Sales For Nerds

Craig Elias goes from computer science degree to Canadian sales rock star and learns some things along the way, such as: How people end up in the Window of Dissatisfaction What they do when they get there How do be the first to know someone is in the window Why you need to analyze your wins more than your losses What kinds of words you need to use to sell

How to go from super nerdy software requirements consulting to running a sales (and marketing) team? You apply your requirements consulting skills to your internal processes. Here's how...

Terry Hansen was once on the verge of running away to join the circus. Literally. He's now an established sales trainer. It didn't happen overnight. In this interview, Terry shares his story, and how to prevent objections instead of trying to overcome them. Plus, learn Terry's PIMAT shorthand to make sure you've got a strong deal that won't get sabotaged by last minute objections.

Vanessa Van Edwards, author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People, and the lead investigator at The Science of People takes us behind the scenes on her story as a "recovering awkward person" and shares tips on how to make the most of social interactions without anxiety.

Michael Zipursky didn't mean to start consulting with giant Japanese corporations in his early 20s. It just happened. Hear how he pulled it off, and how he started multiple businesses, including his most recent venture helping consultants learn from his mistakes (this should sound familiar to long time listeners). Plus, learn to improve your results by improving your mindset, from the author The Elite Consulting Mind. In this episode, learn how: Michael set himself up for success in his early 20s before he got on a plane for  Japan. (He found a niche for helping Japanese companies market to the North American market.) Why he's fascinated with languages and cultures. Why people try to rush sales before relationships, and what to do instead (and a time Michael made a bad mistake in this area). How many consultants make the opposite mistake, and never try to actually sell anything. (“No one buys consulting, unless someone makes an offer.”) What's holding people back? Usually fear. Fear of making a mistake, th

"Author" is the root of "authority". In this episode, young media mastermind Rusty Shelton shares tips for gaining authority and control over your own marketing channels, moving beyond other people's social media platforms, plus mistakes people make with their marketing. Plus, he gets me to commit to write a book.

Consultant and consultant to consultant David A. Fields shares wisdom from his latest book, The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients, including how to think "right side up", how to price deals, how he got started in sales, and more.

Stella Orange talks about her strange path to marketing and copywriting via Japan, school teaching, bike riding, and writing copy to raise money for an arts nonprofit in Montana. This includes the books she read to teach herself direct marketing, how she got her first clients, and mistakes that business owners make with their marketing.

Maurice Cherry, host of the RevisionPath podcast, always wanted to learn computer science. But he ended up with a math degree and a job in a call center, not exactly doing advanced math. Learn how he started his own design firm, how he built his network, why he hung out (and hung up) his own shingle, and what he learned about content working for Fog Creek Software.

Justin Foster grew up on a ranch in Oregon, got married and had a kid at 18, and accidentally learned B2B sales. Then he started his own firm and focused on "spiritual branding". In this episode, Justin tells his story, and provides practical tips for discovering and communicating your deeper mission, and inviting others to the journey.

Chris Wike has an amazing conference room that he uses to great effect, but you don't need this kind of conference room to use his great networking strategy. Plus, check out his rules for networking, why he doesn't like retainers, and more.

Christina Bell combines her family's love of teaching with her love of sales as she uses her sales experience to train other sales reps.

How he started sales in elementary school, started (and sold) his first business in high school, and much, much more.

Rohan Kale left the typical grind of software engineering for a giant company in India. He headed to Germany, learned German, and started a video marketing company. Find out how, including the coincidence that led to his company idea, how he got his first customers, and how you can use video to help grow your business.

MeetEdgar.com founder Laura Roeder talks about how she started her consulting, online training and software businesses, and how she decided to move on from earlier efforts. Laura also discusses: How to connect with thought leaders online How she got her own panel at SXSW when she was just 29 How she got clients for her consulting business And much more.

Would you take marketing and customer service advice from someone who spent a decade at a cable company? In this case, you should, as Michael Katz, Chief Penguin and Blue Penguin Development, talks about the series of happy accidents that led him to a career in marketing, helping small services companies position themselves more effectively.

Aaron Ross, co-author of "Predictable Revenue", along with Mary Lou Tyler from episode 14, is back with a new book, "From Impossible to Inevitable: How Hypergrowth companies create predictable revenue". Learn what Aaron had to learn the hard way about sales, and how he manages to write books, consult, and raise 12 kids.

Brennan Dunn wasn't always a whiz internet marketer. He started off pursuing a degree in electrical engineering, but switched gear to study Classical Languages (which did come in very handy later).  Along the way, he learned how to do internet marketing, how to get sales without selling, and much more.

In this week’s show: Building awareness of a growing medium Systematization The intake process is all about the business owner Planning isn’t sexy Interrogating a problem Keeping it simple Ben’s top 3 quick tests for your website

Anil Dash has done it all, except graduate from college. He's started companies, helped launch the social media revolution, served on President Obama's Office of Digital Strategy, uses Twitter prolifically, and is the CEO of Fog Creek Software. In this wide-ranging discussion, Anil talks about: how he first learned to sell (and overcome his distrust of sales reps) how he didn't learn to do marketing until much later (and what he did instead) how he tries to structure non-zero-sum incentives the critical concept of "bus-proofing" that's expected on the tech side, but not on the sales side of the house a simple way to encourage more diversity in hiring (and how this benefits the company) And much more...