Selling Saas

It's often been said that nobody goes to school for sales, and even less people went to study sales leadership. Unfortunately, this has resulted in generations of sellers and leaders with poor to no understanding of what it means to make data-driven decisions.

In this episode of the Selling SaaS podcast, Duane talks about the lack of capabilities and skill sets needed to really drive growth in sales leaders today, specifically in interpreting the wealth of data and metrics available to us today. Duane focuses on the difference between the activity pipeline and the opportunity pipeline, and why knowing such things can really help drive growth in your organization.

HIGHLIGHTS:

In this episode, we discuss the following:

00:53 The problem that middle management has to solve

02:28 Looking at the data side of sales

03:22 The activity pipeline vs the opportunity pipeline

05:50 How sales managers can effectively leverage sales data

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

Every seller worth their salt is going to tell you this: you're going to make mistakes. Some are going to be funny, some are going to be really embarrassing, a lot of them will be a mixture of both. It's best to get them over with sooner than later. Listen to this podcast to hear about the three most embarrassing mistakes that Duane made as a young seller -- stories that he wishes he could take to the grave, but will gladly share on a podcast if it meant educating people.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

00:32 Selling during a time with no CRMs

03:22 Getting mistaken for the mafia

04:36 When there's no need for the zoom demo

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

Everybody has different stories about how they got into sales. For Duane, his journey started with a bike, a newspaper route, and a dinged car. Tune in to this episode to hear how Duane got the Sales bug once and never looked back.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

02:05 Duane's first ever sales experience

03:41 First taste of commission in college

05:29 Embrace the suck

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

The secret to a repeatable and scalable sales process is simple: good decision making based on good data — not more headcount, not more sales activity, not hiring a new guy to hold the reins. Tune in to uncover how good data interpretation can inform your next steps towards success, and why sometimes an abundance of funds through venture capitalist backing can do more harm than good.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

00:46 The most common scenarios new sales leaders face

02:36 Duane's playbook for sales managers wanting to make an impact

03:42 How sales managers can truly make data-driven decisions

05:12 The problem with having a lot of money and no patience

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

Partner programs can sound like a radical solution for many, the message so powerful that founders often expect to see instant results. The thing is, it can take a while for the results to appear. But when it does, it can really take you by surprise. Tune in to this episode to see why many founders erroneously judge their partner program as a failure too soon, and why success is just waiting for you at the tipping point.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

01:15 Most people are already considering partner programs

01:46 Where most clients argue about going full time with partner programs

02:34 When an old-school direct sales mindset makes sense

03:56 The first few months is all about waiting for the tipping point

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

There's simply no reason to make your customer go through several hoops just to buy from you. Tune in to this episode to learn why your pricing tier may need some revisiting, and why doing so benefits your customers as well as your sellers.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

00:26 The difference between CRO and the COO

01:29 Just make it easy for people to buy

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

Yes it is that simple, folks: you can make partner programs work with just two salespeople, provided that they know what they're doing. Tune in to discover how to make partner programs work with minimal headcount, and what it takes to make the system work.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

00:45 How channel partnerships can be effective with minimal headcount

01:37 Your channel manager needs to have actual sales experience

01:57 Your clients don't care about your features

02:34 The two people you need to make a partner program work

04:41 It's all about building relationships

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

It’s every seller’s dilemma: how do you make your product stand out in a sea of others? It may be tempting to think that product differentiation is the province of engineering, or even marketing. But as sellers in the SaaS space, this is simply not true. Tune in to this episode to discover the value of a good discovery process, and why even sellers can help differentiate a product from the competition.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

00:57 A lesson in product differentiation through shovels

03:24 Don't underestimate the value of the 'human element'

05:04 The difference between a CRO and VP of Sales

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

A good demo not only allows you to show off your product's features, it can also help you disqualify leads who may not be a good fit. Tune in to hear Duane share tactical tips that you can apply on your next demo, especially the three things that you need to do critically well each time.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

01:00 When to show the built-out account

02:00 When follow up and follow through is critical

02:56 Three things you need to well in a demo

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.

There's no getting around it: the success of rolling out a channel partnership ultimately depends on how much it benefits your clients. But how do you ensure a good fit? Tune in to this episode to learn Duane's approach for rolling out a channel partnership, and why it makes sense to know what your client needs before building your own version of the field of dreams.

HIGHLIGHTS

In this episode, we discuss the following:

01:13 Start with figuring out what people actually need

02:21 See how their ecosystem works and where you fit in

04:57 Help them win business as a partnership

We cover some wide-ranging topics, including getting the most out of your team as a leader and building frameworks for them to thrive within.

If you get value from this episode, be sure to subscribe and share the episode with your friends, as we all can benefit from more positivity and leadership in today’s society.

Go to www.SellingSaaspodcast.com to get episodes sent directly to your inbox and get the weekly newsletter.