Ready for an unexpected truth about team building? It's not about traditional hiring practices or years of experience. It's about creating a culture that multiplies the potential of each team member. But here's the twist: the key to success lies in something you may not have considered. Stay tuned to revolutionize your approach to team building and witness the extraordinary results.

Our guest this week is our co-host, James Rores. He is a renowned expert in team development and intentional hiring to enhance team performance and foster a positive work culture. His insights into leadership and team dynamics have made a significant impact on CEOs and revenue leaders. James brings a unique perspective to the hiring process, emphasizing the importance of intentionality and aligning team dynamics with organizational goals.

You want the value of the team to be greater than the sum of the parts. That's where you get the multiplication effect. - James Rores

You've probably been told to hire based on experience and skills. If you're feeling the pain of hiring the wrong people and not getting the results you need, it's time for a change. Let's talk about building high-performing teams through intentional hiring.

Key highlights in this episode:

• Hiring A-players requires a culture you may not have
• Prioritizing ‘hiring for fit’ over ‘hiring to fix’
• Cultivating a growth-oriented team culture
• The negative impact that mediocre leaders have on their teams

About James Rores and WINS Selling

James is passionate about deploying the skills and systems required to transform a sales force's ability to grow revenue, profit, and enterprise value.

For the past 17 years, he has worked with thousands of sales leaders and teams from over 100 industries, including many INC 500, Deloitte Fast 50, Deloitte Fast 500, and Innovation Award winning businesses. Before that, he was a co-founder or top sales performer at eight companies, five of which exited at valuations ranging from $10 million to more than $1 billion.

The secret? Building revenue teams from the ground up. First, was learning how to lead sales conversations that turn buyers into champions. Then, building sales and leadership operating systems to scale success on demand. Today, James guides sales leaders and teams through the same bottom-up process in as little as 4 hours per month, leveraging proven frameworks powered by the WINS Model™ and SightShift-certified coaches.

Resources in this episode:

• Find James on LinkedIn
• Visit Floriss Group
• Email James for a complimentary IFQ assessment

If you feel stuck in a rut, trying to grow your sales and business, and not seeing the results you want…know you’re not alone! It's like spinning your wheels but not moving forward, and it can be frustrating. You may be putting in the effort, but not getting the personal and professional growth you're aiming for. It's time to break free from this cycle and achieve the success you deserve.

We can think about things all that we want, but until we put it into action and just take the next step and the next step after that, they're simply thoughts. - Amy Franko

Let’s meet this week’s guest, Amy Franko, a trailblazing entrepreneur and sales strategist. Amy brings a unique blend of tenacity and strategic prowess to the forefront. With a remarkable career spanning technology giants like IBM and Lenovo, Amy's journey from a quota-carrying sales role to founding her own thriving enterprise is a testament to her unwavering drive and adaptability. Her insights and expertise in custom training and development for enterprise-level clients, coupled with her impactful work in the mid-market space, position her as a guiding force in the realm of sales leadership. Amy's multifaceted endeavors, including her role as an angel investor and her impactful contributions to the Girl Scouts, reflect her deep-rooted commitment to empowering individuals and fostering growth. Her story is a testament to the transformative power of rethinking revenue and investing in oneself for long-term success.

Key highlights in this episode:

• Moving from corporate sales to entrepreneurship.
• Investing in yourself and finding help.
• How angel investing can help your personal mission.
• Examples of personal and professional growth.

Embracing Entrepreneurship The discussion touches on the significance of embracing entrepreneurship as a pathway to personal and professional growth. The entrepreneurial journey serves as a testament to the courage and resilience required to take the leap into starting one's own business. Investing in oneself is a powerful driver of personal and professional success. Amy encourages listeners to bet on themselves, seek out resources, and take deliberate steps toward their goals. The conversation highlights the rewards and challenges of pursuing entrepreneurship and the impact it can have on an individual's career trajectory.

Never hesitate to bet on yourself. You are your best investment. So, invest in what you need. - Amy Franko

About Amy Franko

As a sales leader, Amy Franko built a successful and lucrative B2B sales career with global tech giants IBM and Lenovo. She then took a pivot into entrepreneurship in 2007, launching Amy Franko Associates, with a specific focus on sales consulting, sales training, and sales leadership excellence.

She has built her organization from the bottom up, from her very first client to today, with the hundreds of Fortune 1000 clients she has served over the years. She has created significant growth and success, consistently selling major engagements with repeat business and loyal clients.

Resources in this episode:

• Find Amy on LinkedIn and let her know you heard her on the Rethinking Revenue podcast.
• Visit Amy's website to access free sales resources for sales leaders and professionals.
• Read Amy’s book, The Modern Seller

Many companies need to rethink revenue to survive. But this week’s episode dives into a full company transformation involving everything from a complete product overhaul to an entire shift in team management. Imagine the surprising strategies and innovative leadership that made it possible. The transition from print to digital media can be daunting, especially when trying to figure out effective team communication strategies and goal setting for performance metrics in sales.

Our special guest this week is Nick Fortine, Market President for Columbus Business First. With a background in technology and a successful history of leading sales teams through significant transitions, Nick's insights into building a digital sales strategy is highly regarded. His instrumental role in guiding Columbus Business First through the transition from print to digital media, along with the successful diversification of revenue streams, positions him as a key voice in rethinking traditional sales approaches. Nick's practical knowledge and understanding of effective team communication strategies and goal setting in sales make him a valuable resource for sales leaders and managers in any industry.

Crafting a Winning Digital Sales Strategy This is essential for organizations seeking to thrive in the digital era. Nick's experience underscores the complexities of adapting to a digital landscape, retraining the sales force, and recultivating the customer base. The conversation provides valuable insights into the challenges and strategies of building a successful digital sales approach. Nick touches on technology and AI in the digital advertising space. He emphasizes the need to leverage technology for efficiency and effectiveness in prospecting activities. He briefly discusses the impact of AI and the importance of staying ahead of the curve in the digital advertising space.

You can never over-communicate. Whether it's the overall mission, the vision of the organization, the execution strategy, how the operating model plays into tactical execution, the role of the sales team, or the role of those individual contributors in carrying out the strategy. - Nick Fortine

Key highlights in this episode:

• Mastering the transition from print to digital media requires more than just a website.
• Elevate team communication strategies to foster a culture of collaboration and success.
• Set and exceed sales goals while optimizing performance metrics to drive lasting results.
• Setting impactful sales goals and utilizing performance metrics to drive continuous improvement.

About Nick Fortine

Nick gets tremendous energy from working with talented, passionate teams to exceed client expectations and build great companies. He has led teams in a variety of successful companies – from zero revenue startups to publicly traded global organizations.

About Columbus Business First

The number 1 source for Columbus local business news and intelligence where you’ll find the latest breaking business news, updated throughout the day. Get current business headlines with daily newsletters, weekly digital editions, and more. You can find out how to become a regular subscriber and receive information about how to become an advertiser. The Columbus Business First has everything you need to grow and protect your business in your local community.

Resources in this episode:

• Find Nick on LinkedIn
• Visit Columbus Business First to sign up for a membership and access valuable business news, resources, and event networking opportunities.
• Attend Columbus Business First events for excellent networking opportunities, engaging speakers, and great food, providing a valuable prospecting tool for business growth.

Have you ever had a dry pipeline? Of course you have, we all have! But, what did you do to overcome it? Tune in to this week’s episode as we speak with an entrepreneur about an all-too-common problem…pipeline!

Lindsay Sutula, the founder of Topfox Marketing, brings a wealth of entrepreneurial spirit and experience to the podcast. Having started her journey in Iowa, she's no stranger to the ins and outs of business from picking up cans on a golf course to eventually founding a successful digital marketing agency. With a background in PR and a stint in the Boulder, CO tech scene, Lindsay's expertise lies in serving B2B companies producing $1m-$20m in annual revenue. Her journey from saxophone performance major to agency owner is a testament to her adaptability and innovative approach to marketing, making her insights valuable for business owners and marketers navigating lead generation challenges.

“The 'we've always done it that way' trap is really sneaky.” – Lindsay Sutula

Key highlights in this episode:

• Success is never a straight line: Lindsay shares a pivotal moment in early 2023 when she faced an unfamiliar challenge…a dry pipeline.
• Addressing the pipeline problem through deep niche targeting and account-based marketing (ABM).
• Valuable lessons for businesses at any stage of growth that highlight the necessity of adaptability.
• Stepping out of your comfort zone and charting new paths toward success.
• Continuous evolution and the courage to question and adapt long-standing practices.

About Lindsay Sutula

Lindsay is the Founder & CEO of Top Fox Marketing, where she is dedicated to helping businesses achieve their growth goals through innovative marketing strategies and tactics. With a passion for empowering her team and clients, Lindsay is committed to fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration. As the leader of Top Fox Marketing, Lindsay brings a wealth of experience in marketing and sales from her previous roles in small to medium-sized B2B companies in tech, advertising and telecom. Lindsay began her career in entertainment PR, working with Jazz at Lincoln Center and Palmetto Records.

About Top Fox Marketing

Top Fox Marketing exists to help brands grow. With deep brand and agency experience working for both B2B and B2C, our leadership team has been on both sides of the table. We’ve worked with global brands, emerging brands and just about everything in between.

Top Fox Marketing is the culmination of our collective experience and a reflection of where we want to be as accomplished marketers–sitting at the most fulfilling seats at the table. A place where we get to work hand-in-hand with purpose-driven brands to make a positive impact.

Complementing our leadership team is a carefully cultivated network of trusted marketing specialists that we activate on-demand. This cost-wise approach enables us to provide you with precisely the marketing you need, when you need it. No more, no less.

Resources in this episode:

• Find Lindsay on LinkedIn
• Visit Top Fox Marketing

Do you want to build trust, respect, and understanding with your prospects and customers to close more sales?

Discover the surprising truth about how your listening habits impact your sales success. Uncover the unexpected ways in which your listening skills can transform your sales process and elevate your results. Dive into the four listening zones and unlock the key to building trust and meaningful connections with your clients.

Ready to make your sales conversations more impactful and engaging? Stay tuned for the eye-opening insights in the first chapter of an Amazon bestseller, exclusively for you. Get ready to revolutionize your sales game with the power of effective listening. Are you ready to step into the world of unexpected listening? Click the link below in the Resources section for your exclusive sneak peek into the four listening zones discussed in this episode. Don't miss out on this game-changing opportunity!

This week’s episode is a replay of a webinar from Paula S. White and Ed Porter titled, “Silence is Golden: Aligning Your Listening Zones to Your Sales Process.” Paula is a communication coach with a passion for enhancing sales professionals' listening skills. With a background in sales leadership, Paula has a wealth of knowledge in navigating today's digital world and the challenges it presents to meaningful conversations. Her expertise lies in helping sales teams adapt to instant communication trends and overcome obstacles in understanding buyer needs. Paula's framework, T.R.U.E Leadership, focuses on building Trust, Respect, and Understanding leading to Execution, emphasizing the pivotal role of effective listening in sales interactions. Through her insights and practical approach, Paula aims to empower sales professionals to cultivate stronger connections and drive revenue growth.

Trust is really where the beautiful part of sales happens. - Paula White

Enhance Sales Success Enhancing sales success hinges on the ability to actively listen to customers and adapt communication strategies. By honing listening skills, sales professionals can uncover pain points, provide tailored solutions, and ultimately drive more successful sales outcomes. Improved communication leads to increased sales efficiency and effectiveness.

Key highlights in this episode:

• Unlock the secrets to enhancing your business's online interactions for greater success.
• Discover powerful strategies to build genuine and impactful connections in every conversation.
• Uncover the hidden impact of poor communication on your business's bottom line.
• Elevate your sales game with powerful listening techniques that win over customers.
• Learn how to overcome online distractions and stay focused in professional settings.

About Paula White and Side B Consulting

Paula White is a 2X Best Selling Author, Facilitator, Speaker, and visionary leader driven by an unwavering passion for music, which she seamlessly integrates to inspire a new perspective and unlock untapped potential in fellow leaders. With a unique blend of heart and intellect, Paula’s innovative approach transcends conventional boundaries, igniting transformative growth and driving unparalleled success.

Resources in the episode:

• Find Paula on LinkedIn
• Paula S. White, Side B Consulting
• Forward Impact book on Amazon
• Free digital copy of Chapter 1, The 4 Zones of Listening, Use CODE: 4ZONES

Are you ready to learn the key to relentless forward movement and how it can transform your growth strategy? Get ready to unlock the power of intentional hiring and fostering a culture of givers. Join us in this engaging conversation and discover how to propel your business to new heights.

Bill Balderaz is a prominent entrepreneur with a strong background in startups and entrepreneurial ventures since the late 90s. His extensive experience spans over two decades, during which he has demonstrated a deep understanding of leveraging data for predictive marketing strategies. As the founder of a company specializing in data integration, visualization, and analysis, Bill has shown a particular focus on serving regulated industries, including a passion for healthcare. His commitment to harnessing data for targeted campaigns and improving customer engagement has solidified his position as a leader in reshaping traditional marketing methodologies. Bill's entrepreneurial acumen and remarkable achievements in the field underscore his significant influence in driving innovative marketing practices.

Key highlights in this episode

• Maximizing customer engagement and leveraging your customer data through first-party sources.
• Saying goodbye to third-party cookies.
• Explore the secrets to building and leading high-performing teams in the dynamic startup ecosystem.
• Creating a value for relentless forward movement.

Keep moving forward. If you feel like you're spinning your wheels and you're not moving, talk to someone else, get another set of opinions, get in front of a whiteboard. But you've got to keep forward momentum, forward movement no matter what. - Bill Balderaz

First-Party Data Maximization

Optimizing first-party data is crucial for personalized marketing campaigns, enabling businesses to understand their customers better. By maximizing first-party data, companies can create targeted and relevant marketing strategies that resonate with their audience. This approach also helps in building stronger relationships with customers by delivering tailored messaging and offers.

About Bill Balderaz

Throughout his career, Bill has had the opportunity to work in industries in their very earliest stages. In 1998 (the same year Google was founded) he was working in search engine optimization, online advertising and eCommerce. In 1999 he worked for one of the first companies developing HTML-based on-line learning. In 2005, five years before the iPad was invented, he was working on a concept for a tablet-based electronic health records software. He also started working in social media and viral marketing in 2006 - the same year YouTube and Twitter were founded. As founder of Fathom Healthcare, he worked with Stanford, Duke, The Cleveland Clinic, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and more than a dozen other healthcare systems in the early days of readmission penalties, patient satisfaction scoring, and the opioid crisis. Today he leads Futurety, a pioneer in integrating and visualizing data using tools like Tableau, Microsoft BI, and Google Data Studio. They specialize in working with sophisticated and disparate data sets to provide our clients with a single source, automated dashboard.

About Futurety

Futurety aggregates and visualizes your customer data into platforms like Microsoft BI, Tableau, and Google Data Studio to help you use data to make decisions. Our team of data scientists and digital marketing experts have the skills, passion, and knowledge to help you run the smartest most efficient marketing campaigns possible. We also bring a strategic business approach to all our engagements, ensuring your data and marketing programs drive real results. Our sister company, Futurety Digital, provides data-driven Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-per-click advertising, and paid social media advertising to regulated and complex industries including healthcare, hospitals, pharma, medical devices, high education, government, eCommerce, and retail.

Resources in this episode

• Find and connect with Bill on LinkedIn
• Visit Futurety
• Explore Huckle Insights

Have a seat, pour a drink, light up a cigar, and enjoy our 2nd in-person episode with another friend and colleague Nick Massaro, Sales Effectiveness Consultant at Membrain. We recorded this podcast at a local cigar lounge in Columbus, Ohio and Nick graciously allowed us to use his recording equipment.

Does this sound familiar? You've been told to just rely on the product you're selling or the market you're selling to, but it only gets you so far. The pain of feeling stuck in a sales process that doesn't fully work for you. It's time to rethink your approach to sales success and enhance your effectiveness. Let's dive into the impact of sales training on career success and achieve improved client interactions and sales success together.

Nick is a seasoned sales professional at Membrain and boasts over ten years of hands-on experience in the sales industry. Having started his career as a life insurance salesperson for Northwestern Mutual, Nick has extensive expertise in various sales roles using multiple channels to connect with his prospects and customers. With a strong commitment to personal and professional development, Nick's insights into the impact of sales training on career success are backed by a solid track record and a deep understanding of the sales industry. His passion for sales and dedication to honing his craft make him an invaluable guest, offering a unique perspective from the front line that will resonate with professionals seeking to enhance their sales acumen.

Key highlights in this episode

• Learn how preparing for sales meetings can improve your conversion rates.
• The positive impact of sales training.
• Tailoring your sales approach to your buyers.

You have to be worthy of that trust. You have to put in the hard work to understand your identity, live that, and show up for that customer. - Nick Massaro

About Nick Massaro and Membrain

With over a decade of front-line SaaS sales and sales leadership experience, Nick is currently immersed in Membrain’s mission to elevate the sales profession. To him, that means helping his partners and clients challenge the mainstream sales tech/tactics to improve the performance of their revenue teams in pursuit of their growth goals. Aside from his lovely wife Sarah, his yellow lab Archie, his faith, family, a steak sizzling over hot coals, and an ice-cold bottle of beer, nothing gives Nick more joy and fulfillment than transforming sales concepts into meaningful results through application and practice.

Membrain is committed to elevating the sales profession. They do this with the top B2B CRM in the world, a network of amazing partners, and a commitment to service, leadership, and wayfinding (aka...sales.)

Resources in this episode

• Find Nick on LinkedIn
• Visit Membrain to explore the groundbreaking sales enablement tool designed to elevate sales performance and effectiveness.

Have a seat, pour a drink, light up a cigar, and enjoy this episode with our friend and colleague Paul Fuller, Chief Revenue Officer of Membrain. We recorded this podcast in person at a local cigar lounge in Columbus, Ohio, and is part one of a two-part series recorded that evening.

Have you ever thought about how a simple shift in mindset can transform your team's performance? Paul talks about how he had to rethink revenue by adopting a partnership revenue strategy. Membrain doesn’t just have a partner program, they have adopted a full partnership growth strategy where everyone in the company is aligned to their partners’ success.

Paul is known for his 21 years of sales expertise. As the Chief Revenue Officer of Membrain, he brings a wealth of knowledge in driving revenue and transforming sales teams with technology. With a strong foundation in software sales and entrepreneurship, Paul's insights and experience make him an invaluable resource for sales leaders and managers aiming to enhance their team's performance and effectiveness. As the host of the podcast "The Art and Science of Complex Sales," Paul's dedication to exploring the latest sales methodologies and tools perfectly aligns with the episode's focus on rethinking revenue and leveraging technology and partnerships to elevate sales tactics. His passion for empowering sales professionals and commitment to implementing impactful strategies make him a compelling guest for this episode.

Key highlights in this episode

• Discover innovative strategies for rethinking revenue growth and achieving higher sales performance.
• Explore the key to building effective partnerships in sales that drive revenue and enhance team collaboration.
• Overcome common leadership challenges in sales organizations and lead your team to greater success.

I think that's the start. It's certainly about looking in the mirror and being honest with yourself. - Paul Fuller

About Paul Fuller and Membrain

Paul is excited to be able to help others maximize their gifts by using his. In business, this comes in the form of entrepreneurship, sales, marketing, operations, and problem-solving. As one of the original pioneers in the Sales as a Service space, he learned quickly that elevating others to their desired potential is one of the critical success components for any growth organization.

Membrain is committed to elevating the sales profession. They do this with the top B2B CRM in the world, a network of amazing partners, and a commitment to service, leadership, and wayfinding (aka...sales.)

Resources in this episode

• Find Paul on LinkedIn
• Check out the Art and Science of Complex Sales podcast for in-depth discussions on sales strategies and leadership insights.
• Visit Membrain to explore the groundbreaking sales enablement tool designed to elevate sales performance and effectiveness.