Episodes

Nobody's perfect. We all have our little idiosyncracies and odd character traits... and they can get in the way of your sales effectiveness. So what to do? Embrace them, and get the customer on your side. In this quick 8 minute chat, Brendan and Bob chat about how you can build trust with your customer by being authentically you. It's the start to a better sales conversation. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's...

You've done your discovery. You've established trust. You've gotten alignment. Now what? It's time for 'the ask.' What is the decision your customer needs to make? What is it that they need to do next? In this rambling, occasionally amusing ~9 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about the ingredients of an effective ask To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Tips...

Everyone need to be able to deliver a quick and compelling pitch. Whether you're talking to investors or customers, at a cocktail party or your kid's soccer game, you will inevitably find yourself needing to explain what it is you do and why it matters effectively and crisply. In this 11 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about some of the nuances and considerations that go into a good pitch. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign ...

We're back again talking about things your shouldn't do on a sales call. This time, it's Bob's list. In this very quick 8 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about a few more things you should make sure you're not doing when you're selling... To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Tips, Practices and Ideas to Advance your Sales Success, click here.

Who makes the call? Who has the final say in a purchasing decision? It's not always easy to figure that out. But there are things you can do, and questions you can ask. In this 8 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about figuring out how to get to the right people. And what to look out for. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Tips, Practices and Ideas to Advan...

We often talk about what you should do when you're selling. Not today! This time, we've got a list of simple things you shouldn't do in a sales call. And they're all very actionable and applicable. And we hope you're not doing any of them. In this quick 10 minute chat, Brendan and Bob run through nine things to stay away from when you're in a sales role... and arguably all the time. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for B...

Everyone makes mistakes. (And truthfully, if you're not making mistakes... you're not trying hard enough.) So, what do you do when your mistake affects a customer? You need to act. But a mistake can be an opportunity. In this 13 minute chat, Brendan and Bob discuss how you should think mistakes and how to respond when they happen. If you do it right, you might even have a better customer relationship. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resou...

Things are about to get harder. We're seeing some worrisome signs in the economy...and it's a signal that you can't choose your timing, but you can increase your chances of success. If you're prepared. And being effective at sales is one of the best investments you can make. In this quick <8 minute chat, Brendan and Bob discuss how you should think about these ominous market forces, and some steps you can take to improve your readiness. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sa...

One of your best sales tools is the feedback you get from your current customers. But are you actively collecting those testimonials? Brendan wasn't... and he and Bob discuss the resistance behind this. And what changed. And why you should make this part of your standard sales process. It's a quick 13 minutes with some good suggestions and a couple pithy observations. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newslet...

The best way to have a great sales call is to start by having a great sales call. At the beginning... in the first five minutes. Because first impressions matter. And establishing credibility and rapport and momentum all matter. In this long-ish (12 whole minutes!) episode, Brendan and Bob talk about how to get your sales call started. With actionable tips, examples, and goofy asides. We hope you like it! To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other re...

Brendan is just back from the Indy 500...and it was awesome! In this quick ~7 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about the parallels between being a race car driver and a startup founder. And there are a few. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Tips, Practices and Ideas to Advance your Sales Success, click here.

Conferences and other in-person events are starting to come back. And with it, the fear of being alone in a crowd or striking up a conversation with a stranger. In this quick ~12 minute chat, Brendan and Bob break down how they overcome these jitters and make these intimidating networking events less intimidating. It's simple, actionable advice. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purcha...

It's a fact... Finding a good salesperson is hard. Seemingly impossible sometimes. And it is one of the reasons that founders need to develop some sales horsepower of their own. In this quick <9 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about why it's hard to find good sales talent, and what you can do about it. And then we just generally ramble on about a few things you can do to make your sales efforts even more effective. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates ...

It's easy to say Yes... but at some point you run the risk of becoming overwhelmed. Do you have people you can turn to and get the blunt, unvarnished but thoughtful feedback you need? And where do you find those people? In this quick 10 minute episode, we talk about why you need another perspective or two, and where to find them. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: ...

Failure can be demoralizing. And discouraging. And cause you to want to go back to your shop and just build new features. But it doesn't have to be that way. And maybe it's all about perspective. In this quick <9 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about why you need to make MORE mistakes and hear MORE critique and be on the lookout for rejections. And embrace this. Because what doesn't kill you and your solution makes it stronger. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tip...

One very reliable way to find new B2B sales opportunities is to talk to people down in the trenches. It's down in the inner workings of the business where the difficulties lie, where the inefficiencies are rampant, and where things are held together by baling wire and chewing gum. In this quick <9 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about why people matter and how to be on the lookout for new deals and new ideas. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and ot...

We're all quirky. And we all do things differently. The key is to recognize it and then come up with workarounds. This is a super short cha (~ 5 min!) t about how it's not about being perfect... It's about being aware and opportunistic. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Tips, Practices and Ideas to Advance your Sales Success, click here.

Sales success is heavily reliant on an effective client discovery process. You need to be able to ask the right questions, listen intently, and get detailed answers in order to qualify the opportunity and the client. So what’s the best discovery question? What’s the thing you need to know next? Bob and Brendan take a quick 9 minutes to break this down and suggest some options and ideas. Feel free to steal them, and let us know what your best discovery questions are.

Your customer wants to talk, and they want to be heard. So be efficient. Answer questions quickly, succinctly, crisply. Don't waste time. Salespeople want to talk, but so do customers. So... let them. Brendan and Bob cut to the chase and spend <10 minutes talking about why you should talk less. And to download the Discovery Worksheets that Bob mentioned during the chat, visit this link. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up fo...

This is a quick one... As a founder that sells and wants to grow your business, you need to be efficient and focus your skills on what you're good at. And you're probably not good at everything, right? In this super short episode, Brendan and Bob discuss how you should think about your time and why you should delegate to others. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Pr...

You can't remember everything, so you need to be able to take notes. But how do you do it without taking your attention away from your customer and the conversation? Brendan and Bob spend a quick 16 minutes discussing simple little tips to focus on the right stuff and reduce your note-taking burden. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Tips, Practices and Ideas...

A really good sales call should lead to the next step. But to make that happen, it takes planning and preparation. In this quick 10 minute episode, Brendan and Bob talk about how you can make the most of a sales opportunity by thinking about how to end the conversation... and getting everyone ready from what happens next. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales tips, templates and other resources, sign up for Brendan's newsletter here. And to purchase Sales Craft: Proven Ti...

Brendan just finished up running the AccelerateBaltimore program for 2022. And a good accelerator can be a great way for an early-stage startup to jump-start their momentum, develop important entrepreneurial skills, and begin to grow their network. But what should you think about when you are getting ready apply. How do you optimize your chances of being selected? With AB2022 wrapping up last week, Brendan and Bob talk about the key things to focus on in your application, and what to stay away ...

Sales has lots of steps, plenty of follow up, and all sorts of details and paperwork. So...How do you keep track and stay efficient? Try a few simple checklists. Atul Gawande's book, The Checklist Manifesto, got us thinking about how to apply them effectively in the sales process. And in another very tight (~12 minute) episode, Brendan and Bob list a few ways to apply this simple concept to keep your deals from dying on the table. To learn more about B2B sales and get regular updates, sales t...