Sales Gravy: Jeb Blount

By: Jeb Blount
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  • Summary

  • From the author of Fanatical Prospecting and the company that re-invented sales training, the Sales Gravy Podcast helps you win bigger, sell better, elevate your game, and make more money fast.
    2024 Jeb Blount, All Rights Reserved
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Career Success Economics Leadership Marketing
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Episodes
  • Sell More With a Personal Business Plan

    Sell More With a Personal Business Plan
    Dec 16 2024
    Over the past two months the team at Sales Gravy has been working hard on our business plan for next year. Like so many other companies, we build an annual business plan because we need to know where we’re going and how to get there. We’re not leaving our fate to chance. Our business plan is compass that helps us navigate and stay on track to reach our goals. Randomness is the Enemy of Effectiveness But what about you? Have you ever stopped to think that you need the exact same thing for your upcoming sales year? Without a plan, it’s easy to drift and fall into randomness—just waking up every day and hoping something good happens. But here’s the deal: Randomness is the enemy of effectiveness. If you don’t set a clear direction, you’ll never hit the target you’re aiming for. You’ll be like a boat without a rudder—drifting and, eventually, ending up someplace you never intended to go. Yogi Berra said it best: “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Trust me, “someplace else” isn’t where you want to be at the end of next year. Adopt a CEO Mindset The difference between average salespeople and top performers often comes down to one key mindset: top performers don’t act like employees; they think like entrepreneurs. The moment you start treating your territory as if it’s your own business, your mindset changes. You stop feeling like a cog in the wheel and start seeing yourself as the driver, not the passenger. Your company shoulders the big financial risks—providing you with the product, the brand, the support. But you own your market, solve the problems, and build relationships that turn into revenue. You own your time and results. That’s the entrepreneurial mindset. Creating Your Personal Buisness Plan Starts With A Vision To create your personal business plan, you start your vision. Where do you want to be a year from now? What do you want to accomplish in your territory or area of responsibility? What income do you want you earn? What awards do you want to win? What does winning look like? Define it. Get crystal clear. Then think about your values. What do you stand for? What kind of impact do you want to make? What kind of relationships do you want to build? How will you show up for your clients, team members, and company every single day? Once you’ve nailed this down, put your strategy in place. Break your territory into logical quadrants so that you know where you’ll be investing time each day. Identify the industry verticals that have the highest potential. Pinpoint your ideal customers. Segment your prospects and customers into High Potential, Medium Potential, and Low Potential. Create a list of your top ten dream accounts, 25-50 conquest accounts, and 100-500 high potential and medium potential targeted accounts. This will help you attack your territory with a targeted vs random approach. Identify your key competitors and do an analysis of each of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Then do the same for yourself. Define your daily battle rhythm, disciplines, and activities that drive pipeline growth. Get intentional about your priorities and how you manage your calendar. After all, time is your greatest asset and as the CEO of you, your time is money. Once you have clarity on your vision and strategy, get granular. A vision without action is just a fantasy. Break Your Personal Business Plan Into Small Steps to Success Break your plan down into achievable goals. I’m a fan of activity-based metrics because you can control them. This is about setting standards that become non-negotiable habits. The key is to choose metrics that move the needle on revenue and are fully within your contro You can’t always control who picks up the phone or who says yes, but you can control how many doors you knock on, how many calls you make,
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    12 mins
  • Connecting with Craft Beer feat. Kirk Richardson

    Connecting with Craft Beer feat. Kirk Richardson
    Dec 12 2024
    In this episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount, Jr. welcomes Kirk Richardson, author of Craft Beer Country, to dive into the world of craft beer, exploring trends, challenges, and the rise of IPAs. Discover how the craft beer industry has blended innovation and tradition to become a cultural phenomenon. Key Takeaways: – Resilience in Craft Beer Market: Despite challenges in the beer industry, craft beer gained a 13% increase in market share in 2023, weathering the storm better than large-scale breweries. – Significance of Hops: Hops, a core ingredient in beer, play a vital role in flavor, aroma, and shelf life. Varieties include aroma, bittering, and dual-purpose hops, each contributing to unique brewing profiles. – Historical Roots of Sours: Sour beers trace their origins to Belgium, where open fermentation with wild yeast created distinctive flavors, making them one of the oldest beer styles still enjoyed today. – Seasonal Beer Preferences: Beer choices often align with the seasons, with lighter options like sours and lagers favored by many in warmer months and darker stouts and porters during colder seasons. – Challenging Stereotypes: While there is often some misconception around craft beer enthusiasts, the craft beer experience is accessible and welcoming, offering something for everyone regardless of expertise. – Cultural Significance of Brewing: Brewing dates back thousands of years, with craft beer continuing traditions like those of ancient Egypt, where beer was used as both sustenance and currency. – Breweries as Social Hubs: Breweries cater to diverse personalities, providing spaces for extroverts to socialize and introverts to enjoy solitude, fostering connections and memorable experiences. – Storytelling in Craft Beer: The industry thrives on the stories of its people, from the challenges of sourcing ingredients to the inspirations behind unique brews, enriching the craft beer community. – Navigating Supply Challenges: Craft brewers often face supply chain hurdles, particularly in sourcing specific hops, yet their creativity and adaptability in dealing with these issues are often what drive the industry forward. – Craft Beer’s Universal Appeal: With its wide range of styles and flavors, craft beer continues to bring people together, celebrating diversity in taste and creating lasting bonds through shared experiences. https://youtu.be/r_7XsernY7Y?feature=shared The Role of Craft Beer in Modern Culture Craft beer holds a unique place in today’s beverage market, offering a blend of tradition, innovation, and community. With its roots deeply embedded in history and its appeal growing across diverse audiences, craft beer has become more of a cultural experience than just a drink. Craft Beer’s Market Growth and Resilience The beer industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, from shifts in consumer preferences to economic pressures. Despite this, craft beer has demonstrated resilience, gaining a 13% increase in market share in 2023. While larger breweries have struggled, craft beer’s ability to innovate and connect with its audience has allowed it to thrive. The Essential Role of Hops Hops, one of beer’s four primary ingredients, are integral to the brewing process. They contribute to the beer’s flavor, aroma, and longevity. Brewers use different types of hops (ex. aroma, bittering, and dual-purpose) to craft a wide range of styles. However, the supply chain for hops can be unpredictable, with shortages and oversupply cycles creating challenges for brewers. A Historical Perspective on Sour Beers Sour beers, one of the oldest styles of beer, have a storied history dating back to Belgium. These beers were traditionally made through open fermentation, allowing wild yeast to develop their signature tart flavor. Today, sours remain popular for their unique taste and connection to brewing’s historical roots,
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    1 hr
  • Sell More With This Year End SMB Closing Tactic

    Sell More With This Year End SMB Closing Tactic
    Dec 10 2024
    Learn how to sell more at the end of the year by helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) reduce their tax bill while making strategic investments in their company on this Money Monday episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast. If you’ve been looking for a way to hit or exceed your annual quota, qualify for President's Club, or simply earn a bigger paycheck or bonus, focusing on SMBs in the final weeks of the year might give you the edge you need. SMBs are Motivated to Reduce Taxes In the United States there are millions of SMBs and the vast majority of these businesses are what we call pass-through organizations for tax purposes. This means that the owners or partners in these businesses report the profits on their personal tax filings. Unlike big companies, small companies don’t have the luxury of rolling profits over to the next year. So whatever they made this year, they have to pay taxes on. As the calendar winds down SMB business owners are often motivated to invest in products, services, and software solutions in order to reduce taxable income. In other words, if a business has shown strong profits throughout the year, its owners might be keen to spend some of that money on improving their operations, expanding their capabilities, or streamlining their processes—right now—rather than hand over a large chunk of their profits to Uncle Sam come tax season. Business Owners Hate Paying Taxes To understand why this year-end period is so critical, let’s get into the mindset of a small or medium-sized business owner. Unlike large enterprises with multiple departments and complex accounting strategies, SMB owners are often personally invested in the company’s financial results because those results are essentially their income. It’s how they pay their mortgage and put food on the table. For this reason, they watch their revenue and expenses closely. As the year comes to an end, they’re looking at their bottom line and thinking about the upcoming tax bill. For many of these business owners, profit is a double-edged sword. Don’t get me wrong, they want to make a profit. But at some point, too much profit triggers a much higher tax bill. If there is one thing I know about small and medium sized business owners its that they hate taxes. They are always looking for ways to legally minimize their tax liability. One easy and productive way to do this is to make fully or partially depreciable investments in the business before December 31st. That could mean buying new equipment, software, training packages, or services that will not only improve the business long-term but also reduce taxable income for the current year. An Urgent Need to Spend As a salesperson, the key takeaway here is that your prospects have a natural, time-bound incentive to spend. If you can position your product or service as the right investment at the right time, you might find it easier to close those deals that seemed just out of reach during the rest of the year. And by the way, if you are dealing with decision-makers who are pushing off decisions to next year, this is a great way to get past that objection. Framing Your Business Case I want to be clear though that most businesses are not going to spend money for the sake of spending money. Savvy business owners want to reduce taxes and do the right thing for their company. Therefore, you can’t just be transactional. You still must follow the sales process and build a bridge to the value of tax savings AND business improvement when making your business case. It’s all about framing your product or service as a strategic investment rather than a mere expense. For example: If you sell software tools that improve operational efficiency, make the case for how your solution will help them save on labor costs, reduce errors, and streamline workflows. If you’re selling advertising, highlight how a year-end launch of a new campaign will lead to immediate result...
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    12 mins

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