Sales Unscripted

On the second live episode, Bryan and Margaret are fielding questions from the live audience. This is the definition of an unscripted episode! The two cover a wide range of topics from how to retain top sales talent to understanding a buyer's decision making process to handling price pushback.

For the first time ever, SUP is coming to you live! On this week's episode, Bryan & Margaret record in front of a live audience, and the energy is unmatched. The two share their favorite catchphrases to use during the sales process. They dig into when to use them, how to deliver them, and how they can help you close more deals.

Bryan & Margaret unleash their inner geeks on this week's episode. The two discuss goal setting and why so many people fail with traditional goal setting. They walk through the power of written goal setting and the extra accountability it brings. If you're looking to hit big goals in the new year, listen in!

After a brief hiatus, Bryan and Margaret are back and raring to go. In this episode, the duo discusses tactical strategies guaranteed to help you finish 2022 on a strong note. They share a tool to help prioritize deals at the end of the year and a tool that keeps you from working through the holidays. Now's the time to put on the gear!

This week's episode kicks off with a spirited discussion surrounding the duo's go-to karaoke songs. After covering the real important stuff, Bryan and Margaret tackle how to get your sales team bought into new product features. As a marketing or product leader, trying to sell the sales team on your new product can be a challenge. The two share tips on how to win over your sales team, including dow...

This week Margaret and Bryan dig into a topic on every sales manager's mind: running effective 1:1 meetings. The two unpack why 1:1s don't work well when a manager tries to do too many things. They walk through the 4 different types of 1:1s and how and when to use each type.

The generational differences between Bryan and Margaret are rearing their heads this week. Building off of episode 14, they dive into why it's more important than ever to inspect your team's processes during a recession. They cover how to encourage your team to self-reflect, audit "I think" statements, and how to inspect without coming across as critical.

This week Bryan and Margaret tackle a taboo subject: discussing competitors on sales calls. First rule of thumb, never bash competitors. They discuss how to embrace competition, maintain an abundant mindset, and how to focus your intention on guiding the prospect.

Summer brings family vacations, lake days, and BBQs. But in sales, it also brings the dreaded 'summer lull.' Bryan and Margaret dive into what the summer lull is, why it happens, how to get ahead of it, and what to do with the downtime. This episode will help you start your fall off strong!

After some heated debate over fireworks, Bryan and Margaret dive into their favorite sales tools. They talk about everything from tech stack to behavioral tools and name drop some of their absolute favorite brands. Consider this your sales shopping list!

This week Bryan and Margaret tackle an unsexy, but necessary topic: the decision making process. Bryan tackles why he doesn't use the term 'decision maker' and instead focuses on the process. Margaret shares her Trojan Horse method and how she uses video to build trust with new stakeholders.

Salespeople have a tendency to get so wrapped up in landing a meeting that they neglect how they run the meeting itself. This week Margaret and Bryan dive into the importance of having a strong ending to every meeting. They share two tactics guaranteed to increase efficiency and clarity in your sales process.

With an upcoming recession looming and business budgets tightening, now's the time to prepare an action plan. Margaret and Bryan talk through some key strategies to avoid selling scared, move forward with confidence, and ride (or thrive) during a downturn.  

Oh, the notorious ABC (Always Be Closing) acronym…a mantra that it's time to sunset. But what's a good alternative? Margaret and Bryan share their take on the ABC mindset and collaborate on their own "Always Be.." acronyms to prioritize instead.  

"Slow down the sales cycle." "Don't sell it if they don't need it." "Be fully transparent." "Skip your go-no-go calls." Okay…maybe not that last one. In this episode, we talk through tactics that might feel counterintuitive, or unnatural, in sales but actually drive significant success. And in full, unscripted fashion, consider this episode thinking on the fly.  

The phrase "I'm in sales" tends to raise some outdated stereotypes, but it doesn't (and shouldn't) have to be that way. Margaret and Bryan discuss the importance of finding your authentic self and integrity within sales — and what to do when your work and personal identity feel unaligned. Marge also tokens mushroom hunting as the "epitome of luxury" while Bryan begs to differ.  

Are you acting as a trusted advisor for your prospects, assisting in finding the best solution for their needs? Or are you lingering at the finish line, waiting for your prospect to come to you? Learn how to take the lead and become an expert persona that guides prospects through every step of the sales process. 

Margaret and Bryan recap their adult spring breaks before diving into Bryan's 4-step "Stall Continuum" inspired by 90s songs. Margaret shares her tip for getting responses from stalled deals using this video trick, and Bryan discusses what the Blind Zebra team does together once a month to clean up their pipelines.

How to get yourself off the cold calling hamster wheel and never make a cold call again. From prospecting into your existing customers, to maintaining great relationships and building a personal brand - these strategies eliminate the need to pick up the phone and reach out cold. The time has finally come to close the curtain on everyone's most dreaded sales tactic.

Building on our love of the Enneagram, Margaret and Bryan reveal one of their all-time-favorite sales tools that helps identify buyers' personas, and discuss how to use the Enneagram to have better (and more productive) conversations with prospects and customers. Margaret also lays out what exactly a "sound bath" is for inquiring minds.  Resources:  Trust Building with Brene Brown   Enneagram  Cry...

We're talking all things Enneagram on this episode of SUP. Having self awareness can help you discover how your personality helps and hinders your sales conversations. Margaret and Bryan take part in some personal self reflection sharing their enneagram types, strengths, weaknesses, and how their personality traits have landed (or lost) a deal.  Resources: Enneagram

How sales people typically behave (and think) when they're having a great month, how they SHOULD, and the value of flow state. Margaret and Bryan discuss the importance of "noticing," practical tactics for capitalizing on when you're up, and how family of origin influences your sales state of mind. We also reveal our most requested DJ song (and solidify SUP's explicit rating in the process).

We cover a lot of ground on the 4th installment of SUP: Mirroring - useful sales technique or inauthentic manipulation? Cussing on sales calls - when it works and when it doesn't. The Golden Rule - and why Bryan thinks it's flawed. We also take a break and diverge to reminisce on our party years in Broad Ripple.

Bryan and Margaret debate if it's possible to over prepare for a sales call and dig into the differences between Gen X and Millennial sales people. We also celebrate Bryan reaching a long-time goal (that he made at the age of 19!) and Margaret shares her "woo" hack for manifesting goals.

In the second episode of Sales Unscripted we discuss personal branding, why it matters, and how it's different from your company's brand. Bryan also reveals his #1 trait for top sales people and Margaret includes her first shameless plug.