Leveling Up with Eric Siu

When I first started podcasting, I was only getting 9 downloads a day. This sad trend continued through the next 12 months... and even after 2 years I was only getting 30 downloads a day. Flash forward to today and I'm generating over 1.3 million downloads a month. What happened? In this clip we'll discuss the lessons I learned along the way of recording over 2,000 episodes!

Elay Cohen, CEO, and co-founder of SalesHood joins us on the show today to talk sales enablement platforms, dominating a category, and boosting sales through collaboration! SalesHood is a sales enablement platform that has been at the forefront of its niche as it evolved from its early adoption phase to a broad base market offering! We hear about the platform’s genesis where Elay realized the benefit of doing sales enablement to help companies grow while he was Senior VP of Productivity at SalesForce. From there, we learn what sales enablement actually means before Elay talks about the many companies who have experienced hyper-growth since adopting their platform. Elay weighs in on how SalesHood makes their money as well as shares metrics about their growth rates, ARR, and more! We also get into the effects of COVID on the success of SalesHood and their clients, and how the platform is perfectly suited to thrive at this time of increased migration to virtual. Elay does a great job of explaining the story behind how they arrived at a product to market fit, which leads into the topic of creating and dominating a category, and the role Elay’s book, Enablement Mastery, as well as his initiatives to create communities around sales enablement have played in this. Wrapping up, we hear Elay’s thoughts on his favorite book, tools, and CEOs so make sure to listen in and hear it all!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:15] Introducing Elay Cohen and SalesHood, a sales enablement platform.
• [00:38] What led up to SalesHood; the need to build a system that helped with scaling. 
• [01:40] What sales enablement is and how it helps teams boost sales through collaboration.
• [02:35] Examples of companies using SalesHood that have experienced hyper-growth.
• [04:12] How SalesHood makes money using a price per seat model.
• [05:09] Metrics for revenue, growth, employee count, ARR, users, customers, and more. 
• [07:49] How COVID has helped SalesHood by enabling their clients to go virtual. 
• [08:36] The two-plus year journey taking SalesHood to product to market fit.
• [13:17] Creating/dominating a category and why Elay wrote Enablement Mastery.
• [17:18] The value of creating a community around a category to dominate it.
• [19:43] Elay’s book recommendation and what he’s learning from That Will Never Work.
• [20:47] Essential software tools Elay uses.
• [21:43] Why Elay is such a fan of Gordon Ritter, Jason Lemkin, and Carmel Jud.
• [23:39] The best way for people to find Elay online and connect with him.

Resources From The Interview:

• Elay Cohen
• Elay Cohen Email
• Enablement Mastery
• Arthur Do
• SalesForce
• DocuSign
• RingCentral
• Sage
• Verizon
• Ron Baden
• Domo
• Adobe Sign (EchoSign)
• Fortify
• Parker Harris
• Marc Benioff
• Telogis
• Arjun Gupta
• John Hopkins University
• Northern Illinois University
• University of Texas at Austin
• Stanford University
• Dreamforce
• Jira
• Google Drive
• Google Docs
• Google Slides
• Google Spreadsheets
• Gordon Ritter
• Emergence Capital
• Jason Lemkin
• Carmel Jud
• Rising International
• Must read book: That Will Never Work

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here
• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes
• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Eric Siu on Twitter

Does marketing mean making money? It can be very easy as a marketer to focus on all the ways to generate a profit and make a lot of extra cash through sometimes shady ways. But is that best for the long term? In this clip, Eric Siu shares his thoughts around long term strategies to develop a marketing breakthrough and avoid short term thinking. This will help you from getting stuck at a ceiling.

Making money is easy, according to our guest today, Taylor Welch, co-founder of Traffic and Funnels, but knowing how to invest and multiply wealth is the hard part. This is why he has made it his mission to arm people with the skills they need to grow their money and minds beyond self-imposed limits. We kick off this episode by learning more about Traffic and Funnels and how they help clients build online digital marketing systems and show high-level consultants, coaches and experts how to develop lead generation machines to scale businesses to seven figures a year. From there, we dive into the importance of mindset. For a long time, Taylor was a skeptic about how important it is, but through seeing the power of positive, intentional thinking firsthand, he now knows that it’s a foundational pillar of success. We then turn our attention to leadership where Taylor shares his approach. For him, it’s about fostering his team to be able to not only make decisions but understand the motivation behind their choices. It's not about not making mistakes; it’s about what you learn from them. We round the show off by delving into the flywheel approach to business, SalesMentor, and why all businesses don’t need to make money. Be sure to tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [01:04] Learn more about Taylor’s background and the work that he currently does.
• [02:23] Find out about Traffic and Funnels, what they do, and how they make money. 
• [04:26] The importance of mindset and why people stay stuck where they are.
• [05:48] Why Taylor believes it’s important to have lower ticket, affordable products.
• [08:35] Passion is an equally important driver in creating a product as money is. 
• [09:33] Where Taylor puts his time and energy in the business.
• [10:05] Taylor’s tips for entrepreneurs who want to scale their businesses effectively. 
• [11:39] Learn more about how Taylor coaches his leadership team and the approach he takes.
• [14:46] How Taylor thinks about risk when delegating decision-making. 
• [16:32] Some of the $10,000/hr. tasks Taylor dedicates his time to.
• [18:04] Why Taylor believes that leadership is the hardest part of running a company.
• [19:11] The marketing strategies that are helping Traffic and Funnels’ growth currently.
• [21:37] Find out how to strategically repurpose old content and frame it as new.
• [23:03] Traffic and Funnels’s approach to new ads and new offers.
• [26:01] The flywheel approach: How entrepreneurs create new businesses from existing ones.
• [27:03] Why it’s not necessary to build every business for money.
• [28:04] Learn about SalesMentor and the work that it does.
• [30:16] The book that’s shaped Taylor’s thinking and the tool he’s using in his business.

Resources From The Interview:

• Traffic and Funnels
• Taylor Welch on Instagram
• Taylor Welch on LinkedIn
• Wealth Cap Holdings
• ‎Daily Mind Medicine
• Chris Evans on LinkedIn
• Mastering the Rockefeller Habits
• Verne Harnish
• Russell Brunson
• Jay Abraham
• Ray Dalio
• Asana
• Elon Musk on Twitter
• Must read book: Principles

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here
• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes
• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Eric Siu on Twitter

Improving your income can start with some very simple changes.

1. Join peer groups Hang out with people that are near your level, a little ahead of you, and people that are way ahead of you. Being able to lean on other people's experience goes a long way.

2. Find the right coaches If the Kobe Bryants and the Michael Jordans of the world have coaches, then you can definitely benefit from coaching too. But you need to have a really good idea of what you need.

3. Understand relationship capital Build connections for yourself, and connect other people to help them. Being a connector goes a long way.

4. Create a content habit Create content to learn about the things you're teaching; it'll help you articulate your thoughts more clearly too. Content helps people discover you, and that leads to more relationships.

5. Have very specific goals Constantly remind yourself of what you're striving for. Put post-its where you brush your teeth | near your monitor | on your fridge, etc.

6. Write down your top 3 goals for the day To achieve your larger goals, you have to achieve the smaller ones first. If you're getting 3 important (meaningful?) things done per day, you're well on your way to achieving what you want to.

7. Create a health habit Get good sleep. Eat well. Exercise. You won't perform as well as you can at work if you're not healthy. It's not a waste of time to do those things, it's an investment into better performance.

Staying ahead of the pack and knowing what the next big thing is is not an easy skill, but it’s one today’s guest, Clinton Sparks, has mastered. As a Grammy-nominated producer, with over 75 million records sold, it would have been easy for Clinton to rest on his laurels and stick with music only. Instead, he is the former Vice President for Business Development at FaZe Clan, a professional esports company, author, and founder of Get Familiar Radio. Sparks  recently resigned from Faze and started the worlds most diverse gaming organization called XSET.

We kick off the show by learning more about esports and why Clinton thinks marketers should be paying more attention to it. He talks about the importance of understanding this young, internet-savvy generation who can spot inauthentic advertising a mile away. We find out more about how to properly speak to gamers and discover what resonates with them. We then turn our attention to how Clinton’s upbringing fostered his entrepreneurial spirit and the value of building enduring relationships. Clinton struggled to find his place in the world, but through hard work, honoring his relationships, and showing empathy, he has managed to succeed. From there, we move onto the younger generation’s desire for fame over greatness and how the culture of instant gratification has devalued the true meaning of the hustle. Throughout the episode, Clinton highlights the importance of your reputation and ensuring that business deals are about reciprocity over financial gain. We wrap the show up with a look at what is on the horizon in the esports world along with the main takeaways from Clinton’s book, How To Win Big in The Music Business. Tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:20] An overview of Clinton’s background and some of his professional achievements.
• [01:26] Why marketers need to pay more attention to and spend more in esports.
• [02:32] Clinton’s suggestions of good places to start when delving into esports marketing.
• [03:52] How the gaming mentality is different from the typical consumer.
• [05:26] Hear more about Wendy’s recent Fortnite marketing campaign.
• [07:42] Find out more about how Clinton always manages to stay ahead of the curve. 
• [09:41] The scene from Good Will Hunting that Clinton finds so relevant to the world today.
• [12:29] Clinton shares more on his book, How To Win Big in The Music Business. 
• [14:55] The importance of being honest about where you are and where you aspire to be.
• [15:50] Why Clinton thinks people should focus on greatness and not fame to truly succeed. 
• [18:36] Hear more about Clinton’s expanded definition of greatness.
• [19:35] Clinton’s tips on building great relationships and his dirt pile strategy.
• [22:05] What is currently exciting Clinton most in the esports world.
• [25:11] Why it’s important to consider how valuable a business deal is for the other person.
• [26:43] Hear about why Clinton’s favorite business tool is social media and how he uses it.
• [29:20] Clinton’s favorite business book.
• [31:45] What to expect from Clinton’s book, the main takeaways, and how to find it.
• [34:51] The best way to find Clinton online.

Resources From The Interview:

• Clinton Sparks on Instagram
• Clinton Sparks on Twitter
• Clinton Sparks on LinkedIn
• Clinton Sparks on Facebook
• How To Win Big in The Music Business
• FaZe Clan
• Get Familiar Radio.
• Samsung
• Beyoncé
• Pepsi
• Eminem
• Nordstrom
• Lady Gaga
• Wendy's
• Fortnite
• Good Will Hunting
• Wayne Gretzky
• Offset on Instagram
• Must read book: 

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here
• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes
• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Eric Siu on Twitter

Is your podcast stuck? Are you wondering how everyone else got their show to be successful, while your show is still struggling to get downloads? That used to be me. For over a year I was only getting 9 downloads a day. It took me over 2 years to finally learn how to breakthrough to the next level and after deploying these strategies, I'm now well over 1.2 MILLION downloads a month.

You don't have to go at this the hard way.

Follow these strategies to skyrocket your downloads today.

Joining a firm as CEO requires a very specific skillset, and today we chat with Dennis Fois about his journey with Copper in this capacity, and what differentiates the company in the CRM space. Most CRMs have placed too much focus on increasing visibility at the company level at the cost of productivity at the user level, but Copper is different. In a nutshell, Copper is a productivity CRM designed for companies that use G Suite. Dennis begins by sketching out his experience and specialty of joining firms as their CEO to boost their scaling process and journey to product-market fit. From there, he gives us an idea of the vision at Copper – to be truly user-focused and increase adoption while making it more organic by honing in on amazing UX. We drill down on the process whereby a company onboards a CEO next, and Dennis does a great job of explaining when, how, and why this should happen, the typical differences between CEOs and founders, and what his experience joining Copper in the middle of their journey looked like. Building a great company culture across distributed and remote teams becomes our next main talking point, and Dennis lays out his brilliant thinking and approach to this matter. Make sure you catch today’s interview to learn how a CEO should run a firm from a man that was born for the role.

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast!
• [00:52] Dennis’s travels, his professional experience, and the value he provides as a CEO.
• [01:35] What differentiates Copper from other CRMs: Focusing on UX and productivity. 
• [02:19] How Copper charges on a per-user/per-month basis in a three-tiered model.
• [02:29] Growth rates for Copper after the pandemic and how their user focus affects this.
• [03:46] What captured Dennis’s attention at Copper and the roles of CEOs versus founders.
• [06:08] When and how CEOs should be hired according to Dennis’s experience of this process. 
• [07:22] Why an external CEO should be hired and how to find one.
• [08:40] The process for Dennis as far as his onboarding with Copper and what went right. 
• [10:38] Building a healthy company culture in a virtual/remote work landscape after COVID.
• [16:45] Considerations and insight while building a long-form writing culture in the company.
• [19:25] Growth areas for Copper: Scaling spend down while getting more conversions.
• [19:55] How people are finding/adopting Copper because they need it, not because they found it on an app store.
• [20:23] Dennis’s favorite tool that isn’t Copper and how he uses it.
• [20:49] A book recommendation from Dennis and other media he likes to consume.
• [21:44] Where to learn more about Copper as well as Dennis.

Resources From The Interview:

• Dennis Fois on LinkedIn
• Copper
• G Suite
• Jon Lee on LinkedIn
• Vonage (NewVoiceMedia)
• Peloton
• Basecamp
• Amazon
• Confluence
• Bear
• Malcolm Gladwell
• Tim Ferriss
• Must read book: Talking to Strangers

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here
• Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes
• Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed

Connect with Eric Siu: 

• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Eric Siu on Twitter

Today we give you a step-by-step checklist for spying on your competition’s marketing. There are great tools for seeing what your competitors are getting up to in terms of their content, SEO, and ads, which allows you to stay ahead of the curve. Tune in to hear what kinds of things you want to be on the lookout for when spying on your competition! 

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:25] Today’s topic: A Step-by-Step Checklist to Spying on Your Competition’s Marketing. 
• [00:34] Hear why it is important to spy on your competition’s marketing. 
• [01:00] You can also benefit from seeing what indirect competitors are getting up to. 
• [01:04] Examples of the kinds of things to look at when spying on advertising campaigns. 
• [01:55] BuiltWith and Wayback Machine will show you what technology people are using. 
• [02:26] Use Social Blade to see the growth rate of various channels. 
• [02:45] A list of tools that will show you what others are doing in terms of content and SEO.
• [03:11] SimilarWeb shows referring websites and the breakdown of traffic. 
• [03:41] Google Alters will notify you every time your competition does something new.  
• [04:01] If you are in the tech world, check out Crunchbase to follow news about competitors. 
• [04:21] That’s it for today!
• [04:22] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information or text us on 310-349-3785!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

ClickFunnels

Adbeat

BuiltWith

Wayback Machine 

Social Blade

Ahrefs

SEMrush

Ubersuggest

BuzzSumo

SimilarWeb

Crunchbase

Leave Some Feedback:

• What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below
• Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Connect with Us: 

• Neilpatel.com
• Quick Sprout 
• Growth Everywhere
• Single Grain
• Twitter @neilpatel 
• Twitter @ericosiu

Being focused on the profit might keep you out of harms way, but will it make you rich? Probably not. The massive advantage companies like Amazon have is how they redeploy their profits into the company. By reinvesting your margin into creating new and better products, you will leap ahead of your competition by a long shot.