The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

Experienced sales professional John Kaplan shares best practices for green reps in sales, emphasizing customer-centric approach, value-based selling, empathy, understanding customer pain points, overcoming experience differences in pitch, and the power of preparation in sales success.

Sales expert John Kaplan discusses the importance of two-sided discovery in sales conversations, emphasizing the need to meet customers where they are. Key topics include on-ramps to customer conversations, filling three buckets in every conversation, and observing customer engagement levels. The episode highlights the value of effective discovery for both salespeople and customers.

Antonella O'Day shares strategies to make your initiative stand out in a sea of competing priorities. Topics include assessing priority as a deal progresses, asking key questions to understand standing among priorities, maintaining relationships for buy-in, and recognizing red flags of an unvalued solution.

In this episode, we discuss keeping your value top of mind for the client throughout the entire customer engagement process. Joining us once again for today’s conversation is Tim Caito. He covers:The basics that need to be in place so you can create and capture value after the initial deal.How to stay tethered to the account and multi-thread yourself during the customer success phase.How to approach conversations in implementation and ongoing use to make sure value is top of mind.The importance of a quarterly value review.Here are some additional resources:Negotiation Mindset | Ascender CourseMaking 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.

In many cases, your biggest competitors are not those trying to solve the same problem, but those geared toward the customer’s other initiatives. In today’s episode, John Kaplan explains how to set your own solution above competitors focused on competing priorities. Topics under discussion include:Aligning your solution with the customer’s challenges.Using your discovery process to answer key questions about the customer.Leveraging MEDDICC to account for competing initiatives.Going against “do nothing.”Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Navigating the Competitive Landscape | Ascender CourseExpand Your Understanding of the Competition | Ascender CourseDealing with the Competition | Ascender VideoRise Above the Noise | Ascender VideoThe Coat of Pain | Ascender VideoMaking Your Competitor Nervous | Ascender ArticleVisit 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.

John Kaplan shares insights on asking pertinent discovery questions in sales. Topics include preparing for discovery sessions, earning the right to ask deep questions, aligning differentiation with the buyer, and wrapping up sales calls effectively.

You will inevitably face some form of competition in every deal. In today’s episode, Patrick “Paddy Mac” McLoughlin shares various tips on figuring out who your competitors are and positioning your solution as a top priority in the customer’s mind. Topics under discussion include:Gaining intel about a competitor’s activities within an account.Developing trust with a client over time.Questions to help you define your differentiation.Talking to the customer about renewals.Addressing solution requirements that a competitor is better equipped to fulfill.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Navigating the Competitive Landscape | Ascender CourseExpand Your Understanding of the Competition | Ascender CourseAscender’s Best Content on Decision CriteriaMaking Sure the Customer Understands Your Differentiation | Ascender VideoStacking Customer Requirements in Your Favor w/ Marty Mercer | 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.

Exploring the proper use of MEDDICC in sales, debunking misconceptions and highlighting its benefits. Emphasizing the importance of utilizing MEDDICC throughout the customer engagement process. Discussing the need for authentic integration and practical application to drive success in sales teams.

All salespeople know of the frustration that comes with seeming abandonment by the customer. In today’s episode, Force Management Facilitator Diana Sheley joins us to share the action steps needed to recapture the customer’s interest. She talks about:The most common reasons why customers go dark.The importance of finding the customer’s business pain.Speaking to the right people in the organization.Keeping track of the customer’s shifting priorities.Here are some additional resources:Expand Your Understanding of the Competition | Ascender Coursehttps://rb.gy/pckpr1Moving Buyers to Action | Ascender Articlehttps://rb.gy/353bvjWhen Leadership Changes in Your Prospect Account | Podcasthttps://rb.gy/hjuvepVisit 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.

Though training companies tend to lump negotiation skills into one bucket, sales negotiation has its own nuances that make it unique. Today, Tim Caito joins us to explain the elements that differentiate sales negotiation. He discusses:Why negotiation is a process, not an event.Managing a successful ongoing relationship with the customer.The need to negotiate with the individual with the ability to finalize an agreement.Broadening the value of your solution.Here are some additional resources:Negotiation Mindset | Ascender Coursehttps://rb.gy/0phz28Anchors and Give-Gets | Podcasthttps://rb.gy/jydio9The Right Mindset for Sales Negotiations | Podcasthttps://rb.gy/7aysitShifting the Negotiation Away From Price | Podcasthttps://rb.gy/i8qtvlNegotiating Value – Presenting Multiple Options | Podcasthttps://rb.gy/66boscHow to Use “Most Likely Alternatives” to Improve Sales Execution | Podcasthttps://rb.gy/gu9n8yVisit 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.