Sales Talk for CEOs

Are you a product CEO or a sales CEO? The answer may not be what you think. Case in point: Catherine Dahl, the CEO of Beanworks, an AP automation platform recently acquired by Quadient. Catherine spent two years building her company as a sales CEO when a sudden realization struck that she was trying to be something she wasn't. By owning her role as a product CEO, everything changed. With the right sales leader in place and the sales machine turned on, Beanworks went from half a million Canadian in revenue in 2017 to 8 million Canadian in 2021. Listen to her story in this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs.During our discussion, Catherine takes us back to the early days when Beanworks was starting. She discusses building the platform, getting customers, and the bumps along the way. After partnering with Sage, Catherine demonstrated her knowledge of the pain points and product through speaking and educating customers. But it wasn't until she read Steve Jobs's biography did it 'click' that she was a product CEO trying to be a sales CEO. Her journey led her to find the perfect sales leader, who built a powerful sales team and got the sales machine running. Find out how it all happened by listening to this episode. Highlights0:50 Rejuvenating a hundred-year-old business4:39 Getting ready to go global7:26 Before Beanworks began…12:21 Trying not to sell19:57 The quest for more customers23:33 Getting the channel sales flowing26:52 Product CEO or sales CEO?34:18 The biggest lesson learned along the way Quote "Steve Jobs was not a sales CEO, and all this time, I thought he was because of the way he's portrayed in movies. He was a product CEO, and his passion was product. And he hired the right people to do the sales side." Connect with Catherine Dahl in the links below:Website: https://www.beanworks.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinedahl/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Going from incremental growth to exponential growth requires radical changes in your business—from your mindset and focus to your team and how your company operates. If you're a CEO who feels 'stuck' in incremental growth but wants more, you'll want to listen to this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs Expert Series with  Richard Medcalf. Richard is the CEO of Xquadrant, a company that works with high-achieving founders, CEOs, and executives to reinvent their success formula and push their companies to the next level. He knows what it takes to achieve exponential growth and shares his expert advice today. Believe me when I say that all CEOs who want to scale their growth need to understand the ideas discussed in this episode.Our conversation focuses on what CEOs need to do to get to the next level where they can work ON their business instead of just IN their business. We discuss 4 limiting factors that could be holding you back from exponential growth and the crucial role of mindset. We also explore how delegation frees up your time and what you can do to get the right team in place. In the end, the challenge for most CEOs is to envision a very different future (one of exponential growth) versus living in the past (of incremental growth). Richard shares tips on this and what you need to have in place for exponential growth to happen. So, do you want to achieve exponential growth in your company? Then listen in and heed the advice offered in this episode. Highlights:3:05 4 limiting factors that hold you back from exponential growth6:35 The role of mindset in growth12:34 Learning how to delegate—examples and exercises17:45 Getting the right team in place22:23 Envisioning the future vs. living in the past29:29 3 elements needed for exponential growth to happen36:40 Resources for CEOs Quote:“As CEO, if you don't focus on the needle-moving parts of the business, the long-term vision, the strategy, the go-to-market strategy, if you're not making sure that you are really leveling those things up, who is?”  Connect with Richard Medcalf in the links below:Website: https://xquadrant.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmedcalf/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below.Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

According to Mei Siauw, CEO of LeadIQ, a tool that helps sales teams with smarter prospecting, building an outbound sales motion is the key to growth. Start early, stick with it; if you do it right, outbound sales will produce amazing results. In this episode, we talk about the outbound motion Mei built, how Ryan used the piano to book conversations with prospects and how Mei built a global, remote team of 150 people to take LeadIQ to the next level. During the show, Mei talks about how she built LeadIQ by focusing on outbound sales. You'll learn how her team uses trigger events and insights for personalization to eliminate that 'spammy' feel and get engagement with prospects.  She also discusses the organization of her sales team, including how diversity and inclusion have played a role in LeadIQ's expansion. Mei's main message: don't give up on outbound sales!  Highlights:1:12 The evolution of LeadIQ6:32 Focusing on outbound sales16:25 The importance of personalization in outbound sales22:03 Hiring for diversity29:33 Creating a gender balance36:05 Growth in the early stages: don't give up on outbound sales Quote:“Every company needs to train their sales team to find triggers and insights, to research, and then personalize. That's not easy, of course, but companies that do, book more conversations because they are engaging the prospect.”   Connect with Mei Siauw in the links below:Website: https://leadiq.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meisiauw/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Nancy Duarte is the CEO of Duarte, a company that specializes in the art of persuasive communication. YShe’s known as “the Storyteller of the Valley” and the author of six best-selling books, including Resonate and slide:ology. Her famous TedTalk has had over 3 million views. What you may not know is that although her business was founded in 1988, she is only now growing an outbound sales team. That's right. Nancy has experienced over 30 years of exponential growth using inbound sales exclusively. Even in those early years, before the books and the fame. Want to know how she's done it? Then you'll have to listen to this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs.Click to Tweet: @NancyDuarte, #CEO of @Duarte, talks about how to grow your #biz with #inboundsales on this episode of #Sales Talk for CEOs!During our conversation, Nancy discusses how she has grown her company using inbound sales. You'll learn her strategies to get leads pounding on the door, including top-quality service, word-of-mouth marketing, and thought leadership. She also shares insight into how she qualifies leads to ensure she works with the right clients. Nancy's story includes a cautionary tale about growing too fast and the details of how she’s recently set up the company to scale. If you want to handle inbound sales more effectively, you'll want to listen to this episode! Highlights1:54 Early sales experience: "I was scrappy and tenacious."5:20 New technology, new business ideas13:37 Growing a business with inbound sales18:49 "Cautionary tale…growth brought us to our knees."23:37 Preparing to scale32:36 Adding outbound sales to a mostly inbound system40:48 Communication tip for CEOs: it's all about empathy Quote"Once you know exactly who the ideal customer is, stick with it, and then you have to learn how to say no. It's hard sometimes, but it is what it is." Connect with Nancy Duarte in the links below:Website: https://www.duarte.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancyduarte/You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Jonathan Siddharth is the CEO of Turing, an AI-backed Intelligent Talent Cloud that helps companies source, vet, match and manage software developers remotely. There are currently 1.5 million software developers on Turing, and the platform is used by huge companies like Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Dell, Disney, Coinbase, and more. The reason for Turing's wild success? Jonathan has strategically built a powerful go-to-market machine! And he's joining Sales Talk for CEOs to discuss exactly how he did it.During our conversation, Jonathan explains how he waited to hire his sales team until he had two important things in place: a playbook and clear evidence of product-market fit. He then describes how he set up his go-to-market machine to be an engine that feeds qualified leads to his sales team so they can do what they do best – have sales conversations, close initial deals, and work on account expansion. If you're experiencing challenges with your go-to-market setup and could use some advice, you'll want to listen to this podcast episode! Highlights1:33 Three difficulties with finding and managing remote engineering teams5:27 A shift in strategy saves a company14:02 Product market fit + playbook = time to build sales19:16 Building a go-to-market machine26:12 Understanding the customer journey32:39 Challenges caused by rapid growth41:00 Advice for building demand, product-market fit, and exponential growth45:30 Book recommendations for CEOs to learn more about sales Quote"When you have product-market fit, it feels different. It's more of the market pulling what you have rather than you pushing what you have." Show LinksHow to Grow Your Business Like a Weed by Stu HeinekeHow to Get a Meeting with Anyone by Stu HeinekeThe Narrative Gym for Business: Introducing the ABT Framework for Business Communication and Messaging by Randy Olson and Park HowellIndistractable by Nir EyalBook List Blog Connect with Jonathan Siddharth in the links below:Website: https://www.turing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonsid/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Here's the reality: you'll make mistakes at every stage of building a company, especially when building a sales organization. But it's what you do with your mistakes that will determine your success. Entrepreneurs who catch the error, identify the problem, and correct it quickly are those who go on to build profitable, long-lasting businesses. Making mistakes—and learning lessons from them—is part of building a successful sales organization. And we're going to dive into that more in this episode with Zvi Guterman, CEO of CloudShare, an online platform that helps software vendors deliver virtual sales experiences.In this interview, Zvi is upfront about the mistakes he's made as he's built the sales organization at CloudShare since 2007. He also reflects on the lessons he's learned from these mistakes that have helped build a strong sales team over time. We talk about many common mistakes that entrepreneurs make when building a sales organization, including growing too fast, hiring the wrong people, underestimating the importance of marketing, and overcomplicating things. For each example, you'll learn how Zvi has navigated the challenges and learned valuable lessons along the way. His insights will help your own journey as you build sales in your company, so check out the podcast now! Highlights4:55 Validating the business idea9:24 Finding the right salespeople and helping them succeed15:39 The mistake of moving too fast21:53 The importance of marketing to strengthen sales25:21 Navigating the different phases of the CEO's journey35:49 Final advice for CEOs Quote"You may have the best technology, but nothing beats hearing your potential customers." Connect with Zvi Guterman in the links below:Website: https://www.cloudshare.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zviguterman/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Every salesperson today wants to have more sales conversations. But they're difficult to get because it's become so hard to get the buyer's attention. Want to break through the noise? Try storytelling. Learning how to effectively use story in your messaging can dramatically increase the number of sales conversations and conversions. This is a big topic, and I know CEOs are eager to learn more about using story to boost their business. That's why I invited Park Howell, author of Brand Bewitchery and host of the Business of Story podcast, as the guest for this special episode in my Experts Series.During our conversation, Park dives into the who, what, and why of using story as a business strategy. He explains what CEOs should understand about storytelling and why it's so effective. We discuss the 'how to' of good storytelling, including the ‘and-but-therefore’ (ABT)  framework, and how to get your sales team actively involved in storytelling. Finally, you'll get several examples of companies that found great success when they started using story in their message.I can personally attest to the power of storytelling because I've seen incredible results from it in my own business. If you're a CEO interested in using story in your messaging, get started today by listening to this podcast. Highlights2:32 What CEOs should understand about storytelling5:56 How CEOs can use story to help sales8:30 Future-based storytelling11:37 The power of the founder's story16:54 The ‘and-but-therefore’ (ABT) framework for storytelling24:15 Training your sales team in storytelling31:34 Real examples of how story can boost sales Quote“The number one rule is you are not the center of your story. Your customer is. It's all about them. The number two rule is your story is not about what you make. Because nobody actually cares about what you make. Your story is always about what you make happen in their lives.” Connect with Park Howell in the links below:Website: https://businessofstory.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkhowell/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/ 

Angela Saunders is the CEO of Vorum, a company that provides digital workflow solutions worldwide for the design and manufacturing of custom prosthetics and orthotics. Started in 1989 by Angela's father, the company has seen big changes since Angela became CEO two years ago. She's not starting from scratch, though. Angela is taking the trust her father built over decades and strategically leveraging those trusted partnerships to scale the company. To learn about her journey and get inspiration for your own, check out this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast.During the episode, Angela and I talk about the trust that her father built with clinics, hospitals, and individuals throughout Vorum's 33-year history. When Angela stepped in as CEO, one of her first objectives was to define the core customer, so she explains how she did that and how she created a sales growth plan centered around this core customer. You'll also learn how Angela is coordinating a massive mindset shift in the business as they seek to scale through their relationships with trusted partnerships. Get all of this and more by listening to the episode now! Highlights2:10 Enabling a better patient experience7:15 Building a business based on trust11:33 Narrowing down the core customer16:28 A sales growth plan centered around the core customer21:52 A company-wide mindset shift33:31 Analyzing wins and losses35L41 Breaking free from silos Quote“We're all trying to work with each other to make something greater than what we could do as individuals.” Connect with Angela Saunders in the links below:Website: https://vorum.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrsaunders/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/ 

People are bombarded with emails and sales messages. Response rates have plummeted. The number of quality interactions with prospects has declined. As a result, each interaction is more valuable than ever before. By using sales discovery to truly understand the prospect, you can build a relationship and partner with them to solve the challenges they’re facing. In today’s world, every CEO should be looking to improve sales discovery, and that’s why you’ll want to listen to this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs with Jody Glidden.Jody Glidden is CEO of Introhive, a customer intelligence software that does discovery research and delivers valuable insights about clients and prospects to your sales team. During our conversation, we talk about how important ‘discovery before discovery’ is to successful calls with prospects. We explore how technology for sales discovery has changed throughout the years and the problems with the current methods. You’ll also learn about using relationship intelligence before discovery calls and the role of storytelling in overcoming objections during calls. Each interaction your sales team has with a prospect is valuable! Learn how to improve your sales discovery by listening to this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs. Highlights4:47 Two reasons why sales discovery is harder today12:09 An eye-opening experience in sales21:17 Analyzing the problems with sales discovery26:40 Using relationship intelligence for sales discovery32:44 Team-based sales training (including storytelling)39:57 Discovery BEFORE discovery48:50 Maintaining executive alliance with the sales team Quote“That’s the primary function of our customer success department. They get measured on the happiness of our customers. It’s not so much on the upsell. Upsell is a side effect of customer happiness.” Connect with Jody Glidden in the links below:Website: https://www.introhive.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodyglidden/ You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below:Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/

Lars Grønnegaard is the CEO of Dreamdata, a SAAS company that gathers, joins, and cleans revenue-related data to help B2B businesses understand what is driving sales so they can focus on what works. Like most new companies, Dreamdata started with founder-led sales to get their first customers, but within 18 months Lars realized he needed a professional sales team. In this Sales Talk for CEOs episode, Lars offers some invaluable advice!Lars and I discuss the importance of finding new sales hires with an entrepreneurial spirit. We explore why previous experience does not necessarily translate to a new startup environment. We talk about experimenting (and using data) to find what works and offering fair compensation to your first hires. Finally, we explore the ways in which Lars is still highly involved in the sales process even now that the professional sales team is handling the bulk of the work. If it’s time to hire your first salespeople (or if you’ve been trying to do so—unsuccessfully!), you’ll want to listen to the tips offered in this podcast. Highlights1:57 How a problem inspires a solution5:20 From founder-led sales to a professional sales team in 18 months9:50 Hiring for entrepreneurial spirit13:45 Learning from the data to discover what works17:50 Hiring for the entrepreneurial spirit29:41 CEO…but still head of sales36:20 Encouraging more referrals Quote“The most fundamental thing we went looking for was an entrepreneurial spirit. You have to love the concept of being part of building something. You’re living in the house while you’re building it and remodeling everything at the same time. So we went looking for people who would like that.” Connect with Lars Grønnegaard in the links below:Website: https://dreamdata.ioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsgroennegaard/Article on B2B Attribution You can learn more about and connect with Alice Heiman in the links below.Website: https://AliceHeiman.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/