Same Side Selling Podcast

Every year I spend some time examining and writing about the top 10 business trends I see coming up next and I did the same this year. Although I've already published my top 10 list in Forbes I wanted to give you the top 2016 trends in business.

Specifically on this episode I'll delve into the most impactful trends like millennials, commodity products, investing in non-sales people to grow your revenue and scarcity vs. abundance in the marketplace.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- How to sell to millennials, and why you should.

- Is Amazon really killing businesses?

- How to compete on value, not price.

- You'll be at a disadvantage if you don't train these people: who are they?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

Of the top trends I see coming in 2016 I chose a few to discuss here that are going to have the most impact on your bottom line.

Every year I spend some time examining and writing about the top 10 business trends I see coming up next and I did the same this year. Although I've already published my top 10 list in Forbes I wanted to give you the top 2016 trends in business.

Specifically on this episode I'll delve into the most impactful trends like millennials, commodity products, investing in non-sales people to grow your revenue and scarcity vs. abundance in the marketplace.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- How to sell to millennials, and why you should.

- Is Amazon really killing businesses?

- How to compete on value, not price.

- You'll be at a disadvantage if you don't train these people: who are they?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

Of the top trends I see coming in 2016 I chose a few to discuss here that are going to have the most impact on your bottom line.

Have you stopped to consider that a sale to your customer means a change in their status quo? If you did, what would be different for you and your sales team? Our guest is here to offer insight and perspective on both of those questions, and the subject of sales in today's ever-changing world.

Jill Konrath, three-time best-selling author and sales methodology expert, joins us to talk about why a sale equals a change in the status quo for the customer, why experimentation is powerful and necessary in today's sales culture, and why sales is no longer a numbers game but a game of learning more and learning more efficiently.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- Is everyone in constant learning mode and, if so, what does that mean for sales?

- What is the only thing that counts in a sales meeting or call?

- When is the only time someone wants to change?

- Why training itself isn't necessarily effective.

- If you want your team to sell more should you make it a numbers game?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

Jill Konrath has written several books on the subject of selling, all of them best-sellers, and is considered to be an expert on how to approach selling, and sales methodology. One of the interesting points she raises on this episode is why a sale equates to a change for the customer, and why that change is sometimes the thing that stops a sale from happening.

Selling is about aligning your products and services with your customers, according to Jill, so the only thing that really matters is how they perceive you: are you offering a solution, are you a resource for them? Presenting yourself in that way is a step in the right direction.

But you also must remember you are selling change. Even if this is a change the customer wants - and 95% of them don't - it's still a change. No one wants to make a change unless they have very good reason for it. So rather than talking about the benefits and features of what you offer, next time think of yourself or your sales team as agents of change and prepare your pitch from that perspective.

Not sure what being an agent of change actually looks like in real life scenarios? Experiment. The companies that are excelling at sales are the companies that have created an environment of experimentation. Their teams are learning, experimenting and adapting, and sharing results.

Encourage your teams to do the same: experiment, share the results among everyone, then notice when changes occur and adapt to those changes. If they normally get 10 leads for every 100 calls they make what can they do to get 12 leads? Experiment til it happens and then share what worked to create that result.

One of the final pieces of advice Jill shares on today's show is the process for rapid learning. She says rapid learning is one of the best things anyone can do to accelerate their growth at every level.

And she shares the rapid learning process: first figure out what you have to learn: is it a new market, a new product, a potential new client. And then find the most crucial information on the subject and ask yourself what is critical and what can wait. Take the critical information and learn it in a sequential order.

We also dive into her insights on the perspective you should take when approaching a potential client, what it means when you haven't heard from a customer and more. Tune in for those pearls of wisdom and act on them to propel your sales to the next level.

More available at http://www.growmyrevenue.com/business-cast/

Have you stopped to consider that a sale to your customer means a change in their status quo? If you did, what would be different for you and your sales team? Our guest is here to offer insight and perspective on both of those questions, and the subject of sales in today's ever-changing world.

Jill Konrath, three-time best-selling author and sales methodology expert, joins us to talk about why a sale equals a change in the status quo for the customer, why experimentation is powerful and necessary in today's sales culture, and why sales is no longer a numbers game but a game of learning more and learning more efficiently.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- Is everyone in constant learning mode and, if so, what does that mean for sales?

- What is the only thing that counts in a sales meeting or call?

- When is the only time someone wants to change?

- Why training itself isn't necessarily effective.

- If you want your team to sell more should you make it a numbers game?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

Jill Konrath has written several books on the subject of selling, all of them best-sellers, and is considered to be an expert on how to approach selling, and sales methodology. One of the interesting points she raises on this episode is why a sale equates to a change for the customer, and why that change is sometimes the thing that stops a sale from happening.

Selling is about aligning your products and services with your customers, according to Jill, so the only thing that really matters is how they perceive you: are you offering a solution, are you a resource for them? Presenting yourself in that way is a step in the right direction.

But you also must remember you are selling change. Even if this is a change the customer wants - and 95% of them don't - it's still a change. No one wants to make a change unless they have very good reason for it. So rather than talking about the benefits and features of what you offer, next time think of yourself or your sales team as agents of change and prepare your pitch from that perspective.

Not sure what being an agent of change actually looks like in real life scenarios? Experiment. The companies that are excelling at sales are the companies that have created an environment of experimentation. Their teams are learning, experimenting and adapting, and sharing results.

Encourage your teams to do the same: experiment, share the results among everyone, then notice when changes occur and adapt to those changes. If they normally get 10 leads for every 100 calls they make what can they do to get 12 leads? Experiment til it happens and then share what worked to create that result.

One of the final pieces of advice Jill shares on today's show is the process for rapid learning. She says rapid learning is one of the best things anyone can do to accelerate their growth at every level.

And she shares the rapid learning process: first figure out what you have to learn: is it a new market, a new product, a potential new client. And then find the most crucial information on the subject and ask yourself what is critical and what can wait. Take the critical information and learn it in a sequential order.

We also dive into her insights on the perspective you should take when approaching a potential client, what it means when you haven't heard from a customer and more. Tune in for those pearls of wisdom and act on them to propel your sales to the next level.

More available at http://www.growmyrevenue.com/business-cast/

On this episode Joe and I discuss how to develop the talent you already have, the telltale signs of disengaged employees and a real life example of how Joe took a company from good to being recognized as a "best place to work" over hundreds of their competitors.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- Why treating everyone with the same level of respect impacts your business.

- Should you treat your employees like clients - and vice versa? Joe answers.

- The two ways to know if your employees are not engaged.

- Specific suggestions to get your employees engaged.

- What's the greatest business lesson Joe has learned?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

Today the companies that are succeeding are the ones who treat their employees like clients, and their clients like employees. Research has shown time and time again this method pays off; it's where the marketplace is going and successful companies are falling in line.

Our guest for this episode, Joe Mechlinski, shares his strategies for helping your company do the same. His first recommendation is to find a way to make sure everyone feels heard, valued and appreciated. Make the decision that there are no second-class citizens in your business, whether from the janitor to the C-Level executives.

His second recommendation is to find out if your employees are actually engaged. He has two ways to know: the first is to measure. You can connect with them weekly through a service like Tiny Pulse; send out weekly emails and listen to what they have to say.

The second way to know if your employees are engaged or disengaged is to look for the invisible. Do not look at the revenue or profits, but notice if there's a lack of consistency and follow through. Is there a lack of collaboration, a lack of overcommunication and declining response times? Are deadlines being missed and meetings starting late? If so you have disengaged employees.

Also if you start hearing the word "trust" it can indicate your people coming from a place of fear rather than faith. In general if you have the sense that people are participating at more of a practice camp level versus playing in the Super Bowl, Joe says you have a lack of engagement.

On this episode Joe also shares what to do when there's disengagement in your workplace, a real world example of taking a good company to earning the title of "Best Place to Work" and the greatest business lesson he's learned during his career. Joe provides actionable tools and lessons, listen in to hear them and then implement them in your business.

On this episode Joe and I discuss how to develop the talent you already have, the telltale signs of disengaged employees and a real life example of how Joe took a company from good to being recognized as a "best place to work" over hundreds of their competitors.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- Why treating everyone with the same level of respect impacts your business.

- Should you treat your employees like clients - and vice versa? Joe answers.

- The two ways to know if your employees are not engaged.

- Specific suggestions to get your employees engaged.

- What's the greatest business lesson Joe has learned?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

Today the companies that are succeeding are the ones who treat their employees like clients, and their clients like employees. Research has shown time and time again this method pays off; it's where the marketplace is going and successful companies are falling in line.

Our guest for this episode, Joe Mechlinski, shares his strategies for helping your company do the same. His first recommendation is to find a way to make sure everyone feels heard, valued and appreciated. Make the decision that there are no second-class citizens in your business, whether from the janitor to the C-Level executives.

His second recommendation is to find out if your employees are actually engaged. He has two ways to know: the first is to measure. You can connect with them weekly through a service like Tiny Pulse; send out weekly emails and listen to what they have to say.

The second way to know if your employees are engaged or disengaged is to look for the invisible. Do not look at the revenue or profits, but notice if there's a lack of consistency and follow through. Is there a lack of collaboration, a lack of overcommunication and declining response times? Are deadlines being missed and meetings starting late? If so you have disengaged employees.

Also if you start hearing the word "trust" it can indicate your people coming from a place of fear rather than faith. In general if you have the sense that people are participating at more of a practice camp level versus playing in the Super Bowl, Joe says you have a lack of engagement.

On this episode Joe also shares what to do when there's disengagement in your workplace, a real world example of taking a good company to earning the title of "Best Place to Work" and the greatest business lesson he's learned during his career. Joe provides actionable tools and lessons, listen in to hear them and then implement them in your business.

John Jantsch is a foremost expert on marketing, and we talk specific marketing tactics to use to create more referrals. He shares the right way to use case studies vs. the way most companies use them, what results really are and how to cross-sell within your company.

Listen to this episode and discover:

How can you make it easy for people to refer you?

What are trigger phrases and how do they relate to referrals?

How to cross-sell within your company effectively.

How to make price an insignificant factor in a deal.

What channels should you focus on to create more sales?

And so much more…

Episode Overview

John Jantsch is a foremost expert on marketing, and we talk specific marketing tactics to use to create more referrals. He shares the right way to use case studies vs. the way most companies use them, what results really are and how to cross-sell within your company.

Traditionally case studies have been used by companies to show a potential client how they can be helped by a product or service. The case study is generally formatted to show who the client was, what the client's problem was, how the product or service being sold solved that problem and the results the client received after purchasing the product or service.

This approach may not always work according to John. A more effective approach is to use a case study to who the issue the client was facing, the consequences they endured as a result of not having that issue solved and then the results the product or service gave them.

In essence when using this second case study method you share what your client is trying to do, what their objective is, how we're going to measure it and what's the value if you succeed in giving it to them with your product or service. Your job is to attach value to what you are selling so the client sees it as an investment, and they see the price of the loss they are facing if they don't buy it.

When you hear John's philosophy on what a sale actually is you'll understand where his case study approach comes from. John believes a sale isn't a sale until the client receives a result. This is unlike how many people view a sale: a sale is a sale when the deal is closed.

And when you apply this perspective you're far more likely to generate easier, more effective referrals. Why? Because you have quantifiable results for your clients, who will be singing your praises to anyone who will listen! And with those results under your belt you build a stronger belief in yourself, your team and your business which in turn brings in more of your ideal clients.

Learn more: http://www.growmyrevenue.com/business-cast/

John Jantsch is a foremost expert on marketing, and we talk specific marketing tactics to use to create more referrals. He shares the right way to use case studies vs. the way most companies use them, what results really are and how to cross-sell within your company.

Listen to this episode and discover:

How can you make it easy for people to refer you?

What are trigger phrases and how do they relate to referrals?

How to cross-sell within your company effectively.

How to make price an insignificant factor in a deal.

What channels should you focus on to create more sales?

And so much more…

Episode Overview

John Jantsch is a foremost expert on marketing, and we talk specific marketing tactics to use to create more referrals. He shares the right way to use case studies vs. the way most companies use them, what results really are and how to cross-sell within your company.

Traditionally case studies have been used by companies to show a potential client how they can be helped by a product or service. The case study is generally formatted to show who the client was, what the client's problem was, how the product or service being sold solved that problem and the results the client received after purchasing the product or service.

This approach may not always work according to John. A more effective approach is to use a case study to who the issue the client was facing, the consequences they endured as a result of not having that issue solved and then the results the product or service gave them.

In essence when using this second case study method you share what your client is trying to do, what their objective is, how we're going to measure it and what's the value if you succeed in giving it to them with your product or service. Your job is to attach value to what you are selling so the client sees it as an investment, and they see the price of the loss they are facing if they don't buy it.

When you hear John's philosophy on what a sale actually is you'll understand where his case study approach comes from. John believes a sale isn't a sale until the client receives a result. This is unlike how many people view a sale: a sale is a sale when the deal is closed.

And when you apply this perspective you're far more likely to generate easier, more effective referrals. Why? Because you have quantifiable results for your clients, who will be singing your praises to anyone who will listen! And with those results under your belt you build a stronger belief in yourself, your team and your business which in turn brings in more of your ideal clients.

Learn more: http://www.growmyrevenue.com/business-cast/

What is it that separates the great CEOs from the rest of the pack? Jim Schleckser, our guest for this show, is here with the answers. Jim has spent his career running companies for other people, and used CEO peer groups to help him make difficult decisions and when to cross certain bridges.

When he left that environment Jim opted to continue working with CEO peer groups and founded the Inc CEO Project, a company devoted to helping CEOs become great leaders for their companies.

On this episode Jim and I talk about the biggest things he sees holding CEOs back, the five roles of a CEO and when to play each, and the importance of defining and measuring your effectiveness.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- What is player mode and could it be stifling your business?

- Does having a leader in a key role lower the value of a business being sold?

- What makes mastermind and peer advisory groups so valuable?

- Do you want all As in your business or are Bs also important?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

With Inc CEO Project Jim and his team help CEOs improve their performance to become the most effective leaders they can be. They also help CEOs with the most challenging aspects of the role through 1 on 1 coaching and peer group interaction. That group mind was often invaluable to Jim in his corporate days, and the same holds true for his Inc CEO Project clients today.

When I asked Jim what he sees holding most CEOs back from realizing their full potential Jim says it's how they allocate their time and engage in their business. Often CEOs are engaging in low-leverage roles and activities, when they should be engaging in high-leverage ones instead.

In essence great CEOs understand their business is a system and if that system is underperforming in some way (not growing as quickly as it could, not earning as much as it could, etc.), it's up to the CEO to find out why.

Jim compares this experience to that of a hose: if your business is a hose and the water is turned on but not flowing through as quickly or as heavily as you want it to then there's a kink in the hose. It's the CEO's job to find that kink and unkink it.

Once that's done they move on to the 5 primary roles of a CEO, he explains what those roles are and what is involved in each.

Jim goes on to share the greatest piece of advice he'd give anyone else today, and shares why it is powerful to define and measure your effectiveness and your impact on your business, and to do this for yourself and your team. Jim provides those valuable lesson and more, so listen in and take action to implement what he provides on this episode.

Find More information at http://www.growmyrevenue.com/business-cast/

What is it that separates the great CEOs from the rest of the pack? Jim Schleckser, our guest for this show, is here with the answers. Jim has spent his career running companies for other people, and used CEO peer groups to help him make difficult decisions and when to cross certain bridges.

When he left that environment Jim opted to continue working with CEO peer groups and founded the Inc CEO Project, a company devoted to helping CEOs become great leaders for their companies.

On this episode Jim and I talk about the biggest things he sees holding CEOs back, the five roles of a CEO and when to play each, and the importance of defining and measuring your effectiveness.

Listen to this episode and discover:

- What is player mode and could it be stifling your business?

- Does having a leader in a key role lower the value of a business being sold?

- What makes mastermind and peer advisory groups so valuable?

- Do you want all As in your business or are Bs also important?

- And so much more…

Episode Overview

With Inc CEO Project Jim and his team help CEOs improve their performance to become the most effective leaders they can be. They also help CEOs with the most challenging aspects of the role through 1 on 1 coaching and peer group interaction. That group mind was often invaluable to Jim in his corporate days, and the same holds true for his Inc CEO Project clients today.

When I asked Jim what he sees holding most CEOs back from realizing their full potential Jim says it's how they allocate their time and engage in their business. Often CEOs are engaging in low-leverage roles and activities, when they should be engaging in high-leverage ones instead.

In essence great CEOs understand their business is a system and if that system is underperforming in some way (not growing as quickly as it could, not earning as much as it could, etc.), it's up to the CEO to find out why.

Jim compares this experience to that of a hose: if your business is a hose and the water is turned on but not flowing through as quickly or as heavily as you want it to then there's a kink in the hose. It's the CEO's job to find that kink and unkink it.

Once that's done they move on to the 5 primary roles of a CEO, he explains what those roles are and what is involved in each.

Jim goes on to share the greatest piece of advice he'd give anyone else today, and shares why it is powerful to define and measure your effectiveness and your impact on your business, and to do this for yourself and your team. Jim provides those valuable lesson and more, so listen in and take action to implement what he provides on this episode.

Find More information at http://www.growmyrevenue.com/business-cast/