Tea and Timbits

Scott Snowden + Andy Baqone
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Global perspectives on business development to help you prosper. "Business Development" is so much more than sales and marketing. This podcast is for motivated business leaders dealing with complexity, wanting to make changes happen. Brought to you weekly by Andy Baqone and Scott Snowden, you'll get validation that you're on the right track and you'll come away with new ideas to accelerate your plans. From the rocky shores of Lake Ontario and the dreary streets of London, this transatlantic duo opine about the things they wish they'd known long ago - most of which they've just figured out.

  1. 2d ago

    Stop Buying Tools. Fix Your Sales Process First.

    This week, we’re talking proposal tools… although, in classic Tea & Timbits fashion, we spend a fair chunk of the episode explaining why the shiny tools probably aren’t the first thing you need. We start with a reminder that good sales often comes back to the basics: a defined process, clear next steps, and the courage to recognize when a prospect is quietly telling you “no.” From there, we get into the idea of a proposal operating system — a repeatable structure for qualification, commercial thinking, reviews, templates, and governance, rather than relying on heroic late nights and favours from whoever happens to be good at PowerPoint. AI inevitably joins the conversation too. We look at why business context, licensing, access to company knowledge, and choosing the right ecosystem matter far more than obsessing over which model happens to be “best” this month. The big takeaway? Tools can make a good process better. They can’t rescue a process that doesn’t exist. And yes, one of us had a lovely list of tools prepared that never actually made it into the episode. We’re very professional like that. We sat down to talk about tools for sales proposals. Naturally, we ended up talking about why the tools might not be the problem. A lot of businesses try to fix an inconsistent sales or proposal process by adding technology: a better CRM, a slicker website, a new integration, an AI assistant, another template… But if the underlying process is unclear, all you’ve really done is automate the confusion. In this episode of Tea & Timbits, we get into: Why “back to basics” is still good sales advice.The value of always agreeing the next meeting before the current one ends.Why a prospect who won’t commit to a next step may already be giving you your answer.The idea of a proposal operating system for consistent qualification, reviews, commercial thinking and governance.Where AI genuinely helps — and why context, licensing and company knowledge matter more than model tribalism.Why templates should evolve as you use them, rather than becoming dusty relics from three rebrands ago.Our conclusion: tools should optimize a good process, not substitute for one. Also, one of us arrived with an actual list of tools to share. The other one successfully talked long enough that the list never saw daylight. Teamwork. #Sales #BusinessDevelopment #Proposals #AI #SalesProcess #B2BSales

    Stop Buying Tools. Fix Your Sales Process First.

  2. 2d ago

    Proposal Formats: Give the Buyer What They Need (Not Just What They Asked For)

    Proposal templates are useful. Until they aren’t. In this episode, we talk about one of those deceptively simple sales questions: what format should a proposal actually take? A polished PDF? A PowerPoint? A response inside the buyer’s RFP template? A simple statement of work? A video? A one-page website? Our conclusion: the format should follow the buyer, the decision, and the situation—not our internal attachment to “the way we always do proposals.” We also get into the slightly uncomfortable bit: sometimes the buyer has asked the wrong question. That doesn’t mean ignoring their process. It means answering what they asked for and, when appropriate, giving them the context they may not yet know they need. Which sounds wonderfully strategic until you realise you’ve spent three weeks politely trying to expand an RFP and the buyer is effectively saying, “Yes, lovely… but can you please just fill in the form?” We’ve all been there. This episode covers: - choosing a proposal format that fits the audience - when to follow an RFP exactly - when to add supporting material - how to avoid overloading buyers - why sometimes the best proposal is the simplest one And, because this is us, we also manage to connect proposal strategy with new babies, uncertainty, and recovering from an audio glitch without a second take. 🎙️ Tea & Timbits: Global Perspectives on Business Development to Help You Prosper!

    Proposal Formats: Give the Buyer What They Need (Not Just What They Asked For)

  3. Aug 12

    RFPs: Win It, Reshape It, or Walk Away

    RFP arrives. Cue excitement. Then, occasionally, several days of frantic proposal writing followed by the dawning realisation that perhaps we should have asked a few questions first. In this week’s episode, we talk about the three broad choices we think businesses have when an RFP lands: Try to win it. Reshape the process. Or walk away. The important bit is deciding which one before mobilising half the company, cancelling everyone’s weekend, and asking AI to produce 47 slightly different versions of the executive summary. We cover why even an RFP from an existing client should be treated as a fresh opportunity, why you still need to qualify the buyer, budget, stakeholders and competitive landscape, and why procurement’s process does not automatically have to become your entire sales process. We also touch on something we’re starting to notice more with AI: it can compress an extraordinary amount of work into a much shorter period… which is brilliant, until your brain sends you an invoice. Our main takeaway? Permission to participate is not probability of winning. If you’re responding to RFPs, that distinction can save an enormous amount of time, energy and disappointment.

    RFPs: Win It, Reshape It, or Walk Away

  4. Aug 5

    Proof Before Promises: Building Proposals That Make “Yes” Easier

    Most proposals explain the solution. The best proposals prove the decision. In our latest episode, we explore “proof architecture” — the combination of evidence, structure and story that helps a buyer feel confident saying yes. A strong proposal should show: • Why the problem matters• Why acting now makes sense• Why your approach is credible• Why you can actually deliver• What success looks like• How the decision can be defended internally That final point matters more than most sellers realise. The person you are speaking to may love the proposal, but finance, operations, sales and the rest of the buying committee will still have questions. Usually when you are not in the room, which is always convenient. We also talk about market expansion, ambitious plans, shiny new offices and the minor strategic detail of having a strategy before spending all the money. The big takeaway: your proposal should not just describe what you do. It should make the decision feel safer, clearer and easier to support.

    Proof Before Promises: Building Proposals That Make “Yes” Easier

  5. Jul 29

    Executive Visibility Without Becoming LinkedIn Wallpaper

    Visibility without direction is just noise. That was one of the slightly uncomfortable conclusions we reached in our latest bonus episode. It is easy to assume that building an executive profile means posting more, speaking more and generally making sure our face appears everywhere short of the side of a bus. But being seen is not the same as being useful. A strong executive visibility plan needs: • A clear audience• Relevant content themes• A consistent publishing rhythm• Meaningful relationships• Commercial purpose• Enough flexibility to respond when the market changes We also discussed the importance of revisiting ideal customer profiles, collaborating with credible partners and grounding our opinions in actual experience rather than simply adding another inspirational paragraph to the internet. Our big takeaway: be consistently visible to the right people, with the right ideas, for the right reasons. Simple in theory. Slightly more awkward when we look at our own LinkedIn habits.

    Executive Visibility Without Becoming LinkedIn Wallpaper

  6. Jul 22

    The Marketing Tool Shed: Build the Engine Before Buying More Spanners

    We have discovered the fastest way to waste money in marketing: Buy a shiny new tool before deciding what problem it is meant to solve. In this episode of Tea and Timbits, we talk about the marketing tools we actually use—and, more importantly, the thinking that should come before them. We cover: • Turning recorded conversations into blogs, posts and short-form video• Using StreamYard, Opus Pro, YouTube and AI in a practical content workflow• Choosing between Campaign Monitor and Mailchimp• Where HubSpot and Salesforce fit• Why a spreadsheet, a pen or a sensible process may still beat an expensive platform• Why AI should accelerate judgment rather than replace it We also compare marketing prioritization to planning a music festival. You cannot see every band, just as you cannot pursue every customer with equal intensity. Sometimes the better opportunity is not the biggest stage—it is the one where you can actually get close enough to make an impact. Our conclusion: build the engine first. Then buy the tools. Otherwise, you are simply collecting very expensive digital spanners. #BusinessDevelopment #MarketingTools #ContentMarketing #SalesStrategy #AIForBusiness #CRM #TeaAndTimbits

    The Marketing Tool Shed: Build the Engine Before Buying More Spanners

  7. Jul 22

    Build Your Own Marketing Engine: Turning Visibility into Sales

    What happens when your marketing department is missing, disconnected or simply not giving sales what it needs? You build your own marketing engine. In this episode, we explore how salespeople, business development professionals and commercial leaders can create the content, systems and momentum needed to move prospects from visibility to trust — and from trust to an actual commercial conversation. We look at the difference between sales and marketing, why a clearly defined sales process matters, and how useful content, proof points and follow-up systems can support every stage of the buyer journey. We also discuss the danger of generating plenty of attention without having a sensible next step for the people who are ready to work with you. Along the way, we somehow turn an aggressively talkative, expiring smoke detector into a lesson about customer experience. Because apparently even household safety equipment can teach us something about poor communication. Whether you have a brilliant marketing team, no marketing team or one that feels several postal codes away, this episode will help you think more intentionally about building a marketing engine that actually supports growth.

    Build Your Own Marketing Engine: Turning Visibility into Sales

  8. Jul 8

    Marketing Departments: Helpful Engine or Fancy Lead Confetti?

    This week, we’re talking about what happens when sales and marketing either work beautifully together… or stare at each other across the office wondering who dropped the lead-shaped ball. We dig into the classic sales-versus-marketing tension: marketing says sales ignores the resources and leads, sales says marketing sends things that look suspiciously like “busy work with a logo on it,” and somewhere in the middle sits the customer, quietly wondering what problem we actually solve. We also look at what to do when there isn’t a marketing department. Spoiler: marketing still has to happen. Whether it’s building a clear narrative, answering customer questions publicly, or turning everyday sales conversations into useful content, we make the case that marketing is a function, not just a department with branded pens. Naturally, we also find time for a maple-syrup old fashioned, a life lesson from the CN Tower, and the shocking revelation that “more leads” is not always the same as “more sales.” Who knew? Well… apparently we should have. Sales says marketing doesn’t send good leads.Marketing says sales doesn’t follow up properly.Customers say, “Sorry, what do you actually do again?” In this episode, we talk about working with — or without — a marketing department, and why the real issue is usually alignment, not effort. A few things we unpacked: Marketing is not just logos, events, giveaways, or “making things look nice.” It’s the function that helps the market understand who you help, what problems you solve, why those problems matter, and why anyone should trust you. Sales is not just waiting for perfect leads to arrive in a neatly wrapped bow. If the marketing function disappeared tomorrow, someone still has to build credibility, create conversations, and help customers move from “vaguely interested” to “yes, this might actually solve my problem.” The big takeaway for us: sales and marketing need to align not just on the big commercial outcome, but on the journey. What counts as a good lead? What happens next? Who owns each step? What metrics tell us whether the system is working, rather than just keeping everyone impressively busy? And for smaller teams without a marketing department, we shared a simple cheat code: when a customer asks a good question, don’t just answer it privately. Turn that answer into a post, article, or reusable piece of content. Then send the answer. Congratulations, you’ve just done marketing without needing a committee, a lanyard, or a suspiciously expensive booth backdrop. As ever, we remain humble, mostly aligned, and only mildly distracted by maple syrup cocktails.

    Marketing Departments: Helpful Engine or Fancy Lead Confetti?
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About

Global perspectives on business development to help you prosper. "Business Development" is so much more than sales and marketing. This podcast is for motivated business leaders dealing with complexity, wanting to make changes happen. Brought to you weekly by Andy Baqone and Scott Snowden, you'll get validation that you're on the right track and you'll come away with new ideas to accelerate your plans. From the rocky shores of Lake Ontario and the dreary streets of London, this transatlantic duo opine about the things they wish they'd known long ago - most of which they've just figured out.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Snowden + Andy Baqone
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    146
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Scott Snowden + Andy Baqone
  • Show Website
    Tea and Timbits