We're Not Marketers Winning at Win-Loss: Why real research beats sales rep excuses w/ Ryan Sorley
Is your win-loss data just expensive fiction written by your sales team? In this episode, Ryan Sorley (ex-Forrester, ex-Gartner) joins the crew to expose the hard truth about buyer research. From ripped jeans costing deals to bootstrapping a business while juggling kids and payroll, Ryan doesn't hold back on his journey from corporate misery to specialized success. Oh, and we uncovered the stupidly simple reason most product marketers fail at research. Tune in for honest laughs, real insights, and maybe a wake-up call about your "data."
In this episode, we're covering:
How to run a solo business when you have kids and bills to pay
The "Taylor Swift Squad" theory of business growth
Why most buyer research is just wishful thinking with fancy graphs
The Powder Blue Taurus Moment: when Ryan knew corporate life was BS
Why writing a business plan is a complete waste of time for solopreneurs
How Ryan went from 0 to 100 clients with ZERO salespeople
Check out his new book Blindspots on Amazon too!
Timestamps:
01:00 Introducing Ryan Sorley, Win-Loss Research Expert
02:36 Are Product Marketers Actually Marketers?
04:15 Ryan's Take on Product Marketing as Research
06:45 The Importance of Intentional Research
10:00 The "Superpower" of Win-Loss Analysis
12:34 The HubSpot Ripped Jeans Story
17:15 Ryan's Entrepreneurial Journey
19:00 The NJ Turnpike Moment: When Ryan Knew Corporate Life Wasn't for Him
21:00 How Ryan Discovered the Win-Loss Opportunity
23:45 Ryan's Transition from Gartner to Entrepreneurship
27:00 What's the Minimum Viable Plan for Going Solo?
30:00 The "Squad Life" Approach to Client Relationships
34:00 The Dark Times: Managing Cash Flow and Contractors
39:00 Specialization vs. Generalization in Consulting
42:45 Ryan's New Book: "Blind Spots" (Launch April 1st)
44:30 Closing Remarks and Farewell
Show Notes:
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