The Brandon Bornancin Show

Our Direct Mail Campaign That Completely #FAILED

I'm a big believer in using direct mail in prospecting strategies but it doesn't mean I always get it right. Partnering with Joey Wood from InsideSales.com we ran a test with one of our direct mail campaigns and it completely failed. We called it the Magic Eight Ball Play

The State of Direct Mail (Research)

I know, I know, we've talked a lot about direct mail but this is different. Rather than hearing some expert, we did some research and asked 325 B2B associates what they think of the topic. Rather than focus on one specific thing, we decided to understand the opinions of those that may send or receive direct mail. Interesting results, check them out!

The Power of Direct Mailers w/John Coe @B2BMarketing.com

Direct mailers are a hot commodity nobody knows more about them than John Coe, founder of B2B marketing.com. In this episode John talks about his experience with direct mailers and principles he's learned and taught others to be successful.

How to Build an Outbound Prospecting Machine w/Aaron Ross @Predictable Revenue

If you want big fish you have to go outbound, end of story. The question is how do you build that. Some people start with an outsourced model but eventually companies typically bring that back in house. Every company is different but there are tried and true principles to creating and building an outbound machine. In this episode, Aaron Ross, author of Predictable Revenue discusses his experiences creating prospecting machines for companies and his lessons learned.

What the Hell is Going on With Sales Development? w/John Barrows @JBarrows Sales Training

Sales Development isn't going anywhere but what should you do them? Many sales development reps are just a fancy marketing automation system using templates and pressing buttons so do we really need them? Marketo works fine and in many cases it's better a sales development rep. In this episode, John Barrows, founder of JBarrows Training discusses the role of sales development and how sales development reps need to start acting in order to be successful. In addition, John hits on AI and the r...

The Power of Trigger Events w/Kyle Morris @SifData

Trouble comes in many formats and as good as LinkedIn in it still doesn't quite hit the spot when it comes to trigger events. Kyle Morris, founder of SifData talks about the importance of staying on top of key events and receiving real-time notifications about your buyers.

The Power of High Impact Mailers w/Valerie Sklar @Corporate Specialties

Some things are popular and then they fade out and come back again. High impact mailers are back. For some they are back in style and for others they are new. High impact mailers are physical items mailed to a prospect or customer to initiate a conversation or build a relationship. There are different types of mailers and different use cases. Valerie Sklar, president at Corporate Specialties, is an expert in mailers and has been in the business of working with companies on such initiatives f...

State of Sales: Why Enterprise Companies are Losing and How They Can Win

The message isn't all bad. Enterprise companies are behind the times and some of that is our fault and some of that is their fault. The good thing is they know it and they are actively doing "stuff" to change it. InsideSales.com Labs did a study with nearly 1200 companies and it revealed how companies are winning using structure, systems, and people.

Inbound Sales Has Been Completely Disrupted w/David Cancel @Drift

Content used to work but it doesn't because everybody creates content. Every sales rep used to send plane text emails and it worked but it doesn't work anymore. Everybody used to require a form to get leads but nobody wants to fill out a form anymore. Things seem to be changing but companies are not changing with it. In this episode, David Cancel, CEO of Drift, talks about the old trends and discusses about how they are broken and if companies want to win they'll have to move to channels tha...

The Evolution of B2B Selling w/Victor Antonio @Sellinger Group

The buyer has changed. It doesn't matter what stat you believe, the fact is customers are more educated and are further down the buying journey before they talk with a sales rep. This isn't a problem, it's an opportunity. Sales is still about segmenting the market, how you target you ideal buyers, and how do you go after them. In this episode, Victor Antonio founder of Sellinger Group, talks about how great B2B sellers move to education and consulting and recognize buyers need more support ...

The State of Sales: Why Europe is Beating the US w/Denise Bryant @AssocProfSales

InsideSales.com, in partnership with the AA-ISP, Top Sales World, and APS did a research report on the State of Sales. The report covered three areas of structure, people, and systems. In this episode, Denise Bryant, Managing Director at APS joins the Playmaker podcast to discuss the state of sales and provides insights and analysis as to why the US and Europe differ on many key attributes in regards to sales.

How Reviews Can Change the Sales Game w/Derek Levine @Trust Radius

Customer reviews are common place in B2C but they have made their way to B2B and whether you like it or not you need to get in the review game. In this episode, Derek Levine from Trust Radius takes us through the importance of reviews and discusses on sales people can use them to make more money. In this episode you'll learn: How reviews are common place in B2C but have made the transition to B2B How B2B software is sold, not bought How I personally use our own TrustRadius reviews/conten...

How Working Out Collegiate Basketball Players Taught Me To Develop Top Sales Talent w/Jake Larsen @Weave

LinkedIn Video and Other Social Trends w/Teddy Burriss @Buriss Consulting

LinkedIn is always changing and so should you. Video is now on LinkedIn and it's available and ready to use. To some it's annoying and to others it's even more annoying. But, is there a way that you can effectively use it. Should you even use it? In this episode, Teddy Burriss, an expert in social media consulting, especially LinkedIn breaks down the good, the bad, and the ugly of LinkedIn video and other social media trends. In This Episode You’ll Learn: The power of LinkedIn How to use...

The Secret to Data and List Services w/Jake Shaffren @DiscoverOrg

In the old days we'd just buy a list, call top to bottom and call it good. That doesn't work anymore and you know it. Jake Shaffren is the Director of Sales Development at DiscoverOrg, and he's a master about thinking through how reps can find, identify, and quality their leads and target contacts. It's all about the leads. If reps are spending a lot of time trying to figure out who to pursue, they'll lose. Companies need human verified data to know that their target audience has the right i...

How to Close BIG Deals w/Jason Krieger @C2FO

We all want big deals right? Big deal have better margins, they stick around longer, and they become better partners. With all the good there is some bad. Big deals are hard to win and they often take a lot longer than smaller deals. There is no secret to win big deals but there are best practices - often learned from the school of hard knocks. Introduce Jason Krieger - an expert when it comes to chasing and winning big deals.In this episode, Jason talks about his sales career and how he's l...

The Power of Video Outreach in Sales w/Sati Hillyer @OneMob

Video, video, video. It's the talk of the town and if you're not using it, you probably should. KPCB says by 2017, online video will account for 74% of all online traffic. That's a lot. No matter how you try and explain it, video is here to stay. The question is, how do you best utilize it? Sati Hillyer, is the founder and CEO of OneMob, a leading video engagement platform. Sati jumped on the Playmaker podcast to discuss video in general, the top trends around videos, and how sales people ar...

How Content Curation Will Make You Win in Sales w/Stephen Walsh @Anders Pink

Sharing content with your network is a big part of the social selling process. Sharing content can help build your brand, create trust, provide value, and help create a following. But, what content is the right content? Should you be creating your own or curating others content? The answer is both. Sales today is about creating value and if you want to do that, you have to learn to create and curate. You have good ideas in your respective profession and you need an outlet for those thoughts ...

Sales Development Top Trends w/David Dulany @Tenbound

Sales Development is here to stay but it's always changing. David Dulany is the founder and CEO of Tenbound, a company focused on bringing together the sales development community. David discusses trends and problems facing the sales development space and what managers and leaders need to know to stay ahead of the curve. In This Episode You'll Learn: What to expect from the one and only Sales Development Conference Top trends faced by sales development teams Top problems faced by sales d...

How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed w/Daniel McGinn @Harvard Business Review

Dan McGinn is the author of  Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed. The book focuses on the topic of science and mental preparation. Stress can effect everybody and people in sales are certainly not immune. Unlike athletes, sales leaders often do little mental preparation before big meetings or events but there is a lot of research suggesting that people who engage in certain behaviors before stressful activities or high-stakes performances perform better. Th...

How Chat is Disrupting the Sales Process w/Jonny Everett @The Chat Shop

People always find different ways to communicate to get what they want. Using the phone might be preferred for some while others prefer email and others texting messaging. Chat has become a mainstream method used between companies and their prospects and clients. Although chat has not found it's way into the mainstream sales process, it has become an often used and often preferred method for prospects to communicate with companies. Chat allows prospects to not have to pick up the phone and h...

How Much Did Sales Teams Lose by Looking at the Sun?

The solar eclipse happened and it was a good thing. A lot of people across the globe gathered and enjoyed the celestial event. I for one was dragged to Idaho to watch the actual event close to the area of totality, where apparently you could get the best view possible. It was fun and the family and I enjoyed the whole experience. Now, leading up to the event there were a handful of publications who tried to estimate how much productivity would be lost due to the event. Being data-driven junk...

The Importance of Stories in Sales w/James O'Gara @StoryDimensions

Many sales people find themselves on an island. They run their business with little support and little interference from the corporate office. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing is that sales reps are empowered to do what they need for their territories but the bad thing is, they often overlook critical elements that would make their lives a lot easier. One of those things is the power of story telling, especially from the eyes of customers. Stories help prospects see h...

How Sales Reps Should Start Using Texts in Their Sales Process w/Mike Vandenbos @Zipwhip

Texting is here to stay. Busy decision makers are using texting to respond to people in and out of the work place and sales reps are starting to see the benefits of getting mobile numbers. How will this continue to play out? In this episode, Mike Vandenbos, Entrepreneur in Residence at Zipwhip, talks about the state of sales and discusses where texting is being best utilized. In addition, Mike points out some of the rules and regulations regarding texting and advises on how people should sta...

How 8,742 Companies Execute Their Sales Cadence

Every sales representative executes a ‘cadence’ when they reach out via email, phone, or using social media to initiate a conversation with a potential prospect. The art of a cadence is determined based on a myriad of factors, fueled primarily by sales reps’ intuition regarding the company and contact being pursued. Because of the subjective nature of this exercise many cadences go south and lead disastrous results. Because of this InsideSales Labs decided to study the art of sales cadences ...

How to Get More 'At Bats' in Sales w/Tibor Shanto @Renbor Sales Solutions Inc.

In baseball you can't have a good batting average unless you have at bats. At bats are opportunities to succeed in baseball but without them you're not even in the game. Sales is similar to baseball in this regard. Many sales people are talented but they never get the chance or the 'at bats' to prove it. If sales people can get enough at bats they find themselves improving their overall game to where they can become Allstars. The question is, how can sales people get more at bats in sales? ...

If You're Looking to Sell Me Something, Please Spare My Inbox. Call Me Instead

Steven Broudy, a senior sales leader posted on LinkedIn telling sales reps to step up and use the phone instead of spamming him with what we all know are automated emails. I didn't say it, he did. Mr. Broudy caused quite a stir with his post, but is it true? Should sales reps really use that ugly thing we call the phone?

The Who, The What, and the Why of Social Selling w/Larry Levine @Social Sales Academy

Are you getting tired of social selling? We've decided to speak our mind about the truth of social selling and ask industry experts to explain the who, the what, and the why of social selling. In this episode, we debate the fundamentals of social selling with Larry Levine, founder of Social Sales Academy and put Larry on the spot with tough questions such as, "Why is there so much data lacking about social selling results?", "What should reps do to be successful when social selling?" and "Wh...

How Many Deals Are You Missing Out On Right Now w/Neil Passero @Big Willow

We live in a world of inside out marketing. We're guessing at who we are talking to. We are guessing at what we should say to them. We need to rethink how we are engaging with the marketplace. Chief Customer Officer at Big Willow, Neil Passero poses the question, how many deals are you missing out on? Many of your buyers will not be in your CRM, they are not responding to your marketing program but they are out on the web searching for you, searching for services, or searching for competitor...

The Three Value Conversations That Can Change Everything w/Tim Riesterer @CorporateVisions

The science of decision making is complex but important. Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy and Research Officer at Corporate Visions, is the master of explaining the hidden forces that shape why and how choices are made. Many sales reps chase after traditional sales approaches only to see them fail time and time again. Reps need something new. They need to start using data and science. They need to realize they can take their power back by understanding the science of why people do what they do ...

The Digital Sales Revolution: Are You In Or Out? w/Mario Martinez Jr. @Vengreso

No one can argue the world in which we live is a digital world. But, what does that mean for sales? Many people have interpreted digital sales to mean social selling and have argued social selling is and will be the only way to sell. Mario Martinez, CEO of Vengreso, argues that digital sales is more than just social selling, it's understanding where the customer is and meeting them there. Digital sales is a combination of all the tools sales reps have in their hands on. In this episode, Mari...

Next Era Selling: Key Strategies to Make Your Business Unstoppable w/Britton Manasco @Visible Impact

In this emerging era of virtual selling, you can pursue strategies that previously would have been cost prohibitive. You can open up markets that would have proved elusive. You can run experiments that would have been expensive or difficult to run. All this is according to the best-selling book, Next Era Selling, co-authored by Britton Manasco. Britton visits the Playmaker podcast and discusses some of the key strategies outlined in his book that large organizations are executing on to move ...

The Truth About Social Selling w/Koka Sexton @Hootsuite

We might have had a little fight, Koka and I. Fight might be too strong of a word, a gentleman's disagreement is probably a better term. I started the debate with a post poking the bear declaring that social selling was dead. I felt my argument had some merit. I debated that the word social selling is confusing and the data is lacking to prove the worth of social selling. Koka saw the article and wrote a strong rebuttal and made some strong points. Koka and I started to speak offline and we ...

Four Apps Sales Reps Would Be Stupid Not To Use w/Gabe Larsen @InsideSales.com

I love being sold. The other day this kid knocks on my door and I swear he could have been 15 but that's beside the point. He starts going into his sales pitch and I have to admit, it was CLEAN. I stood there and simply smiled. He probably thought I was some weird guy just standing there with a big grin on my face while he went on about bug spray, but he never said anything. After a few minutes, I stopped him and said, "Look, I have no interest in your product my man but I'd love to film you...

People, Process, and Technology: The Only Way to Build an Inside Sales Team w/Stanislaw Wasowicz @VONQ

We all go through transitions in our lives and the same is true for businesses. Some business grow and some businesses shrink. Stan, Global Business Development Leader at VONQ, joined his company at the perfect time. A time when the business was ready to start thinking more strategically about building a proper inside sales team and Stan was the man for the job. Armed with the latest research and best practices from a myriad of thought leaders, Stand has begun a journey to figure out the bes...

Unraveling the Sales Technology Stack w/Lauren Chacon @ConstantContact, Deron Frye @PGi, & Jeff Skousen @Domo

Companies have made significant investments to date in tools and technologies to enable sales. Usually, the core of this investment is a CRM system deployed with high expectations of streamlined selling and new insights. Unfortunately, CRM systems are rarely fully utilized and often fall short of these expectations. What is needed beyond the CRM to help sales organizations unleash additional sales growth? In This Episode You'll Learn: What organizations need to think about before they buy ...

The No. 1 Best Seller: A Unique Insight into the Mind, Strategy and Processes of a Top Salesman w/Lee Bartlett @No.1BestSeller

Some people talk and other people do and Lee Bartlett is a doer who is a proven entity when it comes to sales. Lee has eat and slept sales for years and now he's taken the time to dump all of his best stuff into his book The Number One Best Seller - a masterclass in professional selling. In this episode, we go rapid fire Q&A with Lee and ask him the toughest questions we could think of. Let us know what you think. In This Episode You'll Learn: How can reps hit their number What is social ...

The One Thing Sales Reps Can Do To Make More Money Today w/Dianna Geairn & Shawn Sandy @TheSellOutShow

There is a lot of talk about sales and a lot of that talk is just talk, it doesn't lead to action. Sales reps need advice that is actionable, repeatable, and ultimately they need advice that leads to success. That type of goodness is hard to come by these days so it's a breath of fresh air to hear people talking about what sales reps really need rather than what people think they need. Dianna Geairn & Shawn Sandy host The SellOut Show, a show focused on boots-on-the-ground conversations with...

How to Grow a Successful Field Sales Team w/Steve Benson @BadgerMapping

What ever happened to field sales? Do companies still utilize it and is it still effective? The answer as always is, it depends. Field sales is a powerful go to market strategy but it is often misunderstood and can therefore lack organization and structure . In this episode, Steve Benson, CEO of Badger Mapping, discusses his expeirence as a field sales rep and some of the top challenges fields reps face when trying to reach their sales goals. In This Episode You'll Learn: What are the prim...

A Practical Way to Grow Your Business w/DovHirsch @ProspectCloud

Every company does things differently and success can look different depending on where you are. One thing that stays constant is change and it's probably the thing that companies have the hardest time with. Change unfortunately is one of the fundamental principles of success and if companies can't get this right, they won't succeed. In this episode, Dov Hirsch, chief strategy officer at Prospect Cloud, talks about practical ways companies should be thinking about growing. In This Episode Y...

Selling to Zebras w/Jeff Koser @SellingToZebras

It’s hard to believe, but most companies close only about 15 percent of their sales deals. This means that salespeople spend 85 percent of their time to no avail. What can they do? The answer lies in identifying zebras, prospects that are perfect fits for a salesperson’s deal — not just from a product or service basis but also in terms of corporate values. In this episode, author and CEO, Jeff Koser explains the ideas behind Selling to Zebras and how this concept can change businesses. In ...

The Science of Sales Transformation w/KenKrogue @InsideSales.com

Companies spend thousands of dollars on sales acceleration technology and many technology implementations fail. How is that possible? Organizations don't realize that the keys to success revolve around change management and the ability of an organization to create a structure where change can actually happen. In this episode, founder and president of InsideSales.com, Ken Krogue, discusses the five steps to sales transformation. In This Episode You'll Learn: The importance of executive spon...

The Number One Thing That Drives Results With Social w/Cameron Brain @EveryoneSocial

Using social in selling can be a powerful tool to help sales reps sell more. But, like any tool, it's important to know how exactly to use this tool to make it as effective as possible. In this episode, Cameron Brian, Founder and CEO of Everyone Social, talks about what social selling is and what sales reps are doing to achieve optimal results. In This Episode You'll Learn: Clearing the Air on Social Selling What activities bring results in social selling What's a good sales cadence Lin...

How to Schedule Your Day And Other Sales Tips w/Michael Pedone @SalesBuzz.com

Michael Pedone is a serial entrepreneur who has made a living doing exactly what he preaches. He's mastered the art and the science of selling but he says that sales reps often forget one of the most important parts of selling, time management and the keys to structuring a good day. I know it sounds simple but it sales reps can't manage their time appropriately, they've lost before they've started. In this episode, Michael gives us the keys to time management and discusses other tips sales r...

How to Build A Customer Success Team w/Dave Blake @ClientSuccess

We often talk about sales but we don't talk about customer success. Customer success is in an important trend and a vital part of any sales organization. In this episode, Dave Blake, founder and CEO of Client Success talks about the key elements of building a customer success team and how organizations can avoid the most common pitfalls. In This Episode You'll Learn: How to build a customer success team The optimal compensation strategy What successful companies to do structure their tea...

The Art of Mind Boxing w/Harinder Singh @Jeet Kune Do Athletic Association

Sales is not only about the closing a deal it's about how you handle the deal. In this episode, Harinder Singh, talks about Mind Boxing, a preparedness process that focuses on mentally preparing for a meeting. effectively executing a meeting, and following through after the meeting. In This Episode You'll Learn: What is Mind Boxing How can you most effectively prepare and properly execute meetings The one key thing everyone needs to know to prepare for important meetings Links and Reso...

The Coffee Campaign: An Account-Based Sales Approach That Generated 450,000 in Sales Pipeline w/JoeyWood @InsideSales.com

I don't care about account-based marketing, I care about account-based sales. The problem with account-based sales is it's an idea most people have heard about but nobody knows what to actually do. For this reason, effective account-based sales requires sales reps who consider themselves the CEO of their territory and own their number. This is how we do it at at InsideSales.com. If you have a good idea, let's get'er done and that's exactly what Joey Wood and Jack Ballash, two of InsideSales....

Viral Content, Cold Calling, and Top Sales Trends w/DanielDisney @TheDailySales

Daniel Disney is a master at his craft and has had thousands of views on his social media content. In addition, he runs the TheDailySales blog, a blog focused on great content and hilarious memes. In this episode, Daniel discusses his viral content, his opinion about cold calling, and what sales trends are never going away. In This Episode You'll Learn: How to create viral content Is Cold Calling really dead? What sales trends will never go away? Links and Resources Mentioned in This ...

Is Social Selling Dead?

Well, that got interesting. I wrote an article about Social Selling being dead and then Koka Sexton from Hootsuite, wrote a rebuttal, called Is Social Selling Dead. So, it was only natural that I wrote him back and this was my response. My argument is not that sales reps shouldn't use social tools but we need to be careful about how many activities people do. We want them to sell so let's keep the eye on the prize. In This Episode You'll Learn: The definition of social selling The importa...

Structuring Your Sales Team Around Sales Conversations w/ChrisBeall @ConnectAndSell

People always wonder how to build a sales teams and they think it's about hiring but it's not. In this episode, Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell talks about the importance of conversations and how they are the fundamental building blocks of success. In This Episode You'll Learn: The importance of conversations in building a sales teams How social selling should be looked at for real sales teams How leaders should build sales teams Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Don A...