The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

Join John Kaplan, a sales expert, as he unveils the art of integrating various sales tools into a coherent strategy. He emphasizes the need for an outside-in approach, focusing on understanding buyer needs first. Kaplan shares insights on three essential information buckets during discovery and uses a golf analogy to illustrate the selling process. Discover how aligning sales conversations with the buyer's journey can enhance effectiveness and why mastering diverse tools is crucial for engaging customers successfully.

On Ascender’s Engage page, we receive tons of questions from sales professionals throughout the country, many of whom face similar challenges. We have compiled a few of the most common questions to answer in today’s episode. They are:How do I handle a customer that is reluctant to proceed to the next steps?How can I open up customers who are close to the vest with positive business outcomes and metrics?How can I overcome a gatekeeper trying to prevent me from multithreading?Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Executing Your Discovery Strategy | Ascender CourseAscender’s Best Content on Decision Criteria | Ascender ArticleAscender Community Clip About AuthenticityWhen Customers Go Dark | PodcastOwn the Next Step in Your Sales Meetings | PodcastVisit 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 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/PlanComparison

In today’s quick episode, John Kaplan gives encouragement to sellers who may find themselves down on their luck. He discusses the tried-and-true actions within every seller’s control that will set you back on track, including:Assessing and attaching to the customer’s business issues (the what).Taking into account whom you are connected with in the deal (the who).Qualifying the deal early on and throughout the sales process.Staying on top of the foundational skills.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Getting to the Economic Buyer | Ascender CourseNegotiation Foundation & Mindset | Ascender CourseAscender’s Best Content on Decision Criteria | Ascender ArticleClose the Excuse Department | Ascender VideoDo You Really Have a Champion? | PodcastEnabling the Internal Sell | PodcastVisit 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 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/PlanComparison

Get back to the basic sales fundamentals that help ensure great sales conversations. John Kaplan provides five things you can practice before you jump into that next prospect call. Here are some additional resources:Purpose Process Payoff [Article]https://bit.ly/3spMjgAImprove Your Active Listening Skills [Podcast]https://apple.co/3md3HUOMaximize the Effectiveness of Proof Points [Podcast]https://apple.co/2XAxEE5Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Though we often speak about the need to sell based on value, keeping the customer focused on value throughout the sales process is a challenging, elite skill. Joining Rachel in today’s episode to share his deep insights on this important topic is Force Management facilitator John Boney. He discusses:The buyer-focused mindset necessary to successfully sell on value.The relevance of the customer’s Decision Criteria to how you build your value proposition.Handling changes in the customer’s priorities.Multithreading effectively in an opportunity.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Navigating the Political Landscape | Ascender CourseOvercoming Seller Deficit Disorder | Ascender VideoPreparing for Sales Conversations | Ascender VideoHow to Uncover Buyer Needs | PodcastCompeting With Other Priorities | PodcastVisit 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 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 Sales Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

We’ve all worked for someone who we didn’t think was that great as a manager. How do you, a seller, handle the scenario in which you’re working for a bad manager but aren’t quite ready to leave? John Kaplan shares some advice on how to improve your work experience when in such a situation and what to look for in your next company.Here are some additional resourcesHow to Ensure You're Selling For A Great CompanySigns You're Working for a Company That's Staged for GrowthCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Today, Jim “Pouli” Pouliopoulos joins Rachel for a conversation on the uncertainties reps often face in trying to discuss metrics with prospects. Pouli’s advice provides clarity on when and how to discuss the finer details of the deal with the customer. He talks about:Getting past the fear of disrupting the flow of a conversation.Remaining curious throughout a sales cycle.Coaching reps to embrace the uncomfortable conversations.Viewing different individuals in the prospect company as rungs of a ladder.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Negotiation Foundation & Mindset | Ascender CourseManaging Challenging Negotiation Tactics | Ascender CourseKey Questions to Ask in Your Sales Discovery Conversations | Ascender ArticleAsking the Tough Questions in Your Sales Conversations | Ascender VideoVisit 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 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/PlanComparison

As we move into Q3, some of you may find yourselves struggling to get deals over the line. In today’s episode, John Kaplan gets you refocused on the fundamentals in order to reopen closed doors and get deals moving. He discusses:Getting the buyer to understand how your solution increases revenue, decreases cost and mitigates risk.Connecting technical pain to business pain to create urgency.The importance of multi-threading.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Achieving a Collective Yes | Ascender CourseHesitant Buyers? Aligning Your Solution to Corporate Initiatives | Ascender ArticleMoving Buyers to Action | Ascender ArticleThe Coat of Pain | Ascender VideoPodcast: How to Engage Other Departments in Your Sales Process | PodcastGetting Different Departments to Agree | PodcastVisit 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 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/PlanComparison

Do you have customers delaying their signature? Do you have deals that are moving forward, but then stall right before the finish line? Force Management’s Tim Caito walks through action steps to reignite the stalled deal, including: What areas to assess to determine how you can reignite the dealThe people you should be using to help you drive urgencyHow to prevent the situation next quarter. Other Assets with Tim CaitoMaking QBRs Valuable | PodcastAnchors and Give-Gets | PodcastThe Right Mindset for Sales Negotiations | PodcastShifting the Negotiation Away From Price | PodcastNegotiating Value – Presenting Multiple Options | PodcastHow to Use “Most Likely Alternatives” to Improve Sales Execution | PodcastVisit 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 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 Sales Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Sales expert John Kaplan discusses key questions for deal qualification: Do we belong in the deal? What are our strengths and weaknesses? Steps to move deal forward efficiently. Emphasis on MedPIC, value frameworks, and discipline in sales. Importance of deal fit, ideal customer profile, and Medic/MedPIC. Tools like MEDIC for organization qualification processes.