Sales Talk for CEOs
131 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 16 ratingsWelcome to Sales Talk for CEOs, a show where Alice Heiman interviews successful CEOs who have successfully scaled their B2B sales organizations. In each episode, we get to know the sales background of each CEO, dig into the strategies they've used to build their sales organization and wrap it up with what the future holds. We cover the good, the bad and the ugly of scaling a sales organization in order to deliver to you: value and insights.
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Episodes
Lead Generation for the Complex Sale with Expert Brian Carroll
April 05, 2022 10:00 - 51 minutes - 47.5 MBLead generation is often ranked as one of the biggest challenges of growing a business. That’s why I invited expert Brian Carroll to the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast to discuss what CEOs should know about generating leads for complex sales. Brian is the founder of Markempa, an empathy-based marketing company, and the author of the bestselling book Lead Generation for the Complex Sale. In this episode, he shares expert advice and actionable strategies for CEOs to evaluate their current lead ge...
How to Become a Trailblazer in a New Market with Amy DuRoss
March 29, 2022 10:00 - 55 minutes - 50.4 MBAmy DuRoss is the co-founder and former CEO of Vineti, an enterprise software platform for personalized cell and gene therapies. Personalized medicine—designing custom therapeutics for each patient to cure diseases like cancer—is a whole new terrain in the pharmaceuticals industry. So, what’s it like to start and build a company in a brand new category? In this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, Amy talks about what it takes to become a trailblazer in a new market, including the role of passion...
Winning Hearts, Minds, and Clients Through Account-Based Marketing with Blake Williams
March 22, 2022 10:00 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBAccount-based marketing is one of the hottest growth strategies right now (note: it's not new, just hot), with companies in all industries looking to create a personalized buying experience for targeted accounts. If you're a CEO who wants to unleash the power of account-based marketing in your own business, you'll want to listen to this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast. My guest, Blake Williams, is the founder and CEO of Ampfactor, an account-based marketing that teaches companies ...
Casting the Vision for the Sales Team with Darren Dixon
March 15, 2022 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.1 MBDarren Dixon is the founder and CEO of Fyxify, a software platform for the home services industry that connects consumers and contractors. He describes Fyxify as "the most energy-efficient software in the world" because the company's vision is to address the problem of global warming by equipping homeowners and service providers with the information they need to handle home maintenance in an energy-efficient way. This vision permeates everything they do at Fyxify, from sales to hiring to cus...
Teaching Your Sales Team to Have Authentic Conversations with Brent Keltner
March 08, 2022 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBBrent Keltner is the founder and President of Winalytics LLC, a go-to-market and revenue acceleration consultancy. His upcoming book, The Revenue Acceleration Playbook, teaches CEOs and go-to-market teams the importance of having authentic conversations with potential buyers. In this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast, we dive into the topic of authentic conversations: what they are, how to spot them, and how they differentiate your business. The episode will leave CEOs contemplating...
What CEOs Need to Know About Voice of the Customer Research With Expert Tonya Bjurstrom
March 01, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBVoice of the customer research is more than just sending out a customer survey or asking for a review. It involves conducting strategic interviews, often handled by a third party, to get targeted insights for your business. Every CEO should be looking at voice of the customer research, which is why I invited expert Tonya Bjurstrom, founder of Dirby Group, a voice of the customer research company, to join me for this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs. In it, we discuss everything that CEOs need ...
Creating a Mission-Aligned Sales Team with Leeatt Rothschild
February 15, 2022 11:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBLeeatt Rothschild is the CEO of Packed with Purpose, a specialty corporate gifting company that sources from minority-owned companies with superior products that make a social impact. Social mission affects everything at Packed with Purpose—from how they market and package products to the people they hire. In fact, Leeatt has worked hard to build a mission-aligned sales team, which has greatly contributed to the company's success. The truth is, every CEO needs to think about creating a missi...
Owning Your Role as Sales Leader with Torrance Hart
February 01, 2022 11:00 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBTorrance Hart is CEO of Teak and Twine, a corporate gifting company that works with sales, marketing, and HR teams to use strategic gifting to accomplish goals. Once Torrance embraced her role as sales leader, there was no turning back. She now loves her work leading sales and credits her involvement in the sales process as one of the primary reasons for the rapid growth of Teak and Twine. Her story is a great example of what owning your role as sales leader can do for your business! In thi...
Solving Startup Problems with Craig Zingerline
January 25, 2022 11:00 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBThe startup industry is littered with failed businesses that didn’t reach the five-year mark. It’s a shame because there are a lot of great products, ideas, and services out there that never make it because these early-stage startups don’t get the help that they need. That’s why I’m excited to welcome my guest for this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs: Craig Zingerline, CEO and founder of Growth University. Growth University delivers on-demand training programs geared toward early-stage startu...
The 3 Stages of Business Growth with Orrin Broberg
January 11, 2022 11:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBAccording to Orrin, the three stages of business growth are as follows: Stage 1: You’re scrappy and entrepreneurial with a ‘let’s just get it done’ kind of attitude. As for sales, you do most of the work yourself. Stage 2: ‘Let’s get some kind of management in here!’ becomes your mission. You start to grow your sales team and add people in layers into the organization. You may even start to get some investors. Stage 3: The 3 p’s are in place: people, process, and product. Backed by a good...
Marketing That Is Music to Your Buyer’s Ears with Kate Bradley Chernis
December 07, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBConnection is everything. When your marketing message resonates with your customers, selling becomes easier, retention becomes easier, and your customers become powerful evangelists who market and sell for you. To achieve this, you have to find the right words that make your customers lean in. You have to create marketing that is music to your buyer’s ears. In this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast, my guest Kate Bradley Chernis shares advice on how to do just that. A former live r...
Aligning Your Go-to-Market Team with Pouyan Salehi
November 30, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBProduct. Sales. Marketing. Customer Success. If you want to grow your business, your entire go-to-market team has to be in perfect alignment. Providing a seamless experience makes such a huge difference to customers, but it’s often hard to achieve. Luckily, you’ll get plenty of ideas and inspiration in the latest Sales Talk for CEOs podcast. My guest for this interview is Pouyan Salehi, CEO of Scratchpad, a workspace designed specifically for sales and revenue teams. Scratchpad has a unique...
Building Relationships to Grow Your Business with Amir Reiter
November 23, 2021 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBIf there is one thing to take away from this episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, it’s that CEOs should be making connections. If you’re not reaching out to customers, employees, peers, and mentors, you are missing out on opportunities to learn and grow. I understand that this doesn’t come naturally for everyone, but when you hear about the benefits of networking, evangelizing, and building relationships in today’s interview, I know you’ll be motivated to make it a priority. This episode feature...
Finding the Right Sales Leader for Your Company with Elay Cohen
November 16, 2021 11:00 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBHiring the right sales leader is something that every CEO has challenges with, so this episode of the Sales Talk for CEOs podcast is a great opportunity to improve your strategy and avoid some common mistakes. By hiring the right sales leader for your company, you’ll be able to build the kind of sales organization that really supports your business, and that allows you, as CEO, to take on the role of strategist, evangelist, and thought leader. The perfect guest for this topic is Elay Cohen,...
Growth Strategies for Hiring and Organizing Your Sales Team with Jacco van der Kooij
November 09, 2021 11:00 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBAs an entrepreneur, when you first launch your company, you often start out doing most of the work yourself. However, at a certain point, it’s time to hire a team so you can focus on the higher-level work required of a CEO and grow your business. But who should you hire first? When should you bring on a sales team? What hiring strategies can help you find the best talent? How should you organize your team for top performance and growth? All these questions (and more!) are answered in my late...
Building a Customer-Focused Sales Strategy with Erik Frank
November 02, 2021 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBThe companies that are succeeding today are the ones that are looking at themselves from their customers’ perspective. How do your customers see your business? Do they understand your products and services? How do they want to buy from you? Whether you have been in business for five years or 100, your customers’ perspective will always play a pivotal role in the success (or failure) of your business. So, are you listening to their valuable feedback? No matter how old your business is, you m...
Integrating Sales and Marketing to Better Serve Customers with Bronwyn Allen
October 26, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBHIGHLIGHTS 1:20 Changes to hiring during the pandemic 8:25 Growth of sales operations during the pandemic 11:25 How to integrate roles on your team to serve customers better 14:10 The CEO’s unique role in sales 18:38 Balancing a CEO’s many responsibilities 22:40 Switching your sales strategy when inbound calls increase 25:07 Growth opportunities on the horizon “The customer wants it to be seamless. They don’t want to have your services coming from 15 different directions and di...
3 Mindsets Every CEO Must Develop in Their Business with Maria Nordstrom
October 19, 2021 10:00 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBHIGHLIGHTS 3:19 The journey to becoming the CEO of basketball 8:24 Knowing CEO skills, playing the sport and understanding the fans 10:57 Finding solutions for the first challenges you have to face as a CEO 19:10 Holding each member and each department of the organization responsible for revenue and the customer’s experience 27:35 The CEO as the spearhead and pivot of the organization 30:35 Keeping sports stakeholders engaged during the pandemic through innovative thinking QUOTES ...
Interviewing for Creativity with Kris Rudeegraap
October 13, 2021 00:17 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBHIGHLIGHTS 2:50 How Sendoso started - finding creative ways to connect with people 5:20 Interviewing for creativity 15:10 Building a strong company culture 20:20 Adapting to modern sales 24:58 Following up with customers 27:41 Why stay with named accounts? QUOTES 4:57 “Creative thinking is one of those soft skills that are underutilized and undervalued… add creativity or if you want to be more creative that’ll be a skillset that will stand out” 5:32 “I think creativity is so...
Entrepreneurial Enthusiasm with Chris Cabrera
October 05, 2021 10:00 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBHIGHLIGHTS 1:20 What exactly is Xactly and who are their ideal customers? 7:00 Sales journey to CEO 11:55 Entrepreneurial enthusiasm 26:42 Sales organization’s evolution after 16 years 30:10 The balance of having partners and direct sellers 38:20 From private company to public, then to private and going back to being public QUOTES 11:30 “So many things could go differently, so many startups fail for so many different reasons - but that never entered my mind. Looking back, I...
Benefits of Hiring a Sales Leader with Gary Goerke
September 28, 2021 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBHIGHLIGHTS 3:30 Before Clarity Voice: how Gary had started as tech support and then trained in sales 6:08 The CEO being the first salesperson of the company 15:13 Realizing the need for a sales leader 20:18 When the CEO manages his own sales team 26:46 Technology doesn’t solve all problems 30:01 The richness of business QUOTES 3:30 “With any entrepreneur, when they look back to when they started the company and what led up to it, there were many things that happened that built t...
Building and Maintaining Partnerships with Jamie Crosbie
September 21, 2021 10:00 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBHIGHLIGHTS 2:18 How and why Jamie started Proactivate 8:45 Recognizing when to hire people 12:39 Strategically building and maintaining partnerships 16:00 Partnerships versus cold-calling 19:23 Mindsets that are helpful for serving clients and growing your business - mindset versus skillset QUOTES 5:26 “It was me selling, for sure, in the beginning and doing a lot of it. In the first week I got 25 appointments” 9:26 “Adding a salesperson would be worth a million dollars in reven...
The Importance of Understanding Sales with Steve Benson
September 14, 2021 10:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBHIGHLIGHTS [3:06] Being a business owner with a sales background [6:59] Getting people onboard in your company - what you can do as CEO [10:50] Building the sales organization in your company [20:41] Supporting sales and the CEO's growing role [25:51] Making your customer feel important, secure and happy [31:00] Hiring outside help to communicate more freely in the office QUOTES [6:30] “It's really useful to have a sales background starting a company, at first you are not just se...
Strong Contributors to Sales Success with Jon Ferrara
September 09, 2021 10:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBHIGHLIGHTS 2:00 From Goldmine to Nimble, Jon’s entrepreneurial journey 8:20 Be present for your family's growth. Don't let your career get in the way of being with your loved ones. 18:17 The secret sauce to making connections and closing sales - listening more and being human 29:24 Integrating more and more communication systems into Nimble 33:04 Making it easy for the buyer to buy from you QUOTES 2:02 “It really starts with our first company that I co-founded called GoldMine....
Directing Sales Profitability with Transparency with Ganesh Shankar
July 31, 2021 01:56 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBHIGHLIGHTS 01:46 Starting RFPIO and helping companies respond to RFPs more efficiently 10:07 Ganesh's sales experience was a natural progression to CEO 14:01 Trial and error: Changing company goals to figure out behavior 19:21 Celebrate sales milestones and recognize the efforts of every team member 23:15 Filling the organization structure with the right people at the stages 31:45 Future forecast for RFPIO and success with an onboarding specialist 38:46 Sales tips for fellow CEOs QU...
Reimagining How Salespeople Sell with Melanie Fellay
July 31, 2021 01:48 - 53 minutes - 49.5 MBHIGHLIGHTS 01:47 Innovating the training process with Spekit 10:44 Melanie's background in supporting sales and overcoming self-limiting beliefs 18:39 Learning how to sell a product and being deliberate with hiring a sales team 26:55 Having a clear company vision and hiring the first head of sales 37:30 Creating an online presence to evangelize and attract clients 40:34 Building up the sales team and adapting to changing buyer behaviors 48:32 Sales advice for fellow CEOs QUOTES 09:1...
Sales is the Art of Helping with Mario Martinez Jr.
July 31, 2021 00:06 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBHIGHLIGHTS 02:11 Mario's accidental entry into sales and realizing that sales is the art of helping 09:44 From accidental salesperson to accidental entrepreneur 12:54 Ask yourself these questions before striking out and becoming an entrepreneur 17:23 Being CEO means you are still involved in sales 21:26 Scale your business with remote sellers 29:56 CEOs must oversee sales teams and ensure company values are preserved 34:15 Future forecast for Vengresso and technology QUOTES 08:51 ...
Finding Success by Building a Remote Sales Team With Mario Martinez, Jr.
July 31, 2021 00:05 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBHIGHLIGHTS 02:11 Mario's accidental entry into sales and realizing that sales is the art of helping 09:44 From accidental salesperson to accidental entrepreneur 12:54 Ask yourself these questions before striking out and becoming an entrepreneur 17:23 Being CEO means you are still involved in sales 21:26 Scale your business with remote sellers 29:56 CEOs must oversee sales teams and ensure company values are preserved 34:15 Future forecast for Vengresso and technology QUOTES 08:51 ...
Fostering Collaboration Between Channels with Julie Thomas
July 30, 2021 23:55 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBHIGHLIGHTS 01:27 Julie as an "accidental entrepreneur" and rebuilding the structure of ValueSelling 09:37 Challenges with recruiting passionate people and translating languages 14:18 Figuring out the ideal profile for ValueSelling's independent contractors 18:37 Company culture has a direct effect on a channel's effectiveness 21:18 Strengths and obstacles: Collaboration and adapting to change and technology 29:53 Hiring direct sellers alongside independent contractors 35:53 Future fo...
Get to Know Your Host
July 16, 2021 23:29 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBOn this inaugural episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, guest host Park Howell interviews Alice Heiman to get the backstory of her career and how this podcast came to be. More about Alice Heiman website: https://AliceHeiman.com Follow Alice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/ More about Park Howell website: https://businessofstory.com/ Follow Park on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkhowell/
Get to Know Your Host, Alice Heiman
July 16, 2021 23:29 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBOn this inaugural episode of Sales Talk for CEOs, guest host Park Howell interviews Alice Heiman to get the backstory of her career and how this podcast came to be. More about Alice Heiman website: https://AliceHeiman.com Follow Alice on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceheiman/ More about Park Howell website: https://businessofstory.com/ Follow Park on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parkhowell/