The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

This episode is for those seeking a new sales role. Antonella O’Day joins us to share considerations for your job search. She discusses: How to know when it’s time to leave a company. The importance of communicating problems with your current manager. Considerations when it comes to money. What to look for when assessing a new sales role. Determining if you and a potential new manager will be a go...

Join us for Networking Night hosted by Ascender by Force Management. The aim for this event is to allow job seekers to network with hiring managers who have open roles they're looking to fill right now. Date: Wednesday, July 12th Time: 6-7pm ET Registration Link: https://www.ascender.co/job-seeker-sign-ups Confirmed companies include: Extend Figma Blink Thompson Safety Corelight ShowPad Catchpoint...

We frequently discuss identifying, developing and testing Champions. Today, we’re talking about staying aligned with your Champion throughout the sales process. Brian Walsh joins us to share his unique insight. He covers: The need to maintain a low self-orientation. “Big-r” versus “little-r” relationships. Agreeing on a combined timeline with your Champion. The ill-advised “check-in.” Giving your...

The first meeting with a customer is typically hard-won, so you want to get it right. It will lay the foundation of not only your relationship with the individual you speak to, but the balance of your deal. Antonella O’Day shares tips to set you up for a successful first meeting. She covers: The goal of the first meeting and how to prepare. Sending an agenda in advance. Opening up a cagey customer...

Many reps struggle with metrics. The challenge usually comes from not knowing the proper way to apply metrics to their sales conversations. In this quick episode, John Kaplan shares pointers on how to make effective use of metrics. He discusses: What metrics are and why they matter. How to speak about metrics in a way that is relevant to the higher-ups of an organization. The value in visualizing...

When you’re trying to close your pipeline, you don’t want a competitor to derail your deal. How do you stay on top of your differentiation and what the competition is doing? How much should you focus on your competition? Antonella O’Day joins Rachel Clapp Miller for a conversation on competitors. She talks about: How to best understand your competitor The must-have information you need to know and...

It is critical for reps to take command of the next step in sales conversations. Today, Brian Walsh walks us through best practices when it comes to transitioning to the next stage of a sales process. He talks about: How best to prepare for the next step. Positioning yourself before your prospect as a partner as you embark upon the next stage of your journey. The benefit of briefing your customer...

In a discovery session, there comes an inevitable point when the customer asks you to talk about yourself or your solution. When this happens, the last thing you want to do is say too much. Brian Walsh discusses the need to minimize your own input and connect everything you say to issues relevant to the customer. He covers: The basic principles to follow when it comes to talking about yourself in...

Ever had a customer ask you to consider a pilot project? Perhaps they don’t want to sign up for the full investment or they want to prove success before they move forward. Should you sell it? How should you handle it? Brian Walsh gives you a few things to consider. He talks about: Why pilot projects pop up. When it is beneficial to take on a pilot project. Ways to increase the likelihood that a pi...

Clients are often reluctant to open up to reps, but our special guest Rob Stenberg explains how you can use storytelling to break through that barrier. He discusses: Why storytelling is so effective. When in your sales process to incorporate stories. How to practice and prepare stories that resonate How to use stories to encourage your customer to “stay in discovery” Here are some additional resou...

You want to work for a company that equips its sellers for success. We often speak about Seller Deficit Disorder, with which reps fail to listen to—and understand the problems of—their customers, but in this episode, we discuss the lesser-known Sales Leader Deficit Disorder with our special guest, Force Management Senior Director of Facilitation Brian Walsh. He shares advice about: Picking a great...

Your customer’s decision criteria are great indicators of your chances of success in a deal. Thankfully, you have the power to mold the decision criteria to fit your own unique differentiators. Tim Caito joins us to explain how to influence the decision criteria in a manner that favors you. He discusses: Common mistakes reps make when trying to change the decision criteria. The difference between...

Though you might have incorporated MEDDICC into your sales process, you, like many new adherents of the methodology, may find difficulty figuring out the E: Economic Buyer. A common challenge is determining who exactly the Economic Buyer is and whether or not there is more than one in a deal, particularly a complex one. Force Management Senior Facilitator Brian Walsh joins us to clarify a bit of t...

A negative atmosphere can hinder a sales team’s prospects of success. It is incumbent on leaders to create an environment of openness in which everyone feels free to share their ideas, contributing to the team’s overall benefit. In this episode, Antonella discusses steps that leaders can take to foster a productive team culture through transparency. She covers: The importance of candidness within...

You are likely to come across buying organizations with conflicting priorities. It can be a real challenge to get people in different parts of a company to agree on a path on which to move forward. John Kaplan explains how you can set about getting various departments of a company on the same page. He discusses: Keeping people focused on the “why.” The role that Champions play in achieving a “Coll...

Here’s a great episode for both reps and sales leaders. Salespeople are typically unenthused by the prospect of deal reviews, but they are a great opportunity for leaders to help their sellers identify strengths and weaknesses in their opportunities and get deals over the line. Antonella O’Day joins us to discuss what sales managers can do to help themselves and their reps maximize the benefit of...

Changes are inevitable, and, in particular, changes in leadership occur quite frequently. John Kaplan explains how to adjust to a new sales leader. He discusses: Maintaining your focus when teams around you are being restructured. Adapting to a new sales style imposed by new leadership while still making it your own. Handling leadership changes in departments outside of your own that still affect...

Salespeople must be multi-threaded with their opportunities. Make an effort to connect to as many relevant stakeholders in the buying company as possible. John Kaplan explains steps you can take to reach key individuals in other departments of your prospect’s organization. He gives advice about: Connecting technical capabilities to business outcomes. Landing meetings with key stakeholders of other...

Many sellers are feeling strain from the current state of the economy. Many reps are struggling to figure out the proper action steps to take in the midst of the challenges of the current environment. John Kaplan discusses ways to prevail through today’s economic headwinds. He talks about: The need to focus on what you can control. Staying committed to the fundamentals. Finding resilience during t...

In a tight economy, buyers will try all means necessary to minimize superfluous spending. That means you’re going to get the discount question.. Force Management Facilitator Antonella O’Day joins us to talk through some best practices for dealing with price objections from your buyer. She covers: The ideal initial response to hearing a price objection. Getting to understand the reason(s) behind th...

“Do It Internally” might be the most frequent competitor you come across. In this economy, you’re probably competing against it more than you are used to with more and more customers l considering a solution in their own company rather than making another purchase. In this episode, John Kaplan discusses how you can fight this increasing tendency. He explains how to: Prepare for discovery sessions...

Be sure to check out Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ Sadly, several reps are falling victim to the increasing nu...

In today’s special episode, we feature the work of project44, a company that provides real-time supply chain visibility for its customers. They track one billion unique shipments every year for more than 1,200 of the world’s leading brands. With the company having recently completed a Force Management initiative, John Kaplan sits down with two of project44’s leaders—President of Worldwide Field Op...

As a seller, storytelling can be a great asset. More than anything, a well-told story is one of the best ways to get your buyer more emotionally attached to solving a problem. Today, John Kaplan explains the many ways that storytelling, if done properly, can help you. Topics of discussion include: How to hone your storytelling ability. Making a story relevant to the customer—getting them to stand...

We produce a lot of content on Ascender, our new subscription platform! Twice a month, we hold live events on Ascender. One of those events is Deal Desk, in which sellers like you can ask questions pertaining to deals you’re trying to close and any challenges you face with regards to sales execution. Our recent Deal Desk was hosted by Patrick McLoughlin, aka Paddy Mac, Force Management’s Senior Di...