Revenue Builders Salescast

In this episode, John McMahon and John Kaplan feature guest Sean Burke, a seven-time CXO.

From 1990 to 1994, Sean was a salesperson and loved every minute of it (he broke records, built amazing client relationships, and put hundreds of thousands of miles on his Honda Accord).

From 1994 to 2018, Sean co-founded and helped grow nine early-stage companies. Seven of these nine companies successfully exited for over $600M.

During these years, Sean learned about mergers & acquisitions, product-market fit, managing cash flow, evangelical sales, raising funds, making & losing millions, how to creatively accomplish much with very little $, and much more.

The discussion includes key sales lessons from Mark Cuban, emphasizing the importance of trust and helping in sales, and strategies for creating trust with clients. The hosts also delve into the intricacies of forecasting, deal qualification, and managing sales cycles, with a focus on understanding customer needs and aligning sales strategies accordingly. The conversation provides actionable advice for sales leaders on improving sales performance, structuring deals, and leveraging data for better forecasting and pipeline management.

Tune in and learn more about this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT


[00:01:51] Sales Insights from Mark Cuban's Masterclass
[00:03:32] Building Trust and Understanding in Sales
[00:08:18] The Art of Preparation and Asking the Right Questions
[00:11:55] Navigating the Procurement Process: Insights and Strategies
[00:15:44] Simplifying Business Success: Lessons from Purdue University
[00:20:36] Identifying and Targeting the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
[00:24:17] Strategic Sales Expansion and Resource Allocation
[00:31:56] Navigating the Challenges of Meeting Sales Targets
[00:32:42] Strategies for Setting Realistic Sales Goals
[00:34:52] Building a Culture of Accountability and Trust in Sales
[00:35:41] The Importance of Ownership and Data in Revenue Operations
[00:42:39] Forecasting and the Art of Accurate Sales Predictions
[00:42:44] Understanding and Managing Deal Pushes in Sales
[00:50:33] Optimizing Sales Operations and Pipeline Management
[01:02:43] Concluding Thoughts on Sales Success and Leadership

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Connect and learn more about Sean Burke.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanhburke/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:36] “They have to trust the seller first, the company second, and then the product solution, et cetera, after that.”

[00:10:28] “We would put together a team and we would have the personas that we're selling to be represented by the same personas within our team and role play those out.”

[00:59:23] “So it's all this rhythm of the business that you got to be really aware of as a CRO because you can start a year and end a year dead Or you could start a year and end of the year on the path to success”

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive into the crucial aspect of emotionally connecting with buyers. Joined by veteran sales leader and author Richard Rivera, they explore the science behind buyer decision-making and the importance of understanding the emotional journey buyers go through. Rivera introduces the concept of the buyer decision path, emphasizing the need to disarm the survival instincts of buyers before engaging their thrive state and intellectual brain. Through insightful discussions and practical examples, listeners gain valuable insights into reshaping their sales approach to prioritize emotional connection and drive successful outcomes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:26] Understanding the science behind emotionally connecting with buyers is crucial for sales success.

[00:01:36] The buyer decision path consists of survival, thrive, and think stages, reflecting the evolution of the human brain.

[00:04:05] Disarming the survival brain by addressing the buyer's problems is essential to establishing emotional connection.

[00:06:20] Prioritizing emotional connection before intellectual engagement is key to effective sales strategies.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:40] "The natural human response is to push back and protect itself... When anyone or anything presents a threat or even a new opportunity to us, it comes across as a threat and they have to protect themselves against it."

[00:04:52] "Here's the problems that I saw for help me understand how you might relate to any of these. And it frames up the discussion in a very disarming way."

[00:06:01] "Before this buyer is going to spend energy and invest in really understanding the intellectual parts of my value proposition, I've got to disarm their survival brain by attaching to the problems they care about."

Listen to the full episode with Richard Rivera through these links:


Developing Buyer Champions with Richard Rivera Part 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revenue-builders/id1610203369?i=1000610878740
Developing Buyer Champions with Richard Rivera Part 2: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revenue-builders/id1610203369?i=1000611697594

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

This episode features an insightful conversation on selling to the economic buyer with guests Carl Froggett, CIO at Deep Instinct, and Joe Lynch, Sales Director for the East at Deep Instinct. Before they were colleagues, Joe sold to Carl. Carl shares his extensive experience as an economic buyer in tech deals, highlighting the importance of account executives not wasting his time with generic pitches or vendor bashing, and instead focusing on understanding his business needs. Joe discusses his approach to selling to Carl at Citi, emphasizing the value of doing thorough research, building trust, and creating a tailored value proposition. The discussion also covers strategies for forming genuine partnerships with clients, the challenges of navigating sales processes within large global banks, and the innovative threat prevention technology offered by Deep Instinct. The conversation provides valuable insights for B2B sales professionals on effectively engaging with economic buyers and fostering long-term partnerships.

Tune in and learn more about this episode of The Revenue Builders Podcast.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[00:00:45] Diving Deep: Selling to the Economic Buyer
[00:01:43] Insider's Take: Carl Froggett on Vendor Engagement
[00:07:20] Joe's Approach: Research and Value-Based Selling
[00:14:40] Building Trust and Partnership in Sales
[00:26:28] The Art of Prioritization and Flexibility in Tech Solutions
[00:33:44] Building Trust and Overcoming Challenges in Sales
[00:34:13] Innovative Solutions to Business Disruption
[00:35:51] Strategic Partnerships and Economic Decisions
[00:37:55] Navigating Internal Company Dynamics for Sales Success
[00:57:20] Deep Instinct: A New Frontier in Cybersecurity

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Connect and learn more about Carl Froggett.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlfroggett/
https://www.deepinstinct.com/

Connect and learn more about Joe Lynch.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-lynch-6613745a/


HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:38:48] “There needs to be transparency internally at a company about how a large global bank operates. Our product is fantastic, but they do have their procedures and their policies for how they evaluate new tech and onboard new tech and understanding what those timelines realistically look like.”

[00:54:05] “I will always pivot back to where's the value prop for my business and my company ultimately. And like I say, timing is part of it.”

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan, sponsored by Force Management, delve into the crucial aspect of decision criteria in sales. Joined by Anne Gary, the team dissects the intricacies of aligning decision criteria with product differentiation to secure sales success. From handling competition to managing scope creep, they provide invaluable insights into navigating the sales landscape with precision.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:35] Understanding how competitors may adopt your terminology highlights the importance of clarifying distinctions in customer conversations.

[00:01:26] Identifying who within the company influences decision criteria sheds light on the political dynamics of the sales process.

[00:02:03] Aligning product differentiators with decision criteria ensures that customers are truly buying what you're selling.

[00:03:04] Formalizing and quantifying decision criteria is essential to avoid ambiguity and ensure accountability.

[00:04:38] Scope creep occurs when additional criteria are introduced, increasing the risk of losing the deal.

[00:06:43] Failing to define criteria rigorously can lead to irreversible setbacks, especially evident in failed Proof of Value (POV) scenarios.

[00:07:48] After a failed POV, complaining appears futile as it disregards agreed-upon rules and may damage credibility with the evaluation team and economic buyer.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:21] "If you're outside of the bullseye, they're not buying what you're selling."

[00:04:58] "It's a seller's job to get the criteria to be... in their bullseye."

[00:06:43] "If you execute the POV and you haven't locked all this down... it's nearly impossible to recover from a failed POV."

[00:07:48] "Even if you did it again... you'd wind up losing again."

Listen to the full episode with Anne Gary through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/decoding-decision-criteria-mastering-champions-blueprint-for-sales-success-with-anne-gary/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/

Monica Stewart is a highly sought-after go-to-market consultant with over 15 years of experience working with B2B software companies. She specializes in helping startups in the $2 million to $20 million revenue range that are selling to large organizations. Monica has worked with companies like LinkedIn, Trello (acquired by Atlassian), and Panjiva (acquired by S&P). She is known for her sustainable growth-focused mindset and her ability to help companies bridge the gap between their current strategy and their long-term vision.

In this episode, Monica shares valuable insights and discusses common mistakes made by startups, such as not targeting their ideal customer profile (ICP) specifically enough, lacking a clear understanding of lead channels, and neglecting net dollar retention (NRR) metrics. She emphasizes the importance of narrowing the ICP, prioritizing lead channels, and implementing effective post-sale processes for long-term success. Monica also highlights the need for founders to be open to change and willing to reevaluate their strategies as their companies evolve.

HERE ARE SOME KEY SECTIONS TO CHECK OUT

[02:08] Monica's Approach to Transforming B2B Startups
[05:28] Common Mistakes in B2B Startup Growth Strategies
[15:34] Deep Dive into Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Strategy
[20:31] The Importance of Narrowing Focus in Startup Strategy
[27:20] Understanding the Three Whys of Buying
[30:58] Navigating Leadership and Team Dynamics in Business
[31:38] The Importance of Being Present and Adaptable in Leadership
[34:48] Strategies for Effective Team Management and Role Alignment
[36:00] Embracing Change and Coachability for Organizational Growth
[37:10] The Founder's Journey: Vision, Commitment, and Self-Awareness
[45:39] Practical Advice for Founders on Prioritizing and Implementing Change
[56:40] Understanding the Role of VCs and Owning Your Business Narrative

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Learn more about aligning customer-facing teams to improve execution: https://forc.mx/48o1jyP

Connect and learn more about Monica Stewart.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-stewart/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/msps-co/

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:53:46] "It's really the founder and it has to be because at the end of the day, there's a tremendous amount of commitment and buy-in that's going to be needed from them in order to do this work."

[00:56:23] "VC firms don't give companies money because they think that company is going to succeed, or even because they necessarily need it to succeed. They give companies money because they want to spread their risk out amongst a broad portfolio. And they know that a good percentage of the companies that they invest in are going to fail."

[00:55:53] "Once you see it, you can't unsee it. And it changes the way that you look at your organization forever."

In this curated episode of the Revenue Builders Podcast, we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Chuck Bamford, renowned author and business strategist. Dr. Bamford sheds light on the critical issue of aligning corporate strategy throughout an organization, from top-level executives to frontline employees. Drawing from his extensive experience, he highlights the common pitfalls and challenges companies face in achieving this alignment and offers insightful strategies for overcoming them.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:24] Alignment breakdown: Many employees, especially those closest to customers, often fail to see the relevance of corporate strategy to their daily tasks, leading to a disconnect between organizational goals and individual actions.

[00:01:39] Annual strategy setting: Corporate strategies are often formulated as a one-time event, lacking consistent follow-up, measurement, and adaptation throughout the year.

[00:02:23] Activity alignment: Bridging the gap between high-level key performance indicators (KPIs) and frontline activities is essential for ensuring organizational alignment and success.

[00:03:29] Misaligned incentives: Compensation structures and performance metrics for employees often do not align with the overarching corporate strategy, resulting in disengagement and inefficiencies.

[00:05:13] Alignment is key: Success in organizational strategy hinges on effectively communicating and aligning goals at all levels, ensuring that both strategic objectives and individual incentives are harmonized.

HIGHLIGHT QUOTES

[00:02:45] "Everything that leadership does is a hypothesis... they don't want to address what the activities are or convert it to activity metrics."

[00:03:52] "I was so disconnected from those other levels... my measurements and compensation were completely misaligned with whatever the corporate strategy was."

[00:05:38] "The compensation needs to be based on the activities that you want those employees to do."

[00:07:00] "They're doing things that are destructive to the strategy... because they have to hit their KPI or they're out."

Listen to the full episode with Chuck Bamford through this link:
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/executing-a-winning-strategy-with-chuck-bamford/

Check out John McMahon’s book here:
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/1K7DDC4

Check out Force Management’s Ascender platform here:
https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/