In today's episode, Ryan continues his conversation with renowned podcast host, Will Barron. They consider high-performer traits in sales, focusing on the importance of habits and how they can impact success. Will also shares his insights on the use of AI in sales, sharing a practical example of leveraging AI tools to streamline content creation for his YouTube shorts.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Setting habits, especially in prospecting, can lead to consistent performance and success in sales.

• Assertiveness, comfort with talking about money, optimism, not being a people pleaser, high self-esteem, personal accountability, and goal-setting are key traits of high performers.

• Controlling emotions and pushing through tasks even when not feeling like it is essential for success.

• AI tools can be beneficial for speeding up processes, such as generating content ideas and questions for content creation.

• Using AI tools for generating questions for content creation can save time and increase content output, leading to higher engagement and views.

BEST MOMENTS

"One of the things that I get the all new starters in our program to do is to prospect daily. And that is such a transformational leap in most salespeople's and small business owners and founders, if they're doing founder-led sales."

"Nobody wants to do cold outreach. Nobody wants to do content creation if you're doing inbound marketing, inbound lead sales. Nobody wants to do cold calls. But you have to do them routinely, systematically, every day to build that habit. And then it becomes like brushing your teeth, where it's an activity which is neutral."

"I used to be a massive procrastinator. Unless the deadline was three minutes from this moment in time, I wouldn't have started any project. I got over that by understanding this concept of the emotional, 'caveman' part of my brain."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

Ryan sits down with Will Barron, the renowned host of The Salesman Podcast. Will shares his expertise on how to effectively combine attention and prospecting strategies to overcome challenges in sales, particularly in acquiring new customers.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Combining attention and prospecting in sales is incredibly important in overcoming challenges in pipeline activation.

• Will Barron emphasizes the importance of creating content that answers buyers' questions and aligns with their desires to attract and engage prospects effectively.

• The key elements of a successful outbound strategy include targeting the right person, crafting buyer-centric messages, and focusing on booking meetings rather than closing deals.

• Consistent exposure through multiple platforms and interactions can help build unconscious trust with prospects, making them more likely to engage.

• Simplifying messaging to create curiosity and elicit a response from prospects can be more effective than overwhelming them with product details.

BEST MOMENTS

"If you can just call someone, or you are just able to email someone to book meetings, you absolutely shouldn't be doing content marketing."

"You've got features, benefits, great, no one gives a shit. What are the desires of the buyer? How can you tie what you do with not even solving a problem, the desire behind that problem, why they want to solve it?"

"You're just trying to give them just enough where they go 'Wills emails me, and I would not be doing my due diligence in my role if I don't jump on a quick call of him."

"I think there's a lot of value of being like hyper direct. At least that's the way it is. I've shifted and I'm like, hey, this is where I'm at. This is what my pricing is."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

This is the second part of Ryan’s conversation with Tyler Barron, CRO of Encapture, where they discuss AI use cases for sales and marketing. From leveraging AI for strategic research and RFP automation to creative prospecting and collaborative ideation, Tyler and Ryan share their expertise on using AI to enhance efficiency, scale ABM efforts, and improve deal scoring.

Join 2,500+ readers getting weekly practical guidance to scale themselves and their companies using Artificial Intelligence and Revenue Cheat Codes.

Explore becoming Superhuman here: https://superhumanrevenue.beehiiv.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• AI tools can significantly enhance strategic research for high value deals, allowing sales teams to efficiently analyze financial documents and earnings calls to identify potential problems and align solutions with strategic initiatives.
• Automating RFP and vendor questionnaire responses using AI can save significant time and resources, especially for companies dealing with similar questions across multiple clients.
• Leveraging AI for one-to-one creative prospecting can lead to highly customized outreach using a prospect's own language and quotes from their public appearances.
• AI powered call analysis tools can be used for efficient "game film" sessions, allowing teams to quickly review and learn from customer interactions without listening to entire calls.
• Collaborative use of AI tools across departments can dramatically reduce project timelines and enable rapid implementation of time sensitive campaigns.
• AI presents opportunities to scale ABM efforts by enabling the creation of custom content for specific accounts more efficiently.
• Data driven deal scoring using AI can help identify patterns in successful deals and apply those insights to future opportunities, improving win rates and deal velocity.
• Focusing on analyzing top performing customers and deals can lead to significant increases in deal size and help identify the most promising opportunities in the market.

BEST MOMENTS

"We primarily are getting value out of AI tools right now for strategic research. We have higher ACV deals, longer sales cycles, and we're trying to prospect up to the C suite."

"I think one of the biggest things that I've learned about kind of the scale up stage is that you can't outrun your supply line as a revenue leader and so you really got to bring everybody along with you at the company"

"Every year doubled our deal size and a hundred X, our largest deal. Just from that alone. Vista equity uses it to actually to convert companies from a bill to three bill in like three years."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

Tyler Barron, CRO at Encapture joins Ryan in this episode. In this part 1 of 2 episodes, Tyler shares his journey transitioning an AI company from consulting to SaaS, focusing on FinTech solutions. They explore the challenges of demonstrating ROI in AI, adapting to market changes, and the importance of customer-driven product development.

Join 2,500+ readers getting weekly practical guidance to scale themselves and their companies using Artificial Intelligence and Revenue Cheat Codes.

Explore becoming Superhuman here: https://superhumanrevenue.beehiiv.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Transitioning from consulting to SaaS requires repositioning the company, developing repeatable processes, and building the right team.
• Market listening is crucial for product development; focus on what customers are willing to spend money on, especially during economic shifts.
• Demonstrating AI ROI involves quantifying problems, focusing on practical use cases, and tying solutions to tangible business outcomes.
• Simplicity in execution and low-friction processes are key to the successful implementation of new systems and technologies.
• Executive level sponsorship, particularly from operations leaders with P&L responsibility, is vital for AI adoption in organizations.
• AI solutions don't need to be perfect. Even 50% improvements can significantly move the needle financially for businesses.
• Selling AI solutions involves working on a "big math problem" with customers, making it an intellectually engaging and partnership driven process.
• AI implementation often faces resistance due to a lack of comparison points; persistence and demonstrating value over time are crucial for success.

BEST MOMENTS

"We saw a lot of companies out there in our space, like really, really getting to a lot of pain around that. A lot of our peers in FinTech have had a tough time."

"Why does it have to be 99 percent accurate if 50 percent actually moves the needle financially."

"The biggest thing with AI is that your unit economics improve over time one, because the AI gets smarter, but to your cost basis on a lot of these tasks can ultimately stay flat and you can pick up the efficiency."

"Look, I'm not an AI expert, so I think I can probably give some very pragmatic answers to what I, what I see and hear, which... there's a lot of buzz and there's a lot of over promising around just AI in general, but there's also some very good quantifiable common sense use cases."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

Join Ryan in part 2 of his conversation with podcaster Andy Paul as they explore the pros and cons of AI in sales. They discuss new use cases for AI and share transformative examples for revenue growth. Andy provides interesting ideas around the challenges of AI adoption, the importance of helping buyers make decisions, and the need for thoughtful application of technology in sales processes.

Join 2,500+ readers getting weekly practical guidance to scale themselves and their companies using Artificial Intelligence and Revenue Cheat Codes.

Explore becoming Superhuman here: https://superhumanrevenue.beehiiv.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• AI is currently being used primarily to automate repetitive tasks, but there's untapped potential in helping buyers make decisions.
• Despite technological advancements, B2B selling productivity may have decreased over the past 20-25 years due to misuse of technology.
• The focus on using AI for building pipeline may be misguided; the real issue is often not knowing how to win deals and help buyers make decisions.
• AI can be used to rapidly condense annual reports and customize information for more relevant first appointments with potential clients.
• Many salespeople fail to understand company pressures and industry-specific problems beyond their own offerings, which AI can help address.
• Thoughtfulness and curiosity are superpowers in sales, but current sales processes may be training these qualities out of sellers.
• The goal of sales interactions should shift from "discovering" information to helping buyers define what they want to achieve.
• High win rates are crucial for efficiency; a team with a 50% win rate needs to do significantly less selling than one with a 20% win rate.

BEST MOMENTS

"We need to have thoughtful people who are looking at the problem from the right perspective

"Pipeline is the siren song that's going to cure all for companies. That's what most folks are attracted to."

"If we're gonna make the decision to actually sell to this person, actually bring this opportunity into our pipeline, we should win it. It's that simple."

"Thoughtfulness is definitely a superpower. I agree with you on that, man. And I think like one, one other one that I'm seeing that's... is curiosity as well, right?"

"We're training curiosity out of our sellers and saying that this is the way they should act when really we want the opposite."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

Ryan is joined by fellow podcaster Andy Paul to uncover the secrets of building massive attention and growing connections in today's digital landscape. With nine years of podcasting experience and over 200k LinkedIn followers, Andy shares his knowledge on scaling attention, creating distribution, and the power of consistency.

Join 2,500+ readers getting weekly practical guidance to scale themselves and their companies using Artificial Intelligence and Revenue Cheat Codes.

Explore becoming Superhuman here: https://superhumanrevenue.beehiiv.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Consistency is crucial in podcasting. Train your audience to expect your content at regular intervals to build a loyal following.
• Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that keeps listeners coming back for more.
• The size of your audience isn't as important as having the right audience. Target your content to your ideal listeners.
• Prepare thoroughly for interviews and don't hesitate to challenge guests' ideas to create more engaging conversations.
• Podcasting can be an excellent tool for prospecting and reaching your target audience.
• Being thoughtful and developing a perspective on your circumstances can set you apart in sales and business.
• Success in sales often comes down to being human-first, building relationships, and genuinely helping customers make decisions.
• The key traits for success in sales are connection, curiosity, understanding, and generosity.

BEST MOMENTS

"I was inspired to start this podcast... I heard John Lee Dumas speak... And I was thinking, well, yeah, that sounds like a fun way to create content that people will find valuable."

"Consistency, I think, is really the thing that I keep coming back to... you're trying to sort of train the audience that you are going to be there at a certain time or a certain point in time every week."

"For me, over all the years that I've been doing this, my focus has always been, is I'm going to be as prepared as I can be overprepared for every conversation."

"We're one person throughout our entire lives, you know, as we are in our life, we are in sales and, you know, if we show up interested in other people, if we show up and are curious about things that are important to them, we make a real effort to understand them, if we're willing to give of ourselves to help them achieve what's important to them, we'll succeed."

"The only reason somebody talks to you as a salesperson these days is because they need your help."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

Ryan speaks to Brendan Kamm, the CEO of Thnks for the second time in this episode. Ryan and Brendan talk about his AI use cases as a CEO and discuss how Brendan leverages it to enhance his daily operations within the business and improve communication within his team. Brendan also talks about how to adapt and engage with AI to improve it and make it work for you and your business.

Join 2,500+ readers getting weekly practical guidance to scale themselves and their companies using Artificial Intelligence and Revenue Cheat Codes.

Explore becoming Superhuman here: https://superhumanrevenue.beehiiv.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Brendan uses AI to improve his writing, ensuring it aligns with his brand values, and engages in conversational interactions with AI models to generate ideas and gather feedback.
• AI can significantly reduce time spent on non-customer-related activities, allowing salespeople to focus more on building relationships.
• Creating custom AI models for your brand can help ensure consistency in communication and improve team members' ability to provide clear, detailed instructions.
• Leveraging AI for sales research, such as analyzing 10K reports and industry trends, can help representatives be more prepared and in tune with their prospects' concerns and goals.
• Experimenting with different AI tools and prompts can lead to more effective outputs and a deeper understanding of how to utilize these technologies for various tasks.
• Uploading multiple sources to AI models like Notebook LLM allows for a comprehensive analysis of an industry, providing valuable insights for sales and strategy.
• Brendan has found one of the biggest challenges in growing a business, is instilling the same level of passion and care in team members as the CEO has.

BEST MOMENTS

"I've created sort of custom bots that reflect our sort of brand values, and that's been really helpful, and I can just run it through and say, Hey, am I, you know, am I on target?"

"If I can take all my non human interactions and make that less time consuming and less focused on the operational and the sort of behind the scenes things, I have more time to spend building relationships."

"I'll also tell you I use a lot of explain to me like I'm five, explain to me like I'm 12. Like I'll go through the whole progression just to make sure I understand something."

"I think you need to instill that level of care and confidence. And like, Hey, man, we're all on the same team headed in the same direction."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets

Join Ryan for part 1 of 2 as he speaks with Brendan Kamm, founder and CEO of Thnks. Kamm shares insights on leveraging gratitude in business, discussing his company's innovative platform for expressing appreciation in professional contexts. The conversation explores the human element in sales, revealing top use cases for connecting with people authentically. Kamm's approach to scaling a business without losing sight of personal relationships offers valuable tips for closing revenue and building successful companies.

Join 2,500+ readers getting weekly practical guidance to scale themselves and their companies using Artificial Intelligence and Revenue Cheat Codes.

Explore becoming Superhuman here: https://superhumanrevenue.beehiiv.com/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Thnks is a gratitude expression platform targeting large distributed sales teams, allowing for easy sending of small appreciation gestures.
• The company has grown to $30-40 million in ARR since 2016, with a team of about 50 people and under $15 million in total funding.
• Thnks relies heavily on network effects and product-led growth, with recent expansion into paid advertising and enterprise-level deals.
• Brendan emphasizes the importance of authenticity and relationship-building in sales, moving beyond mere tactics to focus on long-term connections.
• The company has observed measurable business outcomes from gratitude gestures, such as faster rescheduling of cancelled meetings.
• Brendan suggests focusing on thoughtful, personalized gestures rather than relying solely on traditional gifting occasions like birthdays or holidays.
• Ryan and Brendan highlight the balance between leveraging technology and maintaining human connection in modern business relationships.

BEST MOMENTS

"We call it a gratitude expression platform. Basically, it's a way to send a small gesture of appreciation in a business context.”

"Our philosophy is people like to do business with people they like. I think that's always been the case and everyone likes someone who appreciates them."

"It's easy to fall a little bit into the trap of tactics, right? And it's not that you write, you need tactics and you need to get your numbers, but it's, it's too easy to kind of let go of the end result, what you're really looking for."

"We want to focus on that sort of authenticity and that idea that these things take time. It's not just, I sent a thing. Did I get what I want back? It's gotta be less transactional than that over time."

"You can have hard business outcomes and track how these things affect even not in something as simple as that."

Ryan Staley

Founder and CEO

Whale Boss

ryan@whalesellingsystem.com

www.ryanstaley.io

Saas, Saas growth, Scale, Business Growth, B2b Saas, Saas Sales, Enterprise Saas, Business growth strategy, founder, ceo: https://www.whalesellingsystem.com/closingsecrets