The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

If your pipeline deals are at risk because your buyers choose to “do nothing” rather than move forward, this is the podcast episode for you.    “Do Nothing” is often a key competitor as we maneuver through the sales process and there are key things salespeople can do to win against this option.   In this episode, John Kaplan breaks down three fundamentals elite salespeople use to sell and win against a “do nothing” buyer 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 selling against “do nothing”:    Predicting No Decisions | On-Demand Webinar https://bit.ly/2D0dxFa Five Things That Will Help You Uncover New Business Opportunities https://bit.ly/2IzNZBq What to Do When “Do Nothing” is Your Chief Competition in a Sales Opportunity https://bit.ly/355oShg

How do you work with procurement to ensure you close a great deal? How can you make that conversation easier on yourself and the professional buyers you’re working with?   Tim Caito, Force Management Senior Partner and resident negotiation expert, joins us to chat through what your sales teams can do to win more when they’re up against professional buyers. He’ll cover:   - How to help procurement minimize the risk of choosing your solutions   - How getting to procurement early can help differentiate your solutions and improve your ability to win   - The common mistakes and misconceptions reps have about procurement, and how to circumvent them   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 Finding Success with Procurement:    - Five Essential Questions That Drive Success with Professional Buyers https://bit.ly/2Igj2Su - Change Your Conversation With Procurement [Webinar] https://bit.ly/3nN97V4 - Selling and Negotiating on Value [Webinar] https://bit.ly/34T0U8P - Value Negotiation Resource Page https://bit.ly/33Sz8dn

In a compelling discussion, Brian Walsh, a sales discovery expert, dives into the art of effective sales conversations. He emphasizes that preparing three key elements is essential for successful discovery calls. Brian shares tips on why pre-call preparations are vital and offers strategies to connect with high-level stakeholders. He also highlights the importance of storytelling over direct selling, ensuring the conversation transitions smoothly from needs assessment to tailored solutions, ultimately fostering trust and engagement.

We’re diving into the one area of negotiation that many companies fail to pay attention to — the internal process behind every sales negotiation. In this episode, Force Management Senior Partner, Tim Caito explains how refining the internal process can enable your sales organization to increase deal velocity and achieve better outcomes. He’ll cover:   - Internal bottlenecks that hinder healthy pipelines, and how to course correct    - How to make negotiation and company-wide competency to ensure sales teams can move deals forward efficiently   - The essential questions you can use to evaluate your own, internal negotiation process   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 Internal Negotiation Process:    - Sales Negotiation: Navigating departmental impact guide https://bit.ly/2S3oKZP - Building an Elite Sales Negotiation Process [Resource Page] https://bit.ly/3lmNeug - A Sales Leader’s Playbook for Negotiation Success https://bit.ly/338yvfq

Sometimes inspiration can hit you at the most unexpected times. For Senior Director of Consulting and Facilitation Patrick McLoughlin, it was during a Command of the Message training when he noticed the difference between two basketballs in his office.    What are the key differences between mediocrity and greatness?    What separates the best salespeople from the rest?    Patrick shares his thoughts while running through Kobe Bryant’s ten rules for achieving greatness. It’s a great listen especially for sales reps and managers who are struggling in foggy sales environments.    Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on moving from mediocrity to greatness:    - Motivation Podcast https://apple.co/3iIuJyP - Remembering Jack Welch: Logos, Talent and a Disdain for Mediocrity https://bit.ly/2FFY52y - The Uncommon Story Podcast https://apple.co/3bX7IWo

Are you struggling with motivation?   Especially in our current environment, finding motivation in a foggy sales environment can be a constant battle.   We sat down with John Kaplan to discuss ways to improve productivity and keep yourself and/or your sales teams motivated by being uncommon in what you do.   Here are a few topics we’ll cover:   - What to do when the opportunities in your territory seem limited   - How managers can work with reps to continuously build healthy pipelines   - How to be uncommon and improve your (or your sales team’s) ability to compete    Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources on motivation:    - Plan to Make the Plan Article https://bit.ly/3mlUvv9 - Get Busy: Advice for Salespeople Podcast  https://apple.co/2Rkilck - The Uncommon Story Podcast https://apple.co/3bX7IWo - How to Make Sure a Bad Quarter Doesn’t Repeat Itself Podcast https://apple.co/2Fk1kMM - Approaching Today’s Sales Conversations with Empathy Podcast https://apple.co/2YDHX8b

We’re taking a deep dive into the critical roles SDRs play and the value they can bring to your company.   Special guest, Patrick McLoughlin, Senior Director of Consulting and Facilitation at Force Management, covers how sales organizations can benefit from generating alignment between their SDR/BDR organization and their sales organization. He’ll cover:   - The biggest mistakes sales organizations make with SDR organizations   - How to get more value from your SDR organizations by providing training and  content that focuses them on what’s needed to execute   - How to equip SDRs to handle objections in a way that drives opportunities forward   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 SDR Process:    - Drive Revenue by Aligning Your SDR Team With Your Broader Sales Organization https://bit.ly/2GaN1Ky   - Why Your SDR Process isn’t Working On-Demand Webinar https://bit.ly/2ERgfxE   - For SDRs/BDRs - Overcoming the Fear Of Rejection https://apple.co/2EDdIaE

There’s no doubt that next year’s SKO will be different from years past. In this episode, we sat down to discuss how some of the sales leaders we work with are approaching their sales kickoffs. Many of them are shifting to sales initiatives. In this episode, we cover:    - 3 key, sales execution areas of focus for sales leaders who are looking to improve their sales team’s ability to compete    - How sales leaders are moving forward with virtual, sales training engagements and the outcomes they’re able to achieve as a result   - How to move forward with a virtual event that’s still just as engaging, relevant and valuable for your sales organization   - The mindset elite sales leaders are using to determine what’s best for their sales organization right now   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on Shifting the SKO Aligning With the Buyer's Changing Needs Podcast https://apple.co/31spJrV Reframing Your Buyer Message for What’s Happening Right Now https://bit.ly/2EwbBVV What Sales Leaders Are Doing to Recover & Driver Revenue eBook https://bit.ly/3gxyZz6 Sales Strategies Achieving Results Right Now https://bit.ly/32ttKeN Making MEDDICC Work Podcast https://apple.co/3llvXBW Top Sales Negotiation Resources https://bit.ly/3lmNeug Negotiation FAQs & Best Practices Podcast https://apple.co/3gqxgf2

In this episode, we’re taking a step back to cover the most frequently asked questions we get from our customers, the sellers we train, and our listeners. From warming up cold calls and building pipeline to asking trap setting discovery questions, and getting to the economic buyer, John Kaplan covers it all.   Here are a few key insights you’ll want to tune in to hear:   - How sellers can nail their differentiation in discovery and win against tough competition   - How to prepare for your sales calls to warm up cold opportunities   - How to use empathy in sales conversations when asking challenging (or seemingly negative) discovery questions   - How to leverage your champion to earn the approval of the economic buyer   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on    - Getting into an Opportunity Podcast https://apple.co/34n8Y3o - Approaching Your Sales Conversations with Empathy Podcast https://apple.co/2YDHX8b - Playing Back Sales Discovery Sessions Podcast https://apple.co/2E4HFQD - Coaches vs. Champions Podcast https://apple.co/3hhDqQ1 - How to Test Your Champions Podcast https://apple.co/2BJNul4

Proof points should tell a story of how your solutions effectively solved your customer’s problems and achieved measurable results.   Elite sellers know the story behind their proof points so they can better tie them to their live opportunities in a way that’s relevant and meaningful to their prospects. Elite sales organizations have a process for gathering these proof points so their sellers can use them to drive high-value deals forward.    In this podcast, John Kaplan walks us through:   - How to develop a process for gathering impactful proof points and who should own this role in your organization   - When and how to use proof points in the most effective way, including how to enable your champions to articulate the stories behind your proof points   - How to make proof points as relatable as possible to live opportunities and sales conversations   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on proof points:    Methods to Increase Sales: Nailing Your Proof Points https://bit.ly/3kt2ZPU Successful Sales Strategies: Leverage Your Customer Testimonials https://bit.ly/2XKDDDx Metrics in Sales Conversations Podcast https://apple.co/3fV0tPb