144 (Sell): Progress your sales with healthy customer tension (Jen Allen-Knuth, Community Growth @ Lavender)

This is a 30 minute masterclass on the 10 lessons every rep needs to know when it comes to cold calling. Armand and Nick walk you through five lessons each that will leave you feeling ready to put in the work and pick up the phones! ✅ Inside this episode: You learn how to navigate rejection from a single person and find an alternative route through other people in the company to close the deal How to improve your script when you’re struggling Handling rude responses and understanding they’re going to happen regardless, you’re doing nothing wrong! How to get someone’s attention (Hint: It’s not, “How’s your day going?” You get to say silly things on cold calls, as long as you do it with confidence! RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST” Benchmark yourself against baseline cold call metrics

27 Mai 40min

Alex Kremer shares tactical leadership strategies to help sales managers build engaged teams by using breath work for presence, empowering reps, and structuring effective 1:1s that drive results. 🎙 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Your vision shapes who you become today and guides the actions you take right now. Regularly asking your reps why they are at the company helps uncover their true motivations and commitment. Effective team meetings follow a clear structure: start with breathwork, then focus on vision, shoutouts, revenue tracking, and finish with pipeline and KPIs. Assigning “black belts” to lead skill trainings boosts engagement, helps reps learn better, and frees up leaders to focus on leading. ALEX’S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Founder & CEO @ Alluviance Host @ Rising Leader Podcast Head of Sales @ Catalyst Software RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

22 Mai 38min

Most leaders treat team meetings like a routine checklist, but they’re one of the few moments you have everyone’s full attention each week. Here’s how Alex Kremer (founder & CEO @ Alluviance) keeps his team motivated each time they meet: Start with Presence Get Your Team Involved Connect the Dots to a Bigger Impact The goal isn’t just to share numbers but to create a culture where your team feels valued and invested. Make your meetings a place for growth, not just updates. Watch the full episode TOMORROW ALEX’S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Founder & CEO @ Alluviance Host @ Rising Leader Podcast Head of Sales @ Catalyst Software RESOURCES DISCUSSED: ⁠Join our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠Things you can steal⁠ ⁠Save $50 on any 30MPC course⁠ with code “PODCAST”

21 Mai 5min

Learn how Max Licht wins complex 6 and 7-figure enterprise deals by shadowing his prospects’ workflows, de-risking every technical blocker, and turning IT stakeholders into deal accelerators. 🎙 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Map five business or technical processes for shadow discovery and make sure a few showcase your product’s unique strengths. If a technical eval is dragging, call it out to trigger clarity on what’s needed for a business case and shorten the timeline. Look for pain points or questions about flexibility as triggers to ask for a shadow session where the prospect demos their workflow. Always balance the give-get in shadow sessions by offering specificity, implementation plans, or business case inputs in return. MAX’S PATH TO PRESIDENTS CLUB: Enterprise AE @ MaestroQA #1 ACV & TCV @ Productiv #1 SDR @ Zuora RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

20 Mai 35min

Max Licht (Enterprise AE @ MaestroQA) breaks down his shadow-based discovery process. This technique goes beyond typical discovery calls, allowing you to witness firsthand where inefficiencies and bottlenecks are happening. 1. Identify the Painful Process - Research the customer's current workflow and tools (e.g., Excel, Salesforce) to understand the manual, time-consuming steps involved. - This reveals where inefficiencies exist, giving you a clear picture of the pain your solution can alleviate. It also helps you identify the "drag them through the glass" moments where the pain is most acute, which is critical for building urgency. 2. Set Up the Shadowing Session - Frame the shadow as a collaborative step to fully understand their process. Instead of just making claims, say something like, *“Before I make any promises, I want to fully understand your current reporting process to see where we can add the most value.”* - This approach shifts the focus from selling to problem-solving, making you a trusted partner rather than just a vendor. It also sets the stage for a more meaningful business case. 3. Conduct the Shadow - Watch the prospect use their current tools and processes. Take notes, capture screenshots, and pay attention to friction points, inefficiencies, and workarounds they rely on. - Seeing the workflow in action often reveals unspoken pain points and limitations that even the prospect might not articulate in a standard discovery call. This firsthand observation helps you tailor your pitch to the reality of their day-to-day work. 4. Use Shadows to Build a Business Case - Use the insights gathered to frame your solution as a direct response to the pain points you observed. For example, highlight how your tool eliminates specific inefficiencies, reduces manual steps, or streamlines complex reporting. - This concrete evidence makes your pitch more credible and aligns your solution directly with their business goals, increasing the likelihood of internal buy-in. 5. Follow Up Strategically - After the shadow, summarize your findings in a follow-up email or meeting, highlighting specific pain points you observed and how your solution can address them. Use this to drive urgency and move the deal forward. - This reinforces your credibility as a problem-solver and keeps the conversation anchored in real, observed issues, rather than hypothetical value propositions. 6. Use the Shadow as a Catalyst for Future Conversations - Reference specific pain points in later stages of the sales cycle, using them to frame your solution as a clear, tangible fix for their current frustrations. - This approach keeps the focus on solving their problems, reducing friction in the decision-making process and increasing the likelihood of a successful close. RESOURCES DISCUSSED: ⁠Join our weekly newsletter⁠ ⁠Things you can steal⁠ ⁠Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

19 Mai 7min

Mark Nietzel returns with the exact systems he used to lead his team to 110% of quota and earn a President’s Club trip to Barcelona. This episode is a tactical blueprint for pipeline accountability, deal progression, and how leaders can maximize the impact of onsites. 🎙 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Use the Lightning Pipeline Review to pressure-test deals with binary yes/no answers on key criteria. Enforce weekly pipeline trackers so reps forecast and explain exactly how they’ll build and progress pipe. Role play every critical conversation—even if it’s five minutes before the call—to eliminate flubs. Prioritize onsite visits between discovery and proposal to accelerate cycles or revive stalled deals. MARK NIETZEL’S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB: Commercial Sales Manager @ Procore Mid-Market Sales Manager @ Procore Senior Account Executive @ Procore Account Executive @ Procore RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Mark Nietzel's Lightning Pipeline Review Format Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

15 Mai 41min

Get the official 30MPC Aligned Mutual Action Plan: https://30mpc.teamaligned.com/room/67a4ccb055dca14b5ff5be3a?avk=daf0c1b1e0bc Quantifying business impact without triggering sales pressure is hard, but Meredith Chandler shows you exactly how to do it. From confident pricing to bulletproof ROI framing, this episode is a tactical masterclass. 🎙 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Use “Here’s why I’m asking” to frame quantifying questions as helpful, not self-serving Every 2–3 questions, pause to show empathy and keep buyers emotionally engaged Quantify time across four levels: direct time, opportunity cost, error cost, and ripple effect Don’t oversell ROI, ask how much impact would justify the price, and anchor conservatively MEREDITH’S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB: Head of Sales @ Aligned Head of Sales @ pclub Sales Director @ CaptivateIQ Head of Enterprise Sales @ SPIFF RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

13 Mai 40min

Sales leaders—your CRM and dashboards are probably working against you. John Sherer shares tactical ways to clean the clutter, focus on the right metrics, and finally get reports that drive action (not confusion). 🎙 ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS: Ditch filters—build dashboards with pre-saved reports so your team gets faster, cleaner insights. Delete CRM fields that aren’t reported on or are full of junk to reduce noise and confusion. Only analyze win rates on mature pipeline from prior quarters to avoid skewed conclusions. Focus on four core metrics: intro meetings, late-stage deals, win rate, and inbound vs. outbound pipeline. JOHN’S PATH TO PRESIDENT’S CLUB: COO @ Growth Assistant VP of Sales @ Lattice Sales Director @ Lattice VP of Sales @ Appcues RESOURCES DISCUSSED: Join our weekly newsletter Things you can steal Save $50 on any 30MPC course with code “PODCAST”

12 Mai 40min