Join hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey as they dive into the intricacies of sales strategy, drawing parallels to planning a family vacation. As we edge closer to our 100th episode, this session unpacks why having a well-documented and aligned business plan is crucial—akin to knowing your vacation destination to ensure everything goes smoothly. Whether you're a business owner or a sales professional, this episode provides vital insights into simplifying and aligning your sales strategy for maximum effectiveness.

• Vacation Planning and Sales Goals (00:00 - 02:00): Sean compares vacation planning to setting sales goals, emphasizing the importance of a clear destination or objective.
  
  

• Aligning Strategies Across Teams (02:01 - 03:47): Kevin explores how aligning individual, team, and organizational strategies can streamline efforts and enhance outcomes.
  
  

• Simplifying the Sales Process (03:48 - 05:07): The conversation shifts towards simplifying the sales process to make it easy to understand, teach, and implement.
  
  

• Setting Realistic Goals and Expectations (05:08 - 07:00): Sean stresses the necessity of setting achievable goals that reflect the company's operational capabilities and strategic direction.
  
  

• Operational Alignment with Sales Targets (07:01 - 09:00): The discussion touches on ensuring operational capabilities can support the sales targets set.
  
  

• Sean (01:44): "Just like when you're planning your vacation, you kind of have to make sure everybody understands that we are going to get on a plane on this date, at this time."
  
  

• Kevin (03:01): "People spend more time thinking about their vacation than they do about their sales strategy. And that's a miss, but it's one that we can quickly and simply fix."
  
  

In this enlightening episode, Kevin and Sean draw an engaging analogy between planning a vacation and formulating a sales strategy. They emphasize the importance of clear goals, alignment across the organization, and simplicity in execution. The hosts share personal anecdotes and decades of sales leadership experience, demonstrating how thoughtful planning can lead to predictable and successful sales outcomes. Tune in to gain actionable insights that could transform your approach to sales strategy. Download this episode of "Two Tall Guys Talking Sales" on your favorite podcast platform today, and don't forget to subscribe for more valuable discussions!

You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC & Sales Xceleration - Sean@NewSales.Expert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/

You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - kevin@lighthousesalesadvisors.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/

Join hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey as they welcome back Steve Caton for another insightful episode of "Two Tall Guys Talking Sales." This week, they delve deeper into the world of part-time salespeople, discussing the essential tools, traits, and strategies that make them highly effective for businesses. Whether you're a CEO, sales leader, or aspiring salesperson, this episode is packed with valuable advice and actionable tips.

• Preparing Part-Time Salespeople for Success (00:00:24): Steve Caton outlines the key factors in readying salespeople for part-time roles, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, trust-building, and research.
  
  

• Traits of Effective Part-Time Salespeople (00:04:16): Discover the personality traits and experience levels that Steve looks for when recruiting part-time salespeople, including adaptability, organizational skills, and systematic approaches.
  
  

• Measuring Success and Setting Expectations (00:07:22): Kevin and Steve discuss how to set and measure success metrics for part-time salespeople, focusing on sales activity and CRM usage.
  
  

• Transitioning from Part-Time to Full-Time Salespeople (00:10:18): Learn about the process and considerations when a company is ready to transition from part-time to full-time sales roles.
  
  

• Differentiating from Appointment Setting Services (00:11:58): Steve explains how his company focuses on the closer role, highlighting the need for leads and the differences from traditional appointment-setting services.

• Steve Caton (00:01:46): "The salesperson needs to have shown that they've actually done some research on the company like they actually know about the business before they step in and start having the first conversation with the business owner."
  
  

• Sean O'Shaughnessey (00:03:26): "Every salesperson that's looking for a job needs to be able to do those things as well. You need to say, I add value. I know I'm going to ask questions. I'm trying to learn the backstory of the company."
  
  

• Kevin Lawson (00:07:22): "How do you measure the success of a new salesperson that you've plugged into one of your first customers? What’s the dialogue there?"

This episode of "Two Tall Guys Talking Sales" is a must-listen for anyone interested in the dynamics of part-time sales roles and how they can significantly impact business growth. Steve Caton shares his expertise on preparing salespeople, measuring their success, and transitioning them into full-time roles. With practical advice and real-world examples, this episode offers a comprehensive guide for sales leaders and business owners aiming to optimize their sales strategies. Tune in now to learn from the best and take your sales team to the next level!

You can reach out to Steve Caton at Altezza Solutions - steve.caton@altezzasolutions.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaton/

You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - kevin@lighthousesalesadvisors.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/

You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC & Sales Xceleration - Sean@NewSales.Expert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/

In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O'Shaughnessey are joined by Steve Caton, CEO and Founder of Altezza Solutions. Steve shares his insights on how to build effective sales systems for emerging growth companies and provides a unique perspective on hiring part-time experienced salespeople. Dive into this episode to learn about the challenges and solutions in developing a robust sales strategy for small to mid-sized businesses.

1. Introduction to Steve Caton and Altezza Solutions (00:00:15)

   • Steve discusses the inception of Altezza Solutions and his motivation behind starting the company.
     
     

2. Challenges of Hiring Salespeople for Emerging Companies (00:02:36)

   • Steve talks about the common difficulties small companies face when hiring their first salesperson and offers an innovative part-time solution.
     
     

3. Importance of Sales Infrastructure (00:04:55)

   • The hosts and Steve explore the critical components of a sales infrastructure necessary for a sales team to thrive.
     
     

4. Salesperson Integration and Training (00:11:44)

   • Steve outlines a detailed onboarding process for new salespeople, emphasizing the first three months of integration.
     
     

5. Preparing for Business Exits (00:07:12)

   • Discussion on how business owners can enhance their company’s valuation by building a self-sufficient sales team before planning an exit.
     
     

• Steve Caton: “The convincing piece wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be because it was almost like the reaction was, ‘Dang, I never even thought about that. That makes a ton of sense.’” (00:03:58)
  
  

• Kevin Lawson: “Sales organizations that are evolved, mature, robust, they attract talent...let's build the organization we all want to work for that attracts the right talent.” (00:10:15)
  
  

• Sean O'Shaughnessey: “One of the challenges that I have heard from my business broker friends is that when the CEO is the salesperson...they really struggle with the selling of the company.” (00:06:53)
  
  

Don't miss this enlightening episode with Steve Caton, where he shares invaluable advice on building a scalable sales infrastructure and the benefits of hiring part-time sales professionals. Whether you're a business owner looking to strengthen your sales team or a sales professional seeking new strategies, this episode offers practical insights and actionable steps. Tune in next week for more in-depth discussions with Steve on creating successful sales organizations.

You can reach out to Steve Caton at Altezza Solutions - steve.caton@altezzasolutions.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaton/

You can reach out to Sean at New Sales Expert, LLC & Sales Xceleration - Sean@NewSales.Expert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/soshaughnessey/

You can reach out to Kevin at Lighthouse Sales Advisors & Sales Xceleration - kevin@lighthousesalesadvisors.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwlawson/