Find My Catalyst Podcast

#161 - Common Mistakes in Sales This week on the Catalyst Sale Podcast, Jody and Mike discuss three common mistakes in Sales.  We tend to focus on the solution instead of the customer problem We forget that the customer is the hero in their story We try to have one solution fit all challenges Key Takeaways: We forget that it’s all about the customer We continue to miss on empathizing with the customer We don’t take the time to design our interactions with the customer based on an understanding of how they go through the process You don’t come in and save the day, you help out on their big adventure Be a catalyst that helps them with their success Make the buyer look like the hero If you try to solve for each of them using the same lens, you are going to create some risk that is not necessary for the organization Use the right tool for the right problem inside your organization and realize that there are different perspectives that are necessary in order to look at each of these problems Show Links Dan Tyre Episode Donald Miller Episode Building a Storybrand Podcast Sun Tzu Quote  “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Call to Action How are you thinking about revenue operations inside your organizations and do you see the distinction between the customer decision-making process and your sales process? How are you overcoming those challenges? Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course Are you looking for a way to improve your capability in sales, and grow your business? Would you like a framework, methods, approach, and tools that can help you put the concepts discussed on the podcast, into practice? This course is designed for you. We will apply the Revenue Operations Framework (Know your Customer, Know your Business, Know your Approach) and the foundational Sales Skills (Gathering Data, Story, Time Management, Project Management), to help you design your playbook, and start executing. Thank you

Pricing, Productizing Services, and Creating a Product Ladder - with guest Paul Klein This week Paul Klein joins me on the podcast to discuss pricing, time, value, and making the transition from W2 to K1. Paul is the host of the Pricing is Positioning podcast, a Keynote speaker, and business consultant. Thanks Paul for the awesome discussion. Questions: What does the transition from W2 to K1 typically look like? How do you think about productizing services? Why do we fall into the hourly rate trap? If value is subjective, how can that help or hurt us? What are some common misperceptions around pricing when moving from W2 to K1? Why do we over complicate the process? Key Takeaways: Most people undervalue their services, their expertise The first sale is to yourself Recognize that there is value in what you do You can’t serve every client in every vertical Make it easy for customers to do business with you Give your customers three (3) choices when it comes to pricing - the sweet spot At the end of the day, it’s about the value to the client Value is very subjective People buy outcomes, not time Every brand should have a product ladder Leverage your expertise to build out your design Not all customers are created equally, not all services are created equally Show Links PaulKlein.net Pricing is Positioning Podcast Call to Action What processes, roles, systems, do you want to "blow-up" in your organization? Let us know via twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course Are you looking for a way to improve your capability in sales, and grow your business? Would you like a framework, methods, approach, and tools that can help you put the concepts discussed on the podcast, into practice? This course is designed for you. We will apply the Revenue Operations Framework (Know your Customer, Know your Business, Know your Approach) and the foundational Sales Skills (Gathering Data, Story, Time Management, Project Management), to help you design your playbook, and start executing. Thank you

Guest - Dan Pontefract, Author - Open to Think Dan is the author of Open to Think, an awesome read on the process of thinking, aspects of thinking, issues that get in the way of thinking, and what you can do about improving your thinking. We hope you enjoy this discussion as much as we did. Thank you for listening to & sharing the Catalyst Sale Podcast. Questions Addressed Why do we struggle with thinking? Why do we like to go to the signal? How do we overcome stress, distraction or both? What are some ways leaders can build empathy? Prioritization - how can we do better at this? What inspired Dan to write the book? What are the three types of thinking? What are some examples of where things have gone bad when we fall to think? Key Takeaways Busyness gets in the way of Thinking We are distracted Our minds wander Think of the dogs in up - "Squirrel" Inability to say no gets in the way of Thinking We forget to subtract We are addicted to the dopamine hit We are good at doing. Plato's warning about the Book. We are distracted  In 2016 distracted driving outpaced drunk driving accidents We don't like to say no We need to remove distractions and consciously invoke willpower Executive function is not fully formed until the mid-20s Be mindful - be into the point of why you are where you are Attentiveness to what is going on "in the moment" Block things out Empathize / life is difficult these days Rational empathy - sensing (mind of someone else) Emotional empathy - feeling the pain Sympathetic empathy- observing and reacting Time is our most precious asset/resource Prioritization - When the leader helps the team with management of their time good things tend to happen.  Recognize the way the leader prioritizes will be different from the team. This should not be micromanaged. Indirect - Don't accept the default meeting times - Free up time Direct - Coach, guide. The inspiration for Open To Think Maybe there is a lack of purpose because our thinking is not like it was back with the greeks. Cole - How many more mother's days to they have left? Dream, Decide, Do - Repeat Types of Thinking - ~ min 31 of the episode. Open Thinking revolves around three types of thinking. Creative Thinking - Do you Reflect? Critical Thinking - Decide - How are you making that decision? Applied Thinking - commitment to take action on something you have decided. Don't skip critical thinking to get to applied thinking, and don't skip applied thinking to get back to creative - Leverage your loops Hawaii example Rushed and not thought through Listen to the evidence "Beware the barrenness of a busy life" - Socrates Show Links Dan's Twitter Open To Think Purpose Effect Flat Army Catalyst Sale - Live Chat Catalyst Sale - Podcast List Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal.  There is a Catalyst.  We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high-growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.  Sales is a Thinking Process.

Transparency, Investment, and Struggle - with Rand Fishkin Rand is an author, founder, recent founder/ceo of SparkToro.  His book "Lost and Founder" is one that I wish I would have been able to read before we started Catalyst Sale. This episode has a fair amount of range, we cover a number of topics including investment, learning, diversity, and struggle. Thank you Rand for the awesome discussion. Questions Discussed Do Founders feel like they are the only ones struggling with their problem? Why should Founders not think that the organization who is going to provide some funding has their best interest at heart? How do you explain the different types of investment? Is there something you can do to help inspire curiosity? Where does diversity play in all of this? How do the MVP and EVP concepts apply to intrapreneurs? Key Takeaways When Founders take capital or attempt to raise capital, they don’t fully understand the mechanics of the investors from which they are raising and they don’t understand how priorities can shift from year to year. VC is kind of a default for a lot of Founders when it probably shouldn’t be. Only 20% of capital firms that beat the market This changes the fundamental incentives of what you need to do as a business It enforces the importance of communication, transparency and alignment Sometimes the story you want to tell, isn’t the one they want to hear I cannot think of a good reason to intentionally impair the most important part of your job which is decision making Find four or five people that you have a connection with who do the same work as you, but are not directly competitive and ask if you can join an e-mail/slack/what’s app group to share your experiences There is a ton of opportunity in doing some extra work in order to get a better outcome If you know you are going to launch to a large audience, don’t launch until people are truly impressed Show Links Rand on Twitter SparkToro Lost and Founder Call to Action What processes, roles, systems, do you want to "blow-up" in your organization? Let us know via twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course Are you looking for a way to improve your capability in sales, and grow your business? Would you like a framework, methods, approach, and tools that can help you put the concepts discussed on the podcast, into practice? This course is designed for you. We will apply the Revenue Operations Framework (Know your Customer, Know your Business, Know your Approach) and the foundational Sales Skills (Gathering Data, Story, Time Management, Project Management), to help you design your playbook, and start executing. Thank you

Lessons From Golf That We Can Apply In Business This week on the Catalyst Sale Podcast Jody and Mike discuss how the lessons learned in golf apply to business and sales.  There are so many lessons that we can take from the course that apply to business and in life.  Plus we introduce you to 'el guapo'. Key Takeaways: Don’t let the last shot beat you You must be able to compartmentalize and move on You can plan a couple of shots ahead Be careful about how you rush into things This too shall pass. At any point in time, you can have a very positive set of events change the situation that you are in Assess and execute Take advantage of what you have in front of you. Stay focused Establish clear guideposts to ensure that you are constantly moving forward Realize that you have a number of tools that you can apply to the problem you are trying to solve Show Links Demystify Sales - Sales for Non-Sales Professionals - Podcast Listener Link Catalyst Sale Courses Catalyst Sale Call to Action Buy the course, do the work, and let us know how this has impacted you and your business. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course Are you looking for a way to improve your capability in sales, and grow your business? Would you like a framework, methods, approach, and tools that can help you put the concepts discussed on the podcast, into practice? This course is designed for you. We will apply the Revenue Operations Framework (Know your Customer, Know your Business, Know your Approach) and the foundational Sales Skills (Gathering Data, Story, Time Management, Project Management), to help you design your playbook, and start executing. Thank you

Let's Fix Work with Laurie Ruettimann Wow, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry that it took so long to publish this episode. This discussion with Laurie, is one of my favorite discussions I've had on the podcast.  She demonstrates her passion behind fixing work, thinking, and change. Laurie is an author, speaker, podcaster, and overall badass.  She helps companies, leaders, and HR departments fix work by creating policies, process, and programs that improve the employee experience.  This week we discuss everything from suicide bombers, to weight loss, to premortems, to failure.  Thank you Laurie for the awesome discussion, and thank you to Jennifer McClure for the introduction. Questions Discussed Why don't we blow HR up? Why do you we struggle with thinking critically? What are some things we can do to help with root cause analysis? What's the difference between compassion and empathy? Why is the HR function incomplete? How can we identify our fundamental flaws at an organization level? How did Laurie make the transition from being uncomfortable with sales to selling? What comes to mind when Laurie thinks about goal setting? How do you reconcile with mistakes? Did Laurie apply a premortem when she started her tech startup? What's a premortem? How can a premortem apply in sales? What are some lessons Laurie learned from building her podcast? Key Takeaways Some times systems are broken beyond repair Recognize the humanity - then you can have a core conversation. Understand what makes people human Go to compassion Moments of tension can create a feeling of being trapped. Double down on these moments. HR can be a bridge You can't do it on your own. Leverage relationships. HR as a consultative body - specialist The way of work is changing. You have to listen. You need to shut up. Corporations do not have imposter syndrome - Companies put themselves first. Consumption does not fix problems Know who you are, set reasonable goals. Do the hard and honest work of feeling the thing that is holding you back. The thing that makes us human is our capacity to try. We fail. We learn. We grow. Behavior changes can disrupt habits. Show Links Let's Fix Work Podcast Laurie's Website Laurie on Twitter Laurie on LinkedIn Call to Action What processes, roles, systems, do you want to "blow-up" in your organization? Let us know via twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course Are you looking for a way to improve your capability in sales, and grow your business? Would you like a framework, methods, approach, and tools that can help you put the concepts discussed on the podcast, into practice? This course is designed for you. We will apply the Revenue Operations Framework (Know your Customer, Know your Business, Know your Approach) and the foundational Sales Skills (Gathering Data, Story, Time Management, Project Management), to help you design your playbook, and start executing. Thank you

Demystify Sales - a Catalyst Sale Course I'm really excited to announce the launch of Demystify Sales - Sales for Non-Sales Professionals.  The intention is to help folks like you with a framework, approach, methods, and tools that will improve your capability, confidence, and success when it comes to generating revenue in your business. I look forward to your questions, your participation, and hearing about your success. Questions Discussed Why a course? How was the content was developed? Who is the course for? How did we decide what to include and what to cut? Where can we find the course? Key Takeaways There is a framework, approach, set of tools that you can use to increase your capability Sales is about helping people solve problems. Problems are known or unknown Solutions are unknown or known Practical application - We share how you can put this into practice, and demonstrate this via digital whiteboarding, using the tools provided in the course. Tools you can use in your business Call Plan Account Plan Territory Plan Time Tracker Note Cards Revenue Operations Model Sales Skills Get the course, do the work, put it into practice. Show Links Demystify Sales - Sales for Non-Sales Professionals Catalyst Sale Courses Catalyst Sale Call to Action Buy the course, do the work, and let us know how this has impacted you and your business. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course Are you looking for a way to improve your capability in sales, and grow your business? Would you like a framework, methods, approach, and tools that can help you put the concepts discussed on the podcast, into practice? This course is designed for you. We will apply the Revenue Operations Framework (Know your Customer, Know your Business, Know your Approach) and the foundational Sales Skills (Gathering Data, Story, Time Management, Project Management), to help you design your playbook, and start executing. Thank you

Asking Questions, Preparation, and Gap Selling with Keenan This is an episode that was a long time in the making.  Keenan, author of Gap Selling, and CEO of A Sales Guy Consulting, joins me on the podcast this week.  This is another conversation where you may want to turn the volume down if the kids are around. Keenan is awesome, he cares about the problems he solves, and he helps organizations and sales reps gain a better understanding of how to do this with their customers. We cover a lot of ground, including the fundamentals, Keenan's book, yard work, skiing, and simplifying the process.  Thanks Keenan. Questions Discussed Why do organizations focus on product over the problem? Why do we struggle with questions? How many problems can an organization solve really well? How many problems will you take action on in a given day? How do we help customers reveal problems? Why do we complicate this stuff? Why do we focus on Us instead of the Customer? How can we do better? Why is it important to ask Why? How does Keenan help to create alignment in organizations? What lessons did Keenan learn from the social ski lesson/networking product he created? What one law does Keenan want to pass? Key Takeaways Sales has evolved over time, selling was... People on the side of the road (barking) As complication increased, we started talking about the solution Rackman - Spin Selling first started to get folks thinking about the problem Questions highlight your understanding of the concepts.  Statements demonstrating an understanding of the words. Rarely can an organization solve more than 3 problems at once. Focus on the major problems.  The ones that have the greatest negative impact, create the most pain. We make buying decisions on the problems we cannot solve ourselves. Stop guessing, start asking questions to reveal problems. Your customers care about the end result - they will go with genie if the output is what we want.  Confidence is key. Keenan - 3 questions to support qualification Do they have the problem? Do they want to solve? Are they willing to go on the journey with you to fix it? The buyer journey is about the organization, less than it is about the individual - be aware. Pay Attention You need to understand the problem that you solve. Spend time training on the problems that exist The best salespeople know what they need to get out of the customer, they need to validate it, and get the customer to share it. Show Links Keenan Twitter Keenan LinkedIn A Sales Guy Consulting Gap Selling Seth Godin Drill Bit Story Call to Action Please let us know how you will apply at least one of the concepts or stories discussed today, in your business.  Share this via Twitter or LinkedIn, and tag both of us. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystify Sales - the course

Own the Outcome I'm owning the outcome - last week we missed the first weekly podcast release since our launch. This episode demonstrates how far in advance we record many of these episodes. One of my favorite quotes/mantras/sayings is "Control what you can Control" - this is related to the serenity prayer. This week - I'm going to go light on the show notes.  Let me know if you value the more detailed notes we provide, or if the short summary is valuable enough. And yes - Jody's team won the cup. Show Links Catalyst Sale Catalyst Sale Course Interest List - Demystify Sales Catalyst Sale Podcast 7-Ps Podcast Episode Call To Action How do you own the outcome? - Let us know via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystifying Sales - Sales for Non-Sales Professionals

Break Your Routine, Testing, and Specialization with Gaetano DiNardi This week Gaetano DiNardi joins me on the podcast.  This episode has a couple of guys with NY roots, so don't listen to it with the kids in the car. We cover a lot of ground in this podcast, including testing, what works, pushing boundaries, and getting out of your comfort zone.  I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Questions Addressed Why is it important to break your routine? What are some mistakes early-stage companies make? What's wrong with generalization? What is the risk of CEO intuition? What can we learn from the HBR Milkshake Story? How does Storytelling play into Sales & Marketing? What are some common mistakes sales orgs make when they pitch you? How does the creative process apply to business? Key Takeaways Break your routine - Business, personal, step out of your comfort zone Getting comfortable asking for help Bande  a paisa Early-stage mistakes - Product messaging fit Product channel fit Specialize - No generalists Scope creep is real. Risk of CEO intuition - Bias is real Connect the gaps between real-world and CEO visionary world. "Jobs to be Done" Framework Milkshake example - keep their car clean Drill deep into the problem There is always a deeper reason why Get to the root of the problem Know what your customer cares about Start at the end Future state Transition The story does not need to be long & drawn out Allow visualization Four Parts - Beginning, Gap, Future State, & End Symptoms are not actual problems - Know the difference  Marketing automation does not work for sales Good methods… Show me you know me Skip the BS Get back to blocking and tackling, do the work. The creative process in business. Start with a formula Question based Know the bars, verse, and tempo Show Links Nextiva Gaetano - LinkedIn Gaetano - Twitter Gaetano's Website Call To Action How will you challenge the status quo and break your routine?  Let Us Know. Thank You  Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform.  Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get our message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit Demystifying Sales - Sales for Non-Sales Professionals ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal.  There is a Catalyst.  We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high-growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.  Sales is a Thinking Process.