700 customers, including Hubspot, Linkedin, and PayPal. $68.1 million in funding. 200+ employees. Next-level brand awareness. Category leader.Do you think all that happens just from direct selling? Think again.Gong has produced, in my opinion, the BEST content in the game. And it's reflecting in those numbers you see above (and oh yeah, nearly all of their content itself gets hundreds and thousands of views, likes, and comments). I've been a huge fan of Gong for the last year so I was really excited to get their Content Strategy Manager, Devin Reed, on for this episode. Devin started as Gong's second sales hire and achieved $1 million in sales before transitioning to content. How have they dominated with their content? Devin lets us inside the Gong war room and shares their creative process.We also talk hip hop, can you guess Devin's favorite rapper of all time?Find Gong online:IG @Gong.ioTwitter @Gong_ioFind Devin @thereedercoAnd head to https://www.startuphypeman.com/articles/devin-reed-podcast for a blog post where Devin expands further on the topic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Startup Hypeman: The Podcast

Best of Season 12: S12E4 - Build Market-Dominating Content with Gong.io’s Devin Reed

Most conversations in B2B sales are about how you sell to the person you're speaking with.Ask them the right questions, learn their pains, needs, and goals, give them pricing, send them proposals, etc.There is A TON of content in this area.The oft-overlooked part is how to navigate a multi-stakeholder deal.Most enterprise, and many non-enterprise, sales include a main point-of-contact, influencers, the economic buyer, and the final decision-maker.In these cases, your main point-of-contact has to become your champion, and you have to coach your champion to gain buy-in at these different levels.Because there's not much content about how to do this, I'm especially excited to have had the opportunity to speak with Nikki Ivey, cofounder of SDRDefenders and sales rep at Emtrain, who sells a DEI product to a customer who often has to fight for budget internally.Nikki steps to the mic in this week's episode to share the ins and outs of weaving this tangled web to ultimately win the deal.Find Nikki online:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownikkiivey/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-ivey/Find SDR Defender online:https://www.sdrdefenders.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Best of Season 15: S15E4: Coaching Your Champion for Executive Buyin with SDRDefenders Cofounder Nikki Ivey

We are gearing up for Season 17, but in the meantime, enjoy one of our favorites from Season 15!Every leader has a job to not only make decisions for the company, but enable employees to make decisions for themselves.To pave the way but avoid getting in the way.To handhold but not handcuffed.Many leaders struggle with this, especially as more and more responsibilities get delegated.So how do you empower your team to perform their best every single day?Teamworks Sales Director Larry Long steps to the mic this week, bringing his infectious energy with him to talk through his experience and advice, in what I can only describe as like being part of a TEDTalk.Find Larry online:Twitter: https://twitter.com/larrylongjrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/longjr7/Find Teamworks online:Website: https://www.teamworks.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Best of Season 15: S15E11: Empowering Your Team To Be Their Best with Teamworks Sales Director Larry Long, Jr.

3 words: Fill. The. Gap.Traditionally you think of massive companies like AT&T or ADT Security having resellers.But what about for a company on the come-up?At only 5 years young, less than 10 employees, and 200+ customers (including United Airlines and Chic-Fil-A), PeopleVine stumbled into a situation where a customer opportunity led to a partnership, and that partnership evolved into a full-on channel reseller relationship.In this week's episode I welcome their VP of Marketing, Sales, & Success and my friend Mobolaji (Mo) Akintunde to give the lowdown on how it came together, how they've since operationalized it to grow, and how they plan to expand it in the coming months.Mo says you have to fill the gap.Listen in to see what he means.Find Mo online at:Socials:@mobillionaireWebsite: http://mobolaji.co.uk/Find PeopleVine online at:www.peoplevine.comToday's episode is brought to you by Sales Hacker. The world's smartest community of forward-thinking B2B professionals. Grab their latest expert-created articles, webinars, and podcast episodes at www.saleshacker.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Best of Season 13: S13E7 - Growing Sales Using Channel Resellers with PeopleVine VP Mobolaji Akintunde

We are gearing up for Season 17, but in the meantime, enjoy one of our favorites from Season 14!You know to ask about budget.You know to ask about timeline.You know to ask about what they are looking for in a solution.But when you're selling your product, do you know how to go beyond these surface area "100-level" questions?If you can, you've opened the door to learning about your prospect's true thoughts and opinions, and most importantly their emotions.This is where your 400-level questions live.What are these questions, and how do they influence your sales process?Anita Nielsen, Author of the bestseller "Beat The Bots: How Your Humanity Can Future-Proof Your Tech Sales Career", and Owner of LDK Advisory Services, steps to the mic this week and takes us to school on the topic.Find LDK Advisory online:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ldkadvisoryWebsite: www.ldkadvisory.comToday's episode is brought to you by Sales Hacker. The world's smartest community of forward-thinking B2B professionals. Grab their latest expert-created articles, webinars, and podcast episodes at www.saleshacker.comPLUS -- hear from me and 40+ other leading sales professionals this summer in the Blissful Prospecting Think Outside The Script summer virtual tour! All talks are live and interactive, sign up at tour.blissfulprospecting.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Best of Season 14: S14E9 - 400-Level Discovery Questions with Author and Entrepreneur Anita Nielsen

We are gearing up for Season 17, but in the meantime, enjoy one of our favorites from Season 12!As marketplace startups become more and more popular, the strategy to capture the market becomes increasingly important, AND nuanced.After raising a $400k angel round to begin 2019, Melbourne-based wellbeing marketplace Avaana focused the year on owning the B2B side first -- to the tune of over 1,200 practitioners now onboard.Avaana is a Startup Hypeman client and in my conversation with Rohan, we talk through how they've successfully formed their footprint on one side of the market. It's a great conversation exploring how and why they underpromise, how their mission dictates who they target, and why Rohan believes the most overlooked but impactful element is TRUST.Find Rohan and Avaana online:IG@avaanawellbeingwww.avaana.com.auPlus, this week on Startup Open Mic: Goodfynd.Today's episode is brought to you by Sales Hacker. The world's smartest community of forward-thinking B2B professionals. Grab their latest expert-created articles, webinars, and podcast episodes at www.saleshacker.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Best of Season 12: S12E8 - Winning One Side Of The Market with Avaana CEO Rohan Pardasani

You've heard it before: A Founder talks about the great idea they are building, and then when you ask them how it will work they reply with zeal, "MARKETPLACE!" Now, I'm not saying that's inherently a bad idea, but many companies are inherently misguided in their building of a marketplace. We're seeing the long-term business model viability of companies like ClassPass, DoorDash, and others get tested after years where it seemed like these companies were invincible. Shelly Patel has spent her career in strategy and operations roles building up marketplaces for companies like Uber, ChefHero, Groupon, and her newest role as Director of Operations at Alkeme Health, a SaaS content marketplace for mental health. She joins me in our season finale to drop a healthy dose of reality on what it really takes to build a successful marketplace.Find Shelly online:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellyaggarwal/Find Alkeme online:https://alkemehealth.com/Plus hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Avaana using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch Formula!™ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E12 (Season Finale!): Building Successful Marketplaces with Alkeme Health Director of Ops Shelly Patel

There's a distinct difference between selling a product that everyone and their mother has heard of (think SEO or payroll software) versus selling a product that virtually no one has heard of. The former starts with a baseline understanding of what the product offers, how it typically behaves, what the pricing guardrails are, etc. The latter there is no baseline understanding — of anything. So what do you do? StoryFit CEO Monica Landers is working to bring Artificial Intelligence to the scrip writing process in movies and television. Not only has A.I. never been heard of in this scenario, but the industry overall has a history of producing shows and movies that demonize A.I.'s very existence (think of any robot takeover film). She steps to the mic in this week's episode to share how StoryFit is overcoming this and introducing their technology to a market that is very hesitant.Find Monica online:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molanders/Find StoryFit online:https://www.storyfit.com/Plus hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Avaana using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch Formula!™ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E11: Introducing New Technology To A Market with StoryFit CEO Monica Landers

Most people believe deals are won or lost at the proposal stage. But that's only true if you've done a poor job managing your sales process. In reality, deals are confirmed or revised at the proposal stage. This is something I fundamentally didn't understand when I was a rookie salesperson. Then I hired Joe Micallef, President of GrowUp Sales, as my first sales coach to teach me how it should be done. When he broke down the why, how, and what I was a brand new salesperson my close rates increased, and so did my deal sizes. Many of the startups I work with now are a lot like I was when I was a rookie. That's why I'm so excited to welcome Joe onto this week's podcast to share with you the makeup of a winning proposal.Find Joe online:https://www.linkedin.com/in/growupsales/Find Grow Up Sales online:https://growupsales.com/Plus hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Avaana using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E10: Building A Winning Proposal with Grow Up Sales President Joe Micallef

After you win a customer, do you let them run wild with your product and never speak to them again? If you actually care about your customer's success, then you not only don't let them run wild, but you also make their success a part of your overall business strategy. Part of helping ensure success is to have a CSM team that knows how to spot the right opportunities for expansion revenue, because they realize that's the best way to be in service to the customer. Appen's Global CS Director Shali Reed joins me in this week's episode for a conversation on how she leads her team, and makes CS a central part of Appen's overall revenue strategy.Find Shali online:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-rana-reed/Find Appen Global online:Website: https://appen.com/Plus hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Avaana using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E9: Driving Expansion Revenue From Your CS Team with Appen Global CS Director Shali Reed

Pop quiz - if you heard that someone started a business when the pandemic hit, and the customers of said business were RESTAURANTS, would you say that business would still be around a year later? We've all heard before that you shouldn't enter certain markets because they don't have budget. Or maybe even in your own 1-on-1 selling, you've chalked up a lost deal to 'no budget'. But are we letting 'no budget' become an excuse for not trying? Science is that company from the pop quiz. Not only did they enter a market that traditionally will tell you they don't have budget, but they did it at the start of the pandemic, AND they've consistently grown revenue over the year. Their CEO Andy is here to tell you 'no budget' isn't a given, and with the right approach you can find your best customers in places no one else would even give the time of day.Find Andy online:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-freivogel/Find Science online:www.scienceoncall.comPlus: Hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Engagedly, using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch(TM) Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E8: Pitching A Market That "Doesn't Have Any Budget" with Science CEO Andy Frievogel

Yes, you read that right. lemlist had a $30 million investment offer waiting to be signed, and they turned it down. There isn't much else to say other than listen in as their CEO G. Mobeche explains how it all went down, why they said no, and what advice he has for companies raising capital.Find G online:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/-g-/Find lemlist online:https://www.lemlist.com/Plus: Hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Engagedly, using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch(TM) Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E7: REJECTING a $30 Million Investment with lemlist CEO G. Mobeche

Most companies fight to win on product. The best companies win on brand. Sure, your product has to be good, but to become a truly successful company, there must be more you bring to the table than an interchangeable piece of technology. Your brand is the image you portray, the value system you project, the community you build, and more. And when you have a solid brand, you don't just get customers — you get raving fans who become your CHAMPIONS. Few companies know this better than Lessonly. With over $30 million raised and 200+ employees, they've experienced 20x revenue growth largely by making their brand their competitive advantage. Their CMO Kyle steps to the mic in this week's episode to share their approach, guidelines, and strategy for making it happen.Find Kyle online:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylelacy/Find Lessonly online:https://www.lessonly.com/Plus: Hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Engagedly, using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch(TM) Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E6: Making BRAND Your Competitive Advantage with Lessonly CMO Kyle Lacy

The generally accepted practice in revenue department at scaling organizations is a career roadmap of SDR > Account Executive > Senior Account Executive, etc. But why then do so many SDRs fail to succeed when they become AEs? And what role do companies play in setting them up for success? Christina Brady has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly as a former Head of Sales at Groupon and Glassdoor. In her role of President at Sales Assembly, one of her focuses is making sure companies successfully execute this aspect of scale. She steps to the mic in this week's episode to discuss how to find the right people, what companies should be doing for their employee roadmap, and what makes the transition to AE smooth and successful for everyone.Find Christina online:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinapbrady/Find Sales Assemby online:https://www.salesassembly.com/Plus: Hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Engagedly, using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch(TM) Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E5: Turning an SDR into a Successful AE with Sales Assembly President Christina Brady

Everyone wants to grow and scale, but not everyone is necessarily ready or prepared to do so. Growth tends to happen before you realize it, and before you've had a chance to put real processes or structure in place. It requires vision, direction, and buy-in. The collateral damage? Losing team members along the way. Jackie Hermes has grown the SaaS growth marketing agency Accelity from her taking clients as a solo consultant, to having a freelance team, all the way to a full-time team of nearly 20. She's definitely experienced the 'growth just happened' ride and has the scars to prove it, but she also used those scrapes and bruises to get ahead of their next phase of growth. She steps to the mic this week to share what she's learned, what she wishes she would have done differently, and what she's doing next.Find Jackie online:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thejackiehermesTwitter: www.twitter.com/thejackiehermes Instagram: www.instagram.com/thejackiehermesFind Accelity online:www.linkedin.com/company/accelitymarketingwww.twitter.com/accelitymktgwww.facebook.com/accelitymarketing www.instagram.com/accelitymktg  Plus: Hear the elevator pitch of Startup Hypeman portfolio client Swish House, using the Que PASA Elevator Pitch(TM) Formula! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

S16E4: Managing Turnover During A Growth Phase with Accelity CEO Jackie Hermes

#startups #saas #techAn iTunes 5-star podcast! The ONLY show that takes you inside the minds of successful entrepreneurs who share the strategies, processes, and mindsets to help your startup grow up, and become a company you're proud of.NEW FOR 2019: Introducing #HYPETALKS -- In addition to our usual weekly guest conversations, Startup Hypeman Founder and host RajNATION brings you short 5-10 minute mini episodes throughout the season, talking through different strategies and concepts to help your sales, marketing, and investor pitch STAND OUT.Want episode bonuses like blog posts written by each week's guest expanding on their topic? Join our tribe at startuphypeman.com and get notified of new episodes each week, plus more strategies and stories from Startup Hypeman to help grow your startup.If you like what you hear please leave a review! Guest inquiries to media@startuphypeman.com[show formerly known as Discover Your Inner Awesome]

hubhopper

Startup Hypeman: The Podcast

hubhopper