Outbound Sales Playbook
54 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsYour weekly update on what is and isn't working in the world of outbound sales. Join host Jeff Swan as he provides insight and feedback on what sales reps, BDRs/SDRs, and pipeline-driving founders do to generate pipeline on a day-to-day basis. Learn cold calling tips, how to build & optimize your sequences, rock your personal brand on LinkedIn + other social platforms, and what it's really like to use sales tech, like power dialers, sales engagement software, and more.
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Episodes
Outbound Sales Playbook 53: Build Good Habits
January 28, 2022 12:30 - 29 minutes - 26.9 MBMost sales teams throw their SDRs into the mix as quick as possible with a "Sink or Swim" mentality, assuming the good ones will rise to the top and the rest will quit. This week's guest, Ryan Woodard, takes a different approach centered around building good prospecting habits before SDRs even get a quota above 0! Find out how this fosters a great attitude, mindset, and why the results are starting to flow on his new team.
Outbound Sales Playbook 52: Take Me To Hawaii
January 21, 2022 12:30 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBMany sellers make the mistake of focusing on features and benefits in sales conversations but it's now falling on deaf ears. This week's guest, Shai Haddad - VP of Growth at Amilia, shared his secret for uncovering "How" they've attempted to solve their challenges and "Why" they feel they haven't been solved yet. Just a hint: it starts with the phrase, "Take me to Hawaii."
Outbound Sales Playbook 51: New Year New Opportunities
January 14, 2022 12:30 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBTo kick off our first episode of 2022, Jeff is joined by the amazing Katie Ray to chat about what went down in prospecting last year and what they predict are going to be the top 3 trends this year. You may notice some changes from last year's episodes, slightly longer and with a brand new name that we feel just suits the show better. As always, enjoy and happy hunting!
FTF Fridays 50: Customer Over Product
December 24, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBYou certainly can be successful as an SDR with extensive product knowledge but it's not table stakes. Instead, the sellers that focus on understanding the buyer, the problems they're facing, and what makes them tick outperform solution-focused sellers any day of the week. This is the top observation from video prospecting guru + Vidyard VP Marketing, Tyler Lessard among others in this week's episode.
FTF Fridays 49: Cold Calling is Not Dead
December 17, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBNo matter how many times someone calls a tactic or strategy dead, it's nearly always because of fear. Fear of not knowing how to do it well, fear of rejection, or just plain fear of picking up the phone. Kevin Hopp joined Jeff this week to share how to tackle your fears, check your ego at the door and hit the phones to fill your funnel.
FTF Fridays 48: Research Research Research
December 10, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWhen people think of pre-call research, they automatically think of looking online or in a database tool to gather insights on their buyers before they reach out. Normally, this is 100% correct but this week's guest, Asthon Lobo, has a unique way of preparing for that crucial first call with your buyer and was nice enough to share with Jeff and all of you exactly how he does it. Enjoy and happy hunting!
FTF Fridays 47: Videos Book Meetings
December 03, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBIf you've ever wondered whether you should send a video to a cold prospect, the answer is YES! This week, Jeff is joined by Collin Mitchell of salestransformation.fm as he shares how his team books 40 meetings a month per rep through video prospecting on LinkedIn. Listen as Collin shares how he used A/B testing to double his booked meeting conversions with one simple and straightforward change that could settle a HUGE debate on LinkedIn prospecting. Enjoy and happy hunting!
FTF Fridays 46: 86 Meetings in 31 Days
November 26, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThere's something superhuman in the way this week's guest tackles sales development. In his first month in B2B sales, coming over from Las Vegas hospitality industry, Elliott Garcia booked 72 meetings and catapulted himself to the top of a best-of-the-best sales competition called Summer League. Learn his key secret behind a ridiculous amount of meetings and how he had to re-invent how he sells moving from finance to sales technology as one of the newest members of Outplay Sales Engagement Pl...
FTF Fridays 45: Trust-Building Conversations
November 19, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBB2B buyers are the most cautious buyers in the world. Why? Because their job is on the line every time they make a purchase decision. So it's no wonder you only have 7 seconds to build trust in a cold call. Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, joined Jeff to discuss a straightforward framework you can use to earn trust in that crucial first 7 seconds and generate a TON of quality conversations through cold calling.
FTF Fridays 44: Lead the Witness
November 12, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThere's an art to asking qualifying questions in a cold call that's significantly different than in discovery. Instead of rapid fire questioning that makes prospects uncomfortable (and hang up the phone), use Tidal's, Marc Mac's, approach of "leading the witness" to engage the buyer, ensure they're a fit, and get them excited about next steps in this week's episode of #FTFFridays.
FTF Fridays 43: Do the Work
November 05, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWith all the expert tips and high quality content out there, you might think you have to have the perfect pitch to book sales meetings. True, having something to say is vital but it's not about perfection. Mike Leader, Sales Trainer at Gehr Industries, joined Jeff Swan to talk about how doing the work every single day, regardless of your title or position, is the not-so-secret secret behind a consistent full funnel (+ big paychecks).
FTF Fridays 42: Building Your Brand
October 29, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBTime to settle something important. As an SDR or full-cycle sales rep, your personal brand is not about creating an inbound funnel. It's amplifying what you do so you can work smarter, not harder at hitting your numbers. This week, Jeff & Tom outline small things you can do to build your brand and have better sales conversations.
FTF Fridays 41: Organic vs Scaled Outreach
October 22, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBPeople in outbound sales usually sit in one of two camps: personalize everything or personalize nothing and scale it all. So one side spends too much time on each prospect and misses their numbers while the other burns through leads lists in no time flat with little to show for it. In this episode, Jeff & Tom walk you through how to bring together both approaches to gain predictable conversions in less time.
FTF Fridays 40: AE Is the Grass Greener
October 15, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBFor most SDRs, the AE role is one to aspire to but also one that can be extremely disarming once you actually achieve it. This week, Tom & Jeff are joined by TikTok sales star who held several Account Executive roles in tech, Will Aitken, to chat about whether the grass is actually greener on the other side. Listen in for a sneak peek into what the role is really like!
FTF Fridays 39: The FTF Challenge
October 08, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWith only 6 weeks until Thanksgiving week, the pressure's on to close out the year strong by filling your funnel before the holidays. With this in mind, hosts Tom & Jeff are issuing a challenge to every SDR, AE, and Founder-Seller to join the #FTFChallenge and commit to at least 20 new contacts + 2 new sales conversations a day for the next 30 business days. Listen to the episode for details. You in?
FTF Fridays 38: SDR The Modern Recruiter
October 01, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWouldn't SDRs make amazing recruiters? Not only do they spend their time (and have ridiculous skills) hunting for amazing opportunities but they're also really good at recognizing their own. With a treasure trove of data on SDRs and AEs' opinions on their current role, responsibilities, and company, Tom & Jeff thought it would be fun to bring in RepVue's Darin Alpert to weigh in on how SDRs are pretty much the modern sales recruiter. Enjoy and happy hunting!
FTF Fridays 37: Find Your Lane
September 24, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBIf you open a random exec's inbox or listen to the cold call voicemails they get regularly, you'll hear the same templates, tricks, opening liners, etc. or some very similar version of each several times. Frankly, your prospects are bored. That's why Tom & Jeff dedicated this episode to one extremely important thing you can do in your prospecting to stand out - find your lane.
FTF Fridays 36: Am I a Marketer?
September 17, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThe tactics, strategies, and skillsets used by successful SDRs are starting to look dangerously close to marketing. Social selling rockstar, Evan Patterson, joins Tom & Jeff to discuss whether SDRs should sit in Sales or Marketing, how organizations can align sales, marketing, and sales development around shared goals, and use personal branding + content to generate pipeline.
FTF Fridays 35: Mental Cost of Sales
September 10, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBYou're probably noticing people going a little crazy all over the sales world with people calling each other out on LinkedIn, changing jobs frequently, and many more just silently dealing with stress in their own private ways. In response to this, Tom & Jeff decided to take a different path in this episode and just talk about what's going on in the world and how a simple shift in mindset can get you through to the other side.
FTF Fridays 34: Elluminate Problems
September 03, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBFrom the wise words of Josh Braun, the best way to win a sale before it even starts is to illuminate your customers' problems. Taking it a step further, Tom & Jeff are joined with Angel Sandoval, host of the Sales Rehab podcast to share his acronym for S.A.L.E. and how he uses it to shed light on prospect challenges and opportunities while also offering easy ways to solve them.
FTF Fridays 33: Mastering Objections
August 27, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBRejection is a HUGE part of the job of outbound sales. Even though most objections are a result of your prospect's fears and pet peeves than anything else, there are legitimate reasons for not being ready for new solutions right now. Tom & Jeff discuss the top 3 and give a quick 3-step formula for mastering them that leads to higher booked meetings conversion.
FTF Fridays 32: Leveling Up with Metrics
August 20, 2021 13:50 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBMetrics can be the bane of your existence or the key driver to an extremely successful career in sales. The "right" ones can help you drive progress in the right areas and level up every day. The "wrong" ones can find you chasing actions that don't necessarily lead to the outcomes you want. This week, Salesforce's Taylor Jones joins Tom & Jeff to discuss how you can use metrics to level up your outbound career.
FTF Fridays 31: Servant Leadership
August 13, 2021 07:00 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBBeing a servant leader is all the rage these days but what does it actually mean? Can anyone be one? Do you need to have a title? Tom & Jeff share their thoughts on all the above in this episode of #FTFFridays and even give a real-world example of what to do (and NOT to do) when leading through service.
FTF Fridays 30: Moving Upmarket
August 06, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBProspecting into Enterprise organizations is a unique challenge and those who are trying to move into a higher market typically have challenges even getting conversations, let alone booking meetings. That's why Tom & Jeff asked Josh Roth, Sr Director Inside Sales at Lob, to stop by and share his top 3 tips you can use to break through the noise and get those executives in your funnel!
FTF Fridays 29: Asking Permission
July 30, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThere's a great debate out there around whether you should ask permission for the call in a cold call. According to a recent LinkedIn poll by our very own, Tom Slocum, it's an even split between "Absolutely" and "Nope, just get on with it". In this episode, Tom & Jeff discuss the pros and cons of asking permission along with some personal stories for each side. Enjoy and happy hunting!
FTF Fridays 28: Non Verbal in a Virtual World
July 23, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBEven as some companies are trying to get everybody back in the office, working from home and virtual selling is here to stay. So how do you replicate the same gigantic presence you have in-person from behind a screen or phone? Hunter Collins, Sales Manager of DronePros and SDR at enCompass, joins Tom & Jeff to discuss 3 things you can do to earn trust, interest, and commitment with non-verbal communication, virtually.
FTF Fridays 27: The Handoff
July 16, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThe SDR-AE relationship is known to have its up and downs on many B2B sales teams but it doesn't have to be. AEs complaining that the leads are weak or BDRs mad that their leads are not getting the care they should. Join Tom & Jeff to learn how you can take charge and start developing a strong SDR-AE relationship with The Handoff.
FTF Fridays 26: Go Engine Go
July 09, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBBuilding a top-performing outbound engine is not easy - especially when there are so many tools, resources, and experts out there making it tough to know where to even start. Join Tom & Jeff on this week's #FTFFridays as they outline the 3 things you should focus on FIRST before even building your tech stack to ensure predictable and repeatable prospecting success.
FTF Fridays 25: Don't Be an Idiot
July 02, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBNow that summer is here and the kids are out of school the need to be more aggressive and creative in your prospecting efforts is high as it's going to be this year. Some tactics are better than others and you may find yourself annoying the #$@% out of your prospect if you use the wrong one. Join Jeff & Tom as they discuss some out-of-the-box tactics that definitely work, but should be used with caution. Bottom line: Don't be an idiot!
FTF Fridays 24: Social Selling for Big Deals
June 25, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBSocial selling is a hot topic right now especially as connect rates and email reply rates are tanking. But how exactly do you "Social Sell"? Jeff & Tom asked marketing nerd and host of the B2B Mentors Podcast Connor Dube to stop by and share how he generates high-quality enterprise leads from social networks like LinkedIn. Enjoy and happy hunting!
FTF Fridays 23: Referrals Please
June 18, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWay back before technology could save you time and stress of monotonous tasks, sales trainers had one cheat code for generating high-quality sales leads easily. Somehow we forgot this tactic. Join Tom & Jeff as they discuss ways to fill your funnel with good old fashion sales referrals.
FTF Fridays 22: Dog Days of Summer
June 11, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBSummer is around the corner and while you may be thinking it's time to let of the gas - it's not. Join Jeff & Tom as they talk about what makes prospecting in the summer so hard and learn 4 practical tips to make sure you fill your funnel anyway.
FTF Fridays 21: Cancel Hustle Culture
June 04, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBHustle culture is starting to get some flack from critics because it rewards overworking and shames those who don't. But "hustling" is so effective when used properly and it doesn't have to be a bad thing. Join Tom & Jeff as they discuss the pros and cons of hustle culture and how you can leverage Hard Hustle, Smart Hustle, and No Hustle to stay sane while filling your funnel.
FTF Fridays 20: Future of Sales Development
May 28, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWhat does the future of Sales Development look like? David Dulaney, the owner of Tenbound and author of The Sales Development Framework, joins FTF to answer this tough question and discuss not-so-ready for prime time AI, the frustration of LinkedIn automation, and putting the "human" back in sales.
FTF Fridays 19: Cold Call Facelift
May 21, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBIt's time to call it. Cold calling is dead. Not the practice of picking up the phone and calling someone to strike up a sales conversation, but the concept around doing it "Cold". Join Tom & Jeff as they discuss why the term "Cold Calling" should be put to rest and the 3 simple steps you can take to do "Warm Calling".
FTF Fridays 18: Create Your Own Luck
May 14, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBSome people just seem lucky. They get the best leads, the biggest opportunities, and the easiest customers to deal with, leaving others wondering what they do to get so "lucky". Join Jeff & Tom as they outline 5 things you can do to create your own luck on this week's episode of FTF Fridays.
FTF Fridays 17: Botching the Call
May 07, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBEveryone has that embarrassing moment of botching a cold call. You call your prospect, they say something entirely unexpected, and you freeze. Join Jeff & Tom as they outline 3 ways to overcome a botched cold call no matter how embarrassed you are in this week's episode of Fill the Funnel.
FTF Fridays 16: Triggering Your Buyer
April 30, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBHumor in sales will get you the attention of your buyer. If you really want to influence your buyer, well-written jokes can both establish your domain expertise AND capture attention. Tom & Jeff are joined today with Jon Selig, founder of Comedy Writing for Sales Teams, as they talk about how to intelligently use humor in sales to trigger influential emotions in buyers.
FTF Fridays 15: Who You Targeting?
April 23, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBNo matter how awesome your product is or even your messaging, sequences, and overall sales process, if you are targeting the wrong person or people, you're not going to hit quota. Join Jeff & Tom as they discuss the difference between "ICP" & "TCP", navigating the "Buying Center" at target accounts, and how to use TCP to focus your efforts on those most likely to book meetings AND buy.
FTF Fridays 14: To Text or Not to Text
April 16, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBTexting for outbound sales is not that common, but should it be?After last week's episode on How to Multi-Channel Hustle, many of you were asking how exactly to use texting at the top of the funnel, so it just made sense to give it an entire episode. Join Jeff & Tom as they outline the regional differences in texting across the globe, why texting is so valuable as a communication channel, and practical tips for using it in each of the 4 stages of the Lead-to-Opp sales process.
FTF Fridays 13: How to Multi-Channel Hustle
April 09, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBIf you're like most of us, you have a favorite prospecting channel, like email, phone calls, LinkedIn, or something else. But did you know that adding at least 1 more channel to your outreach can increase your success by as much as 2.5x? Join Jeff & Tom as they outline the types of channels available to you in your outreach and some tips on how to leverage the more "creative" ones in your sequences & cadences.
FTF Fridays 12: Heart of a Champion
April 02, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBWhat does it mean to be a champion? It's not just about grit, determination, and superhuman skills. Those things help, but it's really about your "Why". Knowing what drives you, trying new things, and celebrating your wins with the people you care about is what makes the difference between competing and winning. Join Tom & Jeff as they welcome RevLeague's March Madness 2021 winner, Joe Tran and talk about what it means to have the heart of a champion. WARNING: You may tear up on this one. We...
FTF Fridays 11: End of Quarter Push
March 26, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBLess than a week away till the end of Q1 2021 (for most people) and everyone's stepping up their game to make a strong end of quarter push. Join Tom & Jeff as they outline 5 not-so-secret methods for hitting your numbers by the end of the month + quarter, whether you're closing deals or booking meetings.
FTF Fridays 10: Earn the Weekend
March 19, 2021 11:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThere's no rule that says human beings deserve 2 days off every single week. When you're in sales, you need to fight to "Earn the Weekend" by working every single hour, every day, all 5 days of the week. Join Jeff & Tom as they outline why having an "Earn the Weekend" mindset gives you peace of mind, helps you enjoy your weekend, and sets you up to crush the next week.
FTF Fridays 9: The Madness of Gamification
March 12, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBGamifying sales makes friendly competition even more exhilarating. It creates bonds through a shared purpose, provides much-needed support during tough times, and shines a spotlight on how close or far your are from achieving ninja level. Join Tom & Jeff as they celebrate the launch of RevLeague March Madness while outlining 3 key benefits from using gamification to grow your sales.
FTF Fridays 8: 5-Minute Limit
March 05, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBOne of the most frustrating things about prospecting is spending time and energy into a high-value prospect and getting zilch from your effort...but it happens. So if you're spending more than 5 minutes per prospect in your pre-call research, you're going to have a hard time hitting your numbers! Join Jeff & Tom as they outline a ridiculously simple framework for shortening your research time to 5 minutes or less in this episode of FTF Fridays.
FTF Fridays 7: Don't Ghost Me
February 26, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBGetting "ghosted" in sales sucks. You put in a TON of effort getting a response, then making a connection, booking a meeting, and preparing for the next call. Then nothing. No "I'll be late" or "Sorry, I (insert excuse here)". Just nothing. Join Jeff & Tom as they outline why people ghost and what you can do to both prevent it from happening (mostly) and dealing with it when they do.
FTF Fridays 6: Put the FUN in Fill the FUNnel
February 19, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBProspecting can be boring and repetitive, especially when you're at home by yourself instead of a fun and exciting office. But it doesn't have to be. Join Jeff & Tom as they walk you through 5 practical tips you can apply today to put the FUN in filling your FUNnel!
FTF Fridays 5: Prospecting Paralysis
February 12, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBFace it. Most people don't want to come across as "Salesy" and will do whatever they can to avoid picking up the phone or sending that cold prospecting email. Join Jeff & Tom as they uncover why people hold themselves back from prospecting and what you can do to shake off rejection and get to work filling your funnel!
FTF Fridays 4: Kick-Ass Cold Openers
February 05, 2021 12:30 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBThe most important part of your cold call, email, or social outreach is the opener - the first line that earns you the right to say your pitch. Join Jeff & Tom as they unpack the psychology around great cold openers, some sample messaging + formulas you can use to create a kick-ass opener, and how to apply them to the different channels you use to reach your prospects.