The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

Ever had a customer ask you to consider a pilot project? Perhaps they don’t want to sign up for the full investment or they want to prove success before they move forward. Should you sell it? How should you handle it? Brian Walsh gives you a few things to consider. He talks about:Why pilot projects pop up.When it is beneficial to take on a pilot project.Ways to increase the likelihood that a pilot project will lead to a permanent solution.Getting your customer to see the benefits of the metrics.Here are some additional resources:Selling “Pilot Projects” | Ascender Videohttps://bit.ly/425YzUwWhat the Best Salespeople Do | Podcasthttps://bit.ly/3Vyf1utVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Clients are often reluctant to open up to reps, but our special guest Rob Stenberg explains how you can use storytelling to break through that barrier. He discusses:Why storytelling is so effective.When in your sales process to incorporate stories.How to practice and prepare stories that resonateHow to use stories to encourage your customer to “stay in discovery”Here are some additional resources:Storytelling in the Sales Process | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3nfL4CNDiscovery Process | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/4229BdtFive Ways Stories Can Help You Create Urgency in the Sales Process | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/42dlI7eSharing Stories in Your Sales Process | Podcasthttps://bit.ly/42flEnjVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Explore the struggles of salespeople under leaders with Sales Leader Deficit Disorder. Learn how to choose the right company, navigate leadership dynamics, confront toxic leadership, and empower sales leaders. Special guest Brian Walsh provides insights on salvaging relationships with sales leaders.

Your customer’s decision criteria are great indicators of your chances of success in a deal. Thankfully, you have the power to mold the decision criteria to fit your own unique differentiators. Tim Caito joins us to explain how to influence the decision criteria in a manner that favors you. He discusses:Common mistakes reps make when trying to change the decision criteria.The difference between decision criteria and desired outcomes.The need to identify the customer’s biggest business pain when attempting to influence the decision criteria.Here are some additional resources:MEDDICC Essentials | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3ostFXIManaging a No Decision Deal | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3AyAR7vAchieving a Collective Yes | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3KRVQqAHow to Convince Your Customer to Take Action in Your Sales Process | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/3mLp2aLHow to Compete Against “Do It Internally” in the Sales Process | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/43QsIbJOvercoming Sales Challenges: Change the Decision Criteria | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/40trkJfVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Though you might have incorporated MEDDICC into your sales process, you, like many new adherents of the methodology, may find difficulty figuring out the E: Economic Buyer. A common challenge is determining who exactly the Economic Buyer is and whether or not there is more than one in a deal, particularly a complex one. Force Management Senior Facilitator Brian Walsh joins us to clarify a bit of the mystery that surrounds the Economic Buyer. He covers:Why there is typically only one Economic Buyer in an account.Key traits to look for when trying to identify the Economic Buyer.How to respond if there is a new Economic Buyer in your deal.How to request the help you need as you navigate your deal.Here are some additional resources:Getting to the Economic Buyer | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3Km50LFMEDDICC Certification on Ascenderhttps://bit.ly/3zGfgJzWhat to Do if You Can’t Gain Access to the Economic Buyer | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/40Q7yIKWhat’s the Best Way to Test My Champion? | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/3Ml30WBVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

A negative atmosphere can hinder a sales team’s prospects of success. It is incumbent on leaders to create an environment of openness in which everyone feels free to share their ideas, contributing to the team’s overall benefit. In this episode, Antonella discusses steps that leaders can take to foster a productive team culture through transparency. She covers:The importance of candidness within a sales team.Providing clear expectations for reps.Minimizing distractions so that sellers can execute to the best of their ability.Giving and receiving feedback as a leader.Here are some additional resources:The Team | Ascender Videohttps://bit.ly/3G5usUfThe Crucial Aspects of Leading Sales Teams Today | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/3ZtLB0NVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

You are likely to come across buying organizations with conflicting priorities. It can be a real challenge to get people in different parts of a company to agree on a path on which to move forward. John Kaplan explains how you can set about getting various departments of a company on the same page. He discusses:Keeping people focused on the “why.”The role that Champions play in achieving a “Collective Yes.”Building a “What We Heard” slide with your Champion to fight Seller Deficit Disorder.What to do if you are without a Champion in an account.Here are some additional resources:Achieving a Collective Yes | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3Z6fcgLBuilding Champions for Life | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/40k9w4dIs Your Champion Really a Coach? | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/40mjvWbThe Seller Deficit Disorder | Ascender Articlehttps://bit.ly/42xLAvpThree Ways to Improve Your Sales Messaging | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/3TB7mubVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Here’s a great episode for both reps and sales leaders.Salespeople are typically unenthused by the prospect of deal reviews, but they are a great opportunity for leaders to help their sellers identify strengths and weaknesses in their opportunities and get deals over the line. Antonella O’Day joins us to discuss what sales managers can do to help themselves and their reps maximize the benefit of deal review sessions. She provides guidance about:How managers can get reps to see the value in deal reviews.Ways that managers can educate themselves on an account in preparation for a deal review.How reps can equip their manager with the information they need for a deal review.Looking at a deal review as a collaboration rather than an inspection.Here are some additional resources:Progressing Deals to Close | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3ZWa67UMEDDICC Deal Confidence Self-Assessment | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3loFBsePreparing for and Engaging in Virtual Meetings | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3FyZYtzDig Deep for Effective Sales Opportunity Reviews | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/3JMNAIRVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Changes are inevitable, and, in particular, changes in leadership occur quite frequently. John Kaplan explains how to adjust to a new sales leader. He discusses:Maintaining your focus when teams around you are being restructured.Adapting to a new sales style imposed by new leadership while still making it your own.Handling leadership changes in departments outside of your own that still affect you.The responsibility of sales leaders to help their teams understand a change.Here are some additional resources:The Top 3 Signs Your Sales Organization is Ready for Change | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/3ZW9VJcSales Challenges: Four Ways to Keep Your Sales Team Focused on Sellinghttps://bit.ly/3ZBOihxVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Salespeople must be multi-threaded with their opportunities. Make an effort to connect to as many relevant stakeholders in the buying company as possible. John Kaplan explains steps you can take to reach key individuals in other departments of your prospect’s organization. He gives advice about:Connecting technical capabilities to business outcomes.Landing meetings with key stakeholders of other departments.Using the Three Ps—Purpose, Process and Payoff—to maximize conversations with high-ranking individuals in the buying organization.Here are some additional resources:Building Champions for Life | Ascender Coursehttps://bit.ly/3YnPSlRHow to Get Higher in Your Prospect's Organization | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/3JgWH4pGet Beyond the Technical Buyer | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/4208wn0Sales Best Practices: 5 Ways to Prepare for Your Next Sales Meeting | Force Management Articlehttps://bit.ly/41PEyBVVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparisonCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.