Catalyst Sale Blog
Let’s Talk about Revenue Operations
Revenue operations is a topic that we are seeing come up more and more often. I want to put my thoughts out there. So we can get started on the right foot, let’s start with a definition. What is Re...
Why This Sales Process Works (& Why Others Don’t)
Imagine if you had a roadmap, a process, where after you pass through each gate, the likelihood of success increases. You could assess your current state, you could assess how you are...
Leadership – addressing the current VOID
I was fortunate enough to work with a retired Col. early in my career. There are a number of statements Chuck made that have stuck with me over my career. The first – “Be Bright, Be Brief, Be Gone”...
What Goes into a Decision?
**Updated Data as of 08/31/2020** What goes into a decision? How does this change depending on if it is a good decision or a bad one? How does this change if it is reversible or not reversible? Tha...
Where Does Revenue Come From?
Better yet – where does your revenue come from? Can you draw it up on a whiteboard? If everyone in the org drew their version of the model, equation, funnel, etc – would it look the same? This is a...
Clarity and Focus – Lead to Execution
Well – they do, if you do the work… I get it most of us do not like math. However, there are a couple of us out there who do. I’d like to start this journey by looking at the execution problem as a...
Timely Topics – The What, Why, How, and Impact as We Adopt Remote Work
Many of us are making the transition to remote work, work from home, or varied hours as we adopt social distancing and work to combat the current pandemic. We are all in this together. However, som...
What Do Christmas Movies Have to Do with Sales?
25 Days of Sales Tips The 25 to 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite of the year. It’s a time to give thanks, reflect, connect, prioritize, and execute. In November you reap t...
Friction in Your Process – Is this Good or Bad?
Friction is necessary when you want to create, and build momentum. Friction is less interesting when you want to maintain momentum. Friction is part of the process of change. Organization Friction ...
Catalyst Sale Account Plan Template
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” – Yogi Berra This week we discussed the Catalyst Sale Account Plan template. This was the third in a series of discussions...
Nail Those B2B Sales Leads With Industry Research
Sales. A word and a concept which can conjure up images of people in suits, knocking on doors, and putting on elaborate shows with their wares (often knives or vacuum cleaners). Or maybe, if you we...
Thought Leadership Marketing Can Jumpstart Business Growth
Thought leadership has become a common topic in content marketing circles. But, do you really know what it means? One of the best definitions comes from Denise Brosseau’s Thought Leadership Lab: ...
Sales and Marketing Mastermind
“None of us is as smart as all of us” – Ken Blanchard Have you ever felt like you were the only one struggling with your current challenge? The collective intelligence and experience of your peers ...
Why Startups Must Prioritize Marketing & Sales Strategy
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017 showed an increasingly high birth rate for startups: 415,266. However, most startups fail—while there is currently some debate regarding the...
Catalyst Sale Call Plan Template
A Failure to Plan is a Plan to Fail – Ben Franklin This week we discussed the Catalyst Sale Call Planning template. This was the first in a series of discussions where we will focus on the tactical...
Building a Sales Technology Stack that Works with Your CRM Program
If you’re like most business leaders, you keep a close eye on sales—not just the numbers (that goes without saying), but the process, as well. You want your sales staff to be as efficient as po...
Coaching – Is a Coach the Right Fit?
Is this a job for Coaching, Training, or Mentoring? Getting better every day is something that many people discuss, however they fail in execution. The greatest athletes in the world rely on coache...
Fundamentals in Sales
The Fundamentals in Sales are Fundamental Zig Ziglar is known for a number of things, including the foundational sales skills he shared with others. How have the fundamental skills changed or evo...
Episode 58 – What is an SDR? Guest Morgan Ingram
Guest – Morgan Ingram, Host of the SDR Chronicles The Sales Development Representative (SDR) role is another level of specialization within the sales function. Some organizations have adopted thi...
Sales Territory Planning That Works
Territory Planning – A Catalyst Sale Approach Territory planning is where it all begins. You establish the outer guideposts for where you will focus your attention. The broader this range is, t...
Episode 56 – Innovation in Sales with Tiffani Bova
Tiffani Bova, Global, Customer Growth, Sales and Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce and host of the What’s Next Podcast joins us on the Catalyst Sale Podcast this week to discuss innovation with...
Episode 55 – Buy vs Build Lists – What should you Do?
Listener Question – When Does it Make Sense to Buy a Mailing List or List of Leads? Buy vs Build is one of the most common questions facing business leaders today. Jordan, a listener in Texas, a...
Episode 54 – Podcasting to Share Knowledge
Special Episode – Lessons learned in Podcasting with Jody, Mike & Mike We launched our podcast in October 2016, and we have learned a lot since the launch. We originally started recording in June...
Episode 53 – Does Your Process Get in the Way of Progress?
Is Your Process Slowing your Progress or Improving Performance? Process supports scalability and execution. An effective process is important when creating predictable growth. Lack of process usu...
Episode 52 – Cultivating Partners – Jen Spencer
“One of the advantages of partnerships…together you are stronger” – Jen Spencer Jen Spencer, VP Sales and Marketing – SmartBug Media, joins us on the Catalyst Sale Podcast this week to discuss pa...
Episode 51 – Why Patience Matters in Sales
Patience is a Critical When it Comes to Strategic Sales An aggressive mentality tends to be something we look for when identifying sales potential. It is a characteristic that we reinforce whe...
Episode 50 – Highs and Lows of Sales and Life
Dealing with the Roller Coaster that comes with Sales & Life Emotions are part of the game in life, and certainly in sales. Don’t let yourself get too high or too low. If you read the press cl...
Episode 49 – Working with Recruiters
Listener Question – What are some best practices to consider when working with recruiters? Mike Conner is back this week, he and I tackle a listener question from Max in California. Max is intere...
Episode 48 – Onboarding – Ira Bernstein – Rampt Consulting
“Slow down to Speed Up” – Ira Bernstein Ira Bernstein joins us on the Catalyst Sale Podcast this week to discuss onboarding. He brings his insight to the table and discusses the common ...
The LinkedIn SSI Score – Does it Correlate to Sales Success?
Host Question – What is an SSI Score? Jody threw us a curveball this week, with his own question. He has heard Mike and I give each other a hard time about our individual SSI score, and finally as...
Episode 46 – Your Data Tells a Story – Matt Ostanik – CEO FunnelWise
Guest – Matt Ostanik – Founder, CEO, FunnelWise Matt Ostanik is our guest on this week’s podcast. Matt is the CEO of FunnelWise. He previously founded and grew Submittal Exchange, a provider of ...
Episode 45 – Proposal Templates – Good, Bad, Ugly
Listener Question – Proposal Templates This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast we review another listener question. Lynn asks about proposal templates, and if it is common to use templates that a...
Episode 44 – Partnerships in Business, Sales, and Life
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work John Maxwell famously wrote, “Teamwork makes the dream work”. This is critical to our success as individual sale reps (account executives, account managers, SDRs, BDR...
Episode 43 – Personality Data and Sales – Drew from Crystal Knows
Guest – Drew D’Agostino – Founder, Crystal Knows This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast Drew D’Agostino, Founder, Crystal Knows joins us to talk about building trust with your customers, prospect...
Episode 42 – Mentoring in Sales
Listener Question – Mentoring on the Job This week on the Catalyst Sale podcast we review a listener topic. Spencer asked if we could discuss the importance of having a good mentor as a new rep OR...
Key Performance Indicators
Key Performance Indicators – what works, what doesn’t, and where to start This week on the podcast, we have a listener question from Jared in Florida. Jared is questioning the Key Performance Indi...
Episode 40 – Successful Sales Calls with Dan Tyre
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 podca...
Episode 39 – Plateau Breakthrough
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...
Episode 38 – Product Market Fit
Product Market Fit This week’s episode is the first in a series highlighting the Catalyst Sale practice areas. Catalyst Sale works with organizations to determine Product Market fit before making...
Episode 37 – Objection Handling
Sales Foundational Skills – Objection Handling Objections are common in the sales process. A number of sales training companies offer best practices in handling objections and ways to avoid objec...
Episode 36 – 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. It is part of our culture. We have not found a substitute...
Episode 35 – Salesforce MVP – Dan Peter
Podcast Guest Dan Peter – Salesforce MVP 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 ...
EPISODE 34 – THE DEMO
Listener Question – Should You Force the Demo? Does every demo you deliver sound the same? Are you caught in the demo script trap? Are you more focused on scheduling the demo, than understandin...
Episode 33 – Sales Training
Where do you Start when Planning an Effective Sales Training Event or Global Sales Meeting? What is the current state? What is the desired state? What are your gaps? How will you execute? How will ...
Episode 32 – Customer Churn
Listener Question – Customer Churn Churn is inevitable. It should be considered in your business planning, as it is something most SaaS organizations experience on a monthly basis. Other com...
Episode 31 – Q1 is finished – what’s next?
The first part of the year is finished, how are you performing against your plan? t’s the end of the quarter, so we kept this one short. Mike Conner & I talk off the cuff about how quick the firs...
Episode 30 – Sales Leadership: Can Transparency be a Productivity Killer?
Communication with your team is critical. But, what’s the risk of over communicating? Many times, leadership requires creating a buffer. A need to shield your team from information, to improve foc...
Episode 29 – The Account Plan
The Catalyst Sale Account Plan – Strategic Account Plan Template At Catalyst Sale we look at the account plan as the roadmap of where we have been, and where we expect to go with an account. The ...
Episode 28 – Firing a Customer
Letting a Customer Go. When is it time to move on? Bob Dylan famously sang “The times they are a-changin'”. Whether in business or in life, the relationships you are engaged with are in a con...
Episode 27 – Sales Enablement
Sales Enablement – The Swiss Army Knife of your Sales Organization Sales Enablement takes on a different meaning depending on who is involved in the conversation, and who is driving the mission. ...
Episode 26 – Channel Partners
Working With and Identifying Channel Partners Partners can accelerate growth in your startup. They can also stunt your business if you choose the wrong one. When you evaluate your partner strat...
Episode 25 – Planning Your Sales Calls
The Call Plan How many times have you wrapped up a conversation with a client or prospect, and thought ‘crap, I missed that’? Call planning is a foundational skill. Ben Franklin said, “If you f...
Episode 24 – The Vend Zone
The Vend Zone We have all experienced it at one time or another. You are looking for more out of a relationship than the other party has in their mind. The dreaded friend zone. Sales is a skill/c...
Episode 23 – Agile Sales
Agile Sales Is sales agile? Mike and Mike tackle this question of sales in the context of agile methodologies. They also discuss how this development approach applies within the Catalyst Sale...
Episode 22 – Sales Scripts?
Sales Scripts? Is your Script getting in the way of Sales Are you forcing a sales script on your team? Has your organization given you a script? Scripts might create efficiency, but they also...
Episode 21 – Traction vs. Revenue
Traction is No Substitute for Revenue – Catalyst Sale Podcast Are you generating revenue or traction? Traction may be a great first step when you are working your way out of rut, or a roadside di...
Episode 20 – Your Next Sales Job
Catalyst Sale Podcast – Finding Your Next Sales Job How does your sales process and approach apply to looking for your next career opportunity? Is sales the right place for you. Is an account ...
Episode 19 – A Bad Year
Catalyst Sale Podcast – How to Get Over a Bad Year Sometimes, many times in higher risk sales, the year does not end as you originally envisioned. High risk from a sales perspective can mean eme...
Episode 18 – Comp Plans
Catalyst Sale Podcast – Compensation Plans for Sales Professionals Compensation plans are something we all have experience with as sales professionals. Whether it is designing a plan to reinforc...
Episode 17 – Negotiation
Catalyst Sale Podcast – Negotiation Many books have been written about the topic of negotiation. In this week’s episode of the Catalyst Sale podcast, Mike & Mike tackle a listener question. The...
Episode 16 – Trade Shows
Are trade shows part of your business plan? If you are going to spend time and money on a trade show, you want to make sure you are getting the most from your investment. In this episode of the Cat...
Episode 15 – Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence in Sales – Does it Fit? If sales is a thinking process, where does artificial intelligence fit in the sale process? Artificial intelligence can be used as a replacement for...
Episode 14 – Journalist Approach
The Journalist Approach Understanding the why will get you to the what. The questions you ask shape the success or failure of the opportunities you are pursuing. It is easy to present the infor...
How to Handle a Sales Slump
How to Handle a Sales Slump Whether in baseball, football, life, or sales, slumps happen. Mike & Mike discuss slumps, how we get into them, and how to get out of them. We all go through cycles,...
Catalyst Sale: The Proposal Step
The Proposal Step Mike Conner is back this week. Mike & Mike discuss proposals, common errors, and how to prepare your proposals for success. At Catalyst Sale, when we get to the proposal stage...
Time Management for Sales Professionals
Time Management for Sales Professionals The Catalyst Sale podcast has its first guest. Lee Cockerell is a former Executive Vice President of Operations. He is the author of Time Management Magi...
Hiring a Sales Professional
Hiring a Sales Professional Mike and Mike share their thoughts on how they hire, what qualities and characteristics they look for, and how they partner with Arizona State University. They share b...
A Review of the Dreamforce Conference
Dreamforce is an annual event, this year ~170K developers, operators, consultants, and sales professionals met in San Francisco. Mike and Mike share their thoughts on the event, lessons learned, be...
Dealing with False Starts
Dealing With False Starts Everyone can think of a scenario where you thought the conversation was going one way, only to find that the momentum stops. Mike & Mike discuss their experience with fals...
Catalyst Sale: Fit and Feasibility Steps
How do you know if you can deliver on the customer’s requirements? Have you ever said, ‘yes, we can do that’, only to find out you can’t? What about managing opportunity costs? Mike & M...
Starting at Ground Zero
Is your product, your service, your capability, ready for delivery within the market? Or, have you not reached your zero state. Mike & Mike discuss the ground zero concept, and what happens if ...
Catalyst Sale: The Qualification Step (Podcast)
The Qualification Step How many times have you worked with a prospect, only to find that you missed critical pieces of information that could have accelerated the sales process or ensured success. ...
Catalyst Sale: The Validation Step (Podcast)
The Validation Step How do you know if there is a deal to be had? This is the first step in the Catalyst Sale process. Mike & Mike discuss how to validate if you have a real opportunity, if you...
What is Sales? (Podcast)
Mike & Mike discuss the role of the sales professional, the importance of connecting with customers, connecting solutions to problems, and share stories and lessons learned. What is Sales? Sales is...
Catalyst Sale: The Confirmation Step (Podcast)
The Confirmation Step The confirmation step is a critical, and often missed step in the Catalyst Sale process. Many Sales Reps stop when the deal is closed. Mike & Mike discuss lessons learned, a...
Introduction to Catalyst Sale (Podcast)
Introduction to Catalyst Sale Catalyst Sale Sales is a thinking process, we are a learning organization. We are committed to learning and the evolution of Sales. In this episode, you will hear th...
Why Your Leadership is Crushing Your Sales Culture
When you are building a sales team, you want to give them an advantage, so it makes sense to lay out your sales process, step by step, right? You provide scripts, checklists, and a playbook to outl...
The One Step You Miss With Every Sale
What is the mindset of most salespeople when they close a sale? Be honest, if you are like 99% of people in sales when you close a sale you consider your responsibilities are over. Most salespeople...