The Big Sale Illuminati is a bi-weekly podcast where some of the best in business discuss what’s worked, what’s working, and what’s failed in selling big sales. The panel of experts include Monique de Maio, Mark Kennedy, Tiffany Olson, and Tom Searcy with occasional guest appearances.
Episode 23 – What Is B2B Selling Today?
Video selling conversations for big business-to-business (B2B) sales are becoming the norm. Efficiency is increased, but does that mean fewer sales people are needed? How is multichannel impacting B2B? How are the implications of these evolutions impacting sales staffing, training, and sales leadership this year, next year, and beyond? We dive into it all in this episode.
...
Episode 22 – Owning the Sales Conversation to Educate Buyers
To sell executive buyers, you must educate them in a way that they see a better future if they buy from your company. You have to educate on why the past has run out of runway, current state does not provide much advantage, and that your solution creates the best answer moving forward. This episode is about educating the buyer and using that conversation s...
Episode 21 – How to Decommoditize Your Offering and Avoid Being Commoditized
Commoditization is a major threat to any business, but it's especially dangerous for sales teams. When your product or service is seen as a commodity, it's difficult to compete on price and value. In this episode of The Big Sale Illuminati Podcast, we discuss how to decommoditize your offering and avoid being commoditized out of business. W...
Episode 20 – How to Close Big Sales Without Meeting In Person
The number of sales calls that happen face-to-face has dropped dramatically in recent years. So, is the person-to-person sales call dead? Can you still close big sales without meeting your prospects in person?
The answer is yes, but it takes leverage, technique, and chemistry. In this podcast episode, we unpack the numbers behind the changes in big sal...
Episode 19 – Selling the Future State and Overcoming Fear of Change
Customers buy a better future than their current state. Whether it is technology platforms or train cars of steel, the promise is the same. Sales people are promising that the customer’s future will be better because they purchase from you. This episode focuses on the very specific tactics necessary to sell that future state. There are pitfalls in t...
Episode 18 – Speaking the Language of Money in Sales
Salespeople are often afraid to talk about money. Successful salespeople know how to not only talk about money, they know how their customers' C-Suite talks about money...and if we learn how to ''speak their language'', we win big deals. If you don't master this, you will be sent to a lower-level person, or worse, relegated to Procurement. This episode focuses on ...
Episode 17 – Messaging Design & Delivery: Sales' or Marketing's Problem?
When your organization presents itself one way in the public domain, and your salespeople go in with a different value proposition, message or delivery--you have a problem! From bricks and mortar to board rooms, eCommerce, social media platforms and everything in between, you had better be thinking about how you come across and if you and y...
Episode 16 – Outselling Your Monster Competitors
Companies often find themselves selling against much bigger competitors. Those competitors often have strong brand names and large market shares. To win in those competitive sales efforts, your company is in a David v. Goliath scenario. This episode is about how to win that fight even though your company is not the biggest player in the fight.
To learn more about o...
Episode 15 – Closed Door Secrets of Buyers
When prospects are buying from your company, we know there is ALWAYS a “meeting-after-the-meeting.” That’s where the real feedback is shared and decisions are made about buying from your company or not. This episode shares the secrets of what is said and how to control the talking points of that meeting.
To learn more about our panelists or to contact them, visit:
Tom...
Episode 14 – The Importance of the Sales Narrative Structure
Sales narratives: organizing, presenting and engaging your content in a way that gets results. Our panelists begin with the dissection of the famous Zuora presentation model (among others) and determine what aspects work for buyers and why. We review how and when to include research, third party information, trends in the clients' business and then how you...
Episode 13 – Unsticking Stuck Sales
Half of every sales professional’s pipeline is stuck in some way. Often, we don't know whether it's time, the offer, decision-makers, inertia or a combination. Whatever it is, it can mean losing an important sale. This episode addresses head on how to break through selling roadblocks on the way to big sales.
To learn more about our panelists or to contact them, visit:
Moniqu...
Episode 12 – The AI Fueled Salesperson
AI can make sales professionals better prepared. It will also make buyers better prepared when buying. Where is the intersection that gives sales professionals an advantage? Which prospect receives that advantage? No sense in being the smartest person at the wrong door. This episode is about leveraging AI to not just be smarter but who you are smarter in front of when selling.
<...
Episode 11 – Pilot Selling: Avoiding the “Nibble” Strategy
Often sales professionals sell a pilot or test program to a prospect to get “their foot in the door” while buyers mandate a pilot to ''test out the vendor or the proof-of-concept" while minimizing risk. What sellers may not realize is the pilot may be riskier than waiting or trying harder to get a full deployment or deal. The panel discusses how to avoid pi...
Episode 10 – Work from Home: Are Musk, Bezos and Zuck Right?
Do Elon, Bezos and Zuck have it right? This episode goes right at the issue of working from home or in the office, or both. Which one is better for landing big sales? For training? Mentorship? Accountability? The panel takes a big step toward the best answer for various scenarios.
Work from Home Data - Click Here to Download PDF
Patrick McGowan
Founder, Punc...
Episode 9 – Leveraging AI (like ChatGPT) in the Sales Process
Our panel of experts from sales to the C-suite have a candid and pragmatic discussion about how best to use Artificial Intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT, in their sales efforts. While AI cannot replace humans in the sales process (at least, not yet!)--it can certainly enhance and augment sales efforts, if done right. We dissect specific ways we believe tech...
Episode 8 – Your CEO: Friend or Foe In Landing Sales?
When do you bring your president or C-suite executive into the big sales selling or closing process? Our panel members have been on both sides: invited by salespeople to help sell, as well as being the ones determining when and how to involve the C-suite. We discuss the science and art of leveraging your C-suite to close your big sales.
To learn more about our pan...
Episode 7 – Selling in 2024
Selling in 2024 will look different than it does today. What are the macro and micro trends that are emerging in sales? What are the implications of things like AI/ChatGPT, virtual selling, customer experience, sustainability and social responsibility? The panel looks at these issues so that you, the listener, can make your plans and own your future.
To learn more about our panelists or to...
Episode 6 – How to Leverage Your Personal Brand in Sales
In the latest episode, we explore the importance of personal branding for salespeople and how it relates to the brand of the company they represent. Learn how to develop a brand that is congruent with your company's brand and identify consistent brand traits for selling big sales. Join us as we discuss strategies for building a successful personal brand.
To le...
Episode 5 – Sales Compensation: Show Me the Money
Salespeople, revenue teams and customer retention share a very strong interest in sales compensation. We share the truth that is not always pretty, but facts are our friends regardless if they are friendly. In this episode, the panel picks apart sales compensation and has some fresher ideas on how to make it work better.
To learn more about our panelists or to contact...
Episode 4 – The Money Machine
Bigger, faster, leaner. A sales process promises to deliver more than just good salespeople can on their own. Stories and examples of how to build the machine and be more effective operating it are discussed and best practices set in this episode.
To learn more about our panelists or to contact them, visit:
Monique de Maio
Founder & CMO, ondemandCMO
"McCartney: A Life in Lyrics" offers listeners the opportunity to sit in on conversations between Paul McCartney and poet Paul Muldoon dissecting the people, experiences, and art that inspired McCartney’s songwriting. These conversations were held during the past several years as the two collaborated on the best selling book, “The Lyrics: 1965 to Present.” Over two seasons and 24 episodes of “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics”, you’ll hear a combination master class, memoir, and improvised journey with one of the most beloved figures in popular music. Each episode focuses on one song from McCartney’s iconic catalog – spanning early Beatles through his solo work. Season 1 premieres on October 4th. “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” is a co-production between iHeart Media, MPL and Pushkin Industries. Cover Portrait © 1967 Paul McCartney / Photographer: Linda McCartney
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Unforgettable true crime mysteries, exclusive newsmaker interviews, hard-hitting investigative reports and in-depth coverage of high profile stories.