Interview

912: Demand Generation and Growth Mode Marketing: Achieve Your Growth Goals and Crush Your Revenue Targets with Deanna Shimota

February 27, 2023

If you've never heard the term "B2B," you might be wondering what it means. B2B stands for business-to-business. It's a commercial environment and a complex ecosystem with several buyers, multiple touchpoints, and long sales cycles. To be successful, you must first understand your business, its distinctiveness, and its vision. What's better is if there is someone who can help you with your growth mission and practice demand generation.

Deanna Shimota is the CEO of GrowthMode Marketing, a B2B marketing agency that specializes in demand generation. Today, Deanna discusses the differences between lead generation and demand generation, explaining how demand generation is a more effective long-term strategy for sustainable business growth. She weighs in on the importance of understanding your ideal customer profile, developing a unique point of view, and creating a content marketing strategy to attract and nurture your target audience.

Quotes

“Lead generation is very much the here and now, the short game. I'm trying to find leads, convince them to take a sales appointment with me, and convert them to buy now.” - Deanna Shimota

“Let's rethink the way we're approaching this. If this is your best content, and it's really good content, why are you putting obstacles in the way of the people you want to see it, read it, watch it, and listen to it? This is the stuff that convinces them to buy from you.” - Deanna Shimota

“Sometimes we need to take a step back and return to the basics of what works.” - Deanna Shimota

Takeaways

01:57 Demand generation is a more effective long-term strategy for sustainable business growth compared to the short-term focus of lead generation.

06:09 Narrowing down your ideal customer profile and developing a unique point of view are crucial first steps in building a successful demand generation program.

10:29 Distributing valuable content across the channels and platforms where your target audience is already engaging is key to attracting and nurturing potential customers.

17:32 Embracing a "sales rep-free" buying experience by usage of digital content and channels can help organizations stay ahead of evolving buyer preferences.

21:10 Striking the right balance between technology investments and foundational marketing practices is essential for scaling a business effectively.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:01 — 39.9MB) | Embed

911: QPilot: Start A Subscription Program and Skyrocket Your Sales With Matthew Holman

February 24, 2023

Subscriptions for businesses are now booming. A lot of people go over the comfortability of having goods and services delivered to them easily without hassle. It is a powerful tool to have recurring revenue, as well as engagement opportunities, to connect more with your customers and further increase your sales. But how do you set up a subscription program for your business? The first step is to gather information on why individuals are subscribing, and the second is to relate that information to the reasons why people don’t. This will provide you with crucial information about how to get people to interact with your product and subscribe for longer.

Matthew Holman is the co-founder of QPilot and the founder of Subscription Prescription, a weekly newsletter that provides tips on subscription conversion, retention, and more. As an expert in the subscription business model, Matthew works directly with brands to help them launch and scale great subscription programs. Today, Matthew discusses the current state of subscriptions, including the rise in subscription fatigue, the growing trend of consumers enjoying the convenience of subscription services, and the importance of personalizing the subscription experience and understanding the "why" behind why customers subscribe.

Quotes

“There's certainly subscription fatigue going on with the abundance of streaming services and other monthly subscription offerings all vying for your dollars.” - Matthew Holman

“What makes subscriptions really powerful is that it's not just about recurring revenue; it's an additional engagement opportunity. As a brand, you have a targeted audience that trusts you and likes your products, which means you can sell even more to them.” - Matthew Holman

“The best advice I ever got was to keep focusing on the things that are working and make those better and better. Once you have that down, you can start figuring out how to add other things.” - Matthew Holman

Takeaways

00:48 Subscription programs provide recurring revenue and increased customer engagement opportunities for brands.

07:05 Understanding the "why" behind customer subscriptions, and addressing pain points, can significantly improve retention and growth.

09:23 Brands should avoid making hasty, top-down decisions to implement subscriptions without thoroughly understanding customer needs and preferences.

12:18 Personalization and customization are crucial for successful subscription programs, allowing customers to tailor the experience to their needs.

20:38 Focus on optimizing and improving the subscription strategies that are already working, rather than constantly chasing new ideas.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:29 — 29.7MB) | Embed

910: Assertive Yield: Reduce Your Ad Costs and Increase Your Revenue In Real-Time with Ryan Abrahams

February 22, 2023

Assertive Yield is a real-time analytics platform. They are one of the few businesses on the planet that can provide you with real-time reporting on the revenue generated by your own website. It is a one-stop shop with extremely detailed information. Additionally, it can include game-changing features that will enable you to manage your entire inventory more effectively and wisely. By giving you access to your first-party granular data in real time and allowing you to view all of your revenue streams in one location across hundreds of dimensions and metrics extended with your custom data segments and audiences, it enables you to find new ways to monetize your content. Increasing your sales by optimizing your company’s brand and visibility has never been easier.

Ryan Abrahams is the Chief Revenue Officer at Assertive Yield, a company that provides a real-time analytics platform for websites to optimize their programmatic advertising. Gone are the old ways of using yesterday’s data to try and optimize one’s programmatic advertising stack and losing revenue through certain errors. Ryan is in charge of maximizing a company's brand and exposure within the publishing and ad tech ecosystems, driving new client acquisition, and growing sales. Today, Ryan identifies the importance of real-time data and analytics in optimizing website revenue, and how the platform can help publishers and advertisers make more informed decisions.

Quotes

“Many companies have stopped using their own design platforms and started using ours because it's better.” - Ryan Abrahams

“We're one of the few platforms in the industry that allows you to slice and dice data in hundreds of different dimensions. There's virtually no limit to the ways you can analyze data in real time.” - Ryan Abrahams

“We're built for publishers by publishers. Our founder knows how to build a platform from the ground up for his own websites.” - Ryan Abrahams

Takeaways

01:02 Real-time data and analytics are crucial for optimizing website revenue and making informed decisions, rather than relying on outdated information.

06:48 Assertive Yield can help companies optimize their traffic acquisition efforts by providing granular data on the profitability of different user segments.

09:50 "Traffic Shaping" uses machine learning to reduce unnecessary ad requests, which can improve server efficiency and increase revenue for publishers.

14:40 Assertive Yield allows publishers and advertisers to deeply analyze their data, down to the user and article level, to identify the most profitable content and traffic sources.

17:37 Assertive Yield's free trial period and focus on empowering publishers make their platform an attractive option for companies looking to improve their programmatic advertising performance.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:25 — 29.6MB) | Embed

909: SmartCue: Use Sales Demos to Introduce Your Products, Offer Solutions, and Grow Your Business With Robin Singhvi

February 20, 2023

The product demo, often known as the sales demo, is the most important component of a B2B SaaS company's sales process. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show a prospective buyer the worth of your product. Product demonstrations are essential components of any software sales process. Poorly executed demos have a major impact on closing rates. They can, however, be quite effective if done correctly. Essentially, the demo can make the difference between closing a contract and losing a prospect. A solid demo shows your prospects how your product actually addresses their problems and allows them to be more successful at work.

Robin Singhvi is the founder of SmartCue, a software platform that enables enterprise sales teams to create personalized product demos to help close deals faster. With his background in sales enablement and as a solutions consultant, Robin has firsthand experience in the challenges sales teams face when delivering effective product demos. Today, Robin discusses how SmartCue solves these issues by allowing sales teams to create a library of personalized demos tailored to specific buyer personas, use cases, and industries, ensuring consistent and engaging presentations.

Quotes

“A video doesn't necessarily reveal the client's reaction. It doesn't allow you to tailor or change direction during a demo based on what the client is really interested in.” - Robin Singhvi

“As sales leaders, when you're selling complex enterprise software, you want to ensure a level of consistency across all your reps. You don't want only your top-performing salesperson to excel at demos.” - Robin Singhvi

“The faster I can get you to it, the more engaged and receptive you'll be to my idea or conversation.” - Robin Singhvi

Takeaways

01:10 Personalized product demos are more engaging and effective than generic, one-size-fits-all presentations.

05:48 Consistent and standardized demo delivery across a sales team helps improve sales performance and close deals faster.

10:56 Understanding the specific problems and needs of the buyer persona is crucial to showcasing the relevant features and value of the product.

12:52 Ending demos a few minutes early allows for a smooth transition and follow-up, without feeling rushed.

18:43 Expanding the capabilities of personalized demos to enable self-serve, interactive demos can help customers better evangelize the product to their own stakeholders.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:31 — 35.3MB) | Embed

908: Affiliate Marketing: Turn Your Passion Into a Profitable Business With Matt McWilliams

February 17, 2023

Do you wish to build a profitable business base on your passion? Numerous people want to turn their passion into something that will give them money. But self-doubt always haunts them to turn this dream into reality. The world will not wait for your message, and they will get a solution from someone else. So how do you take a step to turn your passion into profit?

Matt McWilliams is the “Affiliate Master” and the author of the book "Turn Your Passions Into Profit". As an affiliate marketing expert, he has worked with big names like Kevin Harrington, Tony Robbins, and Dean Graziosi. Today, Matt shares his insights on how to turn your passion into a profitable and growing business. He talks about the importance of getting clear on your passion, committing to leading, and building an audience through content and community.

Quotes

“A video doesn't necessarily reveal the client's reaction. It doesn't allow you to tailor or change direction during a demo based on what the client is really interested in.” - Matt McWilliams

“Why not you? Why not me? Why not be the one the world—or whoever your audience is—gets the solution from.” - Matt McWilliams

“If you think about how people have stood out over time, it's often by leveraging those perceived disadvantages.” - Matt McWilliams

Takeaways

00:32 The world needs your unique message, but it won't wait for you to share it. You need to step up and be the one to provide the solution.

05:57 Overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome is crucial to turning your passion into a profitable business.

08:38 Using your personal experiences and struggles can make you a more relatable and qualified messenger in your niche.

19:20 Building an army of smaller, loyal affiliates can be more effective than chasing after big-name partners.

22:11 Proactively identifying and incentivizing underperforming affiliates can lead to significant sales growth.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:51 — 45.3MB) | Embed

907: Become an Amazon Expert and Improve Your eCommerce Strategies with Lesley Hensell

February 15, 2023

During the pandemic, eCommerce was used immensely all over the world. Most people switched from buying physically in retail or grocery stores to ordering their things and groceries online. Not only did the buyers take advantage of the rise of eCommerce, but also the sellers and business owners. With the ongoing rise of competition in the eCommerce industry, what should you do to improve your strategy and gain the upper hand?

Lesley Hensell is the founder of Riverbend Consulting, a full-service Amazon agency with over 85 employees. With over 12 years of experience as an Amazon seller herself, Lesley and her team specialize in helping clients navigate the complex world of Amazon, from listing optimization to enforcement and more. Today, Lesley talks about the importance of going beyond the "sexy" metrics and focusing on the day-to-day, "boring" strategies that can truly move the needle for Amazon sellers.

Quotes

“There's a prevalent attitude in the Amazon world that it's not necessarily a get-rich-quick scheme. What you don't see is all of their expenses, their cost of goods, and how much they're paying in Amazon fees. For all you know, they might have just lost a bunch of money.” - Lesley Hensell

“We love to structure our pricing to address objections. You're right; when you hire an agency, it often feels like they want a retainer, which can be exorbitant, and they may not always explain how it's used.” - Lesley Hensell

“The sellers who succeed in the long term are the ones who continue to develop each of their products, increasing their earnings each month. This way, they avoid putting all their eggs in one basket.” - Lesley Hensell

Takeaways

01:56 Focusing on the "boring" but impactful strategies, like optimizing product listings, can be more effective than chasing "sexy" metrics.

04:18 Identifying and addressing underperforming listings can unlock significant growth potential.

10:41 Leveraging Amazon's various features, such as enhanced brand content and video, can provide a competitive edge and drive sales.

19:23 Outsourcing specialized tasks to experts can be more cost-effective than trying to handle everything in-house.

21:18 Diversifying product offerings and building a brand, rather than relying on a single "million-dollar" product, is a more sustainable long-term strategy.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:03 — 41.5MB) | Embed

906: LaunchCart eCommerce Revolution: A Selling Strategy for Simple Online Sales and Massive Profits with Greg Writer

February 13, 2023

The attraction of eCommerce is the ability to sell to a large online audience - to develop your business much faster by using the power of the internet. Whether it's saving time or money, many people and companies prefer doing business online rather than at a physical location. Online shopping is beneficial for both consumers and businesses since it allows them to compare prices, browse a broader selection of products, and buy from the comfort of their homes or offices at any time of day or night.

Greg Writer is the founder of Launch Cart, an e-commerce platform that aims to provide a better and faster solution for online businesses. With over 25 years of experience in digital marketing, Greg has seen the evolution of e-commerce from the early days of online malls to the current landscape of print-on-demand and influencer marketing. Today, Greg shares his insights on the unique features of Launch Cart, including its freemium model, built-in marketing tools, and integration with print-on-demand providers, making it easier for businesses to get started and grow their online presence.

Quotes

“We're launching a B2B marketplace where brands and manufacturers can upload their product catalogs. This will enable car sellers to search for products and add them to their stores.” - Greg Writer

“We want to onboard millions of people around the globe quickly. We'll give them the ability to create a store, access the marketplace, click a few buttons, and start selling products with no money upfront.” - Greg Writer

“It's about surrounding yourself with people who are smarter than you, those who will help you grow and advance.” - Greg Writer

Takeaways

00:35 Building a better e-commerce platform requires understanding the pain points of existing solutions and creating a more streamlined and feature-rich experience.

04:01 Offering a freemium model can help onboard a large user base quickly, while also providing opportunities to upsell and cross-sell additional services.

11:12 Integrating a marketplace model that connects brands, manufacturers, and sellers can create a mutually beneficial ecosystem for all parties involved.

17:25 Taking advantage of existing websites with high traffic and targeted audiences can be a good approach to building a successful e-commerce marketplace.

23:50 Maintaining a positive mindset and surrounding oneself with people who can help you grow are key to success in the ever-evolving world of e-commerce.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:15 — 39.0MB) | Embed

905: Kettlebell Kings: Build A Strong Business Community, Generate Content, and Embrace Your Competitive Spirit With Chad Price

February 10, 2023

If you're an entrepreneur, you might think that business is all about the number of sales. But the dilemma is that branding nowadays is hard since there’s already a lot of information available, plus, everyone wants to put a name on things and call it a brand. How are you going to make a brand that stands out? By building a community and a purpose within your brand, it will be much easier to compete with other companies. Furthermore, generating content is vital because it increases people’s engagement, which is one of the measurements of success.

Chad Price is a serial entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience in multiple industries. His most notable company is Kettlebell Kings, which he started from scratch and has grown into a multi-million dollar Fortune 5000 company. Today, Chad talks about his entrepreneurial career, sharing insights on building a strong brand and community around a product.

Quotes

“I think what makes me unique is my perseverance, coming from a competitive background where hard work is a given and success isn't always guaranteed. I embrace the journey and the process, finding enjoyment in every step.” - Chad Price

“The good teams share a common purpose. Not everyone measures success in the same way, so someone has to uphold the standard and set the bar for where we need to be to claim champion status or success.” - Chad Price

“The hardest part is embracing that competitive spirit and understanding that there will be ups and downs. If you don't enjoy that aspect of the process, it might not be for you.” - Chad Price

Takeaways

02:29 Building a strong community and sense of purpose around a product or brand is crucial for long-term success in entrepreneurship.

14:47 Maintaining a scalable, technology-focused infrastructure can help businesses handle unexpected surges in demand and growth.

18:01 Embracing a competitive spirit and persevering through challenges and failures is key to achieving entrepreneurial goals.

19:24 Collaboration and forming strategic alliances can be beneficial, even among competitors, in navigating industry changes and opportunities.

24:55 Taking ownership of problems and focusing on solutions, rather than assigning blame, is an important mindset for entrepreneurs to cultivate.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:51 — 37.1MB) | Embed

904: Access Ally: Launch Your Market Product Successfully and Grow Your Online Business With Nathalie Lussier

February 8, 2023

Are you struggling to scale your online business? Most oftentimes, even though coaches and course creators have the skills and desire to build a course in a certain area of expertise. But they don’t understand what people are willing to pay for or what they want for free. This lack of understanding affects the growth of the business. So what changes you’ll need to make? Regarding product market fit, you need to know what people say they want, what they actually want, and what you want to create personally. Aligning those three will guarantee a successful launch for your product.

Nathalie Lussier is the founder of Access Ally, a powerful digital course and membership solution for coaches who want to develop their courses, memberships and communities on their terms. She is also the author of the book, “Pre-Sell Your Online Course.” Today, Natalie shares her insights on the importance of product-market fit, the lessons she learned from past failures, and the benefits of running live, cohort-based courses.

Quotes

“Often, we feel like our course needs to be perfect before launching, which can leave us stuck since perfection doesn't exist. Co-creating with people live allows you to put forth your best current work and get immediate feedback from participants.” - Nathalie Lussier

“A lot of times, people struggle with finding the right product-market fit. This is especially true for coaches, course creators, and others who have a great idea or a strong desire to help in a specific area of expertise.” - Nathalie Lussier

“Ideas have a shelf life; use them before they expire. If we had acted on our idea when we first had it, it might have turned into something amazing.” - Nathalie Lussier

Takeaways

00:56 Carefully validating your product idea and understanding what people are willing to pay for is crucial for creating a successful course or digital product.

05:21 Validating your idea through a smaller-scale proof of concept or pilot can help reduce risk and ensure your full-scale launch is more successful.

11:37 Surrounding yourself with the right people, whether it's a team or a community, can help you stay motivated and on track with your long-term business goals.

22:00 Embracing imperfection and co-creating with your audience can be more beneficial than trying to create a "perfect" course before launching.

25:51 Taking action on your ideas before they expire is more important than waiting for the "right time" to start.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:27 — 37.7MB) | Embed

903: Postalytics: Direct Mail Automation and Postcard Marketing That Integrates With Your HubSpot, Salesforce or Zapier Based CRM with Dennis Kelly

January 2, 2023

Direct mail automation allows you to produce personalized letters and cards, which also offers full-service printing and mailing services, tracking, tracing, and impact measurement when combined with direct mail and CRM integration. Such technology might be considered to be old-school by many since it has been around forever and has already “peaked” however, email inboxes nowadays have been very difficult to manage due to a blow up in digital and email marketing, causing a massive bloat in marketers’ inboxes and prices getting inflated. Direct mail brings you back to the basics with its more simple and integrated features.

Dennis Kelly is the CEO of Postalytics, a company that helps businesses leverage direct mail marketing in a modern, automated way. Postalytics provides tools and services to simplify the process of creating and sending personalized postcards and letters, integrate direct mail with CRM and marketing automation, and track the performance of direct mail campaigns. Today, Dennis discusses the benefits of using direct mail as a marketing channel, especially as digital channels become more crowded.

Quotes

“What we've done is build a national network of print partners across the country. We've negotiated bulk rates and pricing that individual businesses could never obtain on their own.” - Dennis Kelly

“We've integrated with the Postal Service's tracking system behind the scenes. Now, every single piece of mail sent through Postal X is tracked throughout the entire delivery process.” - Dennis Kelly

“Don't do it the old-fashioned way. Approach it in a modern, smart manner, so you can focus on how to conduct testing and improve marketing, instead of spending your time as a project manager.” - Dennis Kelly

Takeaways

00:45 Direct mail marketing is making a comeback as digital channels become increasingly crowded and less effective.

06:42 Postalytics simplifies the direct mail process by providing a national network of print partners, bulk pricing, and automated tracking and analytics.

10:38 Integrating direct mail with CRM and marketing automation allows businesses to personalize and target their campaigns more effectively.

14:44 Testing and iterating on direct mail campaigns, similar to digital marketing, is crucial for success.

19:02 Businesses should take a long-term, consistent approach to direct mail marketing rather than relying on one-off campaigns.

Resources

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:12 — 33.5MB) | Embed

Interview

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Quotes

Takeaways

Resources

Done For You Podcasting

Signup for Free Report

About Robert & The Podcast

Recent Posts

Income Machine

Bestselling Books

Categories

Archives