The B2b Revealed Podcast | B2b Sales | B2b Marketing | B2b Leaders

Brianna Caza is with us today to share insights and strategies for getting into freelancing. We spend a good deal of our time talking about how to avoid the “boomerang” effect that sends so many beginner freelancers back to the company they left.  In This Episode What to consider before leaving an organization. Data from Briana’s research. The importance of autonomy and variety in work. How freelancing is positively impacting wage disparity for women. Self-management skills for freelancing.  How to brand yourself. How traditional employers can respond to the rise in freelance work. Characteristics to develop for freelancing success.

Josh Bernoff is the author of a stellar book called Writing Without Bullshit: Boost Your Career by Saying What You Mean. The book is focused on making everyone a better writer in business. Most importantly, due to Josh’s background in the technology sector, he has a lot of history with an industry that produces arguably the most jargon, poorly written emails, blog posts, and messaging of any business sector.  This episode centers on different examples of how people can improve their business writing, report writing, and emails, alongside many other great writing topics. In This Episode Josh’s background and his first insights into useful, clear writing. On meaningless platitudes. The importance of strong titles and file names. How to write a strong executive summary. How to craft a great email. Why paragraphs are the worst. How we got to the current standard of communication in our professional lives. What the meaning ratio means when writing great content. Why shortening the length of your document is a goo

Thomas Steenburgh is a business professor at the Darden School of Business, with a focus on sales management and B2B sales processes. We discuss the launch of new products by sales teams, as well as some of the challenges that accompany these product launches. In addition, we cover the types of people who do the best at selling new products, the “shiny new thing” problem when selling to customers, and other gems that will make any company better at selling new products. To cap off the show, we talk about how B2B and sales topics have largely been ignored as a subject within academia.  In This Episode  The research that went into Dr. Steenburgh's analysis of innovation and product launches. The different type of salespeople you'll need for product launches. Why face-to-face meetings are important for selling new products. The characteristics of reps who succeed at selling new products and those who don't. The “shiny new thing” problem when prospecting.

Today’s guest is Ron Carucci, Cofounder and Managing Partner at Navalent, a company that works with CEOs and Executives who are pursuing transformational change. His Harvard Business Review article “Executives Fail to Execute Strategy Because They’re Too Internally Focused” put him our radar and led us to his fantastic book, Rising to Power. We tackle both the book and the HBR article in this interview. The crux of the episode--to borrow Ron’s phrase--is the ‘altitude sickness’ that all "rising" executives come across. Examples of this altitude sickness are: ineffective use of power, effective and ineffective communication and organization design, as well as how effectively they are looking at the competitive landscape to leverage that information and make their organizations more profitable, successful spaces. In This Episode  Ron’s professional background and his current work with Navalent. Managing the competitive context for executives. The dizzying dynamics of managing and leveraging portfolios. Organiz

If you don’t take care of your data, your marketing campaigns will have a lower ROI, sales teams will be starved for leads, and your company will miss it’s revenue targets.   On today’s episode, I chat with Ruth Stevens, who has spent the last 20 years helping enterprise and mid-market companies take better care of their data. Ruth has also co-authored an excellent book on the subject named B2B Data-Driven: Marketing, Sources, Uses, and Results.    Ruth and I chat about several important topics.    First, we tackle the challenge of data degradation. When the rate of change on nearly any customer or prospect data set is 4% to 6% per month, all companies have to address the problem, this presents.    Second, we cover some thorny problems, out of a full set of 20+ in the book, that bedevils anyone who tries to deal with B2B data.    We also talk about why she is “opt-out” vs. “opt-in” and why this is not just the correct legal position but the appropriate one for B2B marketing leaders to consider.   Finally, we

Organic reach on Facebook has plummeted over the years and B2B marketers need to adjust.  On today's episode, I chat with Peter Reitano, the Co-founder of Abacus, a digital marketing agency that specializes in leveraging Facebook and Instagram in a B2B context.  We discuss the challenges of finding organic reach through Facebook, the importance of vertical video and the importance of thumb stopper creative. Peter also shares useful tips on how you can create an emotional punch with your Facebook and Instagram campaigns, even if you're a more "boring" B2B brand.  In This Episode  The decline of organic research on Facebook. The importance of vertical video. Why short almost impulsive video clips are more powerful on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. How to create an emotional punch with your content when you’re a “boring” B2B brand. Examples of emotional “thumb-stopper” creative. How emotional content leads to a more rational B2B “pitch.” Why repurposing content onto different platforms is not a good ide

Today I’m speaking with Sydney Finkelstein, an expert in leadership and the author of the well-researched book, Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Must Master the Flow of Talent. We first discuss the main archetypes of different superbosses (the iconoclasts, the nurturers, etc.) through a number of different examples of well-known business leaders. Then we get into various factors that make superbosses tick alongside some sentiments that are tantamount to treason when talking to a superboss. Sidney also shares how superbosses almost always leverage the apprenticeship model when it comes to growing new talent. In This Episode What is a superboss? The research that went into the book, including hundreds of interviews. The three archetypes of superbosses. Confidence and why it matters in being a superboss. Competitiveness and imagination in the workplace. Integrity and being a superboss. Why authenticity is essential for becoming a good leader. On being a hands-on delegator. Why apprenticeship can’t be beat.

Trust in B2B sellers is eroding. B2B buyers are increasingly looking towards third-party sites and influencers for reviews. Additionally, your sales and support teams may not be set up for success in building long-term trust with buyers. In this episode, Todd shares his extensive experience and tactics for building trust with buyers and ensuring mutual success. Radical transparency in B2B sales can qualify deals more quickly, shorten sales cycles, improve win rates, and keep customers happier. Todd Caponi is the author of The Transparency Sale: How Unexpected Honesty and Understanding the Buying Brain Can Transform Your Results.  In This Episode How transparency can improve win rates, shorten sales cycles, and qualify deals more quickly. Why it’s important to let buyers know what you don’t A negotiation strategy that actually builds trust. How to build trust through a sales cycle and beyond. The importance of overcommunicating aftera contract has been signed. How to use the right levers, in the right way, to

Kristin Kelsey, an expert on modern office design, joins the show today.  Kristin provides great insight into why your office looks like it does today and where it’s headed in the future. She also discusses biophilic design, the “third space”, and array of positive and negative trends in office design throughout the years. But the end of the episode I’m sure you’ll be looking forward to the future Kristin posits. In This Episode How the 50's and 60's changed the overall paradigm of office design. What the “action office” was and how it impacted modern office design. Kristin’s take on the limited amount of square footage employees receive today for office space. Considerations that go into designing communal spaces in an office environment. How what were once dead spaces have become the “third space.” Future trends such as biophilic design and more.

Martina Bozadzhieva, Managing Director and Head of Research at global market research firm DuckerFrontier, joins the podcast today. Martina’s expertise comes from direct experience navigating business dynamics in the turbulent European market. If you’re in headquarters or a country manager and if you do business in the UK, France, or Germany, this is one to listen to. In This Episode: Brexit: current business trends and challenges in the UK, and which companies are set to benefit the most with a “hard” Brexit. Unique EU regulations that impact B2B businesses. Germany’s current economic state, and unique aspects of doing business in Germany. Business challenges and opportunities in France. Differences in communication styles between the UK, France, and Germany. Advice for country managers who are moving from corporate to another country, including how they can best interact with corporate. Resources: Martina’s LinkedIn Profile Martina's Twitter  

Melissa Agnes joins the show today.  Melissa is the author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World. She is also a celebrated keynote speaker, a crisis management strategist, and an expert in mitigating risks in organizations. Melissa shares the key components of proper crisis management.  She also highlights the importance of clear communication, transparency, and honesty in the midst of high-stress situations. From Melissa you can learn the right steps to take that will help you handle a crisis situation.   In this Episode A discussion about honesty and transparency during a crisis. The difference between an issue and a crisis. What customers and clients expect in a crisis. How these same expectations have evolved over the past few years. How to communicate to the public in an effective way after a crisis. Why the press release is dead. A discussion on self-inflicted, individual crises that affect a company's brand and future. Resources Melissa's Website - www.melissaagnes.com

Kevin Kruse, the author of Great Leaders Have No Rules, join us today to discuss why rule-based leadership leads to failure. Importantly, Kevin bases this key insight on over 200 interviews with well-known business leaders across a range of disciplines.  Based on these conversations Kevin has distilled 10 key insights that any leader can use to build a culture that is based on trust vs. mere rule following. In This Episode How every “got a minute” request kills productivity across your company. Why rules disengage 99% of your employees to reduce risk from 1% of your employees. Why being likable is more important than being liked as a leader. The difference between favoritism and focusing on your higher achieving team members. All leaders are role models whether they want to be or not. The importance of having a framework that empowers decision making vs. mere rule setting. Why principles tend to beat out process in business. Resources Kevin’s Book: Great Leaders Have No Rules Kevin’s Website: https://www.

Dr. Joe Kvedar, author and TEDx speaker, joins us today to discuss the future of Connected Health. Dr. Kvedar takes us through the current state of Connected Health in this episode.  We cover some of the fascinating technology integrations out there today, an array of unique startups, and some of the regulation and compliance issues that are hindering Connected Health solutions. In This Episode Why the Healthspan is so much shorter than the Lifespan How a variety of Connected Health startups are helping to lengthen the Healthspan Policy and Regulations that challenge the growth of Connected Health solutions and startups. How technology is being used in the world of Connected Health from Voice Analytics to Biomarkers. The Future of Connected Health solutions and their impact on the Healthspan

Rand Fishkin, the co-founder of Moz.com, the leader of SparkToro, and the author of Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup, joins us to discuss his journey as a startup owner. The book is a fantastic read.   Some of the topics we cover include, how to transition from services to product offerings, expectation setting for startups, why growth hacks are such a bad idea, and the importance of radical candor.

Niraj Dawar joins us to talk about the intersection of voice marketing and the world of B2B. We discuss how to engage customers, how voice marketing compares to search marketing and SEO, and how voice marketing and AI are set to dominate the world of B2B Marketers.

Lois Kelly, author of Rebels At Work: A Handbook for Leading Change From Within, shares her first-hand experiences witnessing the impact rebels can have on an organization. It’s not about disrupting projects, but about sharing a different way of looking at the world — something that comes in handy more often than not.

Dan Cable, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, joins us to talk about his book, Alive at Work: The Neuroscience of Helping Your People Love What They Do. Pulling from the worlds of both psychology and business management, Dan helped explain the connection between giving your employees the freedom to work with fewer constraints and overall business success.   As always, we’d love for you to take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And, if you have any feedback, you can reach us at cascadeinsights.com.

Joel Backaler, the author of Digital Influence, guides our discussion exploring the world of B2B influencer marketing. We’ll discuss how corporations should structure their influencer programs, the role conferences play in connecting with influencers, as well as the need for peer-to-peer influencer marketing campaigns.   As always, we'd love for you to take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And, if you have any feedback, you can reach us Sean at sean@cascadeinsights.com 

Dr. Bhaskar Chakravorti joins us to discuss the significance of the China and India's digital economies. We talk about how these markets have developed, what tech companies should be aware of as they try to enter these regions, and what to be on the lookout for going forward. As always, we'd love for you to take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And, if you have any feedback, you can reach us at cascadeinsights.com.

Marketing, market research, sales, the nature of creativity, the validity of data, the need for diversity and more: 2018 was a big year for the B2B Revealed Podcast. We wanted to take a moment to highlight our favorite episodes, some key lessons we hope you'll carry with you into 2019, and what to look forward to in the coming months.   As always, we'd love for you to take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And, if you have any feedback, you can reach us at cascadeinsights.com.   We'll see you in January.