Episodit
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In this episode of the Centricity podcast, our host, Will Riley, meets with Eddie Yoon, one of the authors of The 22 Laws of Category Design: Name & Claim Your Niche, Share Your POV, And Move The World From Where It Is To Somewhere Different. They talk about the ultimate business strategy - category design - which uses a passion for change and the need to upend the status quo to drive innovation and growth.
Category Design - The Ultimate Strategy
Instead of competing against other businesses or trying to come out at the top of your field, category design is about competing against the status quo. Companies that subscribe to a “Be Different” mentality grow quickly, but many are too risk-averse to go in this direction. Leaders in these businesses care deeply about their products and believe in what the company produces - they’re frustrated by current societal standards and want to create change.Types of Category Designers
Accidental designers are those who create something great that explodes but don’t know why and can’t replicate their success. Serial designers are innovators who consistently create successful products that they support and care about.Resources
Reach out to Eddie via email at [email protected]
Follow Eddie on Twitter @eddiewouldgrow
The 22 Laws of Category Design by Category Pirates, Christopher Lochhead, Eddie Yoon, Katrina Kirsch, Nicolas Cole - pick it up on Amazon
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In this episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Will Riley meets with Jeremy Miner, author of The New Model of Selling: Selling to an Unsellable Generation. They discuss meeting new challenges as a seller
It’s Time For Sellers to Adapt
More than ever before, consumers have access to plenty of information about all of the products people are trying to sell to them. They no longer need a salesperson to be their consultant.
It’s good to learn about foundational elements of sales from older books, but they focus on “transactional selling,” which is less and less relevant.
Prospects are used to being sold to. When they hear “salesy” talk, they shut down - sellers need to build actual trust with prospects through tonality and asking the right questions.
Moving Beyond Logic
When a seller seems aggressive or desperate, prospects shut down. Using different tones and facial expressions, you can open them up.
Prospects are predisposed to say “no” when you start selling to them. Ask them questions like, “Are you opposed to discussing this further?” Make the ‘no’ work for you!
Stay away from surface-level questions if you are interested in deeper answers.
Resources
SalesRevolution.pro
To dig deeper into these topics and many more, pick up a copy of The New Model of Selling: Selling to an Unsellable Generation by Jeremy Miner and Jerry Acuff on BarnesandNoble.com.
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In this episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Will Riley meets with Connor Jeffers, the founder and CEO of Aptitude 8 and hapily. They dig deep into digital systems and get specific about finding a tech stack that finds a balance between sophistication and efficiency.
Choosing a Solution
Consultative sellers have to understand the pain and needs of the companies they’re working with, because buyers may not exactly know the terminology for what they actually want.
A8 helps customers create what they want to build, and then they build it. On the other hand, hapily offers standard functionality and if you have needs beyond that, you will need to seek them elsewhere.
Independent Software Vendor vs Systems Integrator
Aptitude 8, for all intents and purposes, an integrator. While they can create a setup entirely through HubSpot, but they do end up integrating, especially for larger companies.
Security-wise, they have access to a lot of data. They have systems in place to ensure that data is safe.
When working with big organizations, there is a responsibility to ensure that the new systems work better than the original. There is a lot of risk involved for the organization.
Takeaways About Sales/Marketing
Learn about relational databases, software models, etc. to ramp up your understanding of what you’re selling in general.
Get educated on APIs. You don’t necessarily need to be a coder to have a basic grasp on what an API is!
Resources
Connect with Connor Jeffers on LinkedIn
Aptitude8.com
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In this episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Sean Doyle meets with Cecilia Lang Ree, the Senior Product Manager at Biolinq. They discuss applying behavior science to create more effective, successful marketing strategies.
Why Apply Behavior Science to Marketing?
This gives marketing professionals a science-based framework to start from when creating profiles of their prospects rather than relying on trial and error. People are often motivated by unconscious factors – even if you’re surveying them and getting responses, they may not be able to tell you a complete picture of what they’re experiencing and why. The transtheoretical model maps out how people experience changes in behavior. Marketers need to be familiar with the stages of behavior change in order to have targeted techniques throughout the buyer journey.The Bridge Between Awareness and Action
Awareness is not enough to change people’s behavior. Understanding intrinsic motivation can help us develop a step-by-step process that can take someone from knowing about your product to choosing to purchase.Getting Started
Get excited about the science. Learn it and teach it to anyone who is interested. Cecilia lists some of her favorite resources - see below!Resources
Connect with Cecilia Lang-Ree on LinkedIn!
What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You by Melina Palmer
Using Behavioral Science in Marketing by Nancy Harhut
Start at the End by Matt Wallaert
Changing for Good by James O. Prochaska
BehavioralScientists.org
Irrational Labs
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In this episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Sean Doyle sits down with Ian Altman, author of Same Side Selling, to talk through the three most damaging sales tactics. Tune in to hear the importance of understanding and solving the buyer’s problems, focusing on results, and building buyer trust through tactful language.
Focusing on Features and Benefits
Lead with exploring the “symptoms” the buyer may be dealing with rather than trying to solve a problem they don’t know they have.
Focus on meeting your client’s goals and how your product will deliver those results.
BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Time Sensitivity)
Focusing on these types of questions creates a “salesy” atmosphere and puts the client in an adversarial position, which causes sellers to lose buyer trust.
It’s okay to discuss needs and time sensitivity, but if you start with budget and authority, you’ve already put your buyer on the defensive.
If you want to talk about budget, instead, try bringing up the costs of NOT addressing the issues your product will solve.
Forgetting the Buyer
Know what problem you solve and present that to your contact at whatever level they’re at in the industry.
Align with marketing to understand your buyer and their needs better. If marketing tools aren’t useful, let the marketing team know so they can help you!
Resources:
http://ianaltman.com
http://samesideselling.com
Pick up Ian’s book, Same Side Selling: A Radical Approach to Break Through Sales Barriers, on Amazon!
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In this episode of The Centricity Podcast, our host Will Riley has Joseph Seo back on the podcast to discuss 5 AI you don’t know about (yet). Seo is the Principal Co-founder at Visual Lime Creative and Revenue Operations Specialist at Fitzmartin. Listen to their episode, “ChatGPT for B2B”, if you’d like to hear more from Will and Joseph!
Chatbots
ChatBots are becoming more intuitive. While they can’t replace support teams, they are great for triaging support needs.
Copywriting Support
Seo recommends trying ChatGPT-4, Writer, and Jasper. The differences are mostly about UI, so it’s worth testing them to see what works for you.
Audio/Video
Midjourney has plenty of casual applications, but Seo doesn’t use it for business.
Resources
Follow Fitzmartin on LinkedIn so you never miss an episode with Joe!
For more on AI, listen to Joe and Will’s episode “ChatGPT for B2B”
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In this episode of The Centricity Podcast, our host Sean Doyle meets with Timothy Hughes to discuss the power of social selling. Hughes is the author of Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers, and he creates regular content for his 32,000 LinkedIn followers. Listen in to hear how social selling can impact your organization and your sales team.
Social Selling
Human Content
How to Get Started
Resources
Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
Get your copy of Tim Hughes’ book “Social Selling” on Amazon!
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In this episode of The Centricity Podcast, our host Will Riley meets with Joseph Seo for Part 3 of our series on cookies (if you haven’t yet, check out Part 1 and Part 2). Seo is a seasoned marketer who brings his expertise and research-driven approach to marketing strategy to this conversation about the end of third-party tracking and the way companies and agencies alike will have to evolve.
Adjusting to a “Cookieless” Future
The marketing industry won’t collapse, but it will be impacted. One of those impacts has been a boom in programmatic advertising. Contextual advertising, or advertising on pages relevant to your product, is an effective way to market your product that doesn’t rely on cookies. Capture more first-party data from your website, marketing team, and customer service team. Reps will need to gather the data rather than rely on it. Know what kind of data your company uses. If you’re relying on Facebook and Google for your advertising, you may face less extreme changes to your strategy than companies that rely primarily on third-party data.Effective Marketing Without Cookies
First-party data will produce better results than third-party because consumers who volunteer to participate show a higher level of interest and commitment to your product. Programmatic advertising works well for mobile advertising. As people increasingly use their phones to explore web content, D2C marketing can be effective.Current and Forthcoming Impacts
Lower-funnel or late-stage tactics will be impacted first. Industries will now be forced to invest in gathering first-party data. Combining ad testing and brand lift studies will give companies more useful data than cookies, so we will likely see the development of more sophisticated campaigns. If your company is fairly established, consider implementing a data solution like Segment to centralize your data and simplify decision-making.Resources
Don’t forget to check out Parts 1 and 2 of our series on cookies!
Episode 33 The Death of the Cookie: Understanding Internet Privacy PART 1
Episode 34 The Death of the Cookie: Understanding Internet Privacy PART 2
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In today’s episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Sean Doyle meets with NYT-bestselling author Jonah Berger to discuss his book Magic Words. They discuss the science behind the impact of words and how we can increase our impact simply by consciously adjusting how we communicate.
Language of “Identity”
People are more likely to be motivated to do something if they think it reflects who they are or want to become. Berger offers several examples, including one that asked children to “help clean up,” vs. asking them to “be a helper,” and the latter was more effective persuasively. This works for adults, too!“Concrete” Language
When most people make a bold claim, they will “hedge”, or add in language of uncertainty. Berger recommends doing away with hedging and focusing on definite, clear terms if you want to exude confidence.Resources
Magic Words by Jonah Berger on Amazon
For FREE resources on the SPEACC framework, check out Jonah Berger’s website, http://jonahberger.com
If you’d like to connect with Jonah, you can find him @J1Berger on Twitter, or if you search Jonah Berger on LinkedIn!
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In this episode of the Centricity podcast, Sean Doyle meets with Antonia Wade, Global CMO for PwC and the author of Transforming the B2B Buyer Journey: Increase Leads, Maximize Conversion Rates and Build Loyalty. Wade draws on years of experience as a CMO to bring us the truth of what works, even when that flies in the face of what we have been taught.
Moving Beyond the B2B Funnel
The “funnel” is an outdated model that doesn’t take into account the layers of complexity presently involved in the sales process. Multiple stakeholders, decision-makers, and increasingly technical products make the process less straightforward than in years past.
Funnel imagery encourages sellers to move their buyers through the process as quickly as possible without taking time to create relationships, leading to poor customer experiences and low loyalty.
The Future of Marketing
Don’t sacrifice advertising for brand architecture or vice versa. Both are needed to appeal to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Organize your marketing campaign to make data extraction easy. When you offer valuable information to your customers, the information you get back makes these relationships mutually beneficial.
Resources
Pick up Antonia Wade’s book, Transforming the B2B Buyer Journey, on Amazon.
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In today’s episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Sean Doyle meets with Harvey Nix to take a deep dive into the strategic use of AI to creatively add to your sales processes. Nix shares his screen to show you how to write GPT-4 prompts that will get you great output, so check back for the video version of the episode! See the Resources section of the show notes for a FREE Prompt Command Worksheet, CMO Cheat Sheet for ChatGPT, and more!
Augmenting the Sales Process
Asking ChatGPT to write you a form sales e-mail or phone script does NOT play to the strengths of the technology.
Nix has helped teams reach success by implementing clear processes, and he believes AI is best suited to automating processes or making them more efficient, leaving the user more freedom to be creative.
ChatGPT WON’T Replace Sellers
While ChatGPT-4 is more accurate than previous versions, it is still only capable of regurgitating information. Knowledgeable people still need to fact-check it and provide strong parameters.
If you want to use it for shortcuts, AI can help you to an extent. But sellers who can reimagine the selling process using AI will still set themselves apart.
Resources
If you’d like to connect with Harvey Nix, reach out to him on LinkedIn!
What Every CEO Should Know About Generative AI (McKinsey Digital)
CMO Cheat Sheet for ChatGPT
CMO Training - Prompt Command Work Sheet
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In today’s episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Sean Doyle sits down with Izach Porter to discuss navigating M&As as a middle-market companies and maximizing outcomes using proven methods.
Preparing to Be Acquired
Timing Your Partial Exit
If you’d like to connect with Izach Porter, you can find him on LinkedIn, or on social media @ecommporter. -
In today’s episode of the Centricity podcast, our host Will Riley meets with Joseph Seo to talk about ChatGPT and discuss how B2B executives can utilize it in their organizations.
Understanding ChatGPT
Seo says that if you’re afraid of ChatGPT replacing your job, you don’t understand how to use it. ChatGPT is an incredible tool that can be utilized by both salespeople and marketers.
ChatGPT and similar AIs aren’t anything new. Instead, they’re simply becoming more mainstream.
Utilizing ChatGPT
ChatGPT can’t fully replace sales and marketing. However, they can be used to automate more repetitive tasks. Some examples would be creating a presentation, or doing presentation prep.
To maximize your potential with ChatGPT, you have to give it the correct prompts. You only get out as much as you put in.
If you want to connect with Joseph Seo further, you can find him on LinkedIn. -
In today’s episode of Centricity, our host Sean Doyle meets with Rom LaPointe to discuss LaPointe’s guide to aligning sales and marketing, and why it is important.
Marketing and Sales Alignment
If you want your business to be maximally productive, then you have to align sales and marketing. The best way to align sales and marketing is to STOP focusing on sales and marketing. Instead, put the buyer first and make them your central focus. Align sales to the customer, then align marketing to the customer and you’ll achieve sales and marketing alignment. Although sales and marketing alignment is important, there’s also a key distinction between the two: Sales is focused more on the short term while marketing is focused on the long term. To properly align sales and marketing, this discrepancy has to be recognized. LaPointe recommends a similar approach to Navy SEAL teams. Have small, autonomous groups of people who are proficient at both sales and marketing. At the same time, however, keep overall sales and marketing separate but interconnected.If you want to learn more about culture in the workplace, or just want to connect with LaPointe, you can check out his newsletter or blog on his website www.capricornleadership.com or his LinkedIn profile.
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On today's episode of Centricity, our host Sean Doyle sits down with Rom LaPointe, a trusted advisor for CEOs, leadership teams, and boards in achieving ideal performance, cultivating healthy cultures, and attaining results. In part one of this two-part series, Rom shares his insights on creating a healthy company culture and its significance in the workplace.
The Significance of Culture
Culture-related problems and turnover cause a staggering loss of over 223 billion dollars annually. Despite this, many CEOs remain reluctant to invest in cultivating a healthy and enjoyable work environment. To establish a good work culture, employees and team members must be engaged and enthusiastic about their work. They should derive satisfaction and not consider their paychecks as the only motivating factor. Marketing and culture share many similarities. While marketing focuses on presenting products and services to customers and clients, culture emphasizes presenting stories about employees and what it feels like to work at a particular organization. Since the pandemic, remote work has become increasingly common. 58% of employees believe they can work remotely. Although remote work offers certain advantages, working in person has its own unique benefits. LaPointe has found that a combination of both options leads to the best outcomes.If you wish to learn more about workplace culture or connect with LaPointe, his newsletter and blog can be found on his website www.capricornleadership.com, or you can check out his LinkedIn profile.
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Ian Altman is an esteemed business coach and consultant with a proven track record of elevating companies to billion-dollar valuations. In today’s episode of Centricity, our host Sean Doyle sits down with Ian Altman to discuss the fundamentals of Same Side Selling (SSS).
Same Side Selling is a unique approach that prioritizes solving client issues instead of directly selling to them. Instead of your buyer viewing you as an adversary, the SSS approach positions you as being on the same side. This approach is effective because buyers are often apprehensive about trusting sellers who only look out for their own interests. However, they are more likely to trust individuals who genuinely help them to solve their problems.
SSS BasicsBuilding Trust
To implement SSS, the first step is to understand your clients and their problems. This can be achieved by asking relevant questions to gather as much information as possible. Armed with this knowledge, you can then position yourself to provide the best solution to their problems. It is important to note that the focus should not solely be on the sale. Instead, the goal should be to assist your clients in finding a solution that is best suited to their needs.To learn more about Same Side Selling or to connect with Ian Altman, you can visit his websites at www.samesideselling.com and www.ianaltman.com.
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We all know building trust is vital for success as a salesperson and in business. In today’s episode of Centricity, our host Sean Doyle meets with Phil Gerbyshak to discuss the importance of trust, how sellers often miss it, and how to utilize “why now?” questions.
The Importance of Trust
A problem a lot of B2B sellers do is assuming the person they’re talking to is the ultimate decision maker. Instead, sellers need to establish trust to ACTUALLY learn who the ultimate decision maker is. Buyers HAVE to trust sellers before they’ll deliver the information to the decision maker. To help establish this trust, you have to communicate with the client frequently and utilize case studies. The majority of buyers have said that they’re more likely to buy IF there’s a review.Asking “Why Now?”
Another thing B2B sellers have to focus on is why exactly a buyer is currently looking for a solution. Whatever they’re pain point is should take precedence, because solving that pain point is what will help you close the sale. When you’re talking to executive level buyers, the importance of why now conversations grows. Ask the buyer how much they need your product/service by this year or quarter. This builds trust and will help you close the sale.If you want to learn more or get in contact with Phil, you can find him at his website www.philgerby.com or on his LinkedIn profile.
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Microcredentials are becoming a lot more prevalent. In today’s episode of Centricity, our host Will Riley meets with Kevin Dunn to talk about microcredentials and how they can strengthen both sellers AND businesses.
The Value of Microcredentials
Microcredentials For B2B and Executives
You can get your own microcredentials at www.hubspot.com. If you want to contact Kevin Dunn directly, you can reach out to him on both Twitter and LinkedIn. Dunn also hosts his own podcast, the Agency Unfiltered podcast.
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Appealing to the emotional thinking of sellers, executives especially is PARAMOUNT. In today’s episode of Centricity, our host Sean Doyle meets with Tim Riesterer to discuss how you can better optimize your sales and marketing teams to more efficiently meet the revenue goals you’re trying to meet.
How Executive Level Buyers Buy
Oftentimes, executive-level buyers won’t make a decision on whether or not to buy, or flat-out ghost a seller. Riesterer refers to this as the curse of no decision. Most of the reasons executives will give a seller for not buying are actually LIES. The real reason is: The seller didn’t appeal to the executive’s emotional thinking. Buyers ultimately make the decision to purchase something based on both logical AND emotional thinking. You HAVE to appeal to both to actually make the sale. Essentially, the process is broken into two steps. The first step is based on logic. The executive will give you reasons WHY they want to change or want their problem solved. But the actual decision to go THROUGH with this is purely emotional.What Executives Look For
When sellers were asked to give themselves a rating on their performance, most times they gave themselves around a B. Buyers, however, gave these sellers an F rating. Not only do buyers need to be emotionally aroused, but they also need SOMETHING unique from you as a seller. One of the KEY things that buyers want to know is: What are their competition and others like them doing? Think about it, a seller knows your product incredibly well and has met with several different executives or buyers. Buyers, meanwhile, completely understand their problem but don’t know what others like them are doing. They want to know this, however. Executives don’t want you to listen to their issues, then repeat their problem back. They already intimately understand their problem. Instead, they want you to point out things that they DIDN’T know, based on what others like them don’t know or are doing. One of the most POWERFUL tools in your arsenal as a seller is Voyeurism. When meeting with an executive, set benchmarks. Ask the exec how they think they stack up to others, then actually show them how they perform. Tell them how they can improve their performance.Data Insight Question
Another POTENT tool in your arsenal as a seller is data insight questions or DIQ. The data in DIQ highlights the scope of the problem to your seller. Essentially, you’re revealing the true extent of their problem and giving them a REASON to buy your product or service. After providing the data, you then offer insights. Offer some insights on WHY the data looks the way it is, or why things are the way they are. Finally, you ask the question. Ask them whether or not they’re willing to try your product or service, and transfer ownership of the conversation to the buyer. This gets them INVESTED in the conversation.The Importance of Contrast
Buyers come to sellers to address issues they have. However, one of the MAIN factors that determine whether or not a buyer will move through with a sale is: How much will they get out OF the sale? If they get marginally more, or the same, results as they currently are, they WON’T make the sale. You as a seller HAVE to show a noticeable contrast between the buyer’s current state, and their state AFTER buying your product or service.If you want to learn more, or get in touch with Tim Riersterer, you can go to the website www.corporatevisions.com or www.b2bdecisionlabs.com. Tim also has a book, The Sales Expansion, available on Amazon.
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In the US, 1 TRILLION dollars is lost every year because sales and marketing teams don’t coordinate together. In today’s episode of Aligned, our host Sean Doyle meets with Tim Parkin to talk about how to optimize your marketing and sales departments.
The Unpopular Truth
Although people don’t enjoy hearing it, as a consultant, the NUMBER ONE thing Parkin tells clients is: Marketing is processing. Creativity and other factors come into play, but the key aspect of marketing is processing. Having reliable and proven processes to follow is CRITICAl for marketing teams.A Common Language
Beyond processes, another thing that prevents proper coordination between sales and marketing teams is Communication. Sales teams and marketing teams speak two COMPLETELY different languages from each other. There are three different suggestions Parkin has for bridging the language barrier: Having table stakes meetings, hosting revenue operations, and again, having solid processes.Late Stage Marketing
Another issue that prevents marketers from working effectively with sellers is how marketers often step OUT of the process after-sales take over when marketing teams should be involved throughout the ENTIRE sale cycle. In marketing, there’s a concept called centricity. Centricity refers to the client being the CENTER of the sales process. Sellers and marketers have to focus on centricity. Marketers can contribute to the sales cycle by reminding buyers of their current issue and how whatever they’re thinking of buying can solve their issue. When buyers prepare to buy, they’ll often look back on their current situation and avoid making the purchase, because change requires effort.The Monkey Bar Method
Parkin utilizes a technique called the Monkey Bar method whenever he’s working with different clients. He’s seen TREMENDOUS success from it. Essentially, the method focuses on providing buyers with ALL the information they need. Buyers come into sales with a lot of different questions. In one instance, Parkin worked with a trade school that taught students a few different skills. Whenever students would go onto the school’s website, they would find different programs. In the pages for the programs, instead of keeping things short, Parkin gave students an extra page discussing career opportunities for different skills. By focusing on centricity, and offering extra information, Parkin saw a SURGE in lead transformation and success. Focus on centricity, and provide ALL the information leads need.5 Key Attributes of Great Processes
Parkin has identified 5 KEY attributes that all of the best marketing processes share. The first attribute is: Being written down. The second attribute is: Having some sort of visual. The third attribute is: Being shared and communicated. The fourth attribute is: Being measurable. The final attribute is: Being regularly evaluated and adjusted.If you want to get in contact with Parkin, you can go to his website or call him at 407-499-0303.
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