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Patience Matters in Sales? An aggressive mentality tends to be something we look for when identifying sales potential. It is a characteristic that we reinforce when recognizing top performers and one we tend to highlight during an interview process. What about patience though? Where does patience fit in? Can you be patient and aggressive? Is there a difference between patience when it comes to your career vs how you manage sales cycles? This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast we discuss patience, revealing urgency, and the importance of planning. We also discuss how a lack of patience may be driven by ego, and the risk of letting your ego get in the way. Planning is critical in sales. When it comes to managing sales cycles, a project plan can help you help your customers navigate the decision process. Develop a plan, and work the plan. When it comes to your career, an honest assessment of where you and where you want to go is important to your long term success, and determining if you are on the right track. Thank you Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform. Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get the message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. Sales is a Thinking Process.

Have you ever meet an emotional Sales professional? Emotions are part of the game in life, and certainly in sales. Don't let yourself get too high or too low. If you read the press clippings or listen to the noise, remember that you are never as good as they say you are, nor are you as bad as you might think you are. The inverse also applies. This week on the Catalyst Sale Podcast we talk about the impact success and failure can have on your sales career. We discuss the importance of staying the course and trusting your process. We also discuss why it may be necessary to reevaluate your process. One of the worst mistakes a sales rep can make is to allow a slump, a stall, or a loss prevent them for future success. The second worst mistake is allowing success to take their eye off the ball, and lose focus. Remember - the only constant is change. Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform. Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get the message out to the community. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. Sales is a Thinking Process.

Listener Question - What are some best practices when working with a recruiter? Mike Conner is back this week, he and I tackle a listener question from Max in California. Max is interested in our perspective on working with recruiters. Specifically best practices, best approach & some ideas around what has worked for us in the past. Recruiters - they can be the key to a successful job hunt, or the perceived that prevents success. Mike Simmons and Mike Conner discuss best practices when working with recruiters, and how to identify a great recruiter, on this weeks episode. We also discuss some horror stories we have experienced as part of a hiring project we are currently working on. It is amazing how early career sales professionals (and even those later in our careers) can miss the easy things. We share some general thoughts on the importance of finding a good fit when working with a recruiter, why building a relationship is critical, and how you should treat this like you would any other complex sale you have managed. A good recruiter can be worth their weight in gold. If the foundation is not based on trust and clear expectations, how can you expect them to execute? Please let us know if you would like us to have a recruiting expert join us on a future episode of the Podcast. Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform. Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get the message out to the community. Also, thank you for listening to this week's podcast. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. Sales is a Thinking Process.

Guest - Ira Bernstein - Founder, Rampt Consulting Ira Bernstein joins us on the Catalyst Sale Podcast this week to discuss onboarding - what works, where to start, common errors, and how to reduce risk. Mike and I also share our experience with companies we have worked for and with, while Ira fills in the blanks and shares his expertise. Organizations who onboard effectively, establish outcomes, create a plan, execute, and look at learning as on an ongoing experience. It doesn't need to happen in 2 weeks, what if it happens over a 2 month period? Perspective is critical - start first with where you want the employee to be. Questions we address What's the purpose of assessment in the onboarding process? How do you test for desired behavior? What about manager accountability? Where does onboarding fit? Is there value in the designer "carrying a bag"? Key Takeaways When considering building your onboarding program - design with an expected set of outcomes. Determine if knowledge transfer is occurring - set tests to validate assumptions. Beware of jargon, and focus on what you want them to learn. As an example - How often do you want them to use the acronyms in their engagement with the customer base? Simplifying the onboarding process - can have a positive impact. Thank you for sharing this episode. If you like what you heard, please provide a rating and/or review via Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. Show Links Rampt Consulting Ira's LinkedIn Profile Blog Post - https://ramptconsulting.com/4-signs-your-sales-onboarding-program-is-broken/ Blog Post - https://ramptconsulting.com/youre-limiting-hiring-pool-dont-even-know/ ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via Apple Podcasts Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach, how we help organizations validate and identify product market fit and break through plateaus, you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Contact us today to learn more.

Host Question - What is an SSI Score? Jody threw us a curveball this week, with his own question. He has heard Mike and I give each other a hard time about our individual SSI score, and finally asked - what is an SSI score? This prompted a discussion and a Catalyst Sale Research Project. There's an old saying in business - "Be careful what you measure, because what you measure is what you will get". In sales the sales profession, we measure a number of things - from booked revenue, which is a lagging indicator of success, to several leading indicators tied to sales process velocity and opportunity valuations based on sales process execution. We discussed some of these metrics on a previous podcast with Matt Ostanik On this week's episode of the Catalyst Sale Podcast, we discuss a research project we are kicking off at Catalyst Sale. We are interested in gathering industry data on the LinkedIn SSI score. Is there a direct correlation between the SSI score and individual or team sales performance? Is there an ideal SSI score? Important Links What's your SSI score? - Click here this link to find out What is the SSI? Catalyst Sale SSI Survey for Sales Professionals Catalyst Sale SSI Survey for Sales Leadership Catalyst Sale SSI Landing Page - Fill this out if you would like the results. Thank you for participating in the survey. We will share the results with all participants who provide their contact information. Data will be reported anonymously. Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform. Ratings & reviews help others discover the podcast - thank you for helping us get the message out to the community. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. Sales is a Thinking Process.

Guest - Matt Ostanik - Founder, CEO, FunnelWise Matt Ostanik is our guest on this week's podcast. Matt is the CEO of FunnelWise. He previously founded and grew Submittal Exchange, a provider of web-based collaboration tools for commercial construction projects. In a five-year period, Matt grew the company from two employees to more than 100 and more than 100,000 users of their software. He sold Submittal Exchange to Textura Corporation (NYSE: TXTR) in 2011 and remained its president. He served on the executive team at Textura when the company completed a successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013. We discuss the relationship between Sales & Marketing in organizations, including... What works in data in marketing and sales. How consistency in vocabulary can help. The Revenue Funnel Science Framework How "Your Data Always Tells a Story" The risks associated with confirmation bias What should your data do (i.e answer 1 question, ask 2 more) Matt and I discuss these topics and more on this week's episode of the Catalyst Sale podcasts. With tools like funnel Thank you for sharing this episode. If you like what you heard, please provide a rating and/or review via Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. Show Links Revenue Funnel Science - https://www.funnelwise.com/revenue-funnel-science/ FunnelWise site - https://www.funnelwise.com/ Data - Disconnect between Sales & Marketing - Catalyst Sale Matt Ostanik on Twitter - @funnelwisematt FunnelWise on Twitter - @funnelwise Learn More About FunnelWise Since FunnelWise launched in early 2014, we have created a single source of truth for sales and marketing to rely on for revenue funnel metrics, allowing businesses to determine future outcomes, set attainable goals and predict revenue. But it's our discipline, Revenue Funnel Science, and our dedicated team of experts who have established FunnelWise as the industry leader in full-funnel intelligence. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach, how we help organizations validate and identify product market fit and break through plateaus, you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Contact us today to learn more. ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via Apple Podcasts Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.

Listener Question - Proposal Templates This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast we review another listener question. Lynn asks about proposal templates, and if it is common to use templates that are more focused on the vendor's business than the customer. In her organization, they use a template that focuses on their business and the market, and wonders if this is the right approach. Unfortunately, yes, this is far too common these days. Proposals many times are re-used, each one building off the most recent successful version. Should you use a proposal template for your customers? It depends, in a highly transactional business a proposal template might make sense. This would include scenarios where someone is purchasing off-the-shelf materials like staples, paper clips, paper, etc. Can you formalize the approach to proposals without templates? Yes, the structure can be formalized, but not the content. The content should be delivered in the context of what you know about your customer. On this week's episode, we discuss how we structure proposals within the Catalyst Sale process, how we apply this across our customer base, and why it works. Share your proposal approach with us via hello@catalystsale.com we are interested in seeing what works for your organization, how your customers respond to your approach, and why you have taken this approach. We will share examples on a future podcast episode, and may have you on as a guest. Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Thank you for rating and reviewing the podcast via iTunes, Google Play, or your favorite podcast platform. Catalyst Sale Service Offerings Growth Acceleration - Plateau Breakthrough Product Market Fit ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. Sales is a Thinking Process.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work John Maxwell famously wrote, "Teamwork makes the dream work". This is critical to our success as individual sale reps (account executives, account managers, SDRs, BDRs, sales leaders), and to Catalyst Sale as an organization. This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast we talk about the importance of partnerships in business, and how finding the right business partners allows you to divide and conquer when necessary. A good partnership, where the same skills are shared by those involved, can help you amplify your capabilities when needed. In sales, and in life, it is important to leverage the strengths of the team. The collective intelligence of the group provides an opportunity to learn from experience, minimize failures, prevent stalls, and increase your success. A couple of important points discussed on today's episode include Identifying your internal partners Building Rapport (also discussed with Dan Tyre) The importance of diversity in partnerships (Dan Peter) Never failing alone Building your partnerships network before you need it. We would love to hear from you. What are you doing in your organization today to foster a culture that leverages partnerships? What partners have made an impact in your career? How do you identify partners in your organization? What impact can the community have on establishing partnerships? Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach, how we help organizations validate and identify product market fit and break through plateaus, you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Contact us today to learn more. ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.

Guest - Drew D'Agostino - Founder, Crystal Knows This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast Drew D'Agostino, Founder, Crystal Knows joins us to talk about building trust with your customers, prospects, team members by understanding their perspective, tendencies, and personality type. Crystal Knows is embedded into our sales technology stack at Catalyst Sale. We discuss how we use this technology to prepare for meetings, and communicate in general. Our sales team and the teams we work with perform better as a result of this tool. Crystal Knows is part of our call planning process. Drew discusses how various personality types can work well together, and where conflict can occur. We discuss common behaviors/tendencies of each of the 4 DISC profiles and touch on a couple of the 64 combinations of DISC profiles. Why DISC Because it teaches empathy. Empathy is the ability to share and understand another person's feelings. To employ empathy is to be able to view another perspective in an authentic way. The DISC personality assessment is the best resource for an individual to understand how to cater their behavior to the situation. The DISC framework gives us a more flexible, adaptive assessment and tools to understand and communicate more effectively as you go about your busy, hectic life. To employ empathy is to be able to view another perspective in an authentic way. Impact on Building Trust, Rapport, and Improving Relationships The more you learn about the other types, the better you can understand how to remain approachable, how to be more assertive, how to lower your guard, and how to attract others to get your ideas heard. As you improve communication, you can build rapport, accelerate trust, and build better relationships. Learn More About Crystal Knows Crystal helps you communicate more effectively. They build email and business apps on top of the largest, most accurate public personality database on the web. You can learn more about Crystal Knows by going to their website. http://crystalknows.com/ On their website you can create your Crystal Knows profile, completed your DISC assessment, learn about the application of DISC in the workplace, and search for people you know. You can also connect with Drew via twitter @drewdagostino Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach, how we help organizations validate and identify product market fit and break through plateaus, you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Contact us today to learn more. ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.

Listener Question - Mentoring on the Job This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast we review a listener topic. Spencer asked if we could discuss the importance of having a good mentor as a new rep OR a seasoned rep starting with a new company or in a new industry. It is through mentoring programs and job shadowing programs that organization information can be passed down from person to person, and generation to generation. It is also through these programs that creativity can be inspired, relationships can be built, knowledge can be passed quickly, and a catalyst for innovation can occur. If these programs are set up poorly, or the mentor/mentee match is mishandled, the results can be rough. Should you implement a job shadowing or mentoring program in your Sales Org? The short answer - it depends. Should you have a formal or informal mentoring program? Again, it depends. We discuss why you may want to consider a formal mentoring or job shadowing program, even if culturally it may not seem like the best fit. We share personal experiences with mentors who helped us throughout our career and end with some important tips for both mentors & mentees. Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach or building a mentoring program, you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. Contact us today to learn more. ---------------------- Subscribe to the Catalyst Sale Podcast Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Google Play Catalyst Sale In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. Sales is a Thinking Process.