Welcome to another episode of Predictable B2B Success, where we explore the keys to sustaining and scaling your business with expert guidance. In this episode, we have the honor of hosting Jason Kruger, president and founder of Signature Analytics, who brings a wealth of knowledge from his extensive public accounting and financial leadership background.

Tune in as Jason delves into exceeding customer expectations, ensuring client satisfaction, and boosting client retention—cornerstones for any thriving business. Learn how consistent contracts impact your accounting, business valuation, and sale potential. Jason shares a fascinating success story from working with a drug and rehabilitation company, where strategic financial improvements led to an acquisition.

But that's not all. Gain insights into the critical role of financial education for business owners and teams across departments, shedding light on often overlooked pain points that can hinder growth. Discover why culture fit is paramount at Signature Analytics and how their remote work model fuels their unprecedented success.

Get ready to uncover the secrets to maximizing cash flow, navigating post-COVID challenges, and weatherproofing your business for future uncertainties. This episode promises invaluable advice, actionable tips, and a deeper understanding of driving business success through financial mastery.

Some areas we explore in this episode include:

• Exceeding Customer Expectations: Importance of client satisfaction and retention rates.
• Bonus Plans and Business Success: Linking bonus plans to business performance and the impact of consistent contracts on accounting and valuation.
• Financial Improvement Success Story: Case study of a drug and rehabilitation company's financial turnaround.
• Credible Financial Information During Due Diligence: Necessity of accurate financial information to avoid discounted offers.
• Hiring and Processes for Success: The importance of hiring the right people, implementing processes, and regular communication.
• Processes for Scaling Business Operations: Essential processes needed for accounting, invoicing, bill payments, and financial reporting.
• Financial Education for Business Leaders: Need for financial education for leaders, including marketing, sales, and customer service teams.
• Post-COVID Business Challenges: Impact of post-COVID challenges, focusing on cash flow management and uncertainty preparation.
• Technology and Data Understanding: Importance of understanding data foundations before investing in technology.
• Remote Work Model and Team Investment: Shift to remote work model and reinvestment in team and culture.
• And much, much more...

In this Predictable B2B Success Podcast episode, host Vinay Koshy engages in a compelling conversation with Will Adams, President at Tarkenton Companies. Will discusses the pressing challenge of preserving the human element in business relationships and innovation processes as AI and technology rapidly advance.

The dialogue covers various topics, including Tarkenton's unique business model as a Skunkworks operation, the importance of journey mapping, and the critical role of empathy and effective communication in leadership. Will also shares insights into how companies can integrate AI without compromising the human experience. He particularly stresses the importance of fostering innovation within risk-averse organizations, aiming to inspire the audience and instill a sense of hope in the face of technological changes.

We also delve into the delicate balance of maintaining the human element in a fast-paced tech landscape dominated by AI advancements. The discussion underscores why empathy should be at the core of user design and customer experience, highlighting its crucial role in the B2B tech industry.

Will Adams shares his wisdom on bridging the gaps between client success and development teams, the importance of journey mapping, and the role of ethical guidelines in the Wild West of technological innovation. Plus, discover why Apple's deliberate approach and Google's cautionary AI tale offer essential lessons for today's businesses. Stay tuned for an episode that promises to challenge your perspectives and spark new ideas for a more empathetic and innovative future in B2B success!

Some areas we explore in this episode include:

1. Role and Mission of Tarkenton:

- Description of Tarkenton's services and their focus on storytelling for long sales cycles.

- The entrepreneurial mindset and mission of making business fun while helping people.

2. Balancing Human Experience and Technology:

- Challenges B2B tech companies face in maintaining the human element amidst rapid AI and technology advancements.

- Impact of technology on young people's mental health and the ethical responsibilities of tech creators and consumers.

3. Empathy and Client Experience:

- Importance of fostering empathy and understanding of the client experience within development teams.

- Practices like rotating engineers through client success roles and placing development teams in client success hubs.

4. Value Beyond Technology:

- Emphasis on adding value to businesses beyond just technology.

- Starting from the point of making a meaningful difference and ensuring sincerity in business practices.

5. Leadership in Rapid Technology Changes:

- Essential leadership qualities include communication, team building, and creating a culture of empowerment.

- Leaders should ask questions, engage teams, and lead by example to foster empathy and understanding.

6. Personal Touch in Customer Relations:

The significance of maintaining a personal touch with customers and within the organization based on Will Adams' early career experience.

7. Ethical Guidelines and Regulatory Guardrails in Technology:

- Importance of ethical guidelines, transparency in design, and regulatory guardrails in AI development.

- The balance between innovation and ethical responsibility.

8. Blending AI and Human Elements:

- Integration of AI with human consultation in their SaaS applications to enhance customer experience.

- Understanding the need for a balanced approach with real-life human support alongside AI.

9. Journey Mapping and Research:

- Initial steps in Tarkenton's process, emphasizing journey mapping and thorough research and design before project planning.

10. Fostering Innovation in Bureaucratic Organizations:

- Strategies to drive innovation in risk-averse settings.

- Use of Skunkworks and the role of a bridge builder to connect the organization with an external innovation team.

11. And much, much more...

In this episode of the Predictable B2B Success podcast, we're diving deep into the often misunderstood world of human-centric sales with our extraordinary guest, Karl Becker.

Karl Becker has founded and run numerous companies over the last thirty years and now runs Improving Sales Performance, a consultancy that supports sales organizations to build high-performing teams and achieve their revenue goals. He is the author of Set up to Win: Three Frameworks to a High-Performing Sales Organization and Sales & Marketing Alignment.

Have you ever wondered how transforming just one employee's outlook can lead to a 30% increase in sales? Karl shares his compelling journey of rescuing a company from firing a 'negative' employee to turning her concerns into actionable changes that revamped the entire sales process.

Host Vinay Koshy unpacks the essence of Karl's revolutionary 'Iceberg Selling' approach. Discover how focusing on the hidden 90% beneath the surface can unlock significant sales potential, moving beyond the transactional to the relational. Karl outlines four potent mindsets—lifetime value, being of service, ownership, and drivership—that elevates sales results and foster personal growth, motivating any salesperson to strive for excellence.

Tune in as Karl navigates the intricate balance between leveraging technology and automation while maintaining genuine human connections. From effective empathy to redefining sales processes, this episode is a treasure trove of actionable insights. Stay with us to learn how slowing down, deeply understanding your customers, and embracing foundational work can lead to sustainable growth and exceptional success. Don't miss out!

Some areas we explore in this episode include:

• The Power of Understanding Employees: How Karl Becker's approach to understanding and addressing an employee's concerns led to substantial sales improvements in a company.
• Human-Centric Sales Approach: The importance of deeply understanding customers and solving their holistic needs rather than focusing on ego and transactions.
• Iceberg Selling Framework: The concept of iceberg selling, focusing on uncovering the hidden aspects of deals and understanding the whole picture behind customer interactions.
• Integration of Technology and Human Connection: Balancing technology and automation in sales while maintaining a human-centric approach.
• Improving CRM Utilization: Leveraging existing leads in a CRM and involving the sales team in redefining the sales process for better revenue growth.
• Empathy and Patience in Sales: The significance of salespeople being empathetic, patient, and willing to try different approaches when traditional methods aren't working.
• Lifetime Value and Relationship Building: Focusing on building long-term relationships with clients rather than rushing to close deals.
• Foundational Work for Sustainable Growth: The importance of foundational work and intentional steps for achieving sustainable growth, analogous to catching a baseball.
• Organizational Alignment: Ensuring alignment between organizational values and sales strategies through core values, transparency, and accountability.
• Mindset Shifts for Success: The impact of mindset shifts (lifetime value, being of service, ownership, and drivership) within organizations and their role in driving significant improvements in sales and overall success.
• And much, much more ...