Market Dominance Guys

Corey and Chris continue their dicussion about inertia and constraints. How can leaders identify hidden constraints shaping their strategy? What fosters innovation: centralization or decentralization? Can classic texts offer counter-cultural wisdom to elevate leadership today? Pulling insights from ancient to modern thinkers, Corey and Chris tackle these questions and more. They argue consolidation often hinders progress while decentralization promotes healthy competition. Chris advocates "divisionalizing" to optimize strategy. They explore conquering inertia, maximizing strengths by pruning the unnecessary and structuring for change. The curiosity continues in part two of this engaging conversation in this episode, "Pruning the Unnecessary to Focus on Strengths." Corey Frank on LinkedIn Branch49 Chris Beall on LinkedIn ConnectAndSell

The guys are back together! Join our master salesmen Corey Frank and Chris Beall as they dive into this discussion on business strategy inspired by a recent event Corey attended featuring Rami Goldratt of the Theory of Constraints Institute. Discussing key concepts like inertia, identifying constraints, and the politics involved, they provide insight for sales managers and CROs looking to break through barriers to growth. Chris explains how constraints manifest on the buyer's side, in their emotions and feelings of possibility. On the execution side, he advocates building key elements in advance to avoid delays. He and Corey cover divisional vs departmental structure, M&A pitfalls, and more insights. Join them for this episode, “Divisional vs. Departmental – Structure for Sales Innovation.”

Corey Frank continues his interview with Susan Finch as they talk about perfecting your craft and the importance of a supportive and evaluative community in the journey. This leads to an insightful discussion that draws parallels between renowned comedians and training sales professionals. Corey uses the example of comedians like Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, and Jerry Seinfeld testing new material in heartland towns to underscore the significance of knowing your audience and how practicing your craft in smaller venues can sometimes offer more genuine feedback than large, more famous platforms. Listen in as Corey recounts the story of hotdog-eating champion Kobayashi, drawing lessons on questioning the conventional and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. They emphasize the power of not just aiming for more but seeking ways to make the process more efficient. Join them if you're keen on exploring the intricacies of the sales profession, the art of feedback, and the significance of pushing boundaries in this episode, “Making Seinfeld Laugh: The Sales Professional’s Aim.” Full episode transcript below: ----more---- Susan Finch (00:00): When you were saying about dressing, my mom taught me when I was a child. I mean, she did not leave the house without makeup and dress to the nines, but that was a different era. But that's how I was raised. I do not go to my kitchen table without teeth, brush, makeup on, dressed ready to go. And I had one bad experience where I was seen on C N N in a bucket hat in the rain, and I will never do that again and leave my house without being presentable. It was a parade, but still Corey Frank (00:30): [00:00:30] Camera ready. Susan Finch (00:30): It did not look good. But it's also out of respect when your team shows up that way, they're respecting each other and they are saying, our business that I have an effect on that affects your bottom line, Joe, Bob, Gina, I'm going to show you that respect that I'm here for you too, and I will show up because we are all in it. And I want your clients to know that I respect you, and they can see that even if I'm just walking around the background on a call, [00:01:00] they can see that everybody has that same mindset of respect for each other, respect for the brand, respect for the client. And it puts us, I don't know if you remember when I was in school and we had school dances and stuff, we love the formal themes best. I was in leadership because everybody behaved better than when they dressed up as babies or animals or whatever. It was some crazy hair day for spirit week. But when they dressed formally, [00:01:30] they all behaved better. Corey Frank (01:36): I do remember that. And I guess I didn't see the correlation back then, but yeah, we had dress up day versus dress down day or Hawaiian shirt day. Right, right. That is interesting. Yeah, I like that analogy a lot. I think it's probably a little outdated in our sales world today. A lot of the clients that we have when we show up on the call immediately, they apologize for not dressing apart, not putting [00:02:00] a tie up, putting a jacket on, et cetera, which is interesting. And we use that as indicative of, okay, folks want to rise to a higher level. And we encourage folks to turn on their camera when we're talking and it says, Hey, unless you believe that the camera somehow steals a portion of your soul, if you put it online, turn on your camera and let's have a conversation. The screenplays that we present, which ties into a little bit what you're saying too, because it's all about authenticity. Corey Frank (02:26): It's all about presenting yourself. And what Chris and I talk about all the time is the [00:02:30] building, the power of trust in seven seconds or 27 seconds and the replays that we use, we try to incorporate a number of verbal disfluencies, s and ums. Think of the way Ellen DeGeneres talks this way. Bob Newhart certainly made a career of having the stammer. And we...

Corey Frank welcome Susan Finch to talk about humility, sales training, and sushi. If you've ever wondered how to turn water into wine without being at a wedding in Cana. Today's discussion is all about nurturing the greenhorns and newbies by diving into how to nurture the budding talent fresh from school or those having a "Is this my life?" moment. Corey expounds on why humility isn’t just for monks in monasteries but crucial in the sales world too. Drawing unexpected life lessons from the likes of the book 'The Alchemist' to 'Giro Dreams of Sushi' - yes, a sushi documentary, because why not? - this episode promises a roller coaster ride through the heart of sales strategies. Listen to the first half of this conversation, "Humility's on the Menu: Serving Sales Success Sashimi-style!" Full episode transcript below: ----more---- Susan Finch (00:21): Hey, everyone, Susan Finch here, and today I have the pleasure of sitting with Corey Frank, and we have two parts of this visit. If [00:00:30] you've ever wondered how to turn water into wine without having to be at a wedding in Cana, well, you want to join us for this episode. Today's discussion or the first half of this two-part visit is all about nurturing the greenhorns and newbies by diving into how to nurture the budding talent, fresh from school, or those having a "is this my life" moment. Corey expounds on why humility isn't just for monks and monasteries, but crucial in the sales world too. (00:58): Drawing unexpected life lessons from [00:01:00] the likes of the book The Alchemist to Jiro Dreams of Sushi, yes, a sushi documentary. Because why not? You know these guys. This episode promises a ride through the heart of sales strategies. Listen to the first half of this discussion, humility is on the menu, serving sales success, sashimi style. (01:30): [00:01:30] Some of the things that I notice because you are in the trenches with newbies, new salespeople that are not cluttered with bad habits, and you are able to from the get-go show them based on your experience, of course, the best way to learn as a group, to mentor each other, to make use [00:02:00] of some of their talents. One of the things that you guys have talked about before is give me the dyslexic ADHD person and I will make a great salesperson because they are the good ones. That always cracks me up because there I am. (02:15): I love hearing because neurodiversity is such a big topic right now and what it means to people. It's the quiet stuff we don't see. It's that silent diversity, the quiet diversity, however you want to word it, but it's what we don't see in [00:02:30] personalities. Some people are highly functioning with all of those assets, those quirks, however you want to call it. And yet there are some qualities that actually are way better for sales than they are for many other professions. (02:50): I wanted to talk to you about that a little bit, and also to see two things, and you can go as far as you want with this because we can just record this and chop [00:03:00] it up too, how to build a sales team from scratch for small to mid-size businesses. Which comes first, the people are the tools? And if it's tools, I mean, we know ConnectAndSell, of course, but what are your must haves that there's no deal without it, you must be using something to the effect of these tools because otherwise this will happen? (03:23): And then finally, I wanted to talk about the importance of a mentor in sales, especially when people are only remote. [00:03:30] I have seen the difference when people are trained in person. There is no substitution for that. As much as I love working from home, I also had the benefit though of mentors early on. I would not be successful, I would not know what I know today without being in person working alongside people, bumping along, reacting, responding, and pivoting. Those are the topics I was thinking about. Corey Frank (03:57): I don't know how people do...

In this episode, Chris dives deep into the intricacies and pitfalls of sales tooling, questioning the effectiveness of piling on more tools and the notion of an 'Uber tool.' Chris explores the impedance mismatch between the world of sales tools and the neurodiversity of salespeople, highlighting the challenges faced by salespeople who switch attention frequently and the toll it takes on their productivity. With references to a recent Forrester article, an insight into sales conversations, and a sprinkle of Beall's Laws, Chris delves into the complexities of sales processes, the importance of meaningful conversations, and the hurdles of creating a one-size-fits-all tool. Tune in as Chris discusses the present and future of sales technology, neurodiversity, and the search for an optimal toolset. Join us for this episode, "Decoding the One-Stop Shop Sales Tool." Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:23): In this episode, Chris dives deep into the intricacies and pitfalls of sales tooling, questioning the effectiveness of piling on more [00:00:30] tools and the notion of an über tool. Chris explores the impedance mismatch between the world of sales tools, and the neurodiversity of salespeople. Highlighting the challenges faced by salespeople who switch attention frequently, and the toll it takes on their productivity. With references to a recent Forrester article and insight into sales conversations, and a sprinkle of Beall's laws, Chris delves into the complexities of sales processes and the importance of meaningful conversations. As well as [00:01:00] the hurdles of creating a one-size-fits-all tool. Tune in for a discussion on the present and future of sales technology, neurodiversity, and a search for an optimal tool set. Join us for this episode, Decoding The One-Stop Shop Sales Tool. Chris Beall (01:23): Hey everybody. Chris Beall here without Corey Frank. He's probably available, but it's a Tuesday [00:01:30] afternoon raining here in Port Townsend, Washington. I don't know, I was just in a mood to hold forth on something. So here's the something. I read yesterday, it was a LinkedIn post I believe, that pointed to a Forrester analysis that said basically the number of sales tools keeps going up and sales performance keeps going down. And asking the question, "Are they related to each other?" And [00:02:00] I think the answer is yes, but not for precisely the reasons they stated in the article. So the idea in the article was pretty simple. More sales tools means more stuff that the sales person has got to work with, or is tempted to work with. And it's hard to become an expert at anything at all in this world, actually. Let's face it. But it's particularly hard to become an expert in something that you use occasionally and use a little bit. (02:28): So the idea is, [00:02:30] hey, you're having to jump around from tool to tool to tool. And the suggestion is a one-stop shop that does everything, is going to get the job done. That is, you want one tool to rule them all. And it's interesting. This to me, reminds me of the whole world of enterprise resource planning as it eventually came to be called. And you grew out of a thing called MRP, Manufacturing Resource Planning. And then MRP 2, which was a subtle twist [00:03:00] on all of that, that actually went and closed the loop between outputs and inputs. That is, you were actually talking about making stuff and ultimately maybe even shipping it. I only know about this because I was a architect designer of an MRP 2 system way back when. Which turned into, with a little bit of help, into a distribution management system to run a big automated warehouse full of all sorts of things. Humans and robots working [00:03:30] together. (03:30): And people who know me know I do love my humans and robots working together. Especially if the robots don't have much physical form, if they're just software. That's what we do here at ConnectAndSell, is humans and AI work...

In this episode, Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell, discusses various challenges faced by B2B sales leaders in the modern business landscape. With Corey Frank, CEO of Branch49, absent from the co-host chair, Chris invited ChatGPT to take a seat. He starts by introducing the idea of asking ChatGPT about challenges in B2B sales. He touches on the challenge of coaching sales reps, particularly their first failure points in conversations. Chris explains how technology, such as the one developed by Symbl.ai, can help identify these first failure points and support reps in improving their performance. Chris stresses that addressing these challenges requires a combination of strategic thinking, technological proficiency, people management skills, and deep industry understanding. Some of the challenges covered include: Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:22): In this episode, Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell discusses various challenges faced by B2B sales leaders in the modern business landscape [00:00:30] with Cory Frank, CEO of Branch 49. Absent from the co-host chair, Chris invited ChatGPT to take a seat. He started by introducing the idea of asking ChatGPT about challenges in B2B sales. He touches on the challenge of coaching sales reps, particularly their first failure points in conversations. He explains how technology such as the one developed by Symbl.ai can help identify these first failure points and support reps in improving their performance. Chris stresses [00:01:00] that addressing these challenges requires a combination of strategic thinking, technological proficiency, people management skills, and deep industry understanding. Join us for this episode of Market Dominance Guys, thriving in market, turbulence, tech tango, and global jigs. Chris Beall (01:24): Hey, everybody. Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell and co-host of Market Dominance [00:01:30] Guys. Corey Frank seems to be otherwise occupied today. And so I've decided to go ahead and do something we haven't really done before, which is to ask ChatGPT a question, we call them prompts, and see what it has to say about the challenges that are being faced by B2B sales leaders today. And who knows, maybe as I go through these, I'll have something to say. I just got primed for all of this by wonderful lunch with [00:02:00] Dan Nordale, who is the chief revenue officer over at Symbl.ai. And he and I were talking about one of the challenges which is coaching, and specifically the challenge of coaching first failure, so I'm going to put that one out there, is coaching sales reps helping them become better is very, very challenging. (02:23): And one of the reasons it's challenging is that it's very difficult to find that moment where [00:02:30] they have a first failure in a conversation and just coaching that moment and doing so in a way that allows them to repeat the performance under pressure. So think about discovery calls, if we were to coach a discovery call and point out, "Hey, the first point where you actually failed, where you came up short was about 37 seconds in. And the issue is that you went ahead and plowed forward into the value that your solution [00:03:00] provides without having the least idea of whether the other person has made that transition from their initial emotional state, which is apprehension to some other emotional state that might be suitable and supportive for them to listen to what it is you have to say as an expert." So we were talking about that and how the technology that they use a symbol could help with that because it listens to conversations and shows [00:03:30] that first failure rate if you choose to have it do that. (03:33): But then how long before they get to repeat the performance? If I'm teaching somebody how to serve in pickleball, for instance, well, I can have them serve and then I can note their first failure point, the place where they could try something different and they could try another...

Today's adventure is a jaunt on the high seas with Chris Beall's wife, Helen Fanucci, the sailing extraordinaire (before she even became his better half). Now, my sailing skills are on par with a landlocked pirate. But no matter because this story isn't just about boats and briny waters – it's a tale of drive, insight, and a dash of brilliance that'll leave you pondering your business compass. Picture it: a sun-soaked day, a boat called J80, and Helen Fanucci – a mechanical maestro with a thirst for precision. Amidst the waves, she spots a teeny metal tab on the mast, having a bit of a tiff with its groove. But here's the twist – she didn't pounce on the problem like a hungry seagull on a French fry. Oh no! She executed a strategic dance of action and contemplation. Think of it as a chess grandmaster swapping their knight for a piña colada mid-game. The result? A symphony of decisions, a triumphant "click," and a lesson that'll rock your business boat. Join Chris for the full story in this episode, "Sales Insights Using Sailing Strategies for Business Success." Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:21): Today's adventure is a jaunt on the high seas with Chris Beall and his wife Helen Fanucci, the sailing extraordinaire before she became his better [00:00:30] half. Now, I must confess, my sailing skills are on par with a landlocked pirate, but no matter, because this story isn't just about boats and briny waters, it's a tale of drive, insight and a dash of brilliance that will leave you pondering your business compass. (00:44): Picture this, a sun soaked day and Helen Fanucci, a mechanical maestro with a thirst for precision. Amidst the wave, she spots a teeny metal tab on the mast, having a bit of a tiff with its groove. But here's the twist, she didn't pounce on the problem [00:01:00] like a hungry seagull on a french fry. No, no. She executed a strategic dance of action and contemplation. Think of it as a chess grandmaster swapping their night for a pina colada mid-game. The result, a symphony of decisions, a triumphant click and a lesson that'll rock your business boat. (01:18): Join Chris for the full story in this episode, Sales Insights using Sailing Strategies for Business Success. Chris Beall (01:30): [00:01:30] Hey everybody, this is Chris Beall and this is Market Dominance Guys, the podcast, without my cohost, Corey Frank who, he must be out doing something important because he couldn't make it today, and I've decided to put something together that hopefully it'll be of some value to you. So let's see how I can do without Corey Frank, but with my favorite monstrosity, the Ovation of the Seas, [00:02:00] which this is my commemorative picture of it, showing up after COVID, the first cruise ship to show up in Elliot Bay in Seattle, reopening the world of cruising after it had been shut down by COVID. You can have a lot of opinions about whether cruising should be banned or not, as they've done, certainly in Amsterdam, they've decided it's not a great idea to have these big things show up. But they're kind of cool, like a giant hotel, city block long, so to speak, and [00:02:30] out there going from one place to another with other people on the water. There is something about it. I'm not a huge fan, but I'm fan enough, so there we go. (02:39): What I wanted to chat about today is this whole question of the delicate balance between drive and myopia. I'll tell a story. So this is a story, as y'all know, I like to sometimes [00:03:00] tell stories about my wife back when she was my fiance, but this is before we were even at that level. She was taking me out sailing on this very body of water here, actually, not Elliot Bay per se, but for the north, just a place called Shilshole, and there was something about the boat and something on the mast that she thought was not quite right. It was just a little tab like object. (03:25): Now I don't know anything about sailing. I mean, I used to sail...

In this episode, we step in with the AI sales tango. Corey, our tree-hugging sales champ, questions if AI can replace good old empathy. Our resident sales physicist, Chris chimes in, revealing AI as your trusty confidant, not a sales rival. Chris dishes out AI secrets: it's an emotional prosthetic, erasing self-doubt and boosting confidence. It's like AI saying, "You've got this!" Corey and Chris tag-team AI's power in sales—providing insights, suggesting next moves, and extinguishing self-doubt. AI's not stealing the spotlight; it's your backup dancer, complementing your sales swagger. They salsa through the AI-human tango, admitting AI won't replace human connection magic. But it's the GPS guiding you through the sales maze. The bottom line? Episode 191 busts the myth: AI isn't your enemy; it's your trusty sidekick on the sales stage. Join us for this episode, “Boosting Your Sales Swagger with AI As Your Backup Dancer." Linked from this episode: Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Branch 49 ConnectAndSell Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:39): It's an emotional prosthetic erasing self-doubt and boosting confidence. It's like AI saying, "You've got this." Corey and Chris tag team AI's power in sales providing insights, suggesting next moves, and extinguishing self-doubt. AI's not stealing the spotlight. It's your backup dancer complimenting your sales swagger. [00:01:00] They salsa through the AI human tango, admitting AI won't replace human connection magic, but it's a GPS guiding you through the sales maze. (01:10): The bottom line, AI isn't your enemy, it's your trusty sidekick on the sales stage. Join us for this episode, boosting your sales swagger with AI as your backup dancer. Corey Frank (01:27): Our last topic then let's jump into just real briefly [00:01:30] my beef, my hang-up, and maybe it's more emotional, maybe I'm more of a tree hugger on this, but you're an old physicist, so maybe you can figure out an equation to help me justify empirically why I may be a tree hugger in this, in that I've tried chatbots, right? You and I've worked extensively with ChatGPT in the book with Susan, certainly. As I say, I'm a degenerate gambler where I, in most of my sales career, have tried [00:02:00] any tool weapon that I could, even if I get mere basis point increases. I was the guy that wanted to be the early adopter. (02:07): I was the one that Jeffrey Moore talked about that I am in the far left quadrant of the far left quadrant to say, "Give it to me because I got a number to hit and I want to do more, more, more." But when it comes to the rubber meeting the road, I'm still old school enough, Chris, where empathy and attention and [00:02:30] eye contact and hepatics and nuances and speech and listening patterns and mirroring and all the NLP stuff, all the Sandler, all the Orrin, all this neuropsychology that I've been inundated in my sales group of mentors, such as yourself, that that matters to help establish trust with the prospect and ultimately get them to buy or not buy or to be postponed, but to have you as a trusted advisor. (03:00): [00:03:00] And with AI tools out there, do you see us crossing that bridge with deep purchases? I can see transactional purchases if I'm buying tires online, if I'm commoditized by buying, should I buy this Lego set for my son versus this Lego set? I get that, but what do you say about AI and the advent of it when I'm trying to cling to the fabric of my profession by saying, "Well, this industry does need guys like [00:03:30] me because I can connect well," or are my days numbered? Chris Beall (03:35): Well, your days are numbered, in any case, I hate to... Corey Frank (03:39): [Inaudible 00:03:39] Chris Beall (03:43): Yeah, sorry to break it to you. Corey Frank (03:45): I didn't mean existentially. I meant. Chris Beall (03:52): My days are numbered also. I don't know what the numbers are exactly though. It's a countdown to...

Are you looking to gain a competitive edge in your sales process? Are you interested in understanding what lies deep inside your sales funnel and pipeline to drive more revenue? Then you don't want to miss this episode! Join our Market Dominanc Guys, Chris Beall, and Corey Frank, as they dive deep into the world of sales technology and AI-powered tools. Discover the true advantage of understanding and optimizing the flow rate within your sales projects. Learn why it's essential to focus on time as the denominator when measuring success rather than vanity metrics like conversion rates. They provide valuable insights on discerning whether a tool truly de-risks your sales path and reduces friction or merely adds to your tech stack inventory without tangible results. Explore the fascinating concept of "speed beats free" and why pushing time on the denominator matters more than dream outcomes in sales. Join us for this episode, “AI for Sales? Don’t be ‘Candy Crush’ Complacent

Chris Beall and Corey Frank take us on a nostalgic journey through the evolution of sales tech and the intriguing world of AI. They start with a blast from the past, reminiscing about a 1960s AI program called Eliza, which acted as a non-directive therapist, fooling people into thinking it was a friend. Fast forward to the present day, they question the true value of CRM systems, pondering whether they actually help make money or just keep salespeople organized. Corey shares a road trip story of stumbling upon racks of rock salt in Alabama, sparking the idea of the right people selling the right tools. Chris passionately emphasizes that onboarding salespeople should involve engaging them in discovery meetings from day one to boost their success. This episode encourages sales managers and CEOs to rethink their sales tech strategies, focus on revenue-generating activities, and find the perfect balance between the human touch and AI. Join us for “Rock Salt & Roll: Unraveling Sales Tech's Mystery.” Linked from this episode: EP9: How to Harvest Authentic Trust in your Discovery Calls Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Branch 49 ConnectAndSell

Chris unravels the enchanting world of manufacturing. Gone are the days of painstakingly crafting artifacts one by one, like our Stone Age ancestors. Now, we're immersed in the art of flow manufacturing, where tanks channel the flow of chemicals, and even discreet manufacturing dances to the rhythm of flow. It's a symphony of efficiency where our sales teams manufacture opportunities, creating the invaluable currency of option value. Chris urges us to view our sales organizations as factories where identifying bottlenecks and maximizing flow rates are the keys to success. In this world, conversion rates become the icing on the cake, but only after we've mastered the flow. Finally, Chris challenges the age-old debate of quality versus quantity and reminds us that we're left with nothing without quantity. Join us for this episode, "Bottlenecks Beware: Flow Rates Coming to Crash the Party!" Links from this episode: Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Branch 49 ConnectAndSell Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:19): In this episode, Chris unravels the enchanting world of manufacturing. Gone are the days of painstakingly crafting artifacts one by one like our Stone Age ancestors. Now, we're immersed in the art of flow manufacturing, where tanks channel the flow of chemicals, and even discrete manufacturing dances to the rhythm of flow. It's a symphony of efficiency where our sales teams manufacture opportunities, creating the invaluable currency of option value. (00:49): Chris urges us to view our sales organizations as factories where identifying bottlenecks and maximizing flow rates are the key to success. In this world, conversion rates become the icing on the cake, but only after we've mastered flow. Finally, Chris challenges the age-old debate of quality versus quantity, and reminds us that without quantity we're left with nothing. (01:11): Join us for this episode, Bottlenecks Beware. Flow rates coming to crash the party. (01:20): Hey. Everybody, Susan Finch here, sitting in for Corey Frank on Market Dominance Guys. I'm here with Chris Beall. And today, we're going to go a little bit deeper on the topic of flow rates, conversion rates. Time is the denominator that counts, not the dials, not the emails, not whatever else you think it might be, not the voodoo, whooo, magic, whatever. Chris, you really wanted to get into the specifics, the specifics of flow rate. So let's really go into that one piece of it. Chris Beall (01:54): You bet. So I'm an old manufacturing guy. I come out of the world of manufacturing software. I used to write build systems for manufacturers. And when you get into manufacturing, you realize that what's amazing about it is, hey, folks have actually figured out how to build stuff through flow processes, not just through one at a time building something, that is through most of human history. If there was an artifact, somebody made that artifact from end to end. Susan Finch (02:24): Right. Chris Beall (02:24): And they would shape a spearpoint or something. I just saw a picture yesterday of some people who still are living that life, that Stone Age life, and they're making those spear points out of dirt or flint or whatever they make them out of, flaking them and doing this. Susan Finch (02:39): Yeah. Chris Beall (02:40): And it's a shaping process where what you just made determines what you can make. If you break your piece of stone that you're using inappropriately in the wrong place, well, you got to start over. Susan Finch (02:52): Right. Chris Beall (02:53): So now, we manufacture things through... Even discrete manufacturing, which we would consider to be one at a time. You're making something like an iPhone, or a computer, or a chair, or whatever it is, and I'm distinguishing that from true flow manufacturing. So a company like Huish Chemical that I used to work with in Salt Lake City, they were a flow manufacturer. That means they had tanks...

The game isn't won with the buzzer shot. The game is won by endless hours of preparing for the buzzer shot. Chris and Susan dive deep into the often-overlooked topic of prospecting costs and return on investment (ROI). Chris's passion for the subject shines through as he challenges conventional thinking and emphasizes the importance of time as the ultimate business denominator. He reveals that traditional efficiency metrics like conversion rates and ratios have little to do with business success. Instead, he argues that prospecting is about maximizing the value of every hour and building a robust pipeline. Chris expertly breaks down prospecting ROI, highlighting the investment in time and the need to attribute pipeline growth back to conversations. Throughout the episode, they share pro tips and emphasize the need for a strategic and holistic approach to prospecting beyond research and follow-ups. This engaging discussion is a must-listen for sales professionals looking to unlock the true potential of prospecting and boost their ROI. Join Chris and Susan for this episode, "Prospecting Costs and ROI: Dollars Spent, Dollars Missed." Links from this episode: Susan Finch on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Funnel Media Group ConnectAndSell Full episode transcript below: ----more---- Susan Finch (00:06): Welcome to another session with the Market Dominance Guys, a program exploring all the high stakes, speed bumps and off-ramps of driving to the top of your market with our host Chris Beal from Connect and Sell, and Cory Frank from Branch 49. Hey everybody, Susan Finch here. I am sitting in for Corey Frank on Market Dominance. Guys, I'm with Chris Beal and he tossed out some topics that we are going to be tackling one by one. And the first one we will be covering is prospecting costs on return on investment, which means dollar spent, dollars missed. So Chris, let's just get right into these because I am really excited and I know you're excited because then I will stay off your case to record shows for a few weeks. Chris Beall (00:53): I do have a few things going on, Susan, so let's be great. Chris Beall (00:59): But this is one of my favorite topics. I'm kind of a fanatic about this and I keep finding myself thinking, oh, other people must think like this about prospecting, and then I get the same blank stares over and over, which it indicates to me maybe they don't. So what I find is when folks are thinking about prospecting, they're thinking about things like efficiency, like well, how many dials does it take to get a conversation? Or how many emails does it take to get somebody to open an email or to act on an email, or what's our conversion rate when people come to the website? So there's a lot of rates and ratios that go on, and to me, none of that has anything to do with business. The denominator in business is always time, right? So time is the thing you can't do anything about other than get as much out of it as you can possibly get out of it, right? Chris Beall (01:50): Money, you can go get more money, you can get talent, you can have ideas. You might even wake up being creative one day. I highly advise just go back to sleep, but you can't really do anything about time. And the main thing is we have a whole show that's dedicated to this is time is overhead, so it's eating up your costs. It is the thing that just basically if you just sit around and do nothing, if you don't prospect, then you don't have a pipeline. If you don't have a pipeline, then you don't have future business. And if you don't have future business, then out in that future you don't have gross profit to cover your overhead and you will go out of business eventually or sell in a fire sale or whatever. So one part of prospecting is obvious, which is in as little time as possible, you need to build as much pipeline as possible. Chris Beall (02:39): And pipeline built now is worth more to your business than pipeline built tomorrow. So...

Chris and Corey asked me to prepare you for a mind-expanding journey as we take Dr. Goldratt’s theory of constraints beyond its traditional boundaries and revolutionize the way you approach sales. Discover the art of identifying the true constraint and learn why pulling together as a team can sometimes snap the traces. We uncover the secrets of critical paths, buffers, and the profound impact of time in the fast-paced sales arena. Embrace your inner rebel and challenge the norms by seeking fresh perspectives from other disciplines. But wait, there's more! Get inspired by the legendary story of competitive eater Kobe and his unconventional strategies that shattered records. We'll show you how to think outside the bun and achieve unprecedented sales success. Join us for this episode covering mastering sales success by unleashing the power of constraints and revolutionary strategies but we’ll just call it, “Hot Dogs and Hot Deals: Devouring Sales Records!" Links from this episode: Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Branch 49 ConnectAndSell Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:21): Chris and Corey asked me to prepare you for a mind-expanding journey as we take Dr. Goldratt's theory of constraints beyond its traditional boundaries and revolutionize the way you approach sales. Discover the art of identifying the true constraint and learn why pulling together as a team can sometimes snap the traces. We uncover the secrets of critical paths, buffers, and the profound impact of time in the fast-paced sales arena. Embrace your inner rebel and challenge the norms by seeking fresh perspectives from other disciplines. (00:53): But wait, there's more. Get inspired by the legendary story of competitive eater, Kobe, and his unconventional strategies that shattered records. We'll show you how to think outside the bun and achieve unprecedented sales success. Join us for this episode covering mastering sales success, unleashing the power of constraints and revolutionary strategies, but we'll just call it Hot Dogs and Hot Deals, devouring sales records. Corey (01:24): Well, here we are again. Welcome to another episode of The Market Dominance Guys, with Corey Frank and, as always in the sales throne, virtually next to me, Chris Beall, the sage of sales, the profit of prophet and the hawking of hawking. Chris, you look tan and rested. You must have been somewhere where there's water and sunshine and fetching Ms. Fenucci and celebrating something. Correct? I see- Chris (01:49): Celebrating something. Our first anniversary, we got married last year. This is being filmed... It's not filmed, but whatever we call it nowadays, Zoomed here on... What are we on? July something, or the 6th of July 2023. Corey (02:04): Wow. Chris (02:04): We got married on the 2nd of July 2022, and we went over to Hawaii to the scene of the crime where I proposed to her. I call it the second proposal. Oh no, the third, she calls it the second. She claims the first one was a proposition. This is where you can disagree about terminology, but agree on a course of action, in our course of action with this. So yes, back here in Seattle right now where it may as well be Hawaii. It's 90 degrees and the sun is shining here as well. So why did we go anywhere? Corey (02:36): Indeed, indeed. Well, as long as you're back here, both in front of the microphone where you belong, where we can talk about all things market dominance, and of course. Right before we hit the record button, it seems, Chris, that every time I come whining to you about a business problem that I may have, or other folks who climb the mountaintop to pick your brain about a course of action and what state they may be in, which you can talk about that certainly as a great review, we end up always coming back to the good and fine Dr. Eli Goldratt and his theory of constraints. And I think if we had a heat map of how many times we've talked about the theory of constraints...

Chris and Corey continue their conversation with Dr. Mindy Weinstein, as they delve deep into the psychology behind scarcity and its profound impact on consumer behavior. You'll uncover invaluable insights on how scarcity appeals to different generations, especially the younger demographic, and how you can leverage this powerful phenomenon to drive sales success. Drawing from their wealth of experience, Corey and Chris share practical strategies on positioning salespeople as indispensable resources in a scarce market, fostering authentic connections, and building trust through genuine expertise. By the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with actionable tips and powerful communication techniques to elevate your sales game and unleash your full potential. Don't miss out on this opportunity to transform your sales approach—tune in now and unlock the untapped potential of scarcity! Join us for this episode, "Using Scarcity Tactics in Sales: GenX vs. GenZ Psychology." Links from this episode: Dr. Mindy Weinstein on LinkedIn Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Branch 49 ConnectAndSell Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:23): Chris and Cory continue their conversation with Dr. Mindy Weinstein as they delve deep into the psychology behind scarcity and its profound impact on consumer behavior. You'll uncover invaluable insights on how scarcity appeals to different generations, especially the younger demographic, and how you can leverage this powerful phenomenon to drive sales success. Drawing from their wealth of experience. Chris and Cory share practical strategies on positioning salespeople as indispensable resources in a scarce market, fostering authentic connections and building trust through genuine expertise. By the end of this episode, you'll be equipped with actionable tips and powerful communication techniques to elevate your sales game. Don't miss out on this opportunity to transform your sales approach. Join us for this episode using scarcity tactics and sales, Gen X versus Gen Z psychology. Corey Frank (01:20): Yeah, I think when we were meeting last week, I think one of the examples you gave, or maybe this is in your book, is you're not going to find Christian Dior clothes, purses and et cetera at the corner Safeway or the grocery store. There has to be an element of scarcity and exclusivity to get these items. Chanel doesn't mass produce these items, and it's interesting. I wonder if Chris, if we've ever done any discussions or if, or the good doctor can comment on selling or buying from a younger generation. (01:56): We have a lot of folks in the 25, 30 or even younger or so that are in the marketplace that we sell our goods and wear's to, Chris certainly, and that are consumers. I'm curious if there's any studies on that approach, doctor, or experience that you've had maybe, Chris, where younger folks, they're used to these drops that happen from Supreme or my 10-year-old lets me know when Lego's about to do a drop two weeks in advance, and does that affect the buying behavior or the selling response for old salts like me and Chris here later on when we're selling them into the marketplace? Dr. Mindy Weinstein (02:36): Well, I can tell you, I mean there is a difference based on age with all of this. So I will tell you the older generations, so more, I think we're retirement years, they're not going to be drawn to something that shows this is in high demand or the most popular because most likely they're going to be like, I'm good with the product I'm using or the company that I've already been hiring, why would I switch? That's not an incentive." And actually it could even backfire. "Well, then that's going to be really crowded. I don't want to go there," if it's an event or something like that. Now with the younger generation, so when I say younger generation, I'm actually talking about Gen Z and millennials, so Gen X is kind of just in the middle. It just depends on a lot...

In this episode Chris and Corey are joined by the brilliant Dr. Mindy Weinstein, marketing expert and author of the bestselling book, "The Power of Scarcity." If you want to boost your sales game, this episode is a must-listen. Dr. Weinstein breaks down the secrets behind scarcity and its four types: time-related, demand-related, supply-related, and limited edition scarcity. Learn how to tap into the psychology of scarcity and motivate your customers to take action. Together, they explore the dynamics of scarcity in business and the impact it has on sales and marketing strategies. They also emphasize the importance of trust and credibility. Don't be that professional who abuses scarcity—build genuine relationships first! Join the Market Dominance Guys for a an insightful exploration of the power of scarcity in sales, in "Cracking the Code: Scarcity Strategies for Sales Success." About Dr. Mindy Weinstein Marketing is her passion. Over the last several years, she has trained 15,000+ people how to effectively approach marketing and sales in today's climate. Through webinars, workshops and conferences, her goal is to educate the business world one person at a time. As part of this goal, she has been researching, teaching and consulting about marketing psychology, with a special focus on the power of scarcity. In fact, that’s the name of her bestselling book, The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions (McGraw Hill 2022). Links from this episode: Dr. Mindy Weinstein on LinkedIn Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Branch 49 ConnectAndSell Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:24): In this episode, Chris and Corey are joined by the brilliant Dr. Mindy Weinstein, marketing expert and author of the bestselling book, The Power of Scarcity. If you want to boost your sales game, this episode is a must listen. Dr. Weinstein breaks down the secrets behind scarcity in its four types, time-related, demand-related, supply-related, and limited edition scarcity. Learn how to tap into the psychology of scarcity and motivate your customers to take action. Together, they explore the dynamics of scarcity in business and the impact it has on sales and marketing strategies. (00:57): And they also emphasize the importance of trust and credibility. Don't be that professional that abuses scarcity. Build genuine relationships first. Join the Market Dominance Guys for an insightful exploration of power of scarcity in sales in Cracking the Code, Scarcity Strategies for Sales Success. Corey Frank (01:22): Welcome to another episode of the Market Dominance Guys with Corey Frank and as always, Chris Beall, the sage of sales, the profit of profit, and the hawking of hawking. But Chris, even though you have those three vaunted titles that we've used as your nom de guerre, I guess you could say, for the last several years, we have somebody who rivals that little triumvirate of a title. And that is Dr. Mindy Weinstein. You were named as one of the top women in marketing globally. Put that in your hat, Chris, sage of sales, profit of profit. (01:58): We have Dr. Mindy Weinstein, MBA from ASU, Professor of Marketing here at Grand Canyon University, and the bestselling author from McGraw Hill of The Power of Scarcity. Chris, that's why we wanted to coerce, cajole, albeit probably subtly threaten Dr. Mindy Weinstein to finally jump on an episode of the Market Dominance Guys so we could talk about scarcity since we've talked about this as a backbone of sales at the crossroads for many, many of our nearly 200 episodes. Welcome, Dr. Weinstein, to the Market Dominance Guys. Chris? Chris Beall (02:36): Hey, what can I say, we share something, Mindy or Dr. Weinstein. My dad got an MBA from ASU also. Dr. Mindy Weinstein (02:44): Oh really? Chris Beall (02:45): I spent my childhood almost literally crawling the stacks in that big library there. That's how I grew up was in the ASU library...

Chris and Corey continue their conversation with Ben Sternsmith of Sybill AI . This episode covers how AI is revolutionizing the sales process, making it more precise and empowering for sales professionals. Discover how AI analyzes tonality and body language, equipping salespeople with unparalleled accuracy in assessing deal progress. They discuss the importance of building trust with clients and how AI can support but never replace the human touch in establishing meaningful connections. They also explore the resurgence of cold calling as a powerful strategy in the digital age and introduce Dealy. This innovative AI-driven solution enhances CRM systems by analyzing customer interactions and providing valuable insights. Join us for this insightful episode that explores the synergy between sales and AI, offering practical tips and inspiring ideas for sales professionals. Links from this episode: Ben Sternsmith on LinkedIn Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Sybill AI Branch 49 ConnectAndSell About Sybill AI Sybill AI is an AI company that originated as a Stanford project three years ago. The founders, frustrated with the limitations of remote teaching, developed a behavioral AI engine over Zoom. This innovative tool records calls and analyzes body language to determine engagement levels. Leveraging the power of large language models like GPT-4, Sybill AI offers generative AI for salespeople. It automatically generates call summaries, writes AI-powered follow-up emails, and even appends CRM data. Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:22): Chris and Corey continue their conversation with Ben Sternsmith of Sybill AI. This episode covers how AI's revolutionizing the sales process, making it more precise and empowering for sales professionals. Discover how AI analyzes tonality and body language equipping salespeople with unparalleled accuracy in assessing deal progress. The guys discuss the importance of building trust with clients and how AI can support but never replace the human touch in establishing meaningful connections. They also explore the resurgence of cold calling as a powerful strategy in the digital age, and introduce DealSync, an innovative AI-driven solution that enhances CRM systems by analyzing customer interactions and providing valuable insights. Join us for this insightful episode that explores the synergy between sales and AI, offering practical tips and inspiring ideas for sales professionals. Join us for this episode of Market Dominance Guys, sales mastery, body language and AI Giving You the Edge. Chris Beall (01:26): Imagine this, imagine Sybill gets to the point of being able to do tonality as accurately or maybe more accurately than body language. Now you've got multiple people you've interacted with. So now the question is, how does the tonality of various parts of the conversation go together to make a whole with regard to the progress of the deal? Where's the landmines? That's what we always want to know, we're working in the enterprise. Where's the landmines? Where's the thing that indicates they're listening to the competitor and not you? Where's that stuff going on? That's what, as an enterprise salesperson, which is where the big money is, right? That and where the big committees are and where people come and go, and where circumstances change and where their stock price can affect you. Anybody sold recently to an enterprise where its stock price is down to 5% of what it was 15 months ago? Holy moly, that's a different game. (02:18): So bringing all that together with AI and coming, I'll call it up in the deal, up out of the interaction with the individual and into the whole of what's going on. I think that's where the stuff ends up going, and I actually don't think that's a very long clap. Ben Sternsmith (02:34): Yeah, I think you're right. It's moving pretty fast right now and what we're describing is not science fiction. A third of it we do today and...

The guys welcome Ben Sternsmith of Sybill AI delves into the benefits of AI in sales, such as freeing salespeople to be more engaged and focused during customer interactions. Ben shares his experience of being able to concentrate on customer needs without the burden of note-taking or manual follow-up tasks. As Corey, Chris, and Ben explore the possibilities opened up by AI in sales, they discuss the challenges faced by sales professionals and the potential for AI tools to streamline and enhance their work. With tools like Sybill AI and ConnectAndSell, sales reps can offload repetitive tasks and focus on building genuine connections with customers. Join Corey, Chris, and Ben on this captivating episode as they unravel the fascinating world of AI in sales and its potential to reshape the industry in this episode, “Harnessing Generative AI: Revolutionizing Sales Strategies and Results”. Links from this episode: Ben Sternsmith on LinkedIn Corey Frank on LinkedIn Chris Beall on LinkedIn Sybill AI Branch 49 ConnectAndSell About Sybill AI Sybill AI is an AI company that originated as a Stanford project three years ago. The founders, frustrated with the limitations of remote teaching, developed a behavioral AI engine over Zoom. This innovative tool records calls and analyzes body language to determine engagement levels. Leveraging the power of large language models like GPT-4, Sybill AI offers generative AI for salespeople. It automatically generates call summaries, writes AI-powered follow-up emails, and even appends CRM data. Full episode transcript below: ----more---- (00:22): The guys welcome Ben Sternsmith of Sybill AI. They delve into the benefits of AI and sales, such as freeing salespeople to be more engaged and focused during customer interactions. Ben shares his experience of being able to concentrate on customer needs without the burden of note-taking or manual follow-up tasks. As Corey, Chris, and Ben explore the possibilities opened up by AI and sales. They discuss the challenges faced by sales professionals and the potential for AI tools to streamline and enhance their work. With tools like Sybill AI and ConnectAndSell, sales reps can offload repetitive tasks and focus on building genuine connections with customers. Join Corey, Chris, and Ben on this captivating episode as they unravel the fascinating world of AI and sales and its potential to reshape the industry. In this episode, harnessing generative AI revolutionizing sales strategies and results. Corey Frank (01:16): Welcome to another episode of the Market Dominance Guys with Corey Frank, and as always, the sage of sales, the profit of profit, and the Hawking of Hawking. Chris Beall, CEO of ConnectAndSell. Chris, good afternoon. Chris Beall (01:30): I tell you what, the perils of a physics degree, my friend. Corey Frank (01:34): That's right. Well, speaking of smart kids, right, which I am definitely not. We have a very special guest. We have Ben Sternsmith. Ben is the CRO currently over at Sybill.ai, which we're going to talk about, but I think he harvested in the same tall cotton, Chris, that you come from up in the Bay Area, former VP of sales over at Salesforce, former VP of sales over at Lyft, and other assorted CRO recruiting stints and most recently over at Sybill. So welcome, Ben, finally, to the Market Dominance Guys. Ben Sternsmith (02:08): Great to be here. Thanks, Corey. Thanks, Chris. Corey Frank (02:11): I've been threatening you for a while that we're going to put you on, and I finally made do with my threat. You thought this was a sales pitch, and instead it turns into a podcast recording with me and Chris. So how about we start, Ben, a quick synopsis of Sybill.ai because that'll lead, I think, into our next topic that Chris and I want to talk to you about, about where all this stuff is going. But let's talk a little bit about what is Sybill AI and why do I need it? Ben Sternsmith (02:39): Yeah, Sybil is really an AI company...

Chris Beall is on the road in Seattle, attending the annual Microsoft Build conference. Amidst thousands of software developers learning about the latest advancements, Chris and Susan discuss the impact of AI on sales and address common concerns about its effects on job security. Drawing an analogy of material science advancements to the evolution of building materials, Chris explains how new technology creates opportunities for salespeople rather than making them obsolete. He predicts an explosion of new products and businesses as companies leverage the power of AI to enhance their offerings. With an optimistic outlook, Chris emphasizes that salespeople should embrace the possibilities brought by material science advancements and look forward to a world of new products and increased sales opportunities. Join them as they explore the exciting potential of AI in sales on this episode, "Unleash the Sales Kraken: Fearless, Innovative, and AI-slaying!" Full episode transcript below: ----more---- Susan Finch: Welcome to another session with the Market Dominance Guys, a program exploring all the high-stakes, speed bumps and off ramps of driving to the top of your market. With our host Chris Beall from ConnectAndSell, and Corey Frank from Branch 49. Chris is on the road in Seattle, attending the annual Microsoft Build Conference. Amidst thousands of software developers learning about the latest advancements, Chris and I discuss the impact of AI on sales and address common concerns about its effect on job security. Drawing an analogy of material science advancements to the evolution of building materials, Chris explains how new technology creates opportunities for salespeople rather than making them obsolete. He predicts an explosion of new products and businesses as companies leverage the power of AI to enhance their offerings. With an optimistic outlook, Chris emphasizes that salespeople should embrace the possibilities brought by material science advancements, and look forward to a world of new products and increase sales opportunities. Join us as we explore the exciting potential of AI in sales on this episode of Market Dominance Guys. Unleash the Sales Kraken: Fearless, Innovative, and AI-slaying. Hey, Chris, you are on the road with a whole bunch of people. Can you tell us where you are and what's going on? Chris Beall: Yeah, so I'm in Seattle, not very far from my wife's condo. Everybody knows Helen, the author of Love Your Team, A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid world. A Amazon bestseller, by the way, in four categories. Anyway, she has a condo here. Now, she has been known to call it our condo now that we're married. But I always say, "Helen, read the prenup." Right? I'm kind of a stickler for these things. And so anyway, we came over here to Seattle to go to Microsoft Build. Build is their big annual conference for developers. Now, you might wonder... Susan Finch: You froze. Chris Beall: And that Helen Fanucci doing here at this conference. Well, that's what I wanted to talk about today, is why would a couple of senior people who don't write a bunch of code... Now I used to, but I don't anymore. Why would we come and hang out with thousands of software developers learning about the latest and greatest that Microsoft has to offer for building software? That's where we are. So we're at the Summit Center. It's a big beautiful convention center. And one of my favorite things about it is, it has not only escalators and elevators, but it has stairs going all the way up to the top level. And of course, the young people, they take the escalators and the elevators. But us older folk, we're wise enough to take the stairs. So that's been part of the day so far. It was a brilliant kickoff this morning. Satya Nadella started it off and kind of took us through a little bit of the history of all the stuff that's going on with AI. I myself built my first AI system in 1992, which is going back a little ways, so...

In this episode of the Market Dominance Guys, Chris Beall reviews how artificial intelligence and machine learning will impact the future of sales. Beall shares his thoughts on how decision support using AI can make it easier and faster to figure out what to do. He gives an example of a prospective customer who wanted to talk to CEOs of companies using the entrepreneurial operating system popularized in the book "Traction." He was able to use ChatGPT to find the names of CEOs running companies that were probably following EOS. In just a few minutes, he had a list of CEOs, company names, and phone numbers. Chris believes that AI and machine learning will help sales teams be more efficient at finding the folks they want to talk to. They will be able to understand their sales teams better, which will help sales run better. In addition to AI, he covers inbound and outbound marketing strategies and which one is more effective. Finally, he explores the power of negative conversations in driving pipeline and how they can be more effective than positive conversations. Join us for this episode, “Sales Success in the Age of AI and Emotional Intelligence.” Here are 12 provocative questions answered in this episode: Full episode transcript below: ----more---- Chris Beall (00:11): Hey everybody. Chris Beal here, co-host of Market Dominance Guys with another episode of Market Dominance. Guys, I find myself today all alone. I'm here in West Seattle looking out at the water, watching ferries go by water taxis, an occasional harbor seal, hoping for a cruise ship, but haven't seen one yet. And my co-host, Corey Frank, is super busy right now building Branch 49 and servicing customers, and I've got a little time this afternoon, so I thought I'd just do something with, instead of Corey, I'd do something with our friend chat, G p T. So I asked chat G p T to provide 12 provocative questions that a podcast host might ask. Chris Beal, c e o of connect and sell and co-host of the Market Dominance Guys podcast. So chat G P t's going to be kind of our host interviewers so to speak, and I'm going to answer these questions as best I can. Chris Beall (01:09): Now, one thing that I thought was pretty impressive was the speed with which chat g p T came up with these 12 questions. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time and it thinks things over might take 10 seconds, 20 seconds. This was like there is your 12, so I thought that was very interesting and we'll just jump right in. So this is Chris Beal, a glass of wine, a beautiful afternoon here in West Seattle and chat G P T asking provocative questions. So provocative question number one, how do you think the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning is going to impact the future of sales? Now that's what we call a big, big question. So I've got some ideas. I know some of these things are going to seem a little short term and some are kind of long term. The short term ones I'm pretty certain of mostly because I'm already doing them, the long term ones we'll see. Chris Beall (02:10): So the short term ones have to do with just making it easier and faster to figure out what to do. I'll call it decision support. So I have an example, I have a prospective customer who would like to talk to CEOs of companies that are using the entrepreneurial operating system as popularized in the book traction. That's a really hard problem to solve with something like ZoomInfo or Apollo or whatever and it's not really solvable with Google. Now you could find folks that had attended an online event or physical event who are into the traction concept, the e o s as it's called. But hey, how about asking chat G P T for the names of CEOs who are running companies that are probably following e o s? Well, I tried it and I'd actually tried it during the time that my prospective customer asked the question and in about, oh, I don't know, three, four minutes, I had first name, last name, I knew the title c e o of a...

In this episode Chris Beall discusses the common mistakes made by CEOs when seeking funding and how venture capitalists (VCs) make their decisions. Chris explains that VCs are in the business of pattern matching, meaning they compare the characteristics of a company seeking funding to those of successful companies they have previously funded. However, this approach can lead to the exclusion of companies that do not fit the pattern. He uses his own company, ConnectAndSell, as an example, explaining that his company's reputation and the age of its founders did not match the pattern favored by VCs, but the company was still successful. He also notes that VCs often encourage companies to spend their funding on headcount, specifically sales development representatives (SDRs), who set meetings for account executives. Beall calls this a "comfort" for VCs, but emphasizes that it may not always be the most effective use of funding. Join Susan Finch as she takes the host’s chair with Chris as her guest for this episode, “Conversations Over Headcount: What VCs Should be Counting.” Full episode transcript below: ----more---- Susan Finch (02:35): Okay. Well, Chris, I know this is near and dear to you, and you have a lot of experience in this, and you've had many successes and maybe a couple failures along the way, but that makes your successes all the more sweet. I'm wondering, what would your advice be for CEOs as they're seeking to get funding, and what are the biggest mistakes that they make thinking that it's an obvious, oh, that's obvious. You need to do that, or that's obvious you need to do that. What are those assumptions that they make that it's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. How can you guide them with a small checklist, what they need to be aware of, where the common pitfalls are and how to avoid them? Chris Beall (03:18): That's a fantastic question. When you take money as a founder from VCs, especially venture capitalists, you're taking money from folks whose business is pattern matching. So what they do is they match your company as you describe it, and as their due diligence reveals it to other companies that they have seen that are in the same categories or similar categories to yours. And if the patterns match enough with previous success, then they might be inclined to fund you. So I'll give a counter example. A few years ago, about three or four years ago, the head of strategy of Google Cloud called me out of the blue. Now this is somebody I actually had met at a conference. We'd become friends. I'd actually sold connect and sell to Kaizer Compressors before his eyes at the conference as kind of a demo. What do you do? I said, I won't tell you what we do, point to somebody at lunch and I'll sell it to them and you'll learn what we do. Chris Beall (04:16): So we became friends. And a little while later, a couple months later, he called me and he said, we're Google As, and I said, yes, I'm fully aware of your goos. And he said, well, so we know everything. And I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. And he said, I mean literally everything. And I said, yes, you are creeping me out now lj. So get on with it. And he says, well, I just want to tell you, we've come to the conclusion that Connect and Sell is the most interesting company in Silicon Valley. And I said, well, that's a very weird word to apply. Interesting. If my children use it, I say, try another adjective. So you're going to get away with it because as you say, you're a Google, but what do you mean? I said, well, for one thing, your reputation is just bizarre. Chris Beall (05:05): It's like off the charts strange five Sigma to the right of everybody else. I said, that's not very interesting to me. He said, okay, well, here's something that might be interesting. You're very, very old. I said, no, we're not. We're like a 13 year old company. He said, not your company, human beings who run, connect, and sell are so old. And this is the pattern matching...