Nearbound Podcast

Relationships are important, but they’re not as important as revenue!

Rasheité Calhoun joins the podcast to discuss the importance of prioritizing revenue over relationships in partnerships. She emphasizes the need to be honest and transparent about the goal of driving revenue and how this approach can lead to more successful partnerships.

She believes that the ultimate goal of partnerships is to drive revenue. 

Rasheité also discusses the grassroots approach to partnerships, where success is built from the ground up by finding wins and leveraging them to create more opportunities.

🎥 Watch Rasheité’s full talk at the Nearbound Summit: https://www.nearboundsummit.com/

📧 Subscribe to the Nearbound Daily email: https://nearbound.com/

**Key Takeaways:**

- Prioritizing revenue in partnerships is essential for success.
- Building relationships is important, but it should not overshadow the goal of driving revenue.
- Being transparent about revenue goals and expectations can lead to more productive partnerships.
- Focusing on quick wins and parading those wins can help build momentum and credibility in partnerships.

**Quotes:**

- "I don't come into the partnership space to make friends. Relationships is not my thing. Revenue is my thing." ******- Rasheité Calhoun
- "Relationships is something that comes along with it. It's a nice to have, it's the cherry on top." - Rasheité Calhoun

**************Chapters:**************

00:05 Introduction and Welcome Back
01:10 Introduction of Guest: Rasheité Calhoun
02:17 Controversial Topic: Revenue Over Relationships
02:33 Rasheité's Perspective on Revenue and Relationships
04:12 The Importance of Revenue in Business
06:07 The Role of Relationships in Partnerships
07:17 The Value of Time in Partnerships
17:45 The Grassroots Aspect of Partnerships
18:17 The Strategy of Grassroots in Partnerships
20:48 The Impact of Grassroots Movements
22:15 The Importance of Groundwork in Sales
22:46 The Power of Sales Enablement
23:33 The Art of Taking Initiative
24:14 The Value of Being Specific and Helpful
25:16 Strategies for Winning Over Skeptics
25:34 The Power of Quick Wins
26:03 Identifying Potential Partners
27:56 The Journey into Partnerships
33:36 The Importance of Being Respected Over Being Liked
39:36 The Power of Conditions in Partnerships
41:27 The Value of Time in Partnerships
42:28 Closing Remarks and Future Prospects

Jared Fuller joins the 30 minutes to President's Club Podcast with Armand Farrokh and Nick Cegeleski, live at the Nearbound Summit. 

Jared shares strategies for salespeople to close more deals by working with partners and running nearbound plays. He emphasizes the importance of tapping into your ecosystem and partner networks to win more deals. 

Jared discusses three nearbound plays: the Intel Play, the Influence Play, and the Intro Play. He explains how to leverage relationships with vendors and partners to gain insights, influence decision-makers, and secure high-performing leads. 

Jared also highlights the power of multi-threading and the importance of making yourself helpable.

**Key Takeaways:**

- Implement nearbound plays to tap into your ecosystem and partner networks for more deal opportunities.
- Use the Intel Play to gather insights from vendors who have already closed deals with your target accounts.
- Leverage the Influence Play to get endorsements and support from influential decision-makers in your target accounts.
- Use the Intro Play to request specific introductions from partners and make yourself the most helpable person in the room.
- Multi-threading is crucial for building strong relationships and gaining buy-in from multiple stakeholders.

******************Chapters:******************
00:05 Introduction and Welcome
00:18 The Importance of Sales Partnerships
02:25 Top Three Actionable Takeaways
02:32 Deep Dive into the Intel Play
03:29 Exploring the Influence Play
04:26 Unveiling the Intro Play
08:59 How to Start Leveraging Relationships
12:50 Using Partner Channels to Influence Active Deals
13:35 Validating and Testing Your Champions
15:40 The Power of Resonance in Nearbound Plays
16:09 The Art of Convincing People to Advocate for You
16:37 The Importance of Building Relationships with Partners
16:56 The Art of Writing Effective Introduction Emails
17:45 The Power of Context in Communication
18:29 The Importance of Making Yourself Helpable
18:36 The Art of Ghost Writing Notes
22:19 The Power of Multi-Threading in Sales
22:53 The Importance of Transparency in Sales Processes
28:47 The Power of Curiosity in Sales

Jeff Breunsbach and Jay Nathan of the Gain Grow Retain Podcast join Jared Fuller and Isaac Morehouse on the Nearbound Podcast for a special live crossover episode. They discuss the importance of partnerships in customer success and how to bring the customer voice into planning meetings. 

They also explore the challenges and opportunities in B2B tech companies and the power of community in customer success. The conversation highlights the need to focus on helping customers and building trust, as well as the role of technology and data in planning for the future.

**Key Takeaways:**

- Scaling customer success efforts through community and partnerships is essential for success in 2024.
- Building trust and delivering value are key to turning customers into advocates.
- Understanding the business goals and needs of customers is crucial for effective customer success.
- Integrating with partners and leveraging their expertise can enhance customer success efforts.
- Taking a customer-centered approach and focusing on their journey can drive retention and growth.

**Quotes:**

- "Be the DJ, not the talent." - Jay Nathan
- "Helping people get where they're trying to go builds trust and advocacy." - Jared Fuller
- "Know your customer's business and market to deliver value and create win-win situations." - Jeff Breunsbach

******************Chapters:******************
00:05 Introduction
00:31 The Importance of Partnerships in Customer Success
01:07 The Importance of Customer Success in Business
01:19 Looking Forward to 2024: Strategies and Predictions
01:54 The Challenges and Opportunities in B2B Tech Companie
03:04 The Concept of Scaling in Customer Succes
03:29 The Power of Community in Customer Success
04:40 Turning Customers into Advocates: Strategies and Examples
04:46 The Power of Customer Advocacy
11:49 The Importance of Trust in Customer Relationships
20:24 Leveraging Consulting Partners for Customer Success
20:55 Building Partner Communities to Enable Customer Success
21:37 The Role of Integration Partners in Customer Retention
22:05 Understanding Partner Attach Rate
22:42 The Importance of Business Strategy in Partnering
22:52 Segmenting Customer Base for Effective Partnering
28:46 The Role of Partner Leaders in Driving Connections
29:23 The Black Swan Moment in Strategic Alliances
31:31 The Power of Understanding Your Customers' Business
33:40 Planning for FY24: A Community-Driven Approach

Kipp Bodnar, CMO of HubSpot, and Kieran Flanagan, CMO of Zapier, join Isaac and Jared to discuss four radical truths of marketing: distribution is undefeated, storytelling is unconditional, marketers flourish with AI, and marketers are creators.

**Key Takeaways:**

- Distribution is a key factor in marketing success, and marketers should prioritize partnerships.
- Storytelling must be authentic.
- AI can help marketers own more of the customer journey by automating tasks and providing personalized experiences.
- Marketers should embrace their role as creators and focus on building their personal brand and audience.

**Chapters**
01:39 The Importance of Distribution in Marketing
13:04 The Power of Storytelling in Marketing
21:05 The Role of AI in Marketing
22:04 Marketers as Creators
35:54 The Future of Marketing: AI and Creators

The Nearbound Summit 2023 is LIVE, and we've recorded a special episode straight from the Nearbound Summit house. 

Jump into the summit here: https://www.airmeet.com/e/7d1feef0-c1f0-11ed-9a45-5382b7a1e084

Anthony Kennada, founder and CEO of Audience Plus, joins the Nearbound Podcast to discuss the power of owned media and the importance of building relationships with customers. 

Jared, Isaac, and Anthony explore shifting from traditional marketing tactics to creating ongoing conversations through communities and owned media.

They also discuss the challenge of balancing short-term results with long-term investment in building an audience. The conversation highlights the need to market WITH customers rather than at them and the importance of creating a high-quality media experience. 

Highlights:
0:01:00 Pressure to have amazing production quality in media
0:03:32 Easier to turn attention into capital than vice versa
0:04:50 Importance of building relationships and ongoing conversations
0:07:29 Starting conversations before launching a product
0:08:56 The next generation of marketing focuses on engagement and belonging
0:10:01 The traditional marketing playbook doesn't work anymore
0:11:04 Owned media provides a place for belonging and revenue generation
0:12:15 Trust comes from helping people reach their goals
0:14:52 Supporting experts to contribute to online conversations
0:16:28 Balancing short-term results with long-term investment
0:18:04 Owned media can have a faster feedback loop
0:20:37 Compounding effect of owned media over time
0:29:56 Isaac challenges the idea of focusing solely on rented media platforms and asks why not just do all content there.
0:32:05 Anthony explains the need for rented media distribution but highlights the importance of owned media and exclusive content.
0:33:43 Anthony suggests deplatforming listeners and viewers from rented media to an owned context for building relationships and business value.
0:35:59 Leveraging partners and community members for third-party validation
0:38:46 Using the trust already earned to deepen relationships
0:40:41 Bridging the gap between dark social and first-party data
0:41:06 The value of pushing traffic to owned properties
0:43:30 Overlooking the importance of human engagement in B2B marketing
0:48:01 Isaac Morehouse mentions the benefits of treating vendors as partners.
0:48:17 The power of private communities

Harry Mack, the freestyle rapper, drops a sick beat on today’s Nearbound Pod! Harry gained popularity through his YouTube channel, where he performs live freestyle rap on the fly for strangers.

Harry joins Isaac and Jared to discuss the power of collaboration and authenticity. Harry shares his technique of using set-up punchlines to create anticipation in his freestyles. He emphasizes the importance of improvisation and the ability to adapt in the moment, making each performance unique and engaging.

Highlights:
00:00:00Introduction to Harry Mack.
00:01:58The collaborative nature of Harry Mack’s freestyle rap.
00:03:41The deliberate use of set up punchline technique in Harry Mack’s rhymes.
00:06:48Recognition of the unique live experience of watching Harry Mack perform.
00:07:34Highlighting collaborations with Marcus Veree and other musicians.
00:08:24Appreciation for the improvisational nature of collaborations in Harry Mack’s work.
00:09:04Harry Mack expresses his openness to collaborate with artists from different genres.
00:09:40Harry Mack mentions jazz artists he would like to collaborate with.
00:10:11Harry Mack jokes about collaborating with Isaac and the Near Bound Summit.
00:11:14Isaac asks Harry Mack about his deliberate approach to incorporating personalized elements into his freestyles.
00:12:18Harry Mack explains how he incorporates real-time elements to prove the authenticity of his freestyles.
00:13:37Harry Mack discusses the concept of freestyling as a language and the repetition of certain phrases.
00:15:04Jared and Isaac discuss the first principles and marketing lessons they learned from Harry Mack’s approach.
00:16:07Jared introduces the idea of doing a live version of Omega Bars with Harry Mack.
00:16:34Harry Mack agrees to do a live version of Omega Bars and asks for words.
00:17:09Jared and Isaac provide the words “Near Bound” for Harry Mack’s freestyle.

How do you partner with Salesforce, one of the biggest SaaS companies in the world? 

Xiaofei Zhang, head of Platform and Strategic Partnerships at ActiveCampaign tells how ActiveCampaign became the #1 marketing automation app on Salesforce’s AppExchange. And she spills the deets on how ActiveCampaign optimized its listing in the AppExchange.

Xiaofei also shares the framework she uses to help partners solve problems, choose the right partners, and co-sell with a PLG company.

Highlights:
01:21 Greatest partnership of all time
03:19 From Salesforce and ActiveCampaign
10:21 Partner up to help solve problems
12:31 Becoming the #1 marketing automation app on the Salesforce app exchange
14:10 Framework for choosing partners
16:51 Becoming the number 1 app in the Salesforce app exchange
21:25 How to optimize your listing
23:32 Building a network within Salesforce
27:29 Partnerships decision matrix
30:38 Helping others is instrumental to growth
33:49 How to individualize how you treat each partner
38:28 Co-selling with a PLG company

Before you implement a Nearbound strategy, you need to diagnose what’s gone wrong in outbound.

Leslie Venetz joins the show to talk about why outbound strategies aren't working like they used to. She shares why focusing on a repeatable sales process is so important. It's not just about new terms like Nearbound; it's about putting into the best practices that actually work, and Nearbound is one of them. 

To win in this B2B dystopia, you must find strategic ways to connect with customers. Leslie shares insights on achieving sustainability goals, understanding your ICP, and the importance of a well-defined target list and personas. 

Are you helping your customers achieve their goals across an entire platform and ecosystem? 

Alexandra Zagury, VP of Partner Managed as-a-service, at Cisco drives $9B+ partner-managed revenue. With the changing landscape of go-to-market, we can no longer simply sell products to help save money.

She focuses on forming strategic alliances so businesses can tap into new markets, access new resources, and create more value across the ecosystem.

Alexandra says you need a platform mindset to thrive in today's market. You’ve got to go beyond offering a single product or service and creating an entire ecosystem of value. 

Just as successful musicians have built communities and monetized their talents, businesses can leverage platforms to diversify offerings, engage customers, and generate multiple value variations.

Join Isaac, Jared, and Alexandra as they discuss navigating partnerships and platforms in the Nearbound era.

00:54 Intro to Alexandra Zagury
02:15 Partner Managed as a service
03:43 The SaaS industry is at a turning point
09:24 Venture-backed vs. ecosystem-backed
16:49 Time preferences change with cheap money
19:57 It's not just about deals; it's about customer outcomes
25:46 Platform thinking and Crossfit
29:32 Music industry and SaaS parallels
32:19 Ecosystems and Beyonce
34:03 You need to find multiple ways to reach your customer
40:09 Bundling and unbundling SaaS products