Decoding Sales
41 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 18 ratingsA podcast where an engineer (Alex Allain, CTO @ U.S. Digital Response) and salesperson (Peter Ahn, Tech sales coach) demystify what it means to build meaningful business relationships in the modern age.
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Episodes
Episode 33: Micro-negotiations in everyday life
February 15, 2023 17:00 - 48 minutes - 33.7 MBEvery day you're presented with moments where you can decide whether to take what's offered, or you can negotiate. Most of us take what's offered because it's comfortable and easy, but are you leaving something on the table? Peter and Alex share expert strategy for mastering negotiations with vendors, sales staff, contractors, and even friends. Learn to build stronger relationships, reach win-win outcomes and secure fairer deals for everyone, while also sharpening your your negotiation chops...
Episode 32: BANT and MEDDIC
December 12, 2022 16:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBBANT and MEDDIC are two popular sales methodologies. Learn what each of them are for, how to apply them, and how they help you create a more effective sales process. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Salesroom who are building a video conferencing platform specifically for AE's and their buyers to build strong relationships in the virtual world. Built from the ground up specifically for sales interactions with video note-taking, real-time transcription and question detection, and ...
Episode 31: Cold outreach - love or hate?
October 03, 2022 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBSales and marketing teams need to be able to reach out to prospects cold. But prospects hate getting bombarded by irrelevant messages. What do you do with this necessary channel for building awareness for your company? Peter and Alex debate what makes cold outreach emails bad, what makes them effective, and look for common ground on what you should do if you want to make cold outreach emails that prospects don't hate. For more on outbound and how to be successful with cold outreach and col...
Episode 30: Recession-proof sales
August 15, 2022 15:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBHigh inflation, negative GDP - possible recession? It doesn't matter what you call it, it matters what you DO. In this episode: 👀 Peter shares his view of the state of play and how sales teams should be reacting 🎯 How a recessionary environment forces you to up your game and what you need to do differently 🎱 How to forecast and adjust your quotas in the face of uncertainty 🤝What to do when a customer wants to renegotiate a contract due to layoffs or lost business
Episode 29: Decoding Subtle Cues
July 29, 2022 15:00 - 49 minutes - 34.2 MB* How body language and subtle cues can tell you if a deal is on track - or not * How to take the initiative when you get clues that the conversation is going off-track * Cues to look for in a virtual sales environment * How to recreate casual "lobby moments" during a virtual call This is our first video episode! Find it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzNtJUyjKoA This episode is sponsored by our friends at Salesroom who are building a video conferencing platform specifically f...
Episode 28: Dealing with the competition
May 31, 2022 14:00 - 36 minutes - 25.4 MBCompetition is a fact of life and business; in this episode, learn how to sell and win against your competitors. * How to understand what the competition is saying about your weaknesses - and turn it to your favor * Why understanding technology trends is crucial to winning deals against competitors * How to credibly undermine the competition - without seeming petty * Why and when it's OK to lose some deals * How to stay authentic when you're trying to beat the other guys This episode is sp...
Episode 27: Virtual Sales is Here to Stay
April 01, 2022 16:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBVirtual-first selling is here to stay--what does the future hold? How virtual-first and in-person sales will merge into a hybrid sales process When to stay virtual and when and how to leverage face-to-face How virtual sales unlocks access to high level prospects Keeping a prospect's attention in a high-distraction selling environment Buyer-friendly tactics made possible by the freedom of virtual calls Previous episodes mentioned Future of Sales post-COVID - https://www.buzzsprout.com/...
Episode 26: Selling over Zoom
February 28, 2022 14:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MBZoom fatigue, everyone has it because it's taken over our lives. But what makes a seller successful over Zoom? - Zoom etiquette for dealmakers. - Peter's stack rank of Zoom backgrounds (including the weirdest Zoom background he's ever seen). - How tools like Zoom and Slack work together to change the game. - Tips for successful - non-embarrassing - demoing over Zoom. Plus we try out publishing automated transcripts for the first time! Enjoying Decoding Sales? Leave us a rating or review i...
Episode 25: Modern Outbound Sales
February 14, 2022 14:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBIf you build it, will they come? Maybe not. How do you build a modern outbound sales motion that brings in new customers? - Peter's moment of insight about the modern sales motion - How to go beyond cold prospecting - ...and how to do cold outreach without being obnoxious - Why you shouldn't think of inbound and outbound as completely independent - Peter's pep talk for a new rep doing outbound for the first time For more on outbound and how to be successful with cold prospecting, visit Bela...
Modern Outbound Sales
February 14, 2022 14:00 - 32 minutes - 22.5 MBIf you build it, will they come? Maybe not. How do you build a modern outbound sales motion that brings in new customers? - Peter's moment of insight about the modern sales motion - How to go beyond cold prospecting - ...and how to do cold outreach without being obnoxious - Why you shouldn't think of inbound and outbound as completely independent - Peter's pep talk for a new rep doing outbound for the first time
Episode 24: How to scale your sales org
November 30, 2021 16:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MB💸 How do you organize your sales team to scale? 🔗 The importance of aligning your product roadmap and sales org design. 📞 How do you share knowledge across sales teams and offices? 📍 The ways sales teams can specialize and how to tell it's time to specialize?
Episode 23: Accelerating your sales using modern tools
November 10, 2021 14:00 - 32 minutes - 22.2 MBHow to navigate the modern sales tools suite to accelerate sales 🛫 What tools do you need beyond your CRM? 🤼 How to close deals faster by bringing data out of Salesforce and into your workflows 🌎 How to pull in publicly available data to make your sales data more useful 🔮What the future of sales tools might look like Thanks to our episode sponsor, Momentum. Momentum is a no code deal collaboration platform to automate sales workflows. With pre-assembled recipes that seamlessly operationali...
Episode 22: Effectively managing a sales team
October 26, 2021 15:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MB🛤 Career tracks in sales vs engineering. 🏁 The importance of staying in the trenches to be a sales leader. 💲 Setting and managing the sales team's quota. 💸 How to manage + raise quotas as a team grows. 😰 How to tell if your sales leader is mismanaging the team.
How to debug a broken sales process
September 28, 2021 04:00 - 30 minutes - 21.5 MBWhat to do when you aren't making the sales. ❓ The first question to ask when debugging the process. 🎎 How to figure out the right buyer persona for your product. 🪓 How to tell you should fire your sales leader. 🔬 The importance of being hands-on when sales isn't working.
Episode 21: How to debug a broken sales process
September 28, 2021 04:00 - 30 minutes - 21.5 MBWhat to do when you aren't making the sales. ❓ The first question to ask when debugging the process. 🎎 How to figure out the right buyer persona for your product. 🪓 How to tell you should fire your sales leader. 🔬 The importance of being hands-on when sales isn't working.
Episode 20: Rookie Mistakes
September 08, 2021 13:00 - 34 minutes - 23.5 MBWhat rookie salespeople get wrong - and how to avoid them. Key mindset shifts for new salespeople - and how to know you're making them Key rites of passage How new salespeople throw away leads too quickly How to get feedback and support as a founder Resources and links Episode on the price Episode on the first sales hire Episode on sales myths Peter's article on how the best salespeople are technologists The Authentic Sales episode covers the striplining concept Episode on It Ta...
Episode 19: Emails that get results
August 24, 2021 02:00 - 32 minutes - 22.7 MBHow to write emails that get results - and when to switch to other channels. - How do you know when an email you're writing is too long - How Peter uses the "phone test" to tell if his email is going to get a response - When - and how - to switch to text messages, phone or Slack (and how to handle it gracefully when your outreach is rejected) - Why response speed is an underrated asset in sales - How to frame powerful questions that get responses - The one type of co...
Episode 18: Sales Myths
July 30, 2021 03:00 - 41 minutes - 28.9 MBFacts and myths about salespeople What really motivates salespeople (it's not just the number!) What shapes customer perceptions of sales (it's not the average sales person) Peter confesses that as a professional sales leader, he doesn't know how to play golf (and why golf isn't an essential sales skill) Peter explains what's replaced the importance of the rolodex in modern sales How Peter flips the tactics of normal salespeople to break through and win deals against traditional sales ...
Episode 17: Sales and Legal
July 23, 2021 03:00 - 30 minutes - 21.4 MBSigning a deal is a legally binding agreement - and legal negotiations can kill deals. Learn the ins-and-outs of navigating the landmines separating you from the prize: how to avoid complex legal negotiations in the first place When you have to negotiate, where to give - and where to hold firm The key things to never write into a contract - and what to do instead How to balance the sales and legal roles during end-of-deal negotiations Resources mentioned: Call Leadership Episode Au...
Episode 16: End of Quarter Rush
July 01, 2021 05:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBPeter relives some end of quarter moments and discuss what it's like to experience that final inning rush. What does it feel like to manage the end of quarter close? How to prepare for the end of the quarter ... at the start of the quarter How Peter manages the stress of both the buyer and his sales team at quarter end What are the typical last-minute holdups on deals...and how to unstick them Are quarters the right model for tracking sales?
Episode 15: Early Adopters
June 17, 2021 14:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBLearn to catalyze revenue growth through your early customer community. How your first customers differ from later customers The formula for finding and winning those customers (and avoiding the wrong first customers) The formula for creating systems to turn your first customers into referral engines The incentives that drive individual buyers to choose innovative products
Episode 14: Future of Sales after COVID
May 27, 2021 15:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBPeter shares his experiences adapting to COVID, and How COVID upended and accelerated the traditional sales process The new profile of the ideal salesperson What happens when things return to normal, what's changed for good, and what opportunities are opening up Let us know - how have you seen sales change and where do you see it going post-COVID?
Episode 14: Post-COVID Sales
May 27, 2021 15:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBPeter shares his experiences adapting to COVID, and How COVID upended and accelerated the traditional sales process The new profile of the ideal salesperson What happens when things return to normal, what's changed for good, and what opportunities are opening up Let us know - how have you seen sales change and where do you see it going post-COVID?
Episode 13: Peter's Journey
April 29, 2021 15:00 - 55 minutes - 38 MBHow Peter got his start in sales The two key ingredients to advancing to sales leadership How Peter thinks about finding the right company Overcoming stereotypes and how Peter flipped the script to turn perceived weaknesses into strengths
Episode 12: CRM 101
April 19, 2021 15:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBHow to pick and set up your first CRM tool. What CRM does Peter recommend? How to quickly set up your CRM so you can get back to selling Common pitfalls setting up a CRM Beyond CRMs - what other tools do you need? As a bonus - what will the next wave of successful sales tools look like?
Episode 11: Team Sport
March 15, 2021 15:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBHow engineering and product contribute to closing deals How NBCUniversal took a leap of faith on the Dropbox's team and vision How a team-oriented approach build trust when selling a roadmap and vision When to pull in the CEO...and a story of Peter pulling in his CEO at just the wrong time Sales as the eyes and ears of the organization The pitfalls of a team based approach when not everyone's on the same page
Episode 11: It Takes a Village
March 15, 2021 15:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBHow engineering and product contribute to closing deals How NBCUniversal took a leap of faith on the Dropbox's team and vision How a team-oriented approach build trust when selling a roadmap and vision When to pull in the CEO...and a story of Peter pulling in his CEO at just the wrong time Sales as the eyes and ears of the organization The pitfalls of a team based approach when not everyone's on the same page
Episode 10: Sales Compensation
March 01, 2021 16:00 - 35 minutes - 24.8 MBHow sales comp is structured - including real talk about numbers How do you set a quota? More sophisticated bonus structures - how to incentivize business value beyond deal price How to change quotas as the business changes, without burning our your sales team The best compensation plans Peter has seen ... and the worst How to negotiate sales compensation in the hiring process Enjoying Decoding Sales? Leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcasting app!
Episode 9: The First Sales Hire
February 16, 2021 04:00 - 36 minutes - 25 MB📅 When to hire your first salesperson - and how to find them. ❗ Mistakes technical founders make in hiring and evaluation. ⚙ Why your first sales hire need to think like a technologist. 🤝 What you should NEVER compromise on. 🚀 How to sell them on your company before you've taken off. 💰 And finally - how much to pay them. Enjoying Decoding Sales? Leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcasting app!
Episode 8: Effective Demos
February 08, 2021 15:00 - 31 minutes - 21.4 MBFind out how CEOs blow their demos - while thinking the call went great. How to prepare for a demo without sounding scripted. How Peter handles curveball questions during a demo. Why feature dumping doesn't work - and what to do instead. How to handle a distracted prospect. Getting meaningful feedback at the end of a demo. When demos aren't the right tool, and what to do instead. Enjoying Decoding Sales? Leave us a rating or review in your favorite podcasting app!
Episode 7: The Price
January 25, 2021 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBIn this episode Alex and Peter break down potential pricing models and how to think about conveying your price if you're a startup. Topics covered include: Different pricing models to explore in SaaS Positioning your price and different negotiation levers you can employ to get a deal done How to think about discounting and the discounting boundaries based on company size & deal timelines As always, feel free to email us at [email protected] with any feedback. If you'd...
Episode 6: How to Keep the Deal from Falling Apart
December 31, 2020 06:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode Alex and Peter discuss how to structure effective proof of concepts to help get the deal done while keeping the prospect accountable to specific milestones. Topics include: The collaborative aspects of setting up a mutual proof of concept structure How to establish tangible success criteria for the evaluation period What milestones to track throughout the POC period How to determine which prospects need a formal POC structure How to hold prospects accountable to meeting...
Episode 6: Framing Deals
December 31, 2020 06:00 - 38 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this episode Alex and Peter discuss how to structure effective proof of concepts to help get the deal done while keeping the prospect accountable to specific milestones. Topics include: The collaborative aspects of setting up a mutual proof of concept structure How to establish tangible success criteria for the evaluation period What milestones to track throughout the POC period How to determine which prospects need a formal POC structure How to hold prospects accountable to meeting...
Episode 5: Client Relationships
December 03, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this episode Peter and Alex discuss how client dinners and meals outside of the regular cadence of emails & calls, can positively impact deal progress. Topics covered include: When to offer client dinners & meals How to make these engagements productive and fun at the same time The importance of conveying your authentic self and culture during client meals If you have feedback about this episode and any future episode topics you'd like to see covered, please email us at podcasters@de...
Episode 5: Client Dinners
December 03, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this episode Peter and Alex discuss how client dinners and meals outside of the regular cadence of emails & calls, can positively impact deal progress. Topics covered include: When to offer client dinners & meals How to make these engagements productive and fun at the same time The importance of conveying your authentic self and culture during client meals If you have feedback about this episode and any future episode topics you'd like to see covered, please email us at podcasters@de...
Episode 5: Client Fun
December 03, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this episode Peter and Alex discuss how client dinners and meals outside of the regular cadence of emails & calls, can positively impact deal progress. Topics covered include: When to offer client dinners & meals How to make these engagements productive and fun at the same time The importance of conveying your authentic self and culture during client meals If you have feedback about this episode and any future episode topics you'd like to see covered, please email us at podcasters@de...
Episode 5: Winning Deals Through Relationships
December 03, 2020 05:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this episode Peter and Alex discuss how client dinners and meals outside of the regular cadence of emails & calls, can positively impact deal progress. Topics covered include: When to offer client dinners & meals How to make these engagements productive and fun at the same time The importance of conveying your authentic self and culture during client meals If you have feedback about this episode and any future episode topics you'd like to see covered, please email us at podcasters@de...
Episode 4: Negotiation Curveballs
November 23, 2020 06:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MBIn this episode Peter and Alex discuss how to handle unexpected obstacles that come about during a high stakes negotiation. Topics covered include: How to handle prospects asking for additional discounts when they've agreed to a floor already The ability to think aloud during a negotiation call while using common language to bridge differences Ways to ensure the deal does not get delayed and that you can still pin down a realistic close date, even when curveballs are thrown at you Feel ...
Episode 3: Call Leadership
November 23, 2020 05:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBIn this episode Peter & Alex discuss what it means to effectively lead business calls and conversations. Key learnings include: How to start strong with a powerful intro How to give the floor to the other person on the call The importance of laying out a roadmap for the call Employing "bridge phrases" to naturally jump from topic to topic Setting up tangible next steps and ownership for those next steps Feel free to email us at [email protected] with any feedback on ...
Episode 2: Navigating Stakeholders
November 22, 2020 04:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBIn this episode Alex and Peter discuss what it means to effectively find the right person to champion a business deal. An org chart is oftentimes not enough to map out an impactful strategy to navigate stakeholders. Tune-in to this episode for some tips around how to mobilize your prospect and perhaps even more importantly, how to also cut your losses and move on from ineffective deal sponsors. Feel free to email us at [email protected] with any feedback on this episode ...
Episode 1: Authentic Sales
November 17, 2020 19:00 - 16 minutes - 11.6 MBIn this pilot episode, co-hosts Alex Allain and Peter Ahn demystify sales and discuss what it means to facilitate authentic sales conversations and methodologies. While Peter is a career salesperson, Alex's unique perspective as an engineer sheds light on how modern sales techniques can be broadly applicable to any human engagement. Feel free to email us at [email protected] with any feedback on this kickoff episode and future episode topics you'd like to see covered!