Sales for Nerds

Justin Foster grew up on a ranch in Oregon, got married and had a kid at 18, and accidentally learned B2B sales. Then he started his own firm and focused on "spiritual branding". In this episode, Justin tells his story, and provides practical tips for discovering and communicating your deeper mission, and inviting others to the journey.

Chris Wike has an amazing conference room that he uses to great effect, but you don't need this kind of conference room to use his great networking strategy. Plus, check out his rules for networking, why he doesn't like retainers, and more.

How he started sales in elementary school, started (and sold) his first business in high school, and much, much more.

Rohan Kale left the typical grind of software engineering for a giant company in India. He headed to Germany, learned German, and started a video marketing company. Find out how, including the coincidence that led to his company idea, how he got his first customers, and how you can use video to help grow your business.

MeetEdgar.com founder Laura Roeder talks about how she started her consulting, online training and software businesses, and how she decided to move on from earlier efforts. Laura also discusses: How to connect with thought leaders online How she got her own panel at SXSW when she was just 29 How she got clients for her consulting business And much more.

Would you take marketing and customer service advice from someone who spent a decade at a cable company? In this case, you should, as Michael Katz, Chief Penguin and Blue Penguin Development, talks about the series of happy accidents that led him to a career in marketing, helping small services companies position themselves more effectively.

Aaron Ross, co-author of "Predictable Revenue", along with Mary Lou Tyler from episode 14, is back with a new book, "From Impossible to Inevitable: How Hypergrowth companies create predictable revenue". Learn what Aaron had to learn the hard way about sales, and how he manages to write books, consult, and raise 12 kids.

Brennan Dunn wasn't always a whiz internet marketer. He started off pursuing a degree in electrical engineering, but switched gear to study Classical Languages (which did come in very handy later).  Along the way, he learned how to do internet marketing, how to get sales without selling, and much more.

In this week's show: Building awareness of a growing medium Systematization The intake process is all about the business owner Planning isn't sexy Interrogating a problem Keeping it simple Ben's top 3 quick tests for your website

Anil Dash has done it all, except graduate from college. He's started companies, helped launch the social media revolution, served on President Obama's Office of Digital Strategy, uses Twitter prolifically, and is the CEO of Fog Creek Software. In this wide-ranging discussion, Anil talks about: how he first learned to sell (and overcome his distrust of sales reps) how he didn't learn to do marketi...

Author and productivity consultant Maura Thomas talks about how she got into the field (by accident), working with David Allen, where she agrees (and disagrees) with Getting Things Done (GTD), why time management is outdated, and how to manage your attention.

Best selling author and sales guru Jill Konrath details her own struggles with digital distractions and how to sell more in less time.

Marylou Tyler of Predictable Revenue and Predictable Prospecting fame discusses how she moved from writing code to sales success by using her engineering background instead of running away from it.

Few things cause as much stress as pricing. But it doesn't have to be that way. This episode looks at how to think about pricing, how to align better to customers' needs so you can price better, how to move from cost to value-based pricing (and why most people get this wrong), how to negotiate discounts, how to present price in your proposal, and more.

Caleb Sidel discusses how he got into consulting, why his company partners sell and stay deep in tech, the advantages of partnering with someone like salesforce.com, the simple way they train consultants to be effective sales people, and more.

Attorney (and mechanical engineer) Brian Spross on when you need a lawyer and how to protect yourself and your company.

Scott Ingram, host of the Sales Success Podcast, discusses his journey from networking engineering to sales success, including: The importance of great mentors. A great short cut for nerdy sales success. His morning routine. Why women are overrepresented in top sales performers, and what you can learn from them.

How he taught himself to sell, including the steps of the sale, how to turn features into benefits, and how to close. How he taught his team to sell. "People hate to be sold to, but people love to buy." Why if you're doing too much "hard core selling", your message isn't right. Why introverts have a long term advantage in sales versus most extraverts. (And how to take that advantage.) Why he puts...

Erik Luhrs, "The Bruce Lee of Lead Generation", talks about how effective positioning creates a foundation for successful sales, and how poor positioning leads to frustration, not matter how well you execute on the tactics.

Ash Maurya talks about how to turn great ideas into great products and avoid building things that don't matter. Because, "life's too short to build products nobody wants."

John Livesay discusses how to pitch, including: The 2 simple parts of a pitch Why most founders don't have a good pitch How to practice your pitch in low pressure situations, so you're ready in high pressure situations.  

Master Sommelier June Rodil discusses how to pick wine as a beginner, how she became as Master Sommelier, and how she opened her own restaurant. Plus, Secrets for great customer service How to delegate as a control freak Why spreadsheets are still important How to set up your product offerings to maximize customer happiness and minimize your stress.