Catalyst Sale Podcast: Sales Training | Sales Strategy | B2b | Selling | Marketing

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss bad practices and offer some tips on how to avoid implementing them in your business processes.  Questions Answered: How do we know if we have a bad practice? How do we avoid bad practices? What is the first step to take in avoiding them? Key Takeaways: It is important to have an actual discussion with your customer. Ask, “Is this thing that I am doing better for me, better for the customer or mutually beneficial?” Leverage feedback loops, test, listen and adjust Start where the customer engages. Start at the beginning. The process should be good and comfortable for the customer. Give first. Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (this podcast) and then put the action items into practice. Share your work with us via Twitter or hello@catalystsale.com Invest in a Catalyst Sale course - self directed. Find our courses here  Hire us as a consultant/advisor within your team or organization  Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@ca

On this episode, Mike is joined by Chris Ronzio. Chris is the Founder and CEO of Trainual. They discuss entrepreneurship, company culture and growing your business.  Questions Answered: What are the different stages of being an entrepreneur? Why is there a negative connotation to being self-employed? How can we improve communication with peers? How can we create a company culture with a remote staff? How can we scale our business? Why do we struggle with scaling? How do you create focus? Key Takeaways: Investing in experiences for your team gives them trust that they can communicate with each other. Quarterly Planning retreats, monthly outings, etc...set the foundation for communication following the interactions. It is crucial to have an open line of communication. Physical events, meeting together is very important to maintain a strong culture with a remote staff. Do It, Document It, Delegate It®. This is how you clone yourself. It sounds simple, but you need to follow the process for everything in your

On this episode, Mike is joined by Dr. J.J. Peterson, Chief of Teaching and Facilitation at StoryBrand and Co-Author of Marketing Made Simple. They discuss sales funnels, narrative marketing and story.  Questions Answered: Is now a good time to build a Sales Funnel? What are the 3 steps to a Sales Funnel? What exactly is a Sales Funnel? What does a narrative approach mean? How do we build better call to actions? Is team alignment important? Key Takeaways: Implementation is key. Start doing something. A sales funnel is the path you take customers through when building a relationship. A sales funnel should have 3 levels: curiosity, enlightenment and commitment. Start with a one-liner to gain curiosity. Your website needs to be clear and compelling when telling customers what you do.  A narrative approach clearly articulates what your customer wants and what problems you can overcome for them.  When story follows a path, people engage more. Collaboration is so important. When your internal customers “buy-in”

On this episode, Mike and Jody discuss using decision making frameworks, and how they apply to thinking, making decisions, and execution. Questions Answered: What are the things that get in the way of effective decision making? How do we avoid some of those challenges? What are some decision making frameworks? How does using a framework help us in our Sales roles? What do decisions look like with no framework in place? How do we get started using a framework? Key Takeaways: Use appropriate frameworks to help with decision making - the Franklin T, the Eisenhower box, etc.. "Do your best and forgive yourself" - Admiral Payne It’s important to be optimistic Decision frameworks can help us remove emotion Decision frameworks can help us to have a more critical eye Test different things to see what works for you Try using a sales process Test and determine the patterns you see within your business.  Show Links: Dan Cockerell Podcast - Episode 92 Demystify Sales - the course Thank You  Please send listener que

On this episode, Mike is joined by Max Altschuler. Max is the VP of Marketing at Outreach, Founder of Sales Hacker and fellow Sun Devil! #ForksUp. They discuss empathy and things to consider when working with customers during a crisis.  Questions Answered: What inspired Max’s LinkedIn Post about Sales? How can you build trust and rapport digitally? How do you help your team during times like these? Key Takeaways: If you don’t understand basic EQ, you are going to miss the mark. Work on building a long-term relationship. Now is a critical time to build trust. In crisis, leadership has to stand up and be thoughtful about how they are leading their teams. Lead with empathy in your messaging, don’t be as aggressive.  Be purposeful in who you are contacting right now.  Show Links: https://www.outreach.io https://www.saleshacker.com Max on LinkedIn Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought t

This week, Mike and Jody discuss marketing and the how-to’s of building landing/sales pages.  Questions Answered: How do you distinguish between what works in the market and what you like to see when building landing pages? What belief has led people to draw out long landing pages? What are some common design mistakes people make? When you refer to the offer, what is that? Is there an order to the landing/sales page? Do you create different pages for different personas? Key Takeaways: To some degree people who are like you, will also like to see what you like when looking at a landing page. It’s not easy to make a decision to spend money, sometimes you want more information. If someone is on the fence, more information is not a bad thing. It helps to have bullet points, headlines, pictures and testimonials If price scares them away, that’s ok. It probably wasn’t for them right now anyway. Understand where the best real estate is for call to action buttons - top right corner. What you are offering people ne

On this episode, Mike is joined by Steve Anderson. Steve is the author of The Bezos Letters. Questions Answered: How does Amazon do it? How are they growing? What is your approach to research? Why do we struggle going deeper? How do we work on understanding our flywheel? How do we make the complex simple? What does it mean to be dynamic? Key Takeaways: Bezos is the master of risk. He understands that businesses have to take risks if they are going to grow. All research starts with a question. You need to be curious. Interpretations help you go deeper. Keep asking “why” 5 times in hopes of getting to the core problem. Amazon’s flywheel isn’t necessarily your flywheel. It is hard to implement - every piece of the flywheel has to be working right. Treat every morning like it is your first day in business. As a business becomes successful, they tend to stop iterating. They need to be constantly watching how customers are changing. Dynamic means it is happening all the time. Core to being dynamic is experimenta

This is the tenth in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Execution is a topic that is really important to me.  Specifically helping people, teams, and organizations get better at execution.  I've asked Brent to rejoin me to ask the questions this time.    Questions Addressed What is Execution? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Execution? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about execution in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about execution in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links Listen to the Entire Series - Share this Link Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitt

This is the ninth in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Eric is the Chief Operating Officer of TeamSupport, expert in support and customer experience, and a friend.     Questions Addressed What is Support? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Support? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about support in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about support in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links TeamSupport Blog CustomerThink.com https://asponline.com Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can

In this episode, Mike and Jody discuss clarity and focus and the importance of both in Sales, Business, and Life.  We are including this in the topic specific curated list - because of the focus on two important topics.  This was recorded prior to the series launched last week, however I believe the content is relevant. Questions Answered: What is the difference between clarity and focus? How do they improve what we do? What is the impact of clarity and focus in Sales? How people can work with Catalyst Sale. Key Takeaways: Clarity - quality of being easily understood Focus - Center of activity or attention They provide us with a framework to use when making decisions Clarity and focus can help us make better decisions when we are forced to make a decision on where we are going to spend time, energy, or attention. Clarity gives focus and focus gives clarity - they go hand in hand Clarity and focus help you improve communication with your customers  Work With Catalyst Sale: Listen to our free resource (thi

This is the seventh in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Myra is awesome, she is a creator, a curator, and collaborator.  We have connected a couple of times at various learning conferences and through twitter chats.  This is the first time she has been on the podcast, and it will not be the last.   Questions Addressed What is Collaboration? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Collaboration? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about collaboration in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about collaboration in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links Myra's Pinterest List of Resources Myra on Twitter Thank You  Please send listener questions an

This is the sixth in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Jeff Noel is a friend, podcaster, speaker, and educator.  He knows mindset, and he joins me today to discuss it.   Questions Addressed What is Mindset? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Mindset? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Mindset in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Mindset in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links If Disney Ran Your Life Podcast Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn more about Cataly

This is the fifth in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Lee Cockerell is a retired executive with the Walt Disney Company, and someone who has battled with anxiety and depression, and is winning the fight. Questions Addressed What is Anxiety? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Anxiety? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Anxiety in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Anxiety in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links Creating Magic Podcast Dealing with Anxiety Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by

This is the fourth in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Jody Maberry is a friend, podcaster, producer, marketer, and former park ranger.  He knows communication, and he joins me today to discuss it.   Questions Addressed What is Communication? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Communication? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Communication in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Communication in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links Jody Maberry Show Come Rain or Shine Podcast If Disney Ran Your Life Podcast Creating Magic Podcast Catalyst Sale Podcast Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsa

This is the third in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Dan Cockerell is publishes the Come Rain or Shine Podcast weekly, and he is a retired executive with the Walt Disney Company.  He joins me today to discuss Leadership.   Questions Addressed What is Leadership? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Leadership? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Leadership in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Leadership in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? How important is reflection as a leader? Show Links Come Rain or Shine Podcast Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter,

This is the second in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Brent Schlenker is a community builder, and founder of the Learn Train.  He joins me today to discuss Community.   Questions Addressed What is Community? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Community? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Community in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Community in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? What is the connection between Community and Connecting? Show Links Brent on Twitter The Learn Train Community Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This

This is the first in a series of short episodes where we will focus on specific topics that are relevant to today's working environment.  Many of us are making the transition to remote work, working from home, leading distributed teams, navigating our own personal experiences.  Dr. Erin Weiss is Clinical Psychologist, practicing in the Houston area.  She joins me today to discuss Empathy.   Questions Addressed What is Empathy? What are some common mistakes we make when thinking about Empathy? Why do we make these mistakes? How can we avoid these mistakes? How does this change when thinking about Empathy in the context of working from home or remote work? How does this change when thinking about Empathy in the context of Teams, Customers, and Self? Show Links David and Ehrin on the Sales Success Podcast Dr. David Burns Dr. Kristin Neff Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by

Sales Career Guide Mike is joined by Andy Racic and David Weiss authors of Your Definitive Sales Career Guide. On this episode they discuss why they decided to write a book about a career in sales, and how to execute if this is something you are interested in exploring. Questions Asked: Why do people avoid the Sales Profession? It seems as though colleges are starting to bring in Sales Programs, will this trend continue? What are some of the messages in the book that are resonating with professors? How do you distinguish between Sales and Marketing? What are the gaps that this book fills? Who should buy the book? Key Takeaways: Several myths still hover over the Sales profession People generally don’t have an understanding of what modern professional Sales is Schools are interested as the importance of the Sales function within a company becomes more apparent Sales can be a great foundational career. Being in Sales teaches you several cross-functional skills Marketing tends to be one to many whereas Sales

Ford vs Ferrari - Discussion with Jeff Bajorek  This week on the Jeff Bajorek joins Mike to discuss one of the best movies of 2019 - Ford vs Ferrari.  They share lessons that you can apply to Sales, Business, and Life, that come from the meeting. He's Jeff Bajorek - he'll help you rethink the way you sell®. I'm Mike Simmons - I build sales machines. Key Takeaways Put yourself in the shoes of your customer, employee, team. Ride alongs are important. Ask questions to confirm context. Live to fight another day. It's about the team. Do the Work. Show Links jeffbajorek.com The Why & The Buy Podcast - http://thewhyandthebuy.com/  Jeff's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jeffbajorek Jeff's Website - https://www.jeffbajorek.com/  Catalyst Sale Link Tree Mike's Twitter - https://twitter.com/simmons_m Ford v Ferrari Thank You  Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. This podcast is brought to you by Catalyst Sale - you can learn

Managing Director and Partner, Two Sigma Ventures - Villi Iltchev This week Villi Itchev joins Mike to discuss diversity in experience, investment, entrepreneurship, remote work, and lessons learned.  Villi has a multi-fadeted background to include: investment banking with Merrill Lynch, mergers and acquisition with Salesforce, an executive with Lifelock, and head of strategy with Box.  Questions Discussed How does Villi's background influence his approach to investment and research? How have his experiences rounded out his thinking? How does venture continue to innovate and transform? Why is it a great time to be a founder? What are some common misconceptions around investment? How will venture continue to evolve? What options are there for various types of investment? Why do we get drawn into the idea that we need to take on funding to build out to scale, or I'm less than? How will the future of remote work impact organization growth & culture? What inspired Villi's post on ARR being a vanity metric? H