Find My Catalyst Podcast

In this episode, Mike talks with Chris Walker about marketing, sales, revenue operations and alignment. Chris is the CEO of Refine Labs. Questions Answered: How did you suddenly start to appear in everyone feed’s and gain a following? How do we design for the future? Where did your appreciation for doing the work come from? What are some biases that Sales folks have about marketing? Why don’t we do anything with the information we read or have access to? What are some biases that marketing folks have about sales? How does technology play a role? What mistakes do we make when thinking about brand? What are some buyer journey mistakes we make? Key Takeaways: Spent time working for others and getting good at my craft. I loved learning and tended to move outside of the function I was doing within those companies. Be aware of where you gravitate Sports, competitiveness helped me to work hard. You can work harder than others. Sales becomes a lot easier when you do marketing well. Change your intent with your activities. Help people without expecting them to buy. Ask yourself, “Is this the most important thing I can be doing?” Buyer has to go from 0% buying to 100% buying. How do we move buyers to a place where they want to talk to our Sales Reps? The idea that once a marketer passes a lead to sales, they are no longer responsible for it is something to challenge. Take responsibility for your piece of the puzzle. Discipline forces you to change your behaviors. Focus on your customer and then reverse engineer. Marketing is very simple. You need people in your organization to challenge the things you do today and find ways to make them better. The idea of more things will generate more results is something I challenge because typically it creates a lot of inefficiencies.  People that are smart and who execute will win. Brand is created based on the feeling you create inside of people. Mistakes are made when we don’t distinguish when execution is brand execution or sales activation execution.  Typically the average number of videos someone needs to see before being comfortable requesting a demo is 60. The buyer journey is not linear. Communicate in ways that aren’t salesy but are educational and objective. Show Links:  Chris on LinkedIn Refine Labs website State of Demand Gen Podcast  Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody tackle a listener question and provide tips on how to make it easy to do business with you. Listener Question: For companies not taking a beating, but also are not currently positioned for success, what are clever and nimble revenue leaders doing right now? Questions Answered: How easy is it for our customers to do business with us? What can we do to help our customers solve problems? Key Takeaways: Do not lose sight of your fundamentals Don’t make your problems your customers problems Think about modifying the terms and conditions in your contracts. Think about using electronic versions for digital signatures. Take care of the problem your customer is having right now Be aware of competition that exists in the marketplace and if the competition is a better fit for their current problem, consider referring. This helps with reduce scope creep and customers will appreciate the gesture and remember that in the future. Always ask questions Gather the information you absolutely need to understand their problem, when they need to solve it, understand who is impacted, why they care and how they have already attempted to solve the problem. When you continue to be contacted with a common set of problems from customers, a market driven pivot may be needed. Take advantage of the teams you have working with customers to gather feedback about what’s important to the customer. Remember, you have resources inside your organization that you can deploy in different ways. Take advantage of that resource.  Make it easy to work with you, make it easy to implement and help them be successful.  If you have a question you would like us to consider answering on the podcast, email us at podcast@catalystsale.com or hello@catalystsale.com.  ______________________________ Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide at https://catalystsale.com

In this episode, Mike talks with Justin Rohner about entrepreneurship, mindset and gardening. Justin is the Founder and CEO of Agriscaping Technologies and Director of the Queen Creek Botanical Garden. Questions Answered: From an entrepreneurial aspect, where does creativity come into play? What questions do you use to drive curiosity? Should there always be balance? Are mindset and perspective critical? How do we avoid negative traps? Why do we fear talking about mistakes or sharing failure with others? Key Takeaways: Without creativity, the unknowns become scary and will scare you away from doing anything. Curiosity is the best pathway to creativity. Ask, “how do we serve people in the present moment.” Emotions are great indicators How can I use this emotion? What is it showing me? Energy is always good. It’s just a matter of how you direct it. Once we are aware that we are on a ladder somewhere, we can choose to jump up the ladder and re-address the situation. We are combining the best of productive agriculture with the best of ornamental landscape. A victim blames, an owner creates. Find community events that connect entrepreneurs The nature of a strong economy is expansion. Move forward with the concept of service to others The more people you serve more often, the more wealth you have. Ask the right questions, move things forward. Show Links:  Queen Creek Botanical Garden www.Agriscaping.com Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss a listener question related to adopting the Challenger Sales Method. Listener Question: My organization is adopting the Challenger Sales Method. I am curious on your thoughts on Challenger and training the team on the same process.  Questions Answered: What is the benefit of training a sales team all on the same process/method? What do you think about the Challenger Method? What’s the difference between process and method? How do you recommend pairing process with method? Do you recommend the Challenger Method? How do you suggest I model a new sales process when I am not a seller? Key Takeaways: Having a common language across the organization is very beneficial The Challenger Method offers the fundamentals you would expect. I would not describe the Challenger Method as a Sales Process. When implementing something new, it is important to be very clear about what you are trying to accomplish. Process = distinct set of steps Method = vehicle you use to get there, underlying principles Blending the Catalyst Sale combo of process, method, framework and approach, you create predictable sales outcomes and improved performance.  Keep with a consistent message Remember that change takes time Promote early adopters and recruit them to help you get others on board. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

*Language Warning* On this episode, Mike is joined by Scott Leese. Scott is the Founder of Scott Leese Consulting, Co-Founder of Surf and Sales and Co-Host of the Surf and Sales Podcast and author of Addicted To The Process. Mike and Scott discuss building a community, transparency and more.  Questions Answered: Why do people try to present a persona? How do I find a community? How do we become more transparent with others? Why do we fall into the trap of building a solution? Who can create urgency? Key Takeaways: People often try to present themselves as unbreakable Be open about what you have gone through. People resonate with this  Get comfortable with who you are Offer ideas to those around you There are several communities out there, but if you can’t find one that works for you, build one One of the best things you can do if you are struggling is help other people Don’t just go into a meeting and immediately start talking about your solution Find pain, build value, create urgency and discuss solution Urgency is inside people already, we just need to unearth it It helps to be a part of a tight knit community When you know someone well, it is easier to give precise, specialized coaching and feedback Leverage the tools available to you. You never know who you might be able to help or who can help you You can put your real self out there and it can be very rewarding Show Links: Scott Leese Consulting Surf and Sales Addicted to the Process Books Mentioned In This Podcast Episode: The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday Tribe by Sebastian Junger Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss how businesses may begin thinking differently due to the COVID19 Pandemic and taking a page out of Jeff Noel's book, Mike offers a 72 hour challenge. Questions Answered: Why is it important to think differently about things I already know? Will this pandemic change the way we do things? Key Takeaways: It’s important to have some sort of qualification process. Talk in 2 weeks when you have an update is soft. Hold your customers accountable and hold yourself accountable. Prepare for unknown unknowns. Don’t be so resistant to change. Communication about changes needs to be clear. 72 Hour Challenge: Take 10 minutes prior to every call over the next 72 hours to Call Plan. Document who is in the room, objectives (yours and theirs) and desired next steps. E-Mail us at hello@catalystsale.com to tell us your experience with the 72 hour challenge. Show Links: If Disney Ran Your Life - Jeff Noel Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

The First 200! In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss the first 200 episodes of the Catalyst Sale Podcast. They talk about what has changed, what has stayed the same and what we can look forward to in the future.  Questions Answered: Why did you start a Podcast? Why do you still do a Podcast? What has changed over the 200 episodes? What has stayed the same? What will change in the next 200 episodes? Key Takeaways: Started a Podcast to get content out in the marketplace Started bringing more guests on with a Sales background The definition of Sales has stayed the same. Connecting the dots between a problem that exists and a solution that exists. Look for more video content in the future Looking at introducing panel type discussions Looking to be more creative in the way we deliver content Would like to have more authors on as guests. Calls to Action: What would you like to hear more about on upcoming episodes? How can we provide you with more value? Do you know someone who would be a great guest? Are you interested in hearing from a specific author? Do you have a book you would like us to review? Email us at podcast@catalystsale.com Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

In this episode, Mike talks with Alanna Fincke about the timely topics of resilience, mindfulness, overcoming challenges and self-care.  Questions Answered: How can we overcome the challenge of uncertainty?  What are the 3 components? What are some tools we can use? What is mindfulness? What is resilience?  Can we build resilience? Why is self-care important? Key Takeaways: Resilience can be our guide right now Reframe your thoughts Trap It, Map It, Zap It: Trap It = recognize the signs of the emotion. Map It = Bring awareness to your thoughts. Zap It = Reframe your thoughts. Start small. One way is to write or discuss 3 good things that happened during the day Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. Resilience is defined as our ability to bounce back from challenge, manage stress and move forward and thrive in our lives.  Let go of what you can’t control, but find one thing that you can control. Self-care is not a luxury. Burnout is real. Build a balance Iceberg beliefs - hidden beneath the surface of our consciousness. They are contracts about how we believe the world works. Many times we aren’t even aware of them. Some of the most challenging times can be an opportunity for growth. Show Links:  Alanna’s website Mequilibrium website Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit

This is the 11th in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Alanna Fincke is the VP of Content at meQuilibrium, she is an integrative health coach, and resilience expert. She joins me today to discuss Resilience.   Questions Addressed What is Resilience? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Resilience? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Leadership in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Leadership in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? How important is Resilience as a leader? Show Links Alanna on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alannafincke/ Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide at https://www.catalystsale.com 

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss bad practices and offer some tips on how to avoid implementing them in your business processes.  Questions Answered: How do we know if we have a bad practice? How do we avoid bad practices? What is the first step to take in avoiding them? Key Takeaways: It is important to have an actual discussion with your customer. Ask, “Is this thing that I am doing better for me, better for the customer or mutually beneficial?” Leverage feedback loops, test, listen and adjust Start where the customer engages. Start at the beginning. The process should be good and comfortable for the customer. Give first. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Catalyst Sale, and the products and services we provide via the following links. Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit