Startup Selling: Talking Sales With Scott Sambucci

This is Part 3 our series – First Principles for Startup Founders   In this episode, Scott focuses on the principle:   “No one cares about your product.”   In this episode, Scott talks about a very basic principle that might be one of the most obvious once you hear it, but is often most difficult for many startups to implement.   Your prospects only care about the problem that they're dealing with every day, or the priority that they need to achieve. Then, and only then do they care about how your product might be able to help them solve that problem, or how your product might be able to help them achieve that priority.   This is a principle you can apply across your sales funnel – from your prospecting and lead gen to your customer success and up-selling.   Focus on the problem & priority, not your product.  Because that’s what your prospects do.   —  

Daily Dose: First Principles for Startup Founders – Sales is an Everyday Activity [Part 2]   This is Part 2 our series – First Principles for Startup Founders   In this episode, Scott focuses on the principle:   “Sales is an everyday activity.”   Booking booth space at a few industry conferences… Outsourcing your lead gen work to an SDR firm to batch and blast your market… Paying a marketing firm thousands of dollars every month to create DemandGen…   They can be good short-term forcing functions to drive leads and generate sales behavior, none of those are scalable or install a culture of sales in your startup.   Founders need to take action everyday, to take better control of their sales process. Making sales an everyday activity also gets founders more clarity about what we're doing every day, while giving themselves, their team and the market confidence.  

When things get tough, go back to First Principles. That’s what these next few podcast episodes are all about.   In this episode, Scott focuses on the principle:   “Focus on Now now; worry about Later later.”   I’m seeing a lot of trepidation in the market right now, especially for startup founders, and founders are nervous for lots of reasons.   First, founders are seeing and feeling the crunch when it comes to the financing and funding part of the world. VCs and investors are pulling back because they like to mitigate risk, not take risk.   A second reason is the general economic slowdown. Now, I never subscribe to the excuse that the economy is slow, therefore I can't sell my stuff. As a startup, you should be focused on early adopters and nailing a niche of early customers ready to take action regardless of the macroeconomy.    That said, if you’re selling to the enterprise, you know that large companies like the Fortune 500s are pulling back. They're pulling back on budgets. They're pulling back on expen

Over the last 10 years, Monica has built sales teams for Panjiva (acquired by S&P Global), Trello (acquired by Atlassian), and RedIQ (acquired by Berkadia/Berkshire Hathaway).   Then, in 2018, She decided to change everything.   She wanted to help founders and sales teams reach their goals in the fastest way possible. She wanted to get out of the day-to-day grind and get to the heart of what was going to drive meaningful results. Now, She has helped over 100 companies unlock their next level of growth, delivering well over $20M in revenue and $100M in value creation. Some of the topics that we covered are:   The Concept of Product Led Growth The Concept of Hyper-Specialization The South Park Model of Account Management Importance of Customer Journey Post Sales  The Concept of Highlight Moments  Thanks so much for listening! Tell a friend or ten about The Startup Selling Show, and please leave a review wherever you’re listening to the show.   Links & Resources:    5ive Limes: https://www.linkedin

Getting an enterprise deal across the finish line can feel like you've just crossed the 25 mile mark... and you've still got 25 more to go

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Brandon Bornancin. Brandon Bornancin is the #1 best-selling author of 3 books, a serial salesperson (sold over $100M in sales), an eight-figure entrepreneur (2x), an inventor of Seamless.AI, and a motivational speaker who is obsessed with helping you maximize your success. Over the past 10 years, Brandon has built a following of salespeople & entrepreneurs in the millions, he’s sold hundreds of thousands of his books, popularized the concept of "Sales Lists", and founded the software company Seamless.AI that helps over 150,000 salespeople maximize their sales…. all in just 2 years. Brandon is on a mission to positively impact 1 billion and help the world connect to opportunity. He does “Whatever It Takes” to help you maximize your success and make over $1,000,000 in sales. When you win his SIX FIGURE CLUB AWARD or SEVEN FIGURE CLUB AWARD, he sends you your very own custom-built President’s Club Award worth over $1,000.   Some of the topics that

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jenifer Smith. If Jennifer Smith is right, the way anyone shares how-to knowledge is about to change forever. A former VC and McKinsey consultant turned accidental CEO, she interviewed more than 1,200 business leaders on a quest to understand everything there is to know about processes, best practices, and productivity. Now with her startup Scribe, she’s empowering people to own their processes by building the world’s first operating system for know-how.   Some of the topics that we covered are:   The Sales Journey of SCRIBE The Concept of “Top 3 Problems” The Concept of “Dolphin-Swimming”  Learning From Sales Calls Hiring Managers for Early Stage Startups  Links & Resources:    Scribe’s website – https://scribehow.com/  Twitter- https://twitter.com/scribeceo?lang=en LinkedIn – hhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferreneesmith/ Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:   BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify |

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Morgan Smith & Nicholas Thickettl. Morgan Smith and Nicholas Thickett are Managing Partners at Alignd, a go-to-market and sales advisory firm, where they help B2B SaaS achieve pipeline momentum with better sales workflows and social prospecting. Morgan is a marketer by trade, originally a web designer that became a brand strategist. Nick is a long-time seller who made his name in investment banking and turnarounds. Together, they host the B2B Power Hour, a podcast & live show helping SDRs and AEs learn modern sales with guest industry experts.   Some of the topics that we covered are:   No Pitch Vs Pitch  Vampire Sales The Rule of 3: Three Round- Trip Conversations The 3 Types of People on LinkedIn  Links & Resources:    Alignd's website – https://getalignd.co B2B Power Hour – https://b2bpowerhour.com Morgan's LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/morganjsmith/ Nicholas' LinkedIn – https://linkedin.com/in/nicholasthickett Listen &

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jarrod Best-Mitchell. Jarrod is recognized for three things. - His passion for Sales and sharing that knowledge with his community. - His expert understanding of the B2B platform LinkedIn - His undying love for the color yellow. Jarrod is recognized as of one the top content creators and social sellers on LinkedIn in the Caribbean. With over 700K organic views on his content for 2022, Jarrod has used the world’s largest B2B platform to help entrepreneurs and companies grow their business and position them as the ‘go-to’ for their respective industries. He was recently recognized by Skaled.com as one of the top upcoming sales leaders on the platform.  Since making the pivot to sole entrepreneurship in LinkedIn and Sales Training, Jarrod has completed training and provided consultations for numerous organizations.  His client list spans industries such as Insurance, Real Estate, Telecoms, IT and Technology, Energy Sector, Distribution, SaaS, Media, F

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Amy Hrehovcik.   Amy Hrehovcik is a revenue human for life and card-carrying member of #TeamHuman. After selling enterprise tech for a decade, Amy pivoted to Sales Enablement where she built out two sales enablement departments. These days, Amy helps sales leaders launch their first internal sales enablement podcast. Who says learning to sell can’t be mad fun?! She’s also the host of her own hit show Revenue Real Hotline. When not working, Amy can be found chillin at the beach with her dog Lola and a book.   Some of the topics that we covered are:   What is Sales Enablement? How are you using content in your sales? How to think about training and developing your sale? How do you go from that founder-led sales process into one that allows you to make the impact you want with your startup? Links & Resources:    Website - www.revenuereal.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyhrehovcik/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_hrehovcik List

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Leslie Venetz.   After 15 years as a top-performing B2B sales professional and people leader, Leslie is an expert in building elite sales organizations. As the founder of Sales Team Builder, Leslie uses her expertise to partner with organizations that want to build inclusive, buyer-centric sales teams.  Leslie is committed to making sales a respected profession and applies her experience as a 3x Head of Sales to help sales professionals achieve their personal best. Leslie also shares content daily on LinkedIn and TikTok at SalesTipsTok. She is also a published author and was recently featured in Heels to Deals: How Women are Dominating in B2B Business Some of the topics that we covered are:   Tik Tok for B2B Sales Women in Sales at Startups and Tech Companies  Difference between Hustle and Bro-Culture vs Hardwork  Links & Resources:    Website - www.insidesalesteambuilder.com  LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/leslievenetz TikTok @SalesTipsT

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jen Spencer.   Jen Spencer is the CEO of SmartBug Media®, a leading Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency that assists both B2B and B2C e-commerce businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, scaling revenue operations, and building market awareness through digital content, design, and web development. Jen is an influential thought leader in the sales, marketing, and revenue operations space, regularly speaking at B2B conferences as well as serving as a mentor for revenue leaders through Pavilion's Rising Executives Program. She also started and hosted a weekly podcast called SmartBug on Tap for several years before launching the new Intelligent Inbound Podcast® aimed at challenging the status quo for inbound marketing with inspiring stories from some of marketing's most innovative and successful players. Jen subscribes to the notion that “we’re all in this together,” and great communication leads to a great partnership. She loves animals, te

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Todd Caponi.   Todd Caponi is the author of the 3x best-book-award-winning, The Transparency Sale, a speaker & workshop leader as Founder & CEO of Sales Melon LLC, and the Managing Director of Chicago’s VentureSCALE. Todd is also a multi-time C-Level sales leader, a behavioral science nerd, and has guided two companies to successful exits. Some of the topics that we covered are:   State of the Sales Economy  Inflation of Hires and Roles Labour Demand  Labour Supply  Links & Resources:    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcaponi   Website: www.transparencysale.com   Link to the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Bxenr   Here’s a link to his Media Kit for more information: https://www.transparencysale.com/mediakit Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:   BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotify | iTunes | Soundcloud | SalesQualia   Thanks so much for listen

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Paul .   Andy's hit "Accelerate Your Sales" podcast was acquired by Revenue.io in 2020. Since re-named "Sales Enablement with Andy Paul", the show continues to inspire thousands of sales professionals each week.    Andy has also written two award-winning sales books, "Zero-Time Selling" and "Amp Up Your Sales".    He is ranked #8 on LinkedIn's list of Top 50 Global Sales Experts.    And he has consulted with some of the biggest businesses in the world including Square, Philips, Grubhub and more, making him one of the leading voices in the sales industry today. Some of the topics that we covered are:   Opportunities to change how we sell and engage with clients. Ways to help our buyers think through the process of making a decision. Importance of being less automated in sales.  Having a “Buyer-Centric Approch” Links & Resources:    Website: https://www.andypaul.com/   LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/realandypaul   Twitter: @realAndyPau

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jeff Bajorek.   Jeff Bajorek works with B2B sales teams to maximize performance by reframing their approach, their selling skills, and their mindset around their purpose. He helps them rethink the way they sell by reminding them of what needs to be done, showing them how to do it, and then making them believe they can. When he’s not at work, you can find him on a golf course, or cooking something delicious for his family.   Some of the topics that we covered are:   The concept of “No Tension, No Sale” The Idea of Moving the Needle Creating a Shift in Mindset  Choosen Vision Links & Resources:    Website: www.jeffbajorek.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffbajorek LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffbajorek/ Rethink the way you sell Podcast: https://pod.link/1555332957 Donate to Chosen Vision:www.jeffbajorek.com/chosenvision   Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:   BluBrry | Deezer | Amazon | Stitcher | Spotif

The 3 Key Parts of Every Product Demo (and none of them are you product...)   Been working on product demos with a few clients the past few weeks and wanted to share a critical mindset shift to make when it comes to product demos…   In this video, I'm showing you a simple model that I teach to our clients all the time that will help you avoid prospects ghosting you after your demos.   Even better, you can grab a copy of the SalesQualia Product Demo Prep Pack: Visit https://salesqualia.com/demoprep/ to get yours now!    This pack includes –   ✅ 10 Questions to Ask BEFORE Your Product Demos   ✅ The Demo Prep Worksheet to help you map out your meeting strategy and outcomes before you hop on the next demo.   ✅ The Prospect Researcher Worksheet so that you know more about your prospects before every meeting, including their priorities and desired outcome   Click here for the Video Version of this podcast on LinkedIn

I scrapped the snazzy sales framework I had ready to go because...   I’ve got something else that’s more important – it's about what's going on out there.   Unease. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Seems everyone’s feeling it.   Maybe not everyone. Maybe everything is honky-dory & hockey stick in your world – I hope that’s the case. I want that for every company founder.   But if it’s not all puppy dogs and rainbows, know that it’s not just you.   I’ve been talking to our clients all over the world – startup CEOs, investors, program directors.   They're all sharing that everything’s just.. a... lit...tle... bit... slower... I'm guessing you are, too.   Your customers & prospects are feeling it, because their customers & prospects are feeling it.   Big company earnings reports and headlines sharply negative – Netflix. Facebook. Alphabet. Spotify. Job cuts at Wells Fargo, Novartis, Robinhood and Blend.   Ukraine. Recessions. The threat of nuclear war.   Your team is feeling it.    Higher gas prices. Higher pri

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Dan Martell.   “You can only keep what you give away.” That’s the mantra that’s shaped Dan Martell from a struggling 20-something business owner in the Canadian Maritimes to a successful startup founder who’s successfully raised more than $2 million in venture funding and exited not one... not two... but three tech businesses: Clarity.fm, Spheric and Flowtown.   Serial entrepreneur, speaker & investor Dan is a perfect example of someone who has overcome all odds to achieve massive success. Dan now dedicates his time to coaching high performing SaaS entrepreneurs to scale their businesses in a predictable way.    An activator, a tech geek, an adrenaline junkie and, yes, a romantic (ask his wife Renee), Dan splits his time between Canada (where he grew up), and San Diego with his wife Renee and two boys. Some of the topics that we covered are:   The Not Been Knowing/Doing Gap Achieve/ Keep Simplicity in your Business  3 Questions When Deciding

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Ernest Owusu.   As the Sr. Director of Sales Development at 6sense, Ernest Owusu leverages his passion for helping others succeed as well as his insights from the field to foster a winning team. With previous experience as an NFL athlete, Ernest thrives in team environments full of high collaboration and healthy competition. Outside of the office, you’ll find him tackling the industry’s diversity problem by mentoring and empowering under-represented people so they can confidently grow their careers.   Some of the topics that we covered are:   SDR Sales Development SDR Hiring  SDR as a Team Assessing SDR Candidates  Metrics and Quick Decisions for Hiring and Letting go  Importance of Communication as a Sales Rep  Recruiting Potential Candidates Sales for the Culture   Links & Resources:    Website 6Sense: www.6sense.com Sales for the Culture: www.salesfortheculture.com   Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheErnestOwusu    LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/

In this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Andy Mowat.   Prior to founding Gated, Andy has run marketing and operations at Upwork, Box, and Culture Amp. His vision and expertise set the tone for the entire Gated team - as we build a solution and a movement to fix email, for everyone.   You get too much irrelevant email. Gated is a free, intelligent email solution that reduces unwanted email and benefits charity - by challenging unknown senders to donate to reach your inbox. Gated works with your existing email setup, making it simple to use. It also reduces inbox volume by an average of 43%, making your inbox more productive and peaceful. Some of the topics that we covered are:   Gated Marketing The evolution of email Change in outbound marketing Alternatives to Email   Links & Resources:    Website: ww.gated.com    Twitter: https://twitter.com/netmow   Andy Mowat on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amowat   Listen & subscribe to The Startup Selling Show here:   BluBrry | Deezer | A