The Death of a Salesman

Another Brick in the Wall

"We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom."

I was raised on Pink Floyd, one of my late Father's favourite bands. 

In this episode, I am joined by the brilliant Ash Roots, who at the time of recording was between roles, but now is the Chief Digital Officer at The University of Exeter. Where I spent 4 brilliant years studying French & Spanish, with my 3rd year in the wonderful city of Valencia. 

In this episode, we talk about all things digital and transformation. We move between the corporate world and higher education.

We chat about all things including :

Cereal Boxes

Ash's journey through the internet, having completed one of the first degrees on the web. 

No-one yet can predict the future, as far as we are aware.

Don't judge until it has happened or at least been tried.

Look at the trends.

What can we learn from teaching our parents how to use the VHS.

The Boss is the person who uses your product or service, not your boss.

We all get in the way.

How do you recognise if getting in the way is having a positive or negative impact.

Why you need to put the problem in the middle.

Co-creation vs Collaboration.

How the person sweeping the floor helped land the first mission on the moon.

The principles of value and effort, in making a sandwich. 

Can you capitalise on discomfort when we don't know the answer.

and more. 

Ash has a brilliant way of breaking down complex thinking into easy-to-digest and actionable ideas. I particularly loved our bit on co-creation vs collaboration, as this reset my thinking for sure. 

I also love the fact Ash is taking his experience into higher education, especially where I studied.

You can follow Ash on LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok, yes TikTok.

LinkedIn - (5) Ash Roots | LinkedIn

Twitter - ash roots (@ashroots) / Twitter

TikTok - Ash (@ashjtroots) TikTok | Watch Ash's Newest TikTok Videos

If you choose to connect with Ash, be sure to mention this podcast. If you are a student at Exeter University, please do connect with Ash and myself also. 

Ash, thank you for your time, this is a brilliant episode.

Independence Day for Independent Consultants

Welcome to another episode of my podcast.

Today we take a slightly different tack, but one that is close to my heart, having spent 5 years as an independent management consultant.

We are all aware of the narrative that is playing out around the "Great Resignation" and "The Great Re-Shuffle" as we all assess our working lives and what this means in how, where and whom we work for. 

My guest today wants to re-imagine how Independent Consultants, collaborate and co-create with each other, and how how they can access the market for work opportunities.

Rollo Crichton-Stuart is the founder of https://www.mychoix.com/  - pronounced "choice" - you will hear the amusing story that led him to this name - not quite the Shoe Dog and Nike swoosh story, but similar.

Whilst this episode leans toward those who are in the professional services marketplace, the vision Rollo and his team have is that this is relevant for all independent consultants who are able to advise across a myriad of subject matter expertise.

Rollo shares his story which led him to build Choix and why.

His experience of serving in the British Army, and challenging the status quo.

This led him into the City,

working in a fund management business,

to leading a transformation project for a global search firm,

to working in PR,

then startup world, to where we are today.

Choix describes itself as :

 

"Redefining Consultancy

Connecting buyers and sellers of professional services have never been so streamlined. At Choix we have built a secure platform that helps consultants and businesses meet, benefiting the entire industry."

For those of us in this market, we are all to aware of the huge demand for talent, and this is where Choix comes in - this is not a recruitment play, but being a marketplace to connect the best independent talent out in the market, with clients who need the flexibility on "the bench".

However, it goes further, in that this is how Rollo and the team are building a community - we are seeing the rise of the "Chief Community Officer" role, and Choix is tapping into the burgeoning market and way of thinking.

Not only this, Rollo is passionate about how Choix can bring those that have taken career breaks, for whatever reason, back into the market in a way that suits their lifestyles, and gives access to brilliant talent for businesses.

We also get paid a visit by a gentleman in a hi-vis jacket on a scaffolding. Which is a first for me on a podcast recording.

I for one know that if Choix had been available when I started my journey as an Independent, I would have wanted to be part of this community. 

Thank you to Rollo for sharing his story and vision, and challenging the status quo.

To learn more, go to www.mychoix.com

Connect with Rollo on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rollo-crichton-stuart-95a07b2/ 

especially if you are interested in joining the team, as you will hear toward the end, he is hiring. 

As always, thank you to my listeners, and, if you believe your networks will find this podcast insightful, please do share!

 

 

Is content still king?

In this episode, I am joined by the CEO & Founder of www.upcontent.com - Scott Rogerson.

This is what UpContent does "UpContent is a leading intelligent content discovery technology that helps you drive new, more meaningful conversations with your audience. Quickly find, sort, read, and interact with the news and blog articles that meet your brand’s exacting standards–all while collaborating with your team to identify and leverage the right content, in the right channel, at the right time."

Therefore, I felt that Scott is probably one of the most qualified people to answer this question. I am also glad that it has taken us, probably the longest out of all of my guests, so far, to arrange to have him on the show - entirely my fault - as so much has happened in this space, including the Metaverse, yes we go there, that it gives us so much more to talk about.

So, take a seat at the table as Scott deconstructs, like a Michelin star chef, is content still king? 

-How to build effective relationships through content.

-Curation vs Creation vs Context

-How to provide information to your buyer so they can make an unbiased decision. In your favour.

-What works in how you leverage 3rd party content vs what does not.

-Metrics, what to measure, internal vs external.

-When to measure results, and how.

-What the percentage split should be in your type of content.

-The scourge of "artificial" lifestyle content or "Bragadocious" content and why this damaging your personal brand.

-We do flirt with the Metaverse.

-Scott leaves an easter egg.

-AND

-He does answer the question "Is content still king?"

Thank you to Scott for his time and energy on this episode. 

Thank you to Kate Bradley Chernis of www.lately.ai for connecting us in the first place.

Thank you to my listeners, what do you think, is content still king?

Follow Scott here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottarogerson/

Learn more about UpContent here - www.upcontent.com 

 

A marketing renaissance?

"Renaissance art marks a cultural rebirth at the close of the Middle Ages and rise of the Modern world" - Wikipedia.

Could the same be said for Marketing and Business Development in the Legal sector - or even more broadly?

In this episode, I am joined by the brilliant Dominic Ayres, who, through lockdown, decided to put pen to paper on "what would he would advise his younger self about navigating a marketing career in a Law firm."

Not an easy question to answer. 

Dominic is the International Senior Client, Marketing and Strategy Manager at Eversheds Sutherland law firm.

If you have never worked in a Law firm, or professional services firm, it is hard to explain the nuances and subtleties that you need to be able to adapt to. You are not working for one business, you could potentially be working for 10, 50, 100 individual businesses. Each with their own "CEO" and team supporting team. 

This requires a fair amount of stakeholder management, up, down, sideways and more. 

Therefore, in Dominic's own words, I have lifted this from his introduction to his book he posted on LinkedIn :

Make 2022 the year you "Be More Purposeful and Strategic with Your Career Direction".

Getting ahead requires you to think strategically, embody specific values to help you stand out among your peers, and successfully navigate and build relationships with internal stakeholders.

‘How to Advance Your Career in Professional Services Marketing’ takes a deep inside look into how to go from a junior role to a senior role within the world of professional services marketing. Previously, if one wanted to learn how to advance their career within the industry in marketing and career management, they would have to learn on the job, read multiple books and combine the information of their own volition. This book takes two topics and combines them in a way that is easily digestible and applicable to wherever you’re at within your career.

In addition to my own experience and guidance, I have sought out some of the best minds from across the industry worldwide to share their guidance and case studies on how they have developed their career and their key recommendations for you to follow. These professionals hold senior, director and CMO positions at some of the largest professional services firms such as the Big4, AM100, Magic Circle and other leading firms.

If you are looking to become more intentional about your career development and excel in your career trajectory, this is the book for you. This book acts as a resource and tool guide to help you progress at each stage in your career to obtain promotions, raises, and become the verified expert within your organization. "

Wow, right?

In this episode, we debate our own, very different journey - Dominic from a Marketing angle, me, from a Business Development perspective. 

I ask :

Has the status quo really changed?

Will Legal go back to type as we return to some form of "normal" (and based on what I am hearing in the back channels, it would seem so for some firms).

Are we just moving the chess pieces around the market in BD & Marketing, or is there a genuine desire to bring expertise and knowledge from outside of Legal and Pro Servs?

How will Legal attract new talent as well as nurture what they have?

Is there a desire within our own community to want to learn what the new world order of Martech and Salestech, let alone AI might mean and how will Legal firms adopt this for their Client Development?

Is it the responsibility of leadership or the broader team to take ownership of this?

It's fair to say, we get stuck in on this podcast and could have discussed a lot more.

Chapeau to Dominic for doing this, it has been a while coming and is much a much-needed topic of debate in this sector.

And of course, as Dominic says "When you’re ready to get serious about your career trajectory, pick up a copy and get started on your future today."

Available from today on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback - http://ow.ly/hOxF50HBatY

Follow Dominic here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicaayres/

As ever, thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. If you believe your network would find it helpful hear this podcast and get the book, please do share it.

If you are not subscribed, hit that subscribe button!

As ever, my thanks to Dominic and my listeners.

Alex

 

 

The Fractional CMO

In this episode, I am joined by the brilliant Andy Culligan.

Andy describes himself as :

"Fractional CMO, dipping the toe in CRO water. Salesperson stuck in a marketer's body." who talks about #sdrs, #tech, #sales, #martech, and #marketing.

 

I have known Andy for a while now, and he has been kind enough to have me a guest on a few of his webinars, hence it is a pleasure to finally pin him down to be a guest on the show.

 

The disconnect between Sales & Marketing functions is well documented and is now, more then ever, critical that we address it. 

 

The question is how?

 

This where Andy comes in. Andy has been there and done it as a CMO across B2C and B2B, both in the high volume game as well as large enterprise, in SaaS Tech world.

 

We cover off Andy's career, and how this experience has shaped his thinking in the role of marketing and how it needs to work with Sales.

 

As you will hear, we have debate around what this relationship be, who serves who?

 

Andy is very honest in how he understood lead generation in the early part of his marketing career, or dare I say it - didn't understand.

 

Building on this, he shares what he did about this and how. 

 

We discuss what the role of marketing should be tomorrow versus what it has been.

 

Andy shares his views on what data and metrics marketing teams should, and shouldn't measure - which is illuminating, to say the least. 

 

Andy is honest about the mistakes he made in the past and what we can learn from those.

 

We could have talked way beyond the 50 mins on this one, but for the first time ever, I have messed up my diary management - there is always a first. We end somewhat more abruptly than I normally would - sorry Andy!

 

This is a brilliant listen, thank you to Andy.

 

You can follow him on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-culligan/

 

As well as learn more about how he can help your business as at : www.andyculligan.com 

 

As always, thank you for taking the time to listen.

 

If you are not already subscribed, please do and if you feel your network would benefit from listening to this, please do share with your network.

Welcome to the Twitterverse

"To tweet or not to tweet, that is the question."

With 436 million reported people you can reach on Twitter, should you be on it or not?

Well much like any social media platform you need to consider who your audience is and then do the research as to where they hang out, and it could well be Twitter.

Samantha Kelly, aka @Tweetinggoddess believes the Twitterverse can be a brilliant platform to connect and build a community with like-minded people. Her bio reads as follows :

Twitter Expert. Sprinkler of #Twittermagic Chief Community Officer @wedo_hq Nice people collector! Director @WomensinspireIE,Ted X Speaker.

Friend of Bill W.

Samantha joined Twitter in June 2011 and hasn't looked back, she even has the coveted blue verification tick and 64k, active and engaged, followers.

In this episode, we cover off questions such as :

How is Twitter different from other social media platforms? 

B2C vs B2B?

How do you know if your audience is on there?

How do you engage on Twitter compared to LinkedIn?

Twitter has had a bad press in the past when it comes to politics, amongst other things, what impact does this have in a business context?

How might you use Twitter to engage with your audience? And in what context?

Do you build a personal brand on Twitter in the same way you might do in LinkedIn?

Can you cross purpose content between social media platforms?

Should you use scheduling tools?

New(ish) features such as Spaces, Communities and newsletters.

and more.

If you are unsure about whether Twitter is the right place for you, then this is where you need to be, let Samantha be your guide.

You can of course follow Samantha on, well, Twitter https://twitter.com/Tweetinggoddess

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tweetinggoddess/

The Women's Inspire Network: https://www.womensinspirenetwork.com/

Wedo: https://getwedo.today/ "Kickstart your online business with Wedo: create live video and audio alleys, share content, automate invoices, take payments and send and receive money completely hassle-free. Become a Wedo beta member today!"

As ever, thank you for tuning in, let us know what you think in the comments, if you follow/connect with Samantha, be sure to mention the podcast!

 

 

 

 

Sales, Relationships & Influence

Just me on this podcast.

As I reflect on what has been the last year for me and beyond, I try to give some of my thoughts on where sales is, and, is possibly going.

It will be fair to say this one meanders off-piste at times, however, for me, the underlying theme is around how can we begin to look at the overall influence we have in our business networks and relationships?

What impact, if any, could this have on cold-calling, email outbound and social selling?

Who are we to say what works and doesn't work, when fundamentally it's your intended audience that dictates this, back up by deals closed/won.

What technology platforms exist, if any that can "score" a business relationship or "influence".

How might "influence" become broader than just sales within an organisation?

What might influence mean for Gen Z & Gen Alpha when their offline and online "personal brands" are so intertwined. 

How do you engage with an audience when they don't use the phone as a primary communication tool?

Fundamentally, it all comes back to the three things which are the title of this podcast, Sales, Relationships and Influence.

This for me is where we are heading, it's a question of how do we harness it?

As mentioned, this one does meander a little as my train of thought develops, but I wanted to sit down and just start talking.

Thank you for listening and your continued support on this podcast, I really do appreciate it.

Find me over here - https://linktr.ee/alexanderlow

 

 

 

Welcome to the Metaverse.

The metaverse is coming. One way or the other it will be part of our daily routine. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but, in 10 years time, most definitely. 

How will we get there? Some say we are already there in the world of gaming.

In this episode, I am joined by Aragorn Meulendijks of Beemup and Your Open Metaverse. His headline on LinkedIn reads as thus :

"Let’s 𝘨𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. A decentralized World, built in #UnrealEngine on top of a #Blockchain called #YourOpenMetaverse! "

Aragorn takes me and hopefully you on a journey through what was, is and will be the metaverse.

He explains why NFTs and the Metaverse seem to be intrinsicly linked in the media.

Could you NFT your house?

He uses a wonderful metpahor to explain how the metaverse of tomorrow will be different from what we see today. Fundamentally, how you will "own" your digital self and what this means and why.

We chat about where there are real world examples of the metaverse being used by both consumer business and b2b business.

What will be the bridge between reality and the metaverse?

If you want a straight forward explanation of what the Metaverse is and what it can mean for you, this is well worth a listen.

You can follow Aragorn on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/aragornmeulendijks/

Learn more about Beemup :

https://beemup.com/

Learn more about Your Open Metaverse:

https://www.yom.community/

Learn more about Unreal Engine: 

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/

As ever, thank you for listening and let us know what you think of the metaverse in the comments!

 

 

 

Are we greenwashing sales?

Do you know what your organisation's commitments are to getting to net-zero?

Do you understand how green your supply chain is that creates your product or service?

When selling your product or service, do you care?

Do your clients care?

If we are honest with ourselves, we are all guilty of "greenwashing" our sales.

However, that doesn't mean we have to carry on this way.

In this episode, I am joined by Andrew Gomarsall MBE.

For any England Rugby fan (of a certain age), he needs no introduction. For those that are not Rugby fans, or maybe are of a certain age, he describes himself as :

"I am a retired professional England rugby union player, having played the game I love since I was 6 years old, & going on to playing professionally for 16 years, winning the World Cup in 2003, & playing in the final of RWC 2007. Awarded an MBE for services to rugby in 2004."

Andrew is now the Executive Chairman of NS2, where sustainability is at the heart of what they do. He also recently spoke at COP26.

I heard Andrew speak at a dinner, hosted by Durham Lane, where we were debating how important is ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) as part of the sales process.

This leads us to this podcast, where I wanted to explore this further.

Andrew doesn't hold back in his views on where this is fundamentally broken in sales, and business more broadly.

However, we also discuss what YOU can start doing today. 

Andrew believes this starts with how you market your product service, even if you are not confident in making this part of your sales pitch.

Create awareness around what your business and the supply chain of your business are doing to get to Net-Zero. 

What does Scope 1, 2 & most importantly 3 mean to you? And your clients. 

Don't know what these are (I didn't) - go and learn.

As you will hear, this is not about what has gone by. It is about what we can all start doing today. No single business is perfect, even though some may suggest they are more so than others...

If you truly care about this, what the business you are working for is doing about it, and, most importantly how this can differentiate yourself in the world of sales, spend 40mins listening.

There may be an England rugby shirt on offer too.

You can follow Andrew on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgomarsall/

Twitter (yes that is a picture of him with Muhammed Ali)

https://twitter.com/AndyGomarsall

and his business

https://www.linkedin.com/company/network-2-supplies-ltd/

As ever, thank you for listening, don't forget to subscribe and share with your network.

The Future State of Sales

In this episode, I am joined by the one and only Wes "The Meep" Pennock.

 

Wes made the move into sales in 2019 having started out his career as a programmer. He now helps CEOs of startups build and scale their top of the funnel, lead generation. This is outbound, primarily focusing on email copy and sequences.

 

One might say that Wes could be the future model of what one part of your outbound team would look like, from a skillset perspective.

 

I have been fortunate enough to get to know Wes during the last 18 months or so, primarily through WhatsApp and Discord. He has a unique perspective on sales, especially coming from a technical programming background. 

 

Listen in as our conversation twists & turns where we debate :

Has sales technology become too technical for sellers?

Does this mean we need to focus more on sellers coming from a technical background?

or

Is this the fault of Sales Enablement/Rev Ops even the solution providers themselves?

Will we see the return of the full cycle rep? We have differing views on this.

Have we become too reliant on automation, and what does this mean for the next generation of seller?

Sit back and listen, to what at times may seem a little left field, however I believe we really need to start challenging the status quo in sales, and Wes is a good place to start.

 

To learn about how Wes can help you and your business increase top of funnel metrics, connect with him on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8D%97-wesley-pennock-a52845220/

 

As always, thank you for listening.