Catalyst Sale Podcast: Sales Training | Sales Strategy | B2b | Selling | Marketing

The Catalyst Sale podcast has its first guest.  Lee Cockerell is a former Executive Vice President of Operations.  He is the author of Time Management Magic, and has recently launched his 4th book, Career Magic. Mike & Lee discuss time management, building trust, prioritization, and doing the right things now to prepare for the future.  How do you distinguish between important, urgent, and the things that are vital? Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn fro

Episode 10 - Hiring a Sales Professional Mike and Mike share their thoughts on how they hire, what qualities and characteristics we look for, and how we partner with Arizona State University.  We share best practices lessons learned and common mistakes.  Whether you are thinking about hiring or going through the interview process yourself, you will find this episode valuable. Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never

Dreamforce is an annual event, this year ~170K developers, operators, consultants, and sales professionals met in San Francisco.   Mike and Mike share their thoughts on the event, lessons learned, best practices, and emerging trends they are most excited about. Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our expertise to deliver results with meaningful projects that are aligned with our values. We

Episode 8 - False Starts & Stalls Everyone can think of a scenario where you thought the conversation was going one way, only to find that momentum stops.   Mike & Mike discuss their experience with false starts, how to avoid them, and why they occur. Whether it was with a customer, with your child, with you spouse.  This is a common occurrence in sales.  We think we have an opportunity, we think we are moving forward with a deal, we think we are ready to go to market, then something changes.  You don’t get a call, someone misses a meeting, a contact becomes non-responsive. How do you get customers to re-engage?   Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never sto

Episode 7 - Fit/Feasibility How do you know if you can deliver on the customer’s requirements?  Have you ever said, ‘yes, we can do that’, only to find out you can’t?  What about managing opportunity costs? Mike & Mike discuss the 3rd and 4th steps to the Catalyst Sale Process.  Can you address the problem that the customer is attempting to solve?  Is the customer the right client for your product, your service, your capabilities?  Can the customer implement the solution?  These are questions you should be able to answer before moving to proposal. Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we me

Episode 6 - Ground Zero.   Is your product, your service, your capability, ready for delivery within the market?  Or, have you not reached your zero state.  Mike & Mike discuss the ground zero concept, and what happens if you are ‘less than’ zero. Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our expertise to deliver results with meaningful projects that are aligned with our values. We care about

Episode 5 - Qualification- How many times have you worked with a prospect, only to find that you missed critical pieces of information that could have accelerated the sales process or ensured success.  Mike & Mike discuss the importance of qualification, share some lessons learned and the risk of moving too fast when it comes to qualification.   Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our e

Episode 4 - Validation - How do you know if there is a deal to be had?  This is the first step in the Catalyst Sale process.  Mike & Mike discuss how to validate if you have a real opportunity, if you are working with the right organization, contact, etc.   Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our expertise to deliver results with meaningful projects that are aligned with our values. We

Mike & Mike discuss the role of the sales professional, the importance of connecting with customers, connecting solutions to problems, and share stories and lessons learned.   Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our expertise to deliver results with meaningful projects that are aligned with our values. We care about the people we work with every day and get great satisfaction from seein

The confirmation step is critical, and often missed step in the Catalyst Sale process. Many Sales Reps stop when the deal is closed.  Mike & Mike discuss lessons learned, and how the confirmation step is really just the beginning. Sales is a Thinking Process.  Catalyst Sale is a learning organization first and foremost. That’s why we care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. We aim to add value whenever we can, and our true success is measured by the sustainability of our work long after we complete a project. We surround ourselves with good company and never stop learning. We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our expertise to deliver results with meaningful projects that are aligned with our values. We care about the people we wo

Episode 1 - Catalyst Sale: Sales is a thinking process, we are a learning organization.  We are committed to learning and the evolution of Sales.   In this episode, you will hear the Catalyst Sale story, our background, and what to expect from future episodes.   You will be introduced to Mike Conner & Mike Simmons – Catalyst Sale Founders, and industry professionals.  We expect engagement and look forward to it. You can find us via LinkedIn, Twitter, & The Catalyst Sale Website on the links below Mike Conner on Twitter  Mike Simmons on Twitter  Mike Conner on LinkedIn Mike Simmons on LinkedIn Catalyst Sale Twitter Catalyst Sale on LinkedIn Catalyst Sale Website We are Catalysts. We Connect people we know and people we meet to help create opportunity for others. We Challenge ourselves, our clients and our team, to discover what is possible. We Learn from others, others learn from us and that never stops. We Contribute our expertise to deliver results with meaningful projects that are aligned with our v