The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

Plan for a successful year and understand why some companies were able to turn the corner faster than others during the pandemic.One thing we often emphasize at the end of each year is coming up with a plan to make the plan. This year, that planning process may look a little different. What are you going to change next year?John Kaplan joins us to share spirit around how your entire sales organization can keep the focus on your buyer’s evolving business problems and drive great results because of it.Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Here are some additional resources on the great teacher, 2020:2020 The Great Teacherhttp://bit.ly/2M8PCrn Aligning With Your Buyer’s Changing Needs Podcasthttp://apple.co/31spJrV The Plan to Make the Planhttp://bit.ly/3mlUvv9 Four Reasons Your Sales Messaging Framework Needs a Refreshhttp://bit.ly/2M6hxIw

You may have had to sell virtually before the pandemic, but now it’s perhaps the only way you can connect with a prospect. Now more than ever, you want to make sure you’re bringing your “A” game, accounting for the challenges remote selling brings (does video fatigue ring a bell?). Marty Mercer, Force Management Facilitator, joins us for the first time to share insights and tips for differentiating yourself from the competition in the remote environment.- How to adjust your own preparation cadence to ensure better success in the remote environment- Why people check out or leave virtual conversations early and how to avoid this challenge- How to immediately grab the attention of your virtual audience and manage the conversation in a positive and memorable wayCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Here are some additional resources on virtual selling tips & tricksVirtual Selling is Here to Stay: Maximize Your ResultsJoining Remotely: 7 Tips for Great Virtual Sales ConversationsLessons from a Sales Veteran [Podcast]

As part 2 to last week’s episode “Leveraging the technical mind”... we’re covering how to conduct demos in a way that is value-based and improves your ability to win.    All too often, companies push for a demo too early and this can take away from key value-based conversations and discovery that leads to higher margins at close.    John Kaplan joins us to explain why timing is everything. He shares the process their sales teams used at PTC to execute great discovery and ensure they had the right people in the room before moving forward with a demo. Tune in to hear how this process helped them improve their win rates dramatically.   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on demos:   Leveraging the Technical Mind [Podcast]  https://apple.co/3gPafnG Playing Back Your Sales Discovery Sessions [Podcast] https://apple.co/2E4HFQD Executing Great Discovery [Podcast] https://apple.co/2TC1kv5

Being able to align the technical capabilities of a solution with the business outcomes that solution can provide is a key attribute of elite sellers. Conversations around technical requirements and decision criteria can either propel a deal forward or cause big problems that are difficult to overcome.   John Kaplan covers the ways elite sellers leverage the technical mind. He’ll share:   - Where the technical and business worlds intersect   - How elite sellers leverage the technical mind to progress their deals at high values   - What needs to be in place for salespeople to connect features and functions to real business problems and solutions   - How Segment shifted their mindset   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on technical buyers   - Segment’s Webinar on Aligning Product With Sales https://bit.ly/2JAs0el - Maximize the Effectiveness of Proof Points [Podcast] https://apple.co/3iEMrTa

Frank Azzolino, Force Management Senior Partner, has sold for years. He’s been there - done that. He also is a great teacher.   He makes his first appearance on the show and talks about how he ensures he has an elite selling motion. His tips will help you make an immediate impact on your critical deals (in all stages of the sales process).   He covers it all, making this a must-listen episode for any salesperson or manager out there. Plus, he shares his favorite discovery question, and the one question he wishes he knew 30 years ago.    Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on building sales skills   - How to Test Your Champions [Podcast] https://apple.co/2BJNul4 - Remember These Phrases. Sell More Deals [Podcast] https://apple.co/33vC8vG - Improve Your Active Listening Skills Podcast [Podcast] https://apple.co/2Vi98D4

Are you considering a new opportunity? Do you feel good about the company you’re working for? Are you working for a company that’s set up for growth or are you on a sinking ship?   John Kaplan goes through key things to look for in your company that will determine the likelihood it will be successful.   Are there things in place that indicate future success (for you and the company), or an unavoidable iceberg ahead (aka. don’t hop on that ship…)   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on assessing company growth   - From Good to Great Webinar: critical factors of successful sales organizations https://bit.ly/3lXaU8E - What Every Elite Sales Organization Does https://bit.ly/3kYoRld - Is Your Company Staged for Growth? https://bit.ly/2UTZ03o

How well do you prepare to listen?   We know how important asking great questions is to uncovering business pain. However, having great questions will only get you so far, if you don’t know how to listen to the answers.    Patrick McLoughlin talks through the concept of active listening and the fundamentals elite sellers execute flawlessly. Skills like:   - How to prepare for the answers you’ll get from customers in a way that enables you to dig deeper or pivot decisively   - What you need to listen for if you want to map what you hear (negative consequences, before scenarios) to your solutions effectively   - How to follow up what you’ve uncovered to get your customer to feel heard & understood   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on Active Listening   Playing Back Your Sales Discovery Sessions [Podcast] https://apple.co/2E4HFQD Approaching Your Sales Conversations with Empathy [Podcast] https://apple.co/2YDHX8b Our Most FAQs from Salespeople [Podcast] https://apple.co/36Kyu1I

We often find ourselves explaining how our sales messaging initiatives intersect with our sales qualification initiatives. When wondering what should come first, sales leaders often have to critically analyze their organization’s sales challenges and prioritize next steps accordingly. Easier said than done ...   Brian Walsh covers how you can assess gaps in your sales messaging and qualification processes to chart an efficient path to scalable, revenue growth. He covers:   - Key questions to consider when prioritizing the best initiative to drive sales impact   - An analysis of the PBOs and benefits from each initiative as they relate to top sales effectiveness concerns (forecasting, margins, etc.)   - How sales messaging and qualification initiatives work together to power predictable revenue growth   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on Sales Messaging & Qualification :    - How MEDDICC Helps Drive Predictable Revenue [Webinar] https://bit.ly/2HjEcyJ - MEDDICC Resource Guide https://bit.ly/2UbZHVe - How Sales Messaging & Qualification Work Together to Drive Scalable Growth https://bit.ly/3kix1pH

We say these phrases so often, we decided to make a whole podcast about them. Today, we explore what they really mean and why we encourage every salesperson to remember them. Put them on your mirror, write them down in your journal, Instagram them… we recite them over and over. Take a listen and use them to motivate you to sell more.   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources related to John’s top 4 phrases  :  Be Uncommon [Podcast] https://apple.co/3bX7IWo Why Your Deals Are Taking So Long [Podcast] https://apple.co/31V8z6c Executing Great Discovery [Podcast] https://apple.co/2TC1kv5

When it comes to launching strategic change initiatives, big or small, how can you ensure that they not only stick but don't become yet another compliance exercise?   In this podcast, Brian Walsh talks through how sales leaders and managers can make sure their strategic initiatives provide value for their sales organization, including:   - Key ways to get sales teams to put strategic changes to work in a way that drives repeatable execution and results   - How to articulate the value behind the specific business change to breed action from sales teams   - The three mindsets you’ll face from your salespeople when pushing for result-driven adoption   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on Compliance Exercises:    - How MEDDICC Helps Drive Predictable Revenue | Webinar https://bit.ly/2HjEcyJ - Don’t Let Your Sales Initiative Fail: Lead from the Front https://bit.ly/3m79oAo - How to Convert Skeptics at Your SKO https://bit.ly/3m6vTp2