Sellers: how are you creating connections, building trust, and cementing rapport without feeling inauthentic in a virtual first world? The goal is to provide your prospects and customers with a unique experience online or via Zoom that captures their attention and makes you memorable for weeks after your call has ended. The million-dollar question is…how? The secret lies in being intentional in the way you communicate so you can win every relationship, even if you don’t win the deal. Join Ravi R...
May 04, 2023•16 min•Ep. 33
AI services like ChatGPT and Bard are already impacting how marketing professionals generate content for SEO (search engine optimization). But most experts agree that high-performance content cannot be achieved simply by clicking a button. The human touch is necessary to be successful. In this episode of Closing Time, we’re joined by Mitch Causey of Demandwell, an SEO growth platform, where he’ll share his team’s tactics for leveraging AI to shorten the time it takes to produce quality content t...
May 02, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 32
How you personalize your sales outreach can make or break your sales process. Show Me You Know Me (#SMYKM) is a concept that runs through every single part of your sales process, from the first email the buyer receives – to the 1,000th touchpoint you've had in a long-term client's engagement. In this episode of Closing Time, we interview sales expert Sam McKenna and discuss some of the key components of success with SMYKM and how to capitalize on the data in your CRM to personalize your sales an...
Apr 27, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 31
It’s easy for salespeople to get into a rut and deliver the same sales demo every time. Today’s buyers won’t have it…they’ll watch a recording at their leisure if that’s what they want. You’ve got to use that discovery call to its fullest potential and customize the experience to make the most of your prospect’s time. In this episode of Closing Time, sales consultant Kim Cram talks with Insightly CSO Dave Osborne about how to be disciplined in the demo and use discovery details to make it impact...
Apr 25, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Not only should women have a seat at the table in sales and sales leadership, but your company is actually suffering without them. How much? Well, according to a study from Gong, women close 11% more deals than men. Yet, here we are in 2023, and the gender gap still exists. In this episode of Closing Time, Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, breaks down the gender gap in sales and what we can do to bridge it. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want to better align your g...
Apr 20, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 29
What’s in between a ‘yes’ and a signed deal? It’s the proposal. The proposal is an opportunity to cement the deal or possibly lead it astray, so it’s crucial to get it right. In this episode of Closing Time, Insightly’s Chip House is joined by Keith Rabkin, CRO at PandaDoc. With more than 50,000 customers, the team at PandaDoc has some insights into what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to proposals. Keith and Chip talk through the 4 keys to successful proposals (timing, format, customer...
Apr 18, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 28
80% of a B2B buyer's time is spent researching products and evaluating options independently, and only 20% is spent meeting with a sales rep. As information sharing becomes more readily available for buyers, will the salesperson's job eventually become obsolete? In 2015, Forrester predicted that 1 million B2B sales jobs would be eliminated by 2020 because of buyers’ easy access to information. But it never happened. In fact, the opposite happened: B2B sales roles actually grew. In this episode o...
Apr 13, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Account-based marketing (ABM) can be a more efficient way to drive higher-value deals, reduce lead lifecycle, and increase revenue for B2B businesses. The catch? Successful ABM strategies require complete alignment and support from your sales and marketing teams - and experienced go-to-market leaders know just how challenging that alignment part can be. John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Marketing, joins Chip House in this episode of Closing Time to talk about how your digital marketing team can...
Apr 11, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Too many salespeople use the same playbook for every buyer, every time. In 2023, that is a recipe for disaster or – at the very least – missing your sales quota. In this episode of Closing Time, learn from marketing and CX expert Jay Baer how to customize the three essential elements of sales follow-up communication – cadence, content, and channel – to turn more prospects into leads and more leads into sales. Watch the episode on YouTube . Want to stay up to date on the latest happenings in sale...
Apr 06, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 25
You’re interrupting your prospect’s day. You have 10 seconds on a cold call to pique their interest and provide some sort of value before they inevitably say, “I’m not interested.” What is your response? According to Charlotte Lloyd, sales consultant and outbound sales guru, there are quite a few options available to you to not only respond but continue the conversation productively and increase your chances of landing that meeting. Turn your outbound around with these eight responses to overcom...
Apr 04, 2023•19 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Chat leads inherently have high intent. This person is on your website and wants to engage with your team - amazing! Do you know how to best align your sales and marketing teams to get the most out of prospect chats? Join Insightly CMO Chip House and Drift CMO Katie Foote for this episode of Closing Time as they talk through effective ways to thoughtfully route chat leads to maximize their potential. Want to stock your bookshelf on us? Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchas...
Mar 30, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Your RevOps team is the key to launching and maintaining a high growth trajectory for your business. In this episode of Closing Time, Dave Osborne is joined by Eddie Reynolds, a RevOps consultant and CEO of Union Square Consulting, to hear about a model Eddie developed while working with high-growth businesses. Dave and Eddie will talk through sales ops, marketing ops, and RevOps. Then, they’ll break down the five aspects of the model and talk about how each step can be accomplished by your team...
Mar 28, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 23
The B2B sales compensation market shifts quickly – how are you keeping up in 2023? In this episode of Closing Time, we’ve invited Amy Volas, strategic advisor and owner of Avenue Talent Partners, to break down what's driving the sales compensation market, risks to be aware of, and the importance of a strong sales hiring process. Why do A-players leave? Find out! Want to stock your bookshelf on us? Enter the giveaway to win a $100 Amazon gift card to purchase books authored by Closing Time guests...
Mar 23, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 21
You’ve heard about ChatGPT in the news and online, but how exactly does it benefit Go-to-Market professionals? In this episode of Closing Time, columnist, author, and host of the Paychex Thrive business podcast Gene Marks joins Insightly’s Chip House on Closing Time to go over five areas where you can start using ChatGPT today to save on resources and time. Actionable tips for salespeople, marketers, and customer success professionals are included. Watch the episode on YouTube . Want to stock yo...
Mar 21, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Looking to supercharge your outbound sales strategy in 2023? Most sales leaders use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to fuel their outbound sales process. But, as we have learned, very few have mastered it. In this episode of Closing Time, LinkedIn Ambassador Sam McKenna, does a deep dive into LinkedIn Sales Navigator to showcase how users are underutilizing the tool and highlight features and tips most sales leaders are ignoring. Watch the episode on YouTube . Want to stock your bookshelf on us? Enter ...
Mar 16, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Are MQLs dead? Marketers have relied on generating Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) for years, using them as a critical metric to measure success. But treating all MQLs the same is a mistake. John Short, CEO of Compound Growth Media, joins Chip House in this episode of Closing Time to talk about the paid media strategies that drive MQLs. He’ll also talk through how the source of your MQLs results from the level of intent and how bucketing them differently is the key to conversions. Watch the epi...
Mar 14, 2023•17 min•Season 19Ep. 1
Buyers – especially in B2B – learn about products and services in various ways. As social media platforms like TikTok continue to gain popularity, it becomes increasingly difficult for marketers to track web traffic and social engagement with traditional analytics tools. Enter the phenomenon of dark social – something that is guaranteed to impact your brand. Author and CEO of Zen Media, Shama Hyder, will break it all down for you in this episode of Closing Time. She's answering the obvious quest...
Mar 09, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Happy Women's History Month! Female salespeople are statistically proven to have better outcomes (e.g. more wins) than their male colleagues, and yet the profession is still male-dominated. In this episode of Closing Time, sales leader Charlotte Lloyd dives into this phenomenon, looking at what attracts and repels women from the profession and how women salespeople can find the right businesses to use their talents and succeed. Watch the episode on YouTube . Want to stock your bookshelf on us? E...
Mar 07, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 17
No one wants to receive a “check-in.” In fact, it might be the worst follow-up email to send (or receive). No value. No update. No bueno. Instead of the same tired cadence, the most effective salespeople use content marketing resources – blogs, articles, reports, podcasts, videos, and more – to generate interest, capture demand, and close more deals. In this episode of Closing Time, Jay Baer discusses the latest tips and trends in content marketing so that every email, call, and text you send al...
Mar 02, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 14
How do you make a go-to-market plan? Which motion and strategy do you choose? Which is best for your business? If you've asked yourself any of those questions, then this is the Closing Time episode for you. Join Insightly CMO Chip House as he interviews Sangram Vajre, CEO of GTM Partners on the 7 types of go-to-market. They’ll review the growth lever associated with each and who is responsible for execution. Whether you’re inbound-led, channel-led, or product-led, you’ll find key descriptions an...
Feb 28, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 15
To connect with your prospects and convert them into paying customers, one of the most powerful stories you can share during the sales process to accelerate trust is a customer success story. In this episode of Closing Time, podcaster, speaker, and storytelling expert Ravi Rajani shares his "ACORN" checklist for crafting a compelling sales success story. Several key ingredients go into crafting a high-converting customer success story. Unlock Ravi’s ACORN checklist to take you and your team’s st...
Feb 23, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Having trouble forecasting 1-2 quarters out? Feeling reactive rather than proactive? Hold out hope for big deals to save the quarter? You're not alone. In this episode of Closing Time, Sangram Vajre, CEO of GTM Partners, shares the results of a recent survey of 250 go-to-market leaders in sales, marketing, and customer service. He'll cover the top 5 go-to-market challenges and how you can enable your GTM team to overcome them in 2023. Watch the episode on YouTube. Want to stock your bookshelf on...
Feb 21, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 13
The prospect has the budget. They have the authority. They have the need. But timing? “Sorry, we’ll have to push this project for six months.” Overcoming this lack of urgency is tough – but not impossible, and Closing Time has got you covered. You’ve got to help them recognize the negative consequences of their current state. In this episode, we hear from Doug Landis, former Chief Storyteller and VP of Sales Productivity & Enablement at Box, on his game-changing tips to overcome a prospect’s...
Feb 14, 2023•13 min•Season 1Ep. 11
60% of well-qualified deals will end in no decision due to the fear of change or choice paralysis. Why? Salespeople fail to turn sales discovery calls into actual business conversations. Doug Landis, former Chief Storyteller and VP of Sales Productivity & Enablement at Box, joins us for this episode of Closing Time to review the steps to building a real business conversation before the call. He'll also share tips for perfectly executing the discovery call and how to help buyers overcome stat...
Feb 07, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Does the traditional sales negotiation process almost feels like a hostage situation? We build trust and form a relationship, then when the customer says "yes," the gloves come off. As a sales leader, we know you’ve been there. In this episode of Closing Time, sales expert Todd Caponi will provide simple techniques to improve your sales negotiation skills, build trust, and create a better overall sales experience. The result? You’ll discount less and make all of your deals more predictable. Watc...
Jan 31, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Building an SDR or BDR program from scratch can be daunting. What metrics can help you determine if the time is right to start an SDR program? Do you have the right size team, deal size, and sales cycle to justify it? How will your tech stack need to change? Do you need to hire SDRs with experience or recruit from different industries? What’s the best way to begin? In this episode of Closing Time, sales expert Sam McKenna answers all those questions and more to ensure you're prepared to launch a...
Jan 24, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 8
How is your sales team’s relationship with the marketing department? According to the latest research - it’s probably not great. In fact, 87% of the words marketers and salespeople use to refer to one another are negative (good luck reaching the quota in that environment). But it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode of Closing Time, Jay Baer shows how smart organizations are building that bridge through unified CRM systems, aligned success metrics, KPIs, and proactive mechanisms to build...
Jan 17, 2023•11 min•Season 1Ep. 7
To retain, grow and inspire your sales team, your culture is everything. But how do you motivate a sales team that stays, performs, and advocates in the Great Resignation era? Sales expert Todd Caponi would argue it has to do with maximizing intrinsic inspiration. In this episode of Closing Time, we'll discuss the six categories of sales motivation and inspiration (also referred to as the PRAISE model), along with easily actionable ideas to help you maximize them in any sales environment. Watch ...
Jan 10, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Sales and marketing professionals – it's time to optimize your LinkedIn profile. With over 830 million users and 4/5 of them being decision-makers, it's more important than ever to utilize LinkedIn to its fullest potential. In this episode of Closing Time, LinkedIn expert Sam McKenna dives into a few of the latest components of LinkedIn profile optimization, the logic and structure of the Linkedin algorithm, and even a few things that might be limiting your success on LinkedIn. Watch the episode...
Jan 03, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 5
How can aligning go-to-market teams help to elevate and deliver a fantastic customer experience? Research shows that aligned sales and marketing teams produce 400% higher average annual growth rates than teams that aren't aligned. In this episode of Closing Time, Jay Baer explains the philosophy of "Youtility" and the importance of building relationships and creating value that "transcends the transaction." He also provides actionable tips for B2B go-to-market teams to help them achieve alignmen...
Dec 27, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 4
