The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast is a weekly show featuring B2B sales leaders and revenue-driving executives, who share their best insights on how a focus on sales effectiveness can help companies increase revenue, improve sales margins and gain market share. It’s presented by Force Management, a leader in building company alignment and equipping sales teams with the ability to execute growth strategies at the point of sale.We’ll cover topics like: Sales Leadership, Sales Transformation, Sales Initiative Results, Sales performance, Adoption and Reinforcement, making quota, high-tech sales, enterprise sales, and so much more.
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In today’s episode, John Boney joins Rachel to share his best advice on time management as a sales rep. He highlights the importance of operating with a mindset of ownership over your territory, discusses the calendar management habits of elite sellers, explains how to balance current deals with pipeline generation, and urges reps to sell proactively rather than reactively. He also advises managers on adding value to teams while avoiding micromanagement. Here are some additional resources: Get M...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with John Kaplan. One common scenario that all sellers are likely to face, especially when joining a new company, is inheriting others’ accounts. In some cases, you’ll follow someone who did a stellar job, and other times, you’ll have to pick up the pieces of someone not as successful. Both circumstances pose their own set of unique challenges. John Kaplan shares insights about how to approach joining a new account. He gives advice about: The first steps to t...
Enjoy this episode, which was originally aired in August 2022, with John Kaplan. Solution requirements are a critical component of every deal you sell. These are things that must be in place in order for a buyer to achieve their desired outcomes, and they exist with or without your solution. In today’s episode, John Kaplan explains the importance of recognizing your customer’s solution requirements and what to do with that knowledge. You will learn how to: Bridge the customer’s current state to ...
In this episode, John Kaplan joins Rachel to talk about bouncing back from losses as a seller. For reps, he sheds light on the key factors to reflect upon after losing, the importance of maintaining transparency with management in order to get appropriate feedback, the decisive benefits of early qualification, and applying the lessons learned from a loss to succeed in similar accounts. John also addresses managers, highlighting the need to foster an environment that promotes continuous learning ...
Today, John Kaplan joins Rachel to explore the many elements involved in building a healthy pipeline, and doing so in a purposeful manner. He talks about prioritizing strategy during pipeline generation as opposed to merely chasing a number, pinpointing an Ideal Customer Profile, articulating your value by tying technical requirements to business outcomes, and the art and skill of getting the customer to stand in their moment of pain. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on ...
For today’s episode, Tim Caito joins Rachel to share his insights on what reps can do to consistently elevate their sales conversations and get higher in organizations. Tim talks about recognizing the giveaways that you are too low in a company, prioritizing influence over org charts, keeping track of shifting priorities over the course of a deal, preparing in advance for successful sales calls, and gaining return access by tailoring your message to the relevant concerns of the buyer. Here are s...
In this episode, Antonella O’Day joins Rachel to discuss best practices on managing the transition of prospects from initial interest to buying intent. Over the course of the conversation, Antonella touches on the need for sellers to approach early sales calls with a mindset of curiosity, shares strategies for testing a prospect’s intent in order to qualify deals early on, advises reps to make use of mutual action plans (MAPs) to build consensus and trust, and supplies questions to help reps gau...
In this episode, John Boney and Rachel speak about the need for sales leaders to coach based on value. They explore ways in which leaders can endeavor to make every conversation with reps an opportunity to drive growth, not just hit a number. You’ll learn how to ask questions that uncover your reps’ motivations and struggles, differentiate solving and coaching, and lead in a way that builds trust and empowers your reps to take ownership of their challenges. Here are some additional resources: Ge...
In this episode, Rachel and John dive into a critical moment every seller faces: recognizing when it's time to pause, reassess, and reset a deal. They explore how to identify red flags, reframe conversations, and re-engage buyers without losing credibility. Visit these other episodes for more on this topic. Go High, Go Low – Adjusting Your Sales Conversation Learn how to shift your conversation up or down the org chart when your deal is stalling or misaligned. Confidence and Conviction This epis...
In today’s special episode for those selling to government agencies, John Boney joins Rachel to discuss how to respond and adapt to changing federal priorities in the current landscape. He explores the concept of “value drivers” and explains how reps can uncover them with effective, mission-oriented questions. John also talks about the need to align with the client’s procurement process, focus on ROI for the agency in question, build a stakeholder map that allows you to adapt your narrative for ...
Today, Brian Walsh joins Rachel to talk about the mindset sellers need to have when their company launches a new product. He walks through key considerations for reps to weigh during the enablement process, such as figuring out what problems the product solves and the outcomes it can drive, determining your ideal customer profile, staying honest to avoid overpromising, and discussing technical features while maintaining value-based discipline. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Cert...
John Kaplan joins Rachel Klepp-Miller to reveal the habits of elite sellers, focusing on disciplined preparation, flawless execution, and aligning solutions with the customer's biggest business pains. They discuss influencing decision criteria with unique differentiation and the critical importance of voracious qualification, emphasizing a healthy, truth-driven pipeline. The episode provides actionable insights for salespeople aiming to consistently achieve top-tier results.
Today, Force Management facilitator Jim “Pouli” Pouliopoulos joins Rachel to talk about finding the right mindset as a new sales rep. He advises prioritizing process over outcome when starting out, maintaining a growth mindset, and staying focused on trying to help prospects personally and professionally. Pouli also shares tips on overcoming common struggles faced by new sellers, such as a lack of clarity and fear of rejection. Check out Pouli’s book, How to Be a Well Being , and connect with hi...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with John Kaplan. Sellers often hear from prospective customers that they have too much going on and thereby cannot take on a solution. When you’ve got numbers to hit, how do you get a prospect to prioritize your solution over the other initiatives they are considering? John Kaplan joins us to share how best to align your solution with the business issues that matter most to a customer. Here are some additional resources: https://www.forcemanagement.com/selle...
Today, Antonella O’Day joins Rachel to discuss questions that reps can ask themselves to maximize their ability to qualify deals. These questions, among other benefits, will provide reps with clarity on whether you understand the customer’s business problem, whether the customer understands your solution’s differentiation, and how best to make use of your Champion in the qualification process. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Lead Qualification | Ascender Co...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with John Kaplan. There’s not a salesperson out there who doesn’t want more wins and bigger deals. The most elite salespeople are strategic about how they align their solution’s differentiation to their buyer’s needs and as a result, they’re able to win more, high-value accounts. John Kaplan shares, where most reps are challenged when it comes to differentiating their solutions and the skills these reps can focus on to significantly improve their bottom line....
Today, Tim Caito joins Rachel to discuss how to communicate the needs of the customer internally, centering the conversation around three high-level concepts: the external sale, the internal sale, and achieving an ideal outcome using two-way guidance. In the course of the episode, he shares best practices on gathering necessary customer and internal requirements, finding the right balance between the customer’s view of a great outcome and that of your company, aligning with the customer’s Decisi...
When it comes to rejuvenating stalled deals, urgency is the factor that moves the needle. Today, John Kaplan joins Rachel to talk about driving urgency in deals, discussing the use of discovery to uncover and attach to the customer’s biggest business issues, getting them emotionally connected to solving those issues, and subsequently articulating your value and comparative differentiation. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Executing Your Discovery Strategy | ...
In today’s episode, Brian Walsh joins Rachel to discuss building rapport with prospective customers. Brian covers the true meaning of rapport and how it applies to client conversations, as well as the right mindset for sellers to take into their early conversations with prospects, the importance of active listening as a way to gain trust, and determining the right time to deploy tactics such as storytelling and sharing case studies. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on As...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with John Kaplan. When selling a solution, you want to align with wide-ranging corporate initiatives and not just departmental one-offs. Many reps struggle to not only identify, but also align with company-wide initiatives that buyers are navigating with inside of their organization. John Kaplan explains how to recognize a corporate buyer and align your business outcomes with their pain points and other business issues. Here are some additional resources: Thr...
A robust pipeline is key to maintaining a steady flow of prospects and keeping track of the progress of each toward closing. With the current proliferation of AI tools on the market, sellers are better equipped than ever to tailor their prospecting approach to the unique concerns of each individual lead. Still, regardless of the technology, the fundamentals remain unchanged. Today, John Kaplan joins Rachel to discuss the need for reps to grasp the foundational steps of pipeline generation first ...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with John Kaplan. Preparing for your deal is critical. Preparing others for your sales call has equal impacts on your success. If you want someone to join you on a call (product engineer, manager, etc.), you have to be able to provide them with fluency about the deal and clarity on their role in the conversation. John Kaplan covers what information you need to share and how help ensure those joining you are best prepared. Here are some additional resources Ho...
When it comes to attaining a consensus in a customer account and achieving the crucial “Collective Yes”, the greater the numbers on your side, the higher your chances of success. Today, Antonella O’Day joins Rachel to discuss the need to expand the depth and breadth of your presence in customer accounts, applying a multi-threaded approach in order to achieve top-down organizational agreement on your solution. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Achieving a Coll...
Customer handoffs are a natural part of the selling process, but you don’t want to lose the customer relationships that you’ve worked so hard to build. Indeed, staying connected to customers over the long-term has numerous benefits, not only for the success of your solution, but also for your career as an individual seller. Today, John Kaplan joins Rachel to discuss these benefits, and he shares the techniques he’s accumulated over the years to remain tethered to clients. Here are some additiona...
Not many things are granted in sales, but adversity is one of them. When difficulties arise, resilience becomes a seller’s most valuable attribute. Joining Rachel for today’s episode is Force Management Facilitator Jim “Pouli” Pouliopoulos to cover the importance of resilience in sales. Pouli discusses the need to focus on what you can control, staying motivated when it feels nothing is going right, leaning on MEDDICC qualification to overcome sales slumps, and asking for help. Check out Pouli’s...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with Brian Walsh. Ever had a customer ask you to consider a pilot project? Perhaps they don’t want to sign up for the full investment or they want to prove success before they move forward. Should you sell it? How should you handle it? Brian Walsh gives you a few things to consider. He talks about: Why pilot projects pop up. When it is beneficial to take on a pilot project. Ways to increase the likelihood that a pilot project will lead to a permanent solution...
As a rep, a deal review is your time. They are your chance not only to level-set with your manager and teammates, but also to get whatever help you need in getting your opportunities over the line. It is within your control to own the agenda. In this episode, John Kaplan advises reps on ideal preparation in advance of deal reviews and the mindset necessary to get the most out of them. He also discusses how managers can foster a deal review environment in which reps are empowered to share their c...
Before you can sell a solution, you must establish a baseline of trust with your customer. You build trust, in part, by demonstrating your willingness to understand the customer’s concerns and solve them. Today, John Kaplan discusses the effectiveness of recapping sales conversations as a trust-building tool that facilitates alignment with the customer and allows sellers to expand the conversation to key stakeholders across the buying company. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Cert...
Salespeople frequently find themselves stuck with a single contact in a buying company, unable to engage departments necessary to a successful close, locked at a standstill. In today’s episode, John Kaplan explains how to multi-thread in a way that enlarges a company-wide understanding of the gravity and relevance of a technical issue and convinces all people involved of their responsibility and capability to work toward a successful solution. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Cert...
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with John Kaplan. If you’re finding yourself new to a selling role and trying to sell to more experienced executives and professionals - this is a podcast for you. If you’re leading a team of greener reps, share this one with them. John Kaplan shares how to prepare for conversations with experienced buyers in a way that will drive success and help you feel less intimidated going in. Great selling, is great selling, no matter your experience or background. Tun...
