Grow My Revenue Business Cast

On this episode of Grow My Revenue, I share several personal experiences I've had recently around trust, how to listen (and how not to) and why honesty truly is the best policy. Listen in for all of that and more on today's show.

Are you using your current CRM for the best possible benefits to your business? Joining us to shed light on the world of CRMs is Zvi Band of Contactually, a CRM on the market today. Zvi is here to talk about the secrets of the CRM industry, the biggest mistakes people make when networking, and the false metrics so often used to measure performance. He gives the nitty-gritty details on all of and more on today's edition of Grow My Revenue.

If you've ever crafted a business plan you know how time consuming the process is. Have you presented your plan to someone for funding, only to discover they didn't read past the Executive Summary? That's what happened to our guest, Ebong Eka, He spent countless hours creating business plans in the late 90s while seeking funding for various ideas. And all of the VCs he presented to didn't read past the Executive Summary and only cared about four main areas. He outlines those areas on this episode and in his latest book called Start Me Up! The No Business Plan Business Plan. Today on this edition of Grow My Revenue, we'll talk about those four areas, the major mistakes businesses make when crafting business plans, as well as how to approach your pricing model. He also shares what his EKAnomics offerings are all about. You're going to learn a ton from Ebong Eka!

Today's episode with Tina Bean, the co-founder of VisiStat and KickFire. The origin of this conversation is a bit unusual: it started out as an interview for an article I was writing. As we talked I realized there was so much valuable information that I had to share it with you on the show. As you most likely know, VisiStat and KickFire are two valuable tools that provide in-depth information and predictive intelligence for companies around the world. Today we spoke about the different ways her companies see the world of predictive intelligence and which tools are most valuable for which companies. You'll learn so much from Tina on today's episode of Grow My Revenue!

When you think of networking what do you think of? Big events full of people who are really just there to get more leads for themselves? If you do, you're in good company. Most people dread networking events, mixers and the like. One man who is changing that is Derek Coburn, our guest for today's episode. He is the de facto expert on the topic of networking and how to build your own valuable network. He's also the best-selling author of Networking Is Not Working, and the founder of Cadre, the most respected networking group on the planet. On this show we'll talk about mistakes most people make when trying to build their network, how you can build valuable connections (without going to mixers) and how to create an amazing network for your clients that leads to more business for them and for you. When it comes to networking, Derek has seen it all and has the wisdom to prove it.You won't want to miss his actionable insights on this episode of Grow My Revenue! Listen to this episode and discover: - The two m

Have you ever had a deal stall or fall through, but you weren't sure why? That's a frustrating yet very common experience for many C level executives. The good news is there are two simple questions that can eliminate most, if not all, of those scenarios. On today's solo show I'll be addressing what those two questions are. In my experience, these questions are not asked often enough but when they are they provide a pathway to dramatic growth in any business. On this episode of Grow My Revenue find out what the questions are, how to ask them and when to ask them. Listen to this episode and discover: What to say when price comes up in the conversation. How to seek the symptoms of why someone would switch, versus demographics. What to do if you know there are reasons people wouldn't do business with you. How my recent purchase of a Tesla relates to today's topic. And so much more… Episode Overview Recently I was talking to a client of mine about a deal that had stalled for them. They were trying to come up

Knowing when to talk to the right person, how to talk to them and why are all key components of securing a new client, and maintaining that relationship. Our guest for today has used predictive sales intelligence to gather all of those components for his business, and for his clients. As a result he took his $4 million design firm and transformed it into a $25 million advertising agency in two years - yes two! Dave Currie joins this edition of Grow My Revenue to talk about how predictive sales intelligence has helped him do that, how you can use it as well as the most common mistakes people make when pursuing sales opportunities. This is an episode worth your time and attention so listen, take notes and take action! Listen to this episode and discover: - How to know when it's the right deal at the right time, and why timing matters. - Proactive vs reactive business development: what are the differences? - What does Dave mean by "market of one"? - What is the easiest way to grow your business? - How often d

If someone had spent thousands of hours in the start-up world, particularly in the world of raising capital, would you be interested in what they had discovered? Our guest for today, Mark Modica, is just such a person. Mark is here to talk about the fundraising patterns he has recognized, what the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs are making when seeking funding, and how to know which type of investor to seek out at which stage of your business. With Mark's catalogue of knowledge on investing and capital raising this is one episode of Grow My Revenue you won't want to miss! Listen to this episode and discover: Is all revenue created equally? How he got an evaluation of $80 million on less than $1 million in revenue. Do you have to have more customers to get a higher evaluation? Why raising too little capital is a common mistake. When should you sell a company? And so much more! Episode Overview The first misconception Mark lays to rest is the idea that all revenue is created equal, something I have said and

Have you heard other business owners say they can't grow because of the economy? Often people will blame the current state of the economy for their lack of ability to expand, or even for their loss of business revenue. On today’s episode we'll hear from one woman who never had any economic downturn impact her revenue growth: Kristina Bouweiri of Reston Limousine is here to talk about how her company has become a juggernaut in her industry, how she's expanded their business even during several economic downturns and the importance of treating everyone like family, from employees to clients. Kristina has some undeniably valuable lessons to share, including how they became the #1 wine tour operator in Virginia in 2015. You're going to want to hear that and more on this episode of Grow My Revenue. Listen to this episode and discover: How do they market to their limousine clients and why is it applicable to you? Why have they offered Wi-Fi in their cars for 8 years? What is the one idea that grew her business

Have you ever been talking to a potential client and asking questions, only to have them say they didn’t know the answer? What was your response - did you think they were telling the truth or just trying to get out of answering the question all together? On today’s episode of Grow My Revenue I'll be talking about the three possible reasons you may hear "I don't know" and what to do in this exact scenario. I'll also be giving you the ideal formula to use case studies to create third party validation, why no doesn't mean no for all time, and much more on this show! Listen to this episode and discover: How can you tell quickly which opportunities are the right ones for you? What to say if you’ve discovered you’re talking to the wrong person in an organization. How can you peak and retain a potential client's interest? What are the common pitfalls most companies make with case studies? How do you use case studies to their greatest impact? And so much more… Episode Overview Imagine this setting: you're talking

If a company doubled in size in three years and was on the Inc. 5000 list would you be interested in hearing the key factors that created their success? Of course you would and Colin Eagen of E Group is here to share those key factors. On today’s episode Colin joins us to discuss what E Group has done to build that success into their business model, as well as what’s different today versus 33 years ago when he started in sales. We’ll dive into why it’s important to focus on your client’s end results, and why appreciation is a vital part of every business from employee to client to vendor. Listen in for real-life case studies that showcase Colin's company's growth, and hear the lessons you can learn to do the same in your organization. Listen to this episode and discover: What is MIDE and why Is it important? What is their blueprint process? Why the sale is the starting line, not the finish line. The importance of appreciation in employee and client relationships The one piece of advice he has to achieve h

Imagine you had the ability to forecast trends, predict the future and spot things others overlook. Now imagine what you would with your business. A man who can help you make that imagined picture a reality is here for this episode. He is none other than Rohit Bhargava, the Wall Street Journal best-selling author of Non-Obvious: How to Think Differently, Curate Trends and Predict The Future. He's also the founder and CEO of the Influential Marketing Group (IMG), a consultancy formed to help brands and marketing leaders. Today on Grow My Revenue Rohit talks about the biggest mistakes we make when trying to spot trends, the biggest trends he sees right now and 5 habits you can adopt to help you curate and identify trends others overlook. Listen to this episode and discover: How does Rohit define a trend? What is Venmo and why is it important? What is strategic downgrading and why should you care? Are trends industry-specific or across the board? What is the dessert spoon lesson? And so much more… Episode Ov

Have you wondered what makes a company a great place to work? Is it something you should be striving for within your own organization? Our guest for today, Barry Glassman is a renowned expert on company culture. His company, Glassman Wealth, has been voted as the best place to work in Washington DC by multiple local publications. On this episode of Grow My Revenue Barry joins us to talk about what makes his company's culture a great place for employees and for their clients, why having a purposeful culture is so important and how to show people what your company is about rather than showing them. Listen to this episode and discover: - What questions should you ask to find out what your clients really think of you? - Why Barry prefers steady growth over quantum leaps. - How his passions for cooking and photography translate to business success. - What does he wish more perspective clients would ask? - The story of the Starbucks gift cards, and what you can learn. And so much more… Episode Overview While B

In person events like trade shows, conferences and conventions can be some of the best ways to make an impact on your target audience, expand your network and grow your revenue. But only if you're approaching the event with the proper preparation, advanced planning and setting the right goals for your attendance. On this special solo show I'll explain what the biggest mistakes are that I see most presenters and exhibitors making at live events, how you can avoid them, how to attract the right people and how to know who they are. I'll also explain what you need to do in advance of the event, and why these steps are critical. There's a lot of information in this one so get ready to take some notes, and then implement those notes during your next trade show, conference or convention. Listen to this episode and discover: - How to use predictive tools for greater results at trade shows. - Are most people interested in your latest technology or feature? - What is I3 and how can you use it? - What is my catch and

Does it seem counterintuitive to you that by leaving money on the proverbial sales table you could actually increase your bottom line? While it may seem that way at first glance, today's guest shares how that is what has been happening in his business. On this episode of Grow My Revenue I'm joined by Sean Farrell of Quality Data Systems (QDS), and he explains how they've used integrity-based sales to exponentially grow their company. For a few years now QDS has focused more on their clients and the solutions those clients need, that has tripled QDS' bottom line. Listen in for real-life examples and how using an integrity-based approach to selling has created so much growth for QDS, and can for you too. Listen to this episode and discover: - Why doing the right thing now can lead to bigger deals in the future. - What is integrative sales really about? - How focusing on results generates better outcomes for them and their clients. - Will more questions equal a longer sales cycle? - How QDS tripled their bott

One of the fundamental tenets of sales I emphasize on this show is selling with integrity. So why would I suggest you learn what con artists already know? Because it's the exact same technique everyone uses to grow their influence, whether they are a con artist, a trial attorney, a CIA operative or anyone else. On this episode of Grow My Revenue influence coach and author Shari Alexander joins us to look at the fascinating topic of influence. She's explored the what influence actually is, why influence isn't inherently good or bad, and how to use the 3 step process she's uncovered used by the most influential people in the world. Listen to this episode and discover: - Why do so many people shy away from building their influence? - What is the hourglass theory of conversation? - The role curiosity plays in establishing rapport and connection. - Elicitation vs interrogation: what is the difference? Shari gives an example. - Is there such a thing as too many questions? Episode Overview When Shari began study

Some of the latest developments in business tech you might not have heard of are competitive intelligence and predictive campaigning. Competitive intelligence keeps tabs on what the industry is saying about your company, what your competition is doing as well as your prospective and existing customers. Predictive campaigns are the latest evolution in marketing: they provide key information about customers based on thousands of data points, and show you why certain customers work with you and uncover others like them already in your database! On this episode of Grow My Revenue I have two key leaders in this area join me to talk about both of these topics and how they are shaping the future of sales and marketing. Listen to this episode and discover: - What is crowdsourcing, according to Jim? - How do you know if you are paying enough attention to your competitors? - What you should be looking for in competitive intellingence, and probably aren't. - 97% of all so-called leads never result in a sale: true or

If you've ever tried to reach an executive but been stymied by their gatekeeper today's episode will strike a chord with you! One of the most common challenges sales people have is reaching their potential client when that potential client has a gatekeeper. Is there a way to work with that gatekeeper or do you have to resort to tricks like dropping by without an appointment? On this special solo show I'll answer those questions. I'll explore how you can work with the gatekeeper to create a valued relationship, and how to make sure you're getting the right people involved in the decision-making process. It's all here on this edition of Grow My Revenue. Listen to this episode and discover: Why you need to know your potential clients' elevator rants. What is the same-side quadrant and how do you use it? What is the difference between impact and importance? What is BANT and why doesn't it apply today? What is the hidden question executives ask themselves? And so much more… Episode Overview Whether you've been

If I told you having a business that does good in the community can actually grow your bottom line would you believe me? It's the truth and the man here to back that up is ultra-successful digital marketer and repeat best-selling Yanik Silver. On this episode of Grow My Revenue Yanik shares what he means by the term evolved enterprise, why he wrote a book on that subject and why it is the business model of the future. This is an eye-opening, thought-provoking episode you won't want to miss, it'll change how you look at your business going forward. Listen to this episode and discover: - What does corporate social responsibility mean? - What motivated Yanik to write the Evolved Enterprise book? - Is there a link between boostrapping a business and your creativity? Yanik explains. - Do companies with culture outperform the S&P 500? - Why we are hardwired to support businesses with real purpose. - And so much more… Episode Overview If you've never heard of Yanik Silver you've missed out on an incredible

You've heard the phrase "content is king" but that's not true for all content. How do you know if you are creating valuable, quality content that is actually reaching your audience and growing your business? You're about to find out on this episode of Grow My Revenue. Today we are joined by none other than the godfather of content himself, Mr. Joe Pulizzi. Joe is the founder and creator of the Content Marketing Institute, he won the John Caldwell Lifetime Achievement award in 2014 and has authored several best-sellers including his latest, Content Inc. We'll talk about all of that and more on this episode. Listen to this episode and discover: - What is Joe's definition of content? - Why you must tell a different story with your content. - What can the El Gaucho restaurant chain teach you about content marketing? - Why you should give away your secret sauce. - How do you create content that isn't biased? And so much more… Episode Overview If there's one thing Joe Pulizzi knows about it's content. In addi