On this episode of B2B EQ, we are joined by a leader in B2B Sales and marketing. And an advocate of human connection. He has spent the past decade helping business professionals be more personal and human through simple video messages. Today’s guest is the host of the Customer Experience podcast, author of “Human-Centered Communication” and “Rehumanize Your Business”, and the Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, Ethan Beute. Host Tim Harris interviews Ethan to learn more about the importance of curiosity and listening, the role an “evangelist” plays in B2B sales, and the value of video.

Takeaways:

• The biggest soft skills to have in B2B sales are curiosity and active listening. It’s important to wonder why and be willing to ask. It’s also important to be able to step back and be present and listen.
• Sincerity is important. People can tell when others are just going through the motions. It isn’t enough to just say the right words to customers, you need to have the right feelings behind those same words.
• You can be both empathetic with customers and efficient with your time. Being empathetic doesn’t mean becoming their best friend or having lots of small talk, being empathetic comes down to finding and fixing the issue.
• As more and more sales calls go virtual, reps need every advantage they can get. Having your camera on creates a better sense of connection. When you show up, be present and focused on the call, turn off your phone, and move away any distractions.
• An evangelist role at a company assists sales from the opposite direction. While reps focus on the product, evangelists focus on a problem. In innovative companies, evangelists are crucial as your customer base may not have yet considered the problem.
• A video based communication tool offers a lot of benefits, particularly in a post call setting. Instead of a follow up email, a follow up video allows you to utilize their words, meet them where they are, and show that you are aligned with them.
• There are many things that are hard to communicate verbally alone. If you tell someone “I’m trustworthy”, those words almost make you sound less trustworthy. These attributes are more effectively communicated over a video medium.
• Humans have evolved to judge interactions via two metrics, warmth and competence. Warmth is more important than confidence, and a video tool makes it much easier to communicate your warmth.

Quote of the Show:

• “It's not hearing the right words. It's hearing words that have the right feeling.” - Ethan Beute

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanbeute/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ethanbeute
• Company website: https://bombbomb.com/
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Centered-Communication-Business-Against-Pollution/dp/1639080007
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/Rehumanize-Your-Business-Accelerate-Experience/dp/1119576261
• Podcast: https://bombbomb.com/podcast/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY
• Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

He’s a growth marketing mastermind who has literally grown-up in startups. He’s helped to grow three top 100 Inc. Fastest Growing Private Companies and when it comes to achieving business growth, he is a force to be reckoned with. Jason Hubbard is the COO at RevGenius, and our guest on this episode of B2B EQ. Jason joins host Tim Harris to share the importance of intellectual curiosity, why you should create a community for your product users, and his favorite music festivals.

Takeaways:

• One of the most important skills Jason looks for when hiring is intellectual curiosity. If you’re curious, you will have a drive to go out and learn things.
• Sales calls need to be more of a conversation, rather than an interrogation.
• Creating a community around your product has 3 main benefits. First it provides an additional touchpoint. Second, it creates a resource for users to help other users. Third and most important is the ideas and feedback generated from your power users.
• Creating an online community is not without its challenges. As your group grows, your moderation teams will need to as well. It’s also important to encourage users to engage in multiple sub groups in the community.
• While no one in a community appreciates being pitch slapped, there are a few ways to pitch respectfully. If you start from a genuine point of assistance, it is ok to ask to do a follow up call. However, lead gen can't be your motivation for helping others.
• You need to be careful in how you grade your reps, as they will often optimize against that. If you tell your reps to make 100 calls a day, they will make 100 calls, but they won’t be high quality calls.
• Augmenting your sales calls with resources that address your prospects' pain points is a great way to boost your win rate. You’re no longer just selling to them, you’re helping them fix a problem.

Quote of the Show:

• “Make your customers feel like they're actually appreciated, and then enable them to be able to go out and spread the word.” - Jason Hubbard

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hubbardjason/
• Website: https://www.revgenius.com/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY
• Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M

On this episode of B2B EQ, our guest is a serial entrepreneur, marketing mastermind, and adventurer. He’s the author of Marketing Automation Unleashed and the host of the podcasts “Creating The Greatest Show” and “The Hard Corps Marketing Show”. Joining the show this week is none other than the Founder & Podcast Architect at Ringmaster Conversational Marketing, Casey Cheshire. Host Tim Harris interviews Casey and takes us on an exploration of the value of listening, why you should be giving your customers attention rather than trying to just get their attention, and the value of podcasting as a listening tool.

Takeaways:

• One of the most important soft skills to have is listening. Your prospects will often tell you how they want to be sold to and the problems they are facing, you just need to know how to listen to them.
• The marketing world can put too much of an emphasis on creativity. While flashy subject lines and ad reads are great, they can make you lose track of who you are actually trying to communicate with.
• Listen to the whole spectrum of customers who engage with your brand. While listening to potential customers is a good place to start, there is value in having a conversation with existing customers.
• As a B2B brand your clients may come from an industry you are less familiar with. If you listen to the language they are using, and learn the jargon, it allows you to create a tailored customer experience that feels more genuine.
• In the B2B world, everyone is trying to get attention, but no one is trying to give attention. Casey found that giving potential clients attention by interviewing them on a podcast helped cut through the noise.
• A B2B podcast offers a cascade of value to your company. The biggest benefit is a one on one conversation with a valued guest. A podcast can also be turned into almost endless marketing content, a community around your brand, and an educational asset.
• An increasing amount of the sales and marketing process is happening before a customer talks to a rep. Creating content your customers can consume is the best way to build those relationships early on.

Quote of the Show:

• “There's noise because everyone's trying to take attention, but no one's really trying to give attention.” - Casey Cheshire

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaseyChesh
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseycheshire/
• Company website: https://ringmaster.com/
• Creating The Greatest Show: https://www.creatingthegreatestshow.com/
• Hard Corps Marketing Show: https://www.hardcorpsmarketing.com/
• Marketing Automation Unleashed: https://www.amazon.com/Marketing-Automation-Unleashed-Strategic-Growth/dp/1599327384

Welcome to the first episode of B2B EQ! We're launching with an accomplished and dynamic professional who exemplifies the ideals of teamwork and collaboration. He’s seen the ins and outs of what it takes to make a successful team at the highest levels. Joining the show this week is Director of Revenue Operations Technology at Paycor, Chris Varites. Chris discusses the importance of listening as a RevOps lead, why you should lead how you want to be lead, and his typical Costco snack buys.

Takeaways:

• The most important soft skill your RevOps team can have is empathy. To drive successful relationships, you need to be able to understand the problem your customer is having.
• The three pillars of team well being are health, home and welfare. It is crucial to take care of physical and mental health, to create a supportive home environment, and ensure that you feel you are being adequately compensated for the work you are doing.
• RevOps can often feel like a thankless job. As a team leader, part of your role is to truly care and share concern for the wellbeing of your team members.
• When taking over a new leadership role, you often feel the pressure to start crushing KPI’s and exceeding your numbers. Take the first 30 days as a listening tour. Sit down with employees, identify challenges, and figure out their strengths and weaknesses.
• When taking on new projects, lead beyond the OKRs. While you are required to hit your objectives, understanding how your work will help the respective teams can make the work more meaningful.
• Building a cohesive team culture can be tough, building that culture remotely is even more challenging. In a remote work environment it is important to have in person events, both work and non work related.
• When your company has large victories that may seem separated from your team’s work, take a pause to highlight and shout out the work your team has done to help achieve that win.

Quote of the Show:

• “I lead how I would wanna be led.” - Chris Varites

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/varites
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/varites/
• Website: https://www.paycor.com/