Let's Chat Sales

Making ‘cold calls.’ Everyone talks about it. Everyone has tips and tricks. And lots of people promise results. But does cold calling work? And should you be doing it?

Okay… Sales isn’t easy. And sometimes, it can be pure toil and misery. But if you want to grow your business, make customers successful, and achieve success, you can’t ignore sales. And you shouldn’t put it off. (And if you don’t want those things, why are you in business??)  

In this quick 4-minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about why you should learn to love the grind of sales. And how to make the toil and misery work for you.

If you’re like many founders or creators, you’re wearing multiple hats or have more than one project going. Plus, you (should). have a personal life. 

And there are times when you’ll run into a challenge or life event that requires your full attention. 

In this quick episode, Brendan and Bob talk about prioritizing, managing and giving yourself permission to put things on hold. Because you can’t be effective if you’ve got obstacles and issues that need your attention… and your mental health.

The show is ‘Let’s Chat Sales’ for a reason… we’re urging sales professionals to have real conversations with their customers. And who needs slides to have a conversation?  Slides get in the way (most of the time.) They slow down the pace, reduce the topic to what is on the screen, and limit your ability to adjust to new information. 

In this quick 12-minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about how to limit your reliance on Powerpoint in your sales calls, and how to use slides minimally and to best effect when you do.

Before you can solve your customer’s problem, you need to first understand it… and them. What are their priorities? What is in the way of success? How much pain are they dealing with?   

In this lively 10 minute chat, Brendan and Bob talk about the importance of good customer conversations and how to make your sales calls and discovery process more effective and meaningful.   

Stop trying to sell via email and text. It’s suboptimal. You’re missing out on the details, the specifics, the clues that you need to be effective. Instead… use the secret feature on your mobile that you’re not using enough - voice calling. 

In this quick episode, Brendan and Bob share specific tips for how to use your phone effectively as a sales tool, and why you should.  And… Brendan just launched a 30 day sales sprint course for early-stage founders, startups and creators. 

Most people get it backwards. They start by pitching, by explaining how their product works and all the special features that are built into it. But customers don't care and they won't listen if you haven't first establish trust and understanding.    

In this 14 min chat, Brendan and Bob talk about the importance of establishing meaningful connection with your prospective customer. Because you can’t make the sale or solve the problem if the customer doensn’t trust you to do it.

Nobody does it alone. If you're having any success in your sales efforts, it's in some measure due to the help and encouragement of others. So thank them. Getting effective and efficient with saying 'Thank you' can supercharge your sales success.... and in this quick 8-ish minute chat we share a few key practices to make saying 'Thank You' more automatic.

Plus, if you listen to the end you'll get a tip that can save you 2 full hours. (Email me at hello@letschatsales.com if you feel compelled to thank me!)

In this episode, it's a 15 minute chat with Ryan Law about the relationship between sales and marketing. 

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.

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

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.  

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...

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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. 

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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. 

You need to present a proposal to your customer. Do you have a plan? What do you intend to include? How are you handling pricing and terms?

In this concise 14 minute episode, Brendan and Bob talk about the key steps and strategies you need to have as you get ready to present an effective, compelling proposal. 

Early in the life of your start up, it is easy to delay talking to customers. There's a natural tendency to focus on designing and building and fundraising...and everything other than sales.

But that's a bad strategy. Instead, you should be talking to prospective customers early and often. And looking for feedback and criticism, and even rejection. 

In this very quick 13 minute episode, Brendan and Bob talk about why founders should be thinking about sales right at the beginning, and why they are well-suited to be effective sales leaders.

A lot of sales is a lot of simple stuff. Basic practices. Fundamentals. It doesn't have to be complicated.

And those little things are easy to do. And they add up. 

In this very quick 12 minute episode, Brendan and Bob list a bunch simple little tips and tactics that you can use to build into your sales process.

You know this, of course... Stories sell. They resonate, they connect, and they make things special. Even something as generic as firewood.

In this lively ~16 minute episode, Brendan and Bob dig into why stories work and how to think about them.

When you think about competition, make sure you're focused on the right competition. Because mostly it's not coming from where you think it is. It's like your classic horror movie... the competition is coming from inside the house!!

In this quick episode, Brendan and Bob talk about where your competitive threat really comes from and how you need to address it.

It's never too soon to be thinking about (and discussing) customer success. But how you go about it matters. It's not a simple promise, but rather is an agreement with your customer.

In this episode, Brendan talks with Bob Graham about how to think about the sale/post-sale journey as a story, and the role the customer plays in guaranteeing their own success. It will change how you think about sales.