Higgle: The B2B Sales Club

Claire Lambell is the Managing Director at Southpaw, a strategic creative agency that works with challenger brands (that is, brands that have a mindset of doing things differently). Her background is in sociology and social psychology, which she leverages to understand client motivations. This week, we’re chatting with Claire all about client relationships and agency growth. We're discussing how to align agency values with client needs, the strategy behind successful pitches, and the importance of early engagement with procurement teams to secure a strong relationship. We’ll hear personal experiences and insights on maintaining a challenger mindset, along with clear budget communication to cultivate long-lasting client partnerships. Topics covered during this episode include: How shared values and understanding client motivations are essential in winning pitches. Why strategy and creativity must work together for insightful, effective campaigns. How diverse backgrounds such as Claire’s contribute to the marketing industry. Why early engagement with procurement teams leads to better negotiation outcomes. How clear budget communication is crucial for realistic marketing strategy planning. Why maintaining a challenger mindset helps agencies stay ahead and deliver on objectives. Why passion and proactive management are vital in managing day-to-day agency operations. Why overcomplicating pitches with too much information can lead to losing a client. How demonstrating value sometimes faces off with competitive pricing in the industry. Why simplicity and storytelling are effective in creating engaging sales presentations. How managing risk with procurement can set an agency apart during the pitch process. Why agencies should qualify opportunities based on fit, fame, firepower, and fortune. Why discussing targets and budgets with clients leads to more successful campaign outcomes. Claire Lambell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-lambell-a934382a/

Nikki Gatenby is an agency specialist non-exec director and cognitive behavioural coach - with a laser focus on helping founders to build their agencies into highly valuable assets, by creating both agency and client value over time. Having led, owned, managed and grown pioneering agencies in London, Paris and Brighton, Nikki understands what it takes to create business success. Her last agency went from Brighton to global, from marketing services to two SaaS technology products (answerthepublic and coveragebook), both now independently bigger than the agency itself. This was hand in hand with being named one of the Best Places to Work in the UK for 8 years running - whilst trebling margin, generating 4 times more revenue and 10x more profit. Having captured the insights in two best sellers - 'Superenegaged' - focusing on high engagement at work and 'Better Business on Purpose' - centered around positive impact, Nikki took her exit in 2019 and is now focused on making other good agencies, great. Nikki is with us today to talk all about sales qualification along with exploring strategic approaches to maximize agency growth. We’re discussing how embracing a “less is more” mantra is not just wise, but crucial for thriving in a competitive market. We hear about examining feedback loops, the importance of recognizing a deal's alignment with an agency's strengths, and the power of defining the ideal customer. Nikki even shares strategies for gracefully declining RFPs and reinforcing the significance of articulating unique agency value in high-stakes negotiations and QBRs. Topics covered during this episode include: How to increase pitch success rates by qualifying sales opportunities for agencies. Why turning down pitches is essential for agency growth and avoiding wasted resources. The necessity of feedback loops to identify early warning signs in potential deals. Defining an ideal customer profile to deliver value and elevate agency-client relationships. Understanding procurement language and the Kraljic matrix to enhance negotiation skills. Nikki’s insights on gracefully declining RFPs while maintaining future collaboration prospects. The pivotal role of conveying unique agency value during contract renegotiations and QBRs. The transition from agency growth to SaaS products in Nikki’s career. Why agencies should avoid the race to the bottom with pricing to maintain a quality team. Emphasizing the mantra "volume is vanity, conversion is sanity" for agency leaders. Recognizing the best opportunities to pitch by aligning with the agency's strengths. Why focusing efforts on the most promising pitches improves win rates and average order values. Nikki Gatenby on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikkigatenby/

Cain Ullah is a career consultant and digital transformation expert, as well as the founder of Red Badger. He has a fantastic ability to foster long-term client relationships, as well as a knack for guiding large organizations through strategic and executional challenges in digital product transformation. In this episode, Cain shares his point of view on the essential practice of building trust in professional relationships. He’ll provide tips on how to craft genuine connections that go beyond transactional interactions, which helps in fostering credibility and nurturing sustainable business growth. We're discussing the importance of providing value plus prioritizing non-self-oriented interactions to cultivate a network that supports and enhances both personal and professional success. Topics covered during this episode include: Why prioritizing trust and genuine connections is essential in professional engagements. How discovering shared personal interests can enrich professional relationships. Why starting with credibility in sales conversations lays the groundwork for deeper, trust-based connections. How "gold coins" of knowledge entice client interest and foster organic opportunities over time. Why delivering on promises is key to maintaining credibility and sustainable business growth. How a commitment to quality leads to financial stability and a reduced need for constant client acquisition. How shared risk-reward models and robust reporting can strengthen client engagement and trust. Why aggressive sales tactics that neglect delivery quality can harm your business. How strong delivery teams make it easier to build trusted advisor relationships. Why excellence in service is a foundation for business stability, client retention, and organic growth. Red Badger’s simple yet powerful mantra. Why defining clear success metrics early in client relationships is necessary for accountability and alignment. Cain Ullah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cainullah/

Catherine Allison is the founder of Master the Art, an organization dedicated to enhancing communication skills. With a diverse background in creative agencies and acting, she excels in teaching individuals how to display gravitas and confidence while maintaining authenticity. In this episode, we’ll chat with Catherine about the world of professional communication. She’ll let us in on the keys to projecting gravitas and authenticity in the workplace. We’ll hear about practical strategies and insights to help you command respect and influence with ease, all while keeping your unique voice front and center. Topics covered during this episode include: How to project confidence and warmth in professional settings with the help of gravitas. Why gravitas isn't just for seasoned executives; it's an accessible trait that anyone can develop. Why preparation and the “gravitas equation” (knowledge + purpose + passion – anxiety = gravitas) enhance communication skills in various settings. How balancing gravitas with lightness and authenticity is crucial for commanding presence. Why authenticity in leadership and gravitas is about true presence, not performance. How clarity of thought without scripting can lead to engaging and meaningful conversations. Why gravitas is critical in sales and leadership for commanding respect and trust. How statistics show that soft skills often determine the success of pitches over content. How daily recognition of successes can contribute to a positive mindset and confidence. Why managing anxieties with specific strategies can improve focus. Why understanding and improving components of the gravitas equation is key for professional growth. Catherine Allison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinea

A former FTSE100 Marketing Director, since selling his human insight and coaching business Chemistry in 2015, Simon Cooper has been leading, facilitating, and coaching change across a range of organisations. A Partner at Positive Momentum, Simon has many years of business change and growth experience having been a Marketing Director at Cable & Wireless following a career in commercial leadership roles in technology, consulting, and telecommunications businesses. After Cable & Wireless Simon grew the human insight consultancy Chemistry from a start-up in a village in England to standing toe to toe across the world with established leaders in human data analytics, behavioural change and business consulting working with clients such as Vodafone, Experian, and Diageo. He sold that business in 2015. Prior to Cable & Wireless, as Marketing Director, Simon shaped the cultural and sales turnaround at Energis, a bankrupt business, when he and the team arrived. Simon drove fast, dramatic change across the marketing team, sales capability, customer experience, culture, brand, go-to-market strategy and external marketing, and was intimately involved with the successful exit for the shareholders netting them $750m. Before Energis he lived in the USA whilst working with AT&T as Global Chief Marketing Officer for their Concert business, before heading back to Europe to join Accenture where he led the sale of +$100m outsourcing deals, working across Europe with clients such as Microsoft, Iberdrola and Nokia. His early years in management were spent at BT where he introduced market shifting new services (including their first ever BT shop on the internet, yes really!) and formed a market defining partnership with Sky. Simon has a Post Graduate Diploma in Behavioural Change from Henley Management College and an MBA awarded jointly by INSEAD in Paris and McGill University in Montreal under the direct tutorage of business guru Henry Mintzberg. Henry quoted Simon in his book at the time. The MBA study included periods at Kobe University in Japan, Bangalore Institute of Management in India and Lancaster University in the UK. He’s never more energized than when playing football on a Friday night and describes his greatest burden in life as his love for Derby County (apparently they won the leagues in 1972 and 1975 – who knew). His humour will most definitely make you laugh, but he saves his widest smiles for his wife Carol, daughter Laura and son Jonathan. In this week’s episode, Simon unravels the qualities that exceptional leaders possess to inspire their sales teams and surpass revenue goals. We delve into the crucial role of setting a vision, fostering growth, and constructing a high-caliber team. We debate the player-manager conundrum in sales leadership, considering if directors should directly close deals or focus on coaching their teams. We emphasize hiring for attitude over experience, plus the power of networking for genuine connections. We also explore the harmonious relationship between sales and marketing, especially in professional services, and the significance of articulating value propositions. Topics covered during this episode include: How exceptional commercial leaders drive team performance, even in challenging economies like today’s. Why a clear vision and roadmap for teams is critical for success. How fostering an environment of growth can empower teams to achieve and exceed targets. Why building a world-class sales team often involves frequent assessment and development. How sales leadership roles balance deal making with team mentorship and strategy development. Why hiring for attitude and cultural fit can be more important than industry experience. How attitudes and behaviours are critical factors in successful sales team composition. Why networking for genuine connections surpasses networking for mere contacts. How marketing leaders can craft compelling value propositions for financial decision makers. Why understanding the economic impact of marketing efforts is essential for business growth. How predictive modeling of marketing campaigns can improve accuracy over time. Why collaborative negotiation techniques can transform competitive situations into success. How empathy and curiosity are potent tools in high-stakes negotiations. Why leaders should understand core values as they deeply influence professional behaviours. How recognizing the influence of values can aid in hiring the right team members. Simon Cooper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simoncooper11/

Kristin Gower is the Global President at EssenceMediacom, specializing in B2B marketing. With a background as a competitive horse rider and a rich international career, Kristin brings a wealth of experience in crafting effective B2B strategies. Her insights span across research, strategy, demand management, marketing technology, customer experience, content, and analytics. With Kristin, we're exploring the essential pillars of B2B marketing success and discussing how to create impactful client relationships and win competitive tenders. We’ll learn about the art of negotiation and how to elevate our marketing game to not just compete, but to dominate. Topics covered during this episode include: How to streamline service offerings for cost effectiveness while delivering value. The five core pillars of B2B marketing. Aligning marketing automation with tech departments to leverage data and ABM technology. How to reduce marketing duplication while managing complex product lines within B2B organizations Establishing measurement as a baseline expectation for agencies in B2B marketing. How agencies can partner with clients to refine sophisticated measurement practices. Why you must understand nuances behind RFPs to create pitches that address underlying client needs. What must be done to balance strategic thinking with tactical offerings in agency tenders. The importance of chemistry and personal connections in winning competitive tenders. How to align the procurement teams' objectives to address the needs of all stakeholders in B2B pitches. Why embedding a commercial negotiation mindset within agency teams for profitability and quality delivery. Challenges in competitive tenders, including understanding RFPs and balancing strategy. Emphasizing the importance of data aggregation and creating a unified goal for effective measurement. How agencies demonstrate value and impact through efficient, integrated analytics. Navigating the procurement and marketing teams' differing objectives in B2B partnerships. How AI is being used for content creation and insights generation in B2B marketing. Kristin Gower on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-gower/

Derek Rey is the CEO of Demand Inc and Lasso AI, boasting a history of generating over 100,000 meetings and driving a $7 billion client pipeline. Derek has mastered the integration of AI in sales, providing innovative strategies that transform the traditional approaches to sales development and cold emailing. In this episode, we’ll check out how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the sales industry. Derek explains the critical role AI can play in enhancing productivity and crafting personalized cold email strategies, and we’ll examine the balance between technology and human connection in sales. He also debunks myths surrounding the effectiveness of cold emailing, and gives advice on how you can improve your own cold emailing strategy. Topics covered during this episode include: Why personalization and storytelling are crucial in cold emailing and sales communication. How to balance human connections and AI in selling professional services. Why direct, business-centric messaging can sometimes be more effective than over-personalization. Why cold emails remain a powerful tool despite skepticism and legal constraints. How to build successful cold email strategies that lead to significant sales. Why understanding legal aspects like GDPR is essential for cold emailing. How AI tools are redefining sales prospecting and relationship maintenance. How AI language models like Microsoft's Copilot will transform email management. Why sales teams will face a drop in productivity if they continue using legacy processes. How AI can address the challenges of reaching the inbox amid spam filters. How human-like communication in emails can improve sales outreach. Why sales teams should leverage AI to find new prospects and maintain relationships. How Lasso AI identifies untapped opportunities by analyzing existing contact data. Why AI personalization at scale is becoming increasingly important for sales success. How AI is expected to change the sales landscape within the next few years. Derek Rey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekrey/

This week we’re joined by Geoff Griffiths, the CEO of Builtvisible. His company is a specialist organic marketing agency. A former professional rugby player, he gives his thoughts on the realm of digital marketing, focusing on team dynamics, resilience, and strategic partnerships. His approach to leadership is heavily influenced by the teamwork and loyalty cultivated on the sports field. We’ll be discussing the world of high-performance teams and strategic marketing partnerships. We’ll unpack the parallels between sports dynamics and business success, exploring how to navigate the complexities of SEO, and crafting resilient teams that thrive on loyalty and empowerment. Topics covered during this episode include: Why understanding procurement KPIs is crucial for effective negotiations and partnerships. How collective effort is more important than the "star player" in team success. Why resilience, empowerment, and loyalty culture are key to high-performance teams. How education in client relationships shapes the buying and selling of SEO services. Why the trusted advisor model is essential for lasting marketing partnerships. How to navigate the SEO and organic marketing landscape for business growth. Why clear communication with procurement aligns objectives for ROI and risk reduction. How articulating value overcomes price fixation in marketing service negotiations. Why preparation and vulnerability are strategic in long-term partnership negotiations. How Geoff's transition from sports to boardroom influences his leadership style. Why avoiding commoditization in SEO services is critical for agency success. How fostering a “we before me” mentality can improve agency and client relationships. Why a strategic, consultative sales approach matters in the organic marketing industry. How aligning agency-client interests can prevent the commoditization of services. Geoff Griffiths on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/geoffmgriffiths

Gavin Stone is a body language expert with over two decades of experience in the intelligence community, which he now applies to sales strategies. As a best-selling author and a top-ranked expert in his field, Gavin has mastered the art of psychological profiling and non-verbal communication to influence and negotiate effectively. With Gavin’s guidance, we’ll learn all about the world of non-verbal cues and psychological sales tactics. We'll be unpacking the strategies used to recruit assets and extract information, revealing how these techniques can unlock success in sales. Gavin also gives tips on how to read people, from their motivations to their subtlest gestures, to build rapport and influence decisions. Topics covered during this episode include: Why do individuals become assets in Gavin’s line of work. Why recognizing personality types is crucial in building relationships. How personal insecurities influence people's choices and behavior. Why empathy is important in understanding others and not projecting our feelings onto them. How rewarding personality traits can establish trust and rapport. What the “smile campaign” is in intelligence and how it builds relationships. Why selling in real estate is focused on selling dreams, not specifics. Why neuro linguistic programming (NLP) techniques are vital in influencing and understanding clients. How do visual, auditory, and kinesthetic communication styles affect sales techniques? How pronouns reveal personality types and communication styles. How understanding body language impacts sales effectiveness. Why mirroring body language can be a nuanced sales technique. Interpreting body language to detect deception. How salespeople can ethically profile prospects to understand motivations and influence them. Using the “pace, pace, lead” technique to build comfort and take the lead. Gavin Stone on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-stone-146ab1240/

Today we’re welcoming Jenny Plant, an expert in training agency account managers, and a former agency account manager herself. With a rich history in the field since the early 90s, she can provide deep insights into client engagement and business growth. She's also had a stint client-side as a marketing manager and nearly started her own agency after a successful freelance project. In this episode, we’ll discuss account management and how it can be a game changer for agency growth. Jenny sheds light on how agencies can capitalize on their account management teams to unlock opportunities, enhance client relationships, and drive profitability, all while managing the intricacies of time constraints and pricing models. Topics covered during this episode include: How account management can be leveraged for agency growth and profitability. Why nurturing client relationships is crucial for agency success. What challenges account managers face, such as time constraints and rigid pricing models. Strategies for transforming account managers into champions for growth. Why defining roles using the RACI model benefits account management. How agencies can experience immediate growth by optimizing account management. What common misconceptions exist about account growth and how to overcome them. Why ongoing support and a commercial mindset are vital post-training for account managers. How ChatGPT and other tools can be used for data analysis and identifying solutions. Ways to prioritize high-potential clients for deeper engagement and growth. Why understanding the full range of agency services is key for account managers. How agencies can foster an entrepreneurial spirit within account management teams. The importance of tailored approaches for account directors managing multiple clients. Why intrinsic motivation is necessary for account managers aiming for growth. How a commercial mindset involves understanding pricing strategies and client value creation. Jenny Plant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyplant/