Steak Dinners Don’t Close Deals with Maria Boulden - Ep 47
Plus, a Top 3 Story ever told on The Transaction!
Welcome to the latest weekly edition of The Transaction newsletter & podcast. Every Thursday, we share resources you should check out, what we’ve found insightful recently, and tactical ways you can improve your go-to-market today. For more: Podcast | YouTube
You’re in for a great one this week- Great episode + great content recs from Craig. You’re welcome in advance, please send your monetary appreciation within 30 days.
Here’s what’s on deck this week:
What Craig’s Reading
Recent Insights from Past Guests
Latest Episode: Steak Dinners Don’t Close Deals with Maria Boulden - Ep 47
Did someone forward you this newsletter? I’m sorry about that, but since you’re here you might as well subscribe…
What Craig’s Reading: GTM Efficiency winners and losers... in SaaS from David Spitz
I recommend following David Spitz because all his posts are data-driven and compelling. This is a great example of his analysis of public markets GTM Efficiency and some of his takes. Check this and look through some of his past posts as well.
Recent Insight from a Past Guest: (Craig)
Jen Igartua, CEO of GoNimbly, Jen’s Episode of The Transaction
Repping all RevOps leaders who have to build sales stages for sales leaders.
Chris Orlob, Co-Founder & CEO of pclub.io, Chris’ Episode of The Transaction
20 Sales Cheat Codes for AEs.
Brent Adamson, Co-Author of The Challenger Sale, Brent’s Episode of The Transaction
His Love/hate with customer centricity (listen to his episode on the Transaction to understand what it means)
Latest Episode: Steak Dinners Don’t Close Deals with Maria Boulden - Ep 47
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | GoodPods | OverCast | Snipd | More Options
You’ll be hard pressed to find a more energetic and experienced sales expert than our special guest, Maria Boulden!
Maria Boulden has spent over 3 decades creating and leading world-class sales teams at leading enterprise organizations like DuPont and Gartner. She brings her incredible experience in multiple verticals and truly unstoppable energy to one of the best conversations yet with co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg. Maria drops some serious insight bombs in this one, including why steak dinners aren’t the deal closer that they once were, why top execs need to get down to the frontlines to talk with employees, and why ‘not broken’ is not good enough for your company to succeed.
Additionally, there is some great advice in here about effectively leading change management efforts in your organization, why building personal relationships in SaaS has become so important for B2B sellers, and why you shouldn’t hold a deal signing at a Japanese gentleman’s club. Fueled by an ungodly amount of Coke Zero, Maria really brought it this episode and delivered some incredible stories, which make this a must-watch!
Also, Craig tests out a new hat and Matt admits he can be bought with a burrito.
Critical Takeaways
Senior leaders need to be visibly and vocally present with front-line sellers periodically. This not only boosts team morale but also ensures the leader understands the day-to-day challenges and can directly impart strategic guidance.
Sales teams should focus on providing value and building genuine connections rather than relying on traditional wining and dining strategies.
Waiting for 'normalcy' to return so you go back to old tactics is not viable. Leaders must guide their teams to adapt to the current market conditions and be prepared for continuous change.
Conducting “pre-mortem” sessions can be an effective way to anticipate potential failures and mitigate risks before executing significant strategic changes. This approach can foster an environment of proactive problem-solving and better preparedness among the team.
Helping clients understand their own business better and providing insights creates stronger, more trusting client relationships.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:44 Craig’s Special Hat
02:35 Introducing Maria Boulden
10:39 The Challenge with Channel Partners
19:31 Brazenly Baring It All
23:03 A Quick Conversation Regarding Caffeine
23:43 Steak Dinners have Gone Stale in Sales
33:42 Stories from the Signing Party & Where NOT to Hold One
36:48 Taking a Hands-on Approach to Leadership in Sales
38:17 Unbatten the Hatches & Adapting to Market Changes
41:56 How Executives Should Engage with Their Sales Teams
50:59 Delving into some Delicious Additions to Business Dictionaries
55:30 Wrapping Up
Epic Quotes
“ It was not my aspiration that they would have world class sales skills, it was my expectation.” - Maria Boulden
“ Not broken is not good enough in this environment.” - Maria Boulden
New Terms
Donut Run (v): When a rep brings a box of joe and a box of donuts to meet with their distributor and ‘shoot the breeze’ for an hour.
Ask Hole (n): Someone who continuously asks the same question, but never does anything with the suggestions they receive.
Pre-Mortem (n): A proactive meeting held before executing a decision, campaign, etc. where the risks are clearly laid out along with what indicators should be monitored to determine realtime progress and what actions need to be taken mid-course.
Connect with Maria
Shoutouts
Dan Gottlieb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielpgottlieb/
Dan’s Episode: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/triple-t-pov-with-dan-gottlieb?r=3iae7z
Nick Toman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicktoman/
Nick’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/the-commercial-efficiency-crisis?r=3iae7z
Neil Rackham
Spin Selling: https://a.co/d/1FSFtS1
Mark Gustaferro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-gustaferro-3894aa1a5/
Kyle Porter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleporter/
Kyle’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/startup-stunts-and-loving-your-customers?r=3iae7z
Brent Adamson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson
Brent’s Episode: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/reframing-b2b-sales-to-drive-buyer?r=3iae7z
Ted Purcell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedpurcell/
Bill McDermott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billrmcdermott/
Gartner
DuPont
Salesforce
Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!
Sponsored Segment
Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact thetransaction@samguertin.com
Follow the Hosts
Craig’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigrosenberg/
Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-amundson-91657236/
Enjoy this edition and episode? Share it with a friend!
Believe it or not, even in the tech-fueled world we live in, the number one way podcasts grow is word of mouth. So, if you learned something, lost your cool at something, or laughed at something from the show, give us a hand by sharing this with someone else who will get that same value from the show, regardless if it's education, entertainment, or outrage-inducing.
And that’s it for this week.
Until next week, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!