead Qualification: The 4 Ps of Problem-Prospect Fit Lead Qualification is one of the most important and challenging parts
Question: What are some solid ways to do customer development for a startup? Answer: On the tactical side, I developed
Question: Should I accept people's invitations on LinkedIn who I don't know but they have a pretty good profile and
Question: What are your top sales objectives in 2017? Answer: My top sales objective for 2017 is to 3x REVENUE
Question: Does it usually revolve around a level of revenue, number of salespeople, number of total employees, or something else
Question: We just launched our blog for a new social bookmarking platform for Apps, SaaS and Tools. I'm trying to
Question: What are the biggest challenges and inefficiencies you see in enterprise sales? With a focus on business to business
Question: Everyone has a CRM of some sort but I'm looking more for a piece of software that would allow
My sister scored tickets to last night’s the Portland Timbers match. Despite what I knew would be a fun and
Question: My skillset is in sales/bizdev. For our new startup, is it best I stay focused on just that or
Question: What are the best tools you use in terms of ROI when you want to increase your sales? Answer:
Question: What are some generally overlooked costs aside from SEO that are likely to blindside a first time startup? Answer:
Question: What are the best tools you use in terms of ROI when you want to increase your sales? Answer:
Question: Does the sales person really add value to his customers in B2B sales? Answer: Absolutely, assuming the salesperson is
Live from Atlanta Tech Village, teaching a Startup Selling Workshop, all about Pilot Programs for the Atlanta Bridge Community startups
Live from Atlanta Tech Village, teaching a Startup Selling Workshop, all about Pilot Programs for the Atlanta Bridge Community startups
Question: What are the main dynamics driving the accelerated scaling of SaaS startups? As manifested by higher valuations / multiples.
Question: I'm going to run a startup, but I am struggling on whether to go full-time or do part-time. I
Question: What are 3 things you would like to change about your sales process? Answer: [Thanks for the A2A!] You
Here's backstage look of my final prep for The Bridge Community Atlanta: http://bridgecommunity.com/ If you're joining me for this workshop
Kari Thor Runarsson, CEO & Co-founder of Authenteq Malin Weiss, CMO at Speedment: Isaac Szymanczyk, Principal and Creative
Question: Is telesales a good approach for B2B startup sales? Answer: Think “inside sales” instead of “telesales,” and it’s a
Question: I've just started going out and seeing customers and realised that I need a script to maximise the information
About Allbound: Problem & Solution Definitions: Channel Partners vs Referral Partners vs Co-Marketing Partner vs Reseller vs Affiliates Listen to
Question: How can I prove my sales ability to a potential employer if I don't have a sales background? Answer:
Question: I'm new to SaaS sales and I am seeking advice on how to best find/contact IT managers and their
The Startup Selling Workshop: Sell Your Way to Series A In this video, Scott Sambucci describes The 4 P's to
Question: I work in a very big company with dozens of products, we run many campaigns every year and I
This episode of the Startup Selling Podcast focuses on cold email strategies and best practices when hiring and developing an
Question: What can I learn by working in a B2B sales organization? I am not involved in selling and have
Let's do this! The Startup Selling Workshop starts tomorrow @ 9:30am One last check in from our venue - PARISOMA
Question: A lot of fast-growth SaaS startups seems to focus on smaller companies first (examples include Salesforce, Hubspot, Marketo, etc.).
Question: How can I avoid to get short, yes/no answers? Answer: If you manage the sales process question, there is
Question: What is the best CRM for a startup/ business? Answer: Thanks for the A2A. Please note that my answer
Dan Waldschmidt is a best-selling author, motivational speaker, and business strategist. He’s been a successful entrepreneur, a failure, and a
Question: What are the key success factors (like simplicity vs complexity, usability, marketing, pricing, buzz etc.) for SaaS products? Answer:
Question: How many cold calls should a top notch sales person make in a day? Answer: The short answer is:
In San Francisco and on the move... What are you most excited about in May?
That's a wrap in the Startup Selling Workshop with the TINC Program! Clarity. Control. Confidence.
Startup Selling @ Stanford University Spending the day with Nordic country startups Teaching three sales models today: 1. The Q
Question: The sales cycle with enterprise software is typically long. Unless the product being sold is unique, it will be
Question: We're seeing major lag times with large customers from the time we have a "handshake" agreement and when our
Question: I was recently offered a quota of $8k of recurring revenue per month in new business, each month, and
First Dibs On My Next FULL-DAY Sales Workshop (plus a whole lot more…) [The Friday Four - 4/21/2017]
Let’s get right to it… 1 - ANNOUNCEMENT: FULL-DAY SALES WORKSHOP Do you need to… … Qualify your Leads into
Question: Also, what are the biggest risks in hiring a salesman too early at your startup? Answer: Hiring any salesperson
Question: Or is it just another sales job. Answer: Every sales job is different. Your product is different, your target
Question: We're laying out a plan for 2014. We'll do $500 thousand in revenue in 2013 with an aim to
Question: Companies like Gilt Groupe and Fab drive a sense of urgency around purchasing in that if you don't buy
Is it possible for an SaaS product to penetrate the enterprise without a dedicated sales force? #Q&A
Question: How can a small and resource-constrained SaaS enable adoption at enterprise-level without spending (much) time or money? Answer: Yes,
Need an immediate boost in your LEAD CONVERSIONS? Cool. I’m hosting a LIVE SALES TRAINING this week. Here’s the scoop:
How can I let go of my negative perceptions of what sales is, in order to be the best salesperson...
Question: I generate B.A.N.T. qualified sales leads for IT firms via cold-calling/e-mail marketing. As a recent college grad, I do
Question: You can only choose three. I have read a lot about how psychology is important for sales, but never
Question: I've read all of Aaron Ross's (great) content (book + videos) as well as a lot from Jason M.
It’s the last day of Q1. Do you know where your sales are? I just wrapped up a round of
Question: The faster you hire the quicker you can grow your revenue (in theory). However, it can be a danger
Question: I have had an in-person interview with a web/mobile analytics company in San Francisco, and they want to bring
It’s official. I’m a slacker. It’s been more than two months since sending out my so-called weekly “Friday Four.” The
Question: I'm wondering if offering something like a 50% rebate, available only at launch time would be a good idea
Question: What are some rules of making successful follow up calls to prospects? Answer: A few of concepts: Continuation vs.
Question: Obviously this depends on the market, product, etc. but generally speaking, how do SaaS companies land that first "big
Question: What are some rules of making successful follow up calls to prospects? Answer: A few of concepts: Continuation vs.
Question: I've worked at the same company for the past 8.5 years in various management/consulting roles and have done fairly
My bonehead mistake & what you can learn from it... Yesterday, I did something REALLY stupid – I got emotional
Question: I'm looking for a little detail on how best to approach and/or reach-out potential customers without coming across as
Question: We do a two-week free trial for our SaaS app and really want to hold to that length. Often
Marylou Tyler is the author of Predictable Revenue and Predictable Prospecting. She has worked with a number of co-authors and
Question: I want to treat this as my own business (as I get commission based on sales) and build it
About this episode: Dionne Mischler is a sales expert. She is the CEO and Founder of Inside Sales and by
Question: How do I become a better salesperson? Answer: Be mentally and physically fit. Subscribe to Audible.com. Listen to books
The 7x1 Implementation Plan: A Simple Framework for Sales & Customer Success
Question: I'm currently 25 years old. About 2 years ago (at the age of 23), I quit my job and
Question: SaaS Marketing: What are the best customer engagement strategies when it comes to product's adoption? There's a gap between
Is there a "right" way to use LinkedIn for sales leads? Using InMails vs Connection requests from live events and
Question: How do I train for an Ironman with the goal of finishing in 11 hours and 50 minutes? Answer:
Sell First. Market Later. Why "Demand Gen" is a waste of your startup's time... Think: Motive --> Metrics --> Message
Question: How hard would it be to start a sea cargo business if money to buy cargo ships were not
Improving Your Product Demos with the "Color Advance" Improv Game
Question: What are the most essential differences between sales officers/ account managers/ key account managers and a sales manager? What
Heading on stage in 3... 2... 1... Live from San Diego and The Bureau of Digital Owner Summit Let's talk
Question: We are hiring inside sales reps with a base of $45K and OTE of $90K. How do we handle
Question: The specific use case is SaaS sales but could be related to any sales process. There has been a
Question: Every contract is different but, in general, do enterprise software and SaaS companies typically set their contracts to automatically
Question: When hiring for a low-level B2B sales position that doesn't require previous sales experience (i.e. appointment setter, intern, sales
(I'm assuming that we are discussing an enterprise-wide SaaS platform or service that is priced at $25K-100K+ per year, or
Question: I'm a 21 year old that lives in silicon valley. My passion is business and everything that revolves around
Hiring ahead of growth... #enterprisesales #startupselling SaaSTr Conference
Louis Jonckheere is Co-founder and Co-CEO of Showpad. Showpad activates millions of pieces of content for over 850 companies around
What sales questions do you have? I'm at the 2017 SaaStr Annual conference today!
Doing lots of outbound? Follow this Batch & Plan Approach
A sneak peak behind the scenes.... just a few days before our Startup Selling Workshop: Sell Your Way to Series
Is your enterprise startup on the Ramp to Repeatability?
Lauren Bailey has been voted "Top 25 Most Influential Leaders in Inside Sales" by The American Association of Inside Sales
Is your enterprise startup grinding through this "sales thing?" Get out of Sales Purgatory and on your 10x Ramp to
Can I still say “Happy New Year?" I mean, it’s still January and this is my first email to you
I laid in bed this morning, vacillating between conscious states for nearly 40 minutes before I pulled myself out from under the
I wrote about working in sprints last week. I think the same goes with workouts in whatever training you’re pursuing.
I failed this morning. I knew last night what I was going to write about. I devoted part of my Morning
Accomplishing bigger outcomes requires the completion of small tasks. When you “Schedule Everything” and “Make Time,” you can complete at least
Last night's SaaStr Speaker Series event – “The Real Secrets to Happy Customers & to Making More Money” – hosted Byron Deeter
You’ve got to make time for what you want to do. Then schedule it. (See yesterday’s post – “Go Farther
In Friday’s post – “10 Strategies To Do More, Be Happy & Surprise Yourself” – I wrote: If you don’t
Yesterday, I wrote about being “deliberately emergent.” In that post, I talked about the foundations and structure in my life that
I’m not a resolution kind of guy. If I really want to do something, I’ll do it whether it’s January 1st
1 - Got a BURNING Sales Question? Cool. I like questions, especially sales questions. Sign up for... “The Burning Sales
The "Go Live" Roller Coaster - Don't worry if you puke, just be sure to smile for the camera...
Next Year Starts NOW! Your Insights, Actions & Questions from Live Training
Has it already been a full week since Thanksgiving? The leftovers are long gone but I’ve yet to work off
This was a real question from my 4-year-old son last week… #honesty We spent Thanksgiving Week in the City of
Ever hear - "Send me a one-pager?" Here's what to do about it #startupselling
Big news! I’m excited to announce a LIVE webinar for you - “Next Year Starts NOW! Proven Strategies to Fill
Most importantly, thank you to the veterans out there for your service to our county. It’s certainly interesting times, and
Mia Paulus is the Founder & CEO of The Admin Center. I’ve worked with Mia over the years and The
Much goodness for this week, so let’s get right to The Friday Four… 🙂 1 - Why Free Trials Suck
Christien Louviere is a Brand Coach and the Managing Partner of SellPersonal where he helps CEOs fix their marketing problems.
I got out of the building for The Lean Startup Conference
The Lean Startup Conference: The Innovator's Breakfast
Live from Stanford - The Startup Selling Workshop with TINC
Why Free Trials Suck for Your Enterprise SaaS Startup
About this episode: Gina Danford is a business coach and owner of Red Zebra Coaching. We talked about the operational
About this episode: Chris Combs is the Co-founder & COO at LinkSquares. In this episode, Chris talks about his experience raising
One Week to Uberman: Productivity & Time Management Ideas
I’ve been experimenting with Facebook Live - it’s kind of like a podcast and radio show smashed together. Check out
I swam 10.5 miles across Lake Tahoe Sunday morning, from Cave Rock to Emerald Bay. It’s a course that Tom,
1 - GOT A BURNING SALES QUESTION? Join me next week on Facebok LIVE! on Tuesday, July 5th @
Focus on Now now. Worry about Later later. As a startup founder and team, you have a scores of priorities
Installment #14: My podcast interview with Lincoln Murphy, Prospecting Target Buyers, Pricing Your Pilot Programs and Product Demos. It’s been
"Desired Outcome is the Key to Customer Success." -Lincoln Murphy Lincoln Murphy helps you make your customers wildly successful. He
This week's topics: Product Demos, Dealing with Dead Sales Leads, SaaS Pricing Strategies & List-Building 1 - PRODUCT DEMOS: Are
I'm a "list person." I make lists constantly - in the mornings as I'm planning my day, on trains, on
The Friday Four, Installment #12 awaits you below - Sales Prospecting, Asking Customers for More $$, Pick up the Phone. Read
Startup Sales Prospecting Good work! You're off and running with your sales prospecting work for your startup: You’ve built your
Startup sales means finding your first paying customer, then ten more. Here are five (5) laws of the startup universe
Sales Prospecting & Your Sales Funnel Yep, I bet you get shivers just thinking about it. Every startup CEO and salesperson
Here we go with Installment #11 of The Friday Four - let's talk about sales prospecting, pricing your pilot projects,
“I never knew how the BEFORE and AFTER prep for my product demos impacted the sale." Exactly! April has been
My big focus this month is helping you to plan, deliver, and execute on “The Big Meeting” - you know
This month with my Startup Selling members, our focus is on how to plan, deliver, and execute on “The Big
Installment #10 of "The Friday Four." Throughout the month with our Startup Selling members, we’re focusing on the “The Big
The Startup Selling Podcast is brought to you by SalesQualia. If you’re a startup looking to Find Customers, Grow Revenue
Today's Monday Morning Sales Challenge is all about "The Big Meeting." You know the one - the Big Demo, the
It’s April 1. Welcome to Installment #9 of The Friday Four... 1 - Podcast Panel: My interview with Donald Trump
This has been a primary topic of reading and research for me lately, and the answers are scary… Really scary…
Yes, of course your prospect loves your product and how you're going to lead them to the promised land. Here's
After one week hiatus, I present to you Installment #7 of “The FridayFour." Want to get The Friday Four sent
If you’re finding yourself getting beat up about your price, it probably means you’re doing something wrong in your sales
It's easy to lament on losses and negative events. My challenge to you this week is to be positive. Focus
Installment #6 - Here we go... Click here to add yourself to the mailing list and have these posts sent straight
After acquiring a few new customers in a row, it's easy to feel like you're in a groove and you've
Installment #5. A podcast interview on selling after the sale, three productivity apps, and a presentation by Dharmesh Shah, founder
Over the past year, I read a couple of books by Brene Brown and Amanda Palmer - "Daring Greatly" and
Four (4) not-so-random ideas to help you find customers, grow revenue & build your sales process... Enjoy. 🙂 (BTW- if you'd like
You have a great meeting with an early lead - a solid needs assessment conversation or an awesome demo. The
Four (4) not-so-random ideas to help you find customers, grow revenue & build your sales process... Enjoy. 🙂 (BTW- if
Good news! You have inbound leads. People are signing up for your free trials or free versions or free whatever.
If you're selling to the enterprise, you HAVE to check out my Startup Selling podcast interview with Melanie Wong. Melanie
"A startup is not a smaller version of a large company." - Steve Blank This goes for the sales funnel.
It's easy to fall into the "I've got to show my product" trap. Don't! Challenge yourself to see how far
Every week by email, I'm sharing four (4) sales lessons, ideas, strategies, tactics. Pretty much anything I think will give
Last week in San Francisco, and this week in Seattle. Excited to be working with General Assembly for the first
On the way to San Francisco this morning, I listened to the James Altucher show interview with Daymond John. If you
I'm super excited to be working with PARISOMA Workspace in San Francisco to host my Startup Selling workshop on Tuesday, Jan
The second week of the year is here! Where are you with your 2016 sales plan? If you're off track,
A question I get all the time is - "How should I change my sales process?" Wow. That's a big
A quick post about tomorrow's very live, very virtual event. Details & Details & registration here. Three hours to make
15 total calls: 10 new outbounds 3 calls resulting from previous outbounds and referrals. 2 calls with previous customers The
50 sales calls in 5 days. I bet you can’t do it. They don’t even need to be phone calls.
Is anything more frustrating than sending a follow up to a prospective customer only to get nothing back in reply?
A HUGE thank you to Entelo and especially Vivek Reddy for hosting and moderating our Startup Sales Circle Meetup Group
http://traffic.libsyn.com/salesqualia/Salescast_1-Startup-Selling-Conference-Escorts.mp3 This SalesCast is brought to you by, well, SalesQualia. Check out the Startup Selling Program, a 90-day program focused
Cows don’t know any better. They wake up, they eat grass, they walk along windy, crooked paths simply because some
This week, I responded to an outbound sales email from a software company focusing on customer success. The last line
I was talking with the sales rep from a telephony company yesterday. She said: “We have 100% guaranteed up time. For every
As we walked up to the building, I turned to the account manager and said - “Wow. There are a
The Situation: Big meeting with a C-level executive at the top, top, top of the org chart. We’d been working
A friend forwarded an article to me last night - "10 things LinkedIn won't tell you" - and having spent considerable
The Situation: Big meeting with a C-level executive at the top of the org chart. We’d been working with several
Last night, I tweeted: And received this response: I consider myself a LinkedIn power user. I'm a Premium subscriber and
Let’s look at two emotions that many customers, in both B2C or B2B sales, experience after a purchase - whether
“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22 I’m a paranoid. I did a
I'm traveling this week visiting a very major client and initiating the sales process with future clients (a.k.a. "prospects"). The
Our "Startup Selling: Sell More Stuff" course on Udemy is now live, and it's free. Straight up - choosing a
In "Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking," Tim Hurson discusses the concept of "wave thinking." Examining a problem
Last night, I sent out an cold "InMail" yesterday to a "D" contact and got a reply. My first reply
Had a very good call block yesterday. My goal was 12 calls, and I hammered out 16. 🙂 An early trend
I failed. I teach clients to set daily goals when I'm teaching clients how to manage their selling days. Yesterday,
Thanks to Atlas Accelerator for the opportunity to present at their Fall 2013 Symposium last night. And a special thanks
“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what
Check out our upcoming Meetup event Thursday, July 25: Startup Sales Circle with Featured Guest Matthew Harrell, Enterprise Sales Manager
"To be good at sales, you need to be good at dealing with rejection." I remember a call with a
Find your spider. In 1994, Nancy Krieger wrote a landmark paper in the field of epidemiology - "Epidemiology and the
"Force Concentration is the practice of concentrating a military force, so as to bring to bear such overwhelming force against
Think of your target companies as complex systems... ... not just a group of individuals choosing to buy your product
[I first published this post on Quora.com. Because I received such a positive response, I wanted to share here on
Your Product Champion assured you that the budget is there along with the appetite to unseat the existing software that
When: Wednesday, March 6; 5:30-8:45pm Where: Runway San Francisco @ 1355 Market Street, Suite 488, San Francisco, CA Why: Hosted by
Wednesday, January 30: "Selling for the Lean Startup: How to Find Customers and Talk to Them" | 5:30 PM To 8:45
I unhinged the door in our extra bedroom this weekend to move my son's bed there. In the process, I
Attended the Lean Startup conference this week and hosted with Sean Murphy our "Engineering Your Sales Process" workshop there. ReturnPath's George
Who: Sean Murphy, SKMurphy, Inc. | Scott Sambucci, SalesQualia What: "Engineering Your Sales Process" Workshop Where: Lean Startup Conference 2012 When: 2:00pm, December 4 in
From Tom Peters on Twitter last night:
What is it? Organizations eschew the "optimal" decision for an "acceptable" decision. (Think "satisfying + sacrificing.") How does it relate
This Quora question - "In terms of sales, what are the three most important things to know about psychology?" -
I spend lots of time on Quora answering sales questions because, well, I'm a sales geek. 🙂 And so, I've
Mapping your sales call is essential to successful selling. This week in San Francisco, we offered our in-person "Sales Mapping
(I usually stay close to home talking sales, but was "Asked to Answer" this question on Quora about marketing, so
Questions, questions, questions. Everyone will tell you that sales conversations are a series of questions. You're told to ask open-ended
Before you present your products or hop on a demo, start the sales conversation with questions about the client's situation
"Your such-and-such feature is really a differentiator." Be careful here - clarify what your prospect means ASAP! Does she mean
Asking your sales team - "Where are we in the sales process?" is different than "What is the probability that
You're proud of your product and the 27 features your developers built. Great. Just know that during your sales demos,
Dad used to tell me - "Make a list. If you make a list, you won't forget anything." Makes sense
The sales process doesn't end with a signed contract, in fact, it may have just started. An enterprise sale may
Before you jump into a standard demo, tailor your presentation to your prospect. If your client is based in the
If you choose one aspect of your sales calls to improve upon, it's your questioning strategy. Play a game with
For example, when a prospect requests a trial of your software before presenting to senior management, ask the prospect -
Last week, Sean Murphy of SKMurphy reintroduced me to The Three-Minute Rule. It's very simple: You can learn a great
[This is an abbreviated version of my complete answer to this question on Quora. Click here for my complete answer.] 1.
Map your sales calls before you pick up the phone - create a "Call Map" and a "Conversation Tree." This
Written in context of general leadership, this post has direct applications to Sales Leadership. Introducing a new product or service
From page 85 of Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow": The principle of independent judgments (and decorrelated errors) has immediate applications
Tell me if this sales anecdote seems eerily familiar: After observing the couple so engaged, a salesperson might approach and
First uncover what is really motivating your prospects decision or indecision. If you're considering a price increase to motivate your
Where you sit during your "Big Sales Presentation" matters. Too many times in a group setting, I've watched my colleagues
Me: "I've been thinking about Lasik. What do you think?" Doctor: "You know, I'm mixed. I have a patient -
The Werther Effect is a contagion effect. When a particular event is publicized, the publicity itself leads to an increased level
Described by Daniel Kahneman in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" - A general “law of least effort” applies to cognitive as
What are some rules of making successful follow up calls to prospects? A few concepts... Continuation vs. Advance. This is
When you're blasting through your daily calls, it's impossible to know the psychological state of everyone you're calling. For me,
Yep - it's official. We're now the official organizers of the Startup Sales Circle Meetup Group. What to expect in
Definitely worth taking. With Altos Research, I required our sales team take this eight-week course (along with myself). Really, really,
I spent yesterday at Launch: Silicon Valley watching companies pitch to the crowd and a panel of VCs. Lots of
As an early-stage start-up, your lead tracking process might be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet or the free version
Why? Because: 1. Crap work is crap work because there are poor systems in place that managers must fix within
Cutting deals to win customers? Don't do it. Read this article from today's LA Times on American Airlines and their
The writing, revising, and proofreading is over. I've just submitted "Startup Selling: How to sell if you really, really have
Mark Suster authors "Both Sides of the Table" and is one smart dude. He's posted a number of articles are
You might know Hans Rosling of TED.com fame for his presentation with the best stats you've ever seen. And while
Came across an interesting micro-study on pharmaceutical selling from RM Consulting. Think about "message leakage" as the quality and delivery
We're lame - we didn't post to the commonred contest. Yet, here we are with the audacity to ask for
After walking through the sales process with a prospect over four months time, we reached the final evaluation stage. We'd
1. The Startup Weekend San Jose organizers: Naureen "Nora" Nayyar, Dutiee Joseph Okafor, MyRoomie Darius Dunlap, Support UX César Salazar
Spent the weekend in San Jose at the San Jose Start-up Weekend. Why not? Had a couple of product ideas,
Yesterday I received an referral email from another vendor in the industry to one of the "Too Big To Fail"
Gearing up for a conference we attended this week, our sales rep plowed through a list of attendees cross-matched with
Do you spend money on a booth, or should you just do LobbyCon? Go to the events and avoid registration
[UPDATED: 2/13/12] Sales Tenet #9: Be nice. No matter what - always be nice. Why "Tenets"? Just sounds better than
Starbucks Via, Altoids, Power Bars, a big bag of raw nuts, & Purell at your conference booth #protip
If you're working a conference booth, bring Starbucks Via, Altoids, Power Bars, and a big bag of raw nuts with
From Wired today: Jan. 4, 1903: Edison Fries an Elephant to Prove His Point Edison had established direct current at
Stop right there and send a contract. You know this lead - his budget is tight, however he's been forthcoming
Have some courage - you're allowed to ask questions. It's a conversation, not an interrogation. 1. How do you mean?
The decision is made - we're now officially live. (Of course, we've been hit with our first technical slowdown -