Find My Catalyst Podcast

Key Performance Indicators - what works, what does not, and where to start This week we have a listener question from Jared in Florida. Jared is questioning the KPIs that are being measured by the organization and wonders how to determine if you are measuring the right things. We discuss some common errors when creating KPIs, general best practices, and some practical examples. We also discuss how KPIs can be established outside of sales, and be used to measure other aspects of the organization's success. When we think of these metrics we usually begin with the end in mind. We identify the desired behavior(s), desired state, and some of the key milestones that are necessary to demonstrate progress. It is important to understand what we expect to see to indicate success. KPIs provide a data-driven measurement of performance that goes beyond feelings or intuition. When tracked consistently, they provide a great look into the rearview mirror as well. Year over year, quarter over quarter, month over month, measured performance can help to identify opportunities in your business. Thank you for listening to this week's podcast. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach, KPI definition, or have a question you would like us to answer on the podcast, you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com schedule a call with us to discuss our practice areas. Schedule a call with us to discuss our practice areas. Please send listener questions and feedback to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn.

Guest - Dan Tyre from HubSpot We are excited to have Dan Tyre join us on this week's episode of the Catalyst Sale Podcast. The conversation went so well, we ended up recording our longest podcast to date. Let us know how you like this format, and who you would like us to invite to join us on the podcast. Dan is a director at HubSpot, entrepreneur multiple times over & inbound expert. We cover the do's and don't's when thinking about outreach and connecting with your prospects. Building rapport - It isn't just small talk, it is important. Invest your time in the information gathering phase, and it will pay dividends. When thinking about the connect call - don't use this as your opportunity to qualify - You have not earned the right to do so. It is so important to get the person on the other end talking, and focus on the positive. So many times reps miss with this step. They start with their agenda, or talking about their company. Be helpful. If you are not researching, you don't deserve the person on the other end to pick-up the phone. The connect call is focused on helping, be human, provide context. Be an effective warm caller, by investing time into your prospects. What's the best time to call your prospects? What's the best time to send an email? How many voicemails should you leave before expecting a response? Why does Dan recommend calling early in the morning? Very few people take this from the perspective of respect. Remember, you are an executive speaking to an executive. Put yourself in front of your customers as one human being to another. Dan and Mike share their experience, a number of best practices, and ultimately an approach that you can apply today to get results. You can connect with Dan directly via Twitter (@dantyre), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dantyre01/) or via the email mentioned in the podcast. If you have questions about the Catalyst Sale approach, or would like to discuss how Inbound Marketing teams and Sales can work better together you can reach us at hello@catalystsale.com Listener questions are great, please send them to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. 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.

Plateau Breakthrough Practice Area Catalyst Sale has multiple services we deliver to the marketplace. This is the second in a series of podcasts where we share our capabilities. In this episode, we discuss Breaking through Revenue Plateaus, and our approach to identifying gaps and risk from the perspective of People, Technology, and Process. CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Board members, Advisors, Investors, Controllers, struggle with this question - "Are we doing everything we can to grow top-line revenue?" The next question is likely - "How do I generate more growth without creating unnecessary risk in my current business?" Followed by - "How can we innovate when it comes to growth?" Can you relate to any of these statements? Single digit or low double digit growth is nice, but it will not get us to where we want to be, in the timeframe we'd like to get there. It has been a while since the team has brought up an idea that is new or innovative. We have invested in a company with a great product, great technical know-how, and a solid revenue track record, but I'm not sure they are ready to scale. Sales is a black box, I'm unable to decipher. As we go through the process we assess readiness. We interview your team, test assumptions, provide objective analysis, and identify gaps in people, technology, process. Think of this as a post-mortem in your sales organization while the business maintains its focus. 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.

Product Market Fit Practice Area Catalyst Sale has multiple services we deliver to the marketplace. This is the first in a series of podcasts where we share our capabilities. In this episode we discuss Product Market Fit, what we mean by breaking things, and how we have helped founders reduce risk by testing assumptions. Founders/CoFounders, entrepreneurs are optimistic when it comes to product market fit. The product you have created may pass the family and friends test, but have you been able to get customers outside of your network to purchase? Can you relate to any of these statements? We've identified product market fit, but… We are not seeing adoption Users do not stay engaged Customers are not spending money Metrics do not align with our original expectations Our Focus changes Quarterly, Monthly, Weekly We don't know where to start We've started, but we are not making progress As we go through the process we assess readiness. We test assumptions, identify use cases, and test these use cases in real world scenarios outside of the bubble. Schedule a Product Market Fit discussion with Catalyst Sale We look forward to speaking with you. ---------------------- 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.

Objections are common in the sales process. A number of sales training companies offer best practices in handling objections and ways to avoid objections. Sometimes it is important to raise the objection. Common objections include price, influence, time, budget, competitive capabilities. Sometimes the objection is less common. Even worse, the objection might be silent. Mike & I share our approach when it comes to objection handling, how we have trained our teams to handle the objection, and the mistakes you will want to avoid. Humanize the process, continue to provide value, and don't answer your objections with a list of information your client/prospect can pull out of the FAQs. If someone tells you that "every objection can be overcome" they are probably selling you on some "technique", and not the process. Roleplay and game planning should play an important role in your objection handling approach. As we have said before (Ben Franklin) - failure to plan is a plan to fail. Assumptions lay a quick path to Failure If you walk away with one takeaway from this podcast - Don't make assumptions when it comes to listening to objections, or responding to those objections. Listener questions are great, please send them to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. 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 do you mean by "Sales is a Thinking Process?" It's more than just our tagline, it's a guiding concept of ours. We have not found a substitute for thinking, and hopefully, we never do. On this week's episode of the Catalyst Sale Podcast, we answer Val's question about sales as a thinking process. We discuss some common misperceptions, challenges, and our approach at Catalyst Sale. A thoughtful process applies to sales in general, we address the importance of business acumen and putting the customer first in the context of b2b sales. We also hit on the tee-ball culture, desire for things to be easy, and the constant pursuit for a silver bullet that helps get a deal done. There are no easy buttons, there are no shortcuts, competition and sales require work. We really enjoy listener questions, please send them to hello@catalystsale.com or contact us directly on twitter, facebook or LinkedIn. 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.

Dan Peter joins us on this week's Catalyst Sale Podcast. Dan is a Salesforce MVP, and Lead Applications Engineer at Kenandy. Dan started his Salesforce development career in 2009, and is an active leader in the Salesforce community. Connect with @DanielJPeter on twitter, or look for him at the next Bay Area Salesforce Developer Meetup. We discuss a number of topics including Ohana at Salesforce, the importance of diversity, women in technology, and AI. Links to additional information regarding many of the topics we discuss follow. Bay Area Salesforce Developer Group https://www.meetup.com/ForceDotCom/ https://twitter.com/forcedevmeetup Snowforce (Salt Lake City, UT) conference recap: https://macgyverforce.com/2017/03/26/snowforce-2017-the-salesforce-crossroads-of-the-west/ Punta Dreamin' (Punta del Este, Uruguay) conference recap: https://macgyverforce.com/2017/04/23/a-salesforce-conference-in-uruguay-yes/ Listing of all the Salesforce community conferences https://allthedreamin.wordpress.com/ Salesforce Trailhead "Cultivate Equality at Work" https://trailhead.salesforce.com/trails/champion_workplace_equality Women in Technology Sandy Kurtzig - https://www.kenandy.com/leadership/sandy-kurtzig/ About Us Page - https://www.kenandy.com/about/ Salesforce Einstein - The impact of AI on data, and creating Superhuman capabilities. https://www.salesforce.com/products/einstein/overview/ Catalyst Sale Sales is a Thinking Process. Our sales process includes Validation, Qualification, Fit, and Feasibility, Proposal, Closed Won & the Confirmation Step. You can learn more about Catalyst Sale by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, & via the Catalyst Sale Website.

Listener Question - Should you force the demo? Mike from New Jersey asks about using demos as a key metric in measuring the sales team success. Be careful what you ask for. When managing teams, you tend to get what you measure. If you and your team are compensated based on the number of demos that your team delivers, this may be a good metric. If your focus is on revenue, this may not be the best metric to focus on. This week Mike & Mike share their approach get into a deep discussion around demoing, the timing of the demo, personalization for the customer, demo loops, and many of the common mistakes made when you rush to demo. Thanks for listening and for sharing our podcast with your team. Catalyst Sale Sales is a Thinking Process. Our sales process includes Validation, Qualification, Fit, and Feasibility, Proposal, Closed Won & the Confirmation Step. You can learn more about Catalyst Sale by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, & via the Catalyst Sale Website.

Where do you start when planning an effective Sales Training Event or Global Sales Meeting. At Catalyst Sale, we start with the following questions. What is the current state? What is the desired state? What are your gaps? How will you execute? How will you follow-up and hold the team accountable? Who are the experts in your organization that you can lean on? There are no Silver Bullets, but there are some practical experiences you can put your team through to help improve performance. Effective training, sales or otherwise, includes the delivery of information, an opportunity to demonstrate retention/application of the new skill, and a chance to test and retest the concepts in a simulated environment. Unfortunately, most organizations stop here, reps go home, training is not reinforced, and the team operates the way they always have. This week Mike & Mike share their approach in planning sales meeting, implementing new sales training programs, and some background on this Catalyst Sale area of practice. Thanks for listening & for sharing with your team. Catalyst Sale Sales is a Thinking Process. Our sales process includes Validation, Qualification, Fit, and Feasibility, Proposal, Closed Won & the Confirmation Step. You can learn more about Catalyst Sale by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, & via the Catalyst Sale Website.

Listener Question - Customer Churn Churn is inevitable. It should be considered in your business planning, as it is something most organizations experience on a monthly basis. What if you are a rep though, and something happens beyond your control? How do you get things back on track? What happens if you need to take one step backward in order to move things forward? Let's say you are an Account Manager or Customer Success Manager, and you find that the Account Executive over promised, now you are under delivering. Or, maybe the customer's perspective of what they purchased has changed. Maybe you are dealing with a new decision maker, or there is a disconnect between the original decision maker and the team tasked with implementing. At Catalyst Sale, we are focused on the long game. This week a listener question draws attention to the things that happen beyond your control, and when it makes sense to recommend that a client reduces their investment with your organization. We also review why it is important to factor in churn as you work through your budget planning process, and when is the right time to discuss it. Catalyst Sale Sales is a Thinking Process. Qualification, Fit, and Feasibility are core components of our sales process. You can learn more about Catalyst Sale via our website. or by following us on LinkedIn, Twitter, & the Catalyst Sale Website.