Practical Prospecting
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Welcome to the Practical Prospecting Podcast! In this podcast we will share practical tips on how to improve your outbound sales methods.
This podcast is brought to you by the sales engagement tool Mailshake. Our hosts Jed and Maggie will be sharing their years of experience in sales, and will provide you with actionable steps that you can use to boost your outbound productivity and success.
With a new episode released every Tuesday be sure to subscribe.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
4 days ago
27. 3 Ways I Use Sales Navigator pt 2
You may be wondering if Sales Navigator is worth the money. We certainly believe it's a vital tool for any sales rep in 2023. In the episode today, we are going to be talking about some unique ways we have discovered we can use Sales Navigator to book more meetings and close more sales.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:43] Is Sales Navigator worth the money?
[2:12] Three searches to find the best leads
[5:06] Finding prospects through past employees and customers
[7:56] Reaching out to people who used to work for competitors
[10:44] Potential problems or pitfalls and how to respond
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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May 23, 2023
26. The Permission Slap
We all know about the cringy "pitch slap" that we have been taught to avoid as sales reps. But what if there was a softer version of that strategy? A version that doesn't annoy people and provides a quick path to a "yes" or a "no". Today we are talking about the "permission slap", and some of the best strategies we have found for asking permission to pitch someone.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:38] What is a permission slap?
[1:58] How to ask permission to pitch
[3:55] Two tested and proven ways to use the permission slap
[6:25] Why the permission slap works
[7:13] How you can try this out yourself
[10:01] Some additional resources and ideas for implementing this tactic
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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May 16, 2023
25. Getting Practical w/ Kevin Hopp
For episode 25 of the podcast, we have Kevin Hopp on the show. In this episode, we will learn how Kevin generated over +$100 Million in the Pipeline from a Call First Strategy.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:51] About Kevin and the “call first” mentality
[2:55] Kevin’s winning cold calling framework
[4:52] Selling as a science and an art
[7:07] Do you need fancy tools to be successful?
[10:00] Should you prioritize quality or quantity?
[13:48] Is research really productive?
[16:07] Biggest cold calling pitfalls
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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May 9, 2023
24. How to Get the C-Level's Attention
Reaching out to C-Level employees can be intimidating for a lot of SDRs. So in the episode today, we are going to break down the Three I's that you can use as a roadmap to success when prospecting C-Level employees of organizations. Listen to build the strategy and confidence needed to have sales conversations with executives and upper-level management.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[1:02] Using the Three I’s to get upper-level management’s attention
[3:37] Getting info from individual contributors
[6:00] What insight do you need before reaching out to an upper-level manager
[7:19] Booking the meeting with a busy executive
[8:52] Are the Three I’s worth your time?
[11:05] Messaging tips for implementing the Three I’s
[14:25] Tips for keeping all the information organized
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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May 2, 2023
23. Use Your Product to Book More Meetings
Giving out demos is an old trick for sales reps selling software solutions (or any other product or service). But there is a right and wrong way to use this sales strategy. Listen to this episode to learn how to use your product to book high-quality sales meetings that actually lead to sales and how to avoid attracting the wrong type of prospect.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:36] Can every team use their product to book more meetings?
[1:40] Current trends that change the demo-booking process
[3:52] Real-life examples of how this translates into sales
[6:13] Conversations people want to have with sales reps
[8:38] Things to avoid as a sales rep in 2023
[13:07] Why is this Jed’s favorite method for outbound
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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Apr 24, 2023
22. 2 Resources to Be More Efficient
Efficiency is one of the skills that can skyrocket your career as a sales rep. So in the episode today, we are breaking down two tools that will help you structure your days more efficiently. We are taking the wild west out of sales and helping you predictably hit your quotas, so you are not going to want to miss this episode!
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:54] The quota calculator and how it can make you more efficient
[2:58] Why paying attention to numbers is crucial as a sales rep
[3:44] How to calculate the activities it takes you to book a meeting
[4:51] Taking the wild west out of sales and consistently hitting your quotas
[6:57] Getting more efficient with personalization
[10:41] Managing your time when personalizing cold emails
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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Apr 18, 2023
21. Getting Practical w/ Julia Carter
We have our first guest on the podcast - Julia Carter. Julia is an Account Executive at Marpipe and did 400% of her quota without cold calling, so we are having her on the show today to talk about how she pulled that off. Listen to the episode today for some sales tips and some hot takes that will help you find the same level of success as Julia. Don't worry Maggie will be back next week :)
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:56] How Julia hit quota every quarter without cold calling
[3:07] Adding the right people to your cadences
[5:37] What Julia’s cadence looks like
[9:30] LinkedIn prospecting and how that fits into the cadence
[13:11] Being a founding SDR and hitting quota right away
[16:38] Julia’s top hot take on sales cadence
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/X_IGGbPd1-E
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Apr 11, 2023
20. 3 Tips to Boost Reply Rates
Reply rates measure the ultimate success of a sales email. We send emails in order to get replies, so it's crucial that we are measuring those numbers and constantly working to improve the number of replies each email gets. In this value-packed episode, we are breaking down three strategies that will boost your reply rates.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:34] Measuring reply rate metrics
[2:02] Alternative CTAs
[5:00] Using the offer-based CTA to boost replies
[8:05] Giving away free things to get conversations started
[8:55] Third party bumps
[12:13] Why sharing resources from competitors might be good
[13:45] Using p.s. to boost reply rates
[17:00] Identifying when a strategy has gone stale
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/65-3-tips-to-boost-reply-rates
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Apr 4, 2023
19. Mindset of Top Sales Reps
In this episode we are talking about top sales reps, specifically their mindsets. We start with breaking down the two main traits found in top sales reps. You will learn exactly how you can replicate these traits within yourself. Listen to level-up your sales game and your career.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:40] Two traits found in successful sales reps
[1:36] Overcoming the fear of cold calling
[2:37] Why you should call before sending an email
[6:13] The balance between preparation and action
[9:05] The number one prospecting rule
[14:27] The formula you need to achieve insane results
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/63-the-mindset-of-top-sales-reps
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Mar 28, 2023
18. 3 Tips to Find Warm Leads
Today we are talking all about warm leads. It's important to know when to go for warm leads over cold leads and how to find the warmest leads. So listen to learn how to find the low-hanging fruit to boost your confidence and momentum in your outbound sales strategy. The three tips from this episode will have you closing some sales today.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:34] When to go after warm leads vs sourcing cold leads
[2:33] Three tips for sourcing warm leads
[2:49] Using the LinkedIn keyword search to find leads
[5:10] Creating personalized emails
[7:21] Identifying low-hanging fruit in your CRM
[14:51] Structuring your days for optimal outreach success
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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Mar 21, 2023
17. Q & A Episode
Jed and Maggie answer questions that have been sent in by listeners. This episode is packed with tips on tightening your outbound sales strategy, improving cadence, and increasing prospect engagement. Listen to hear the answers to questions that have likely crossed your mind about sales and prospecting.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[1:13] Optimal touchpoints for an outbound sales strategy
[2:55] When to be persistent and when to give prospects a break
[5:08] Customizing your cadence to the prospect’s industry
[6:53] Telling prospects that you see their engagement
[9:25] Quality over quantity when reaching out to prospects
Video version here: https://youtu.be/lRume05-Fhc
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/
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Mar 14, 2023
16. Cold Email Breakdown
Today we are focusing on breaking down a cold email that Jed received. We discuss why this email got his attention and how this email can be replicated and applied to your business. Listen for an email template that requires minimal personalization, but stands out in all of the right ways.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:46] Why this particular email caught Jed’s attention
[2:02] Using the prospect’s name in the subject line
[3:44] Crafting the first line of copy to stand out
[5:05] Ending the email on a strong note
[9:57] What we can replicate what worked in this email
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/62-cold-email-breakdown
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Mar 7, 2023
15. 3 Ways to Book Meetings
This past November, Jed was able to book meetings using 3 different strategies. In the conversation today, we will break down these three methods, and we discuss how often Jed likes to switch his outreach methods. Listen to this episode for fresh ideas to help you uplevel your outreach game!
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:43] How often to switch up and test outbound methods
[2:13] Determining which methods work/don’t work
[4:50] Case study: booking a call with an outbound strategy
[7:25] Why typos aren’t the end of the world
[9:40] Finding the “3 percent” with automation
[12:01] Booking meetings with LinkedIn voice notes
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/61-how-i-booked-my-last-3-meetings
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Feb 28, 2023
14. Stages of a Cold Call
Studies find that only 1% of cold calls actually lead to an appointment. So in the episode today, we are talking about the 5 stages of a cold call and the dos and don'ts for each stage. Listen to learn the tips and tricks that will bring results to your cold call game.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:56] Why connect rates are so low with cold calls
[3:17] The dos and don’ts of cold calling
[4:22] The importance of a solid opener
[7:43] Maintaining confidence and calm during a cold call
[8:08] Transitioning to the pitch
[11:32] Common mistakes made during the discovery stage
[14:00] The best closing strategies
[18:06] How to measure success
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/38-the-5-stages-of-a-cold-call
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Feb 21, 2023
13. Email Templates for Higher Conversion Rates
Today's episode is short and sweet because you will have a lot to implement after learning how to use these high-converting sales email templates. Sometimes keeping things simpler is how you will achieve the best results. So Jed is sharing email templates for some specific sales situations that will help you get more prospects and more sales.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:58] Template to follow up with an unanswered cold call
[2:36] Words of caution and best-case scenario
[4:03] A template to request a referral
[7:07] Why no news is actually bad news
[7:52] Keeping your sales emails simple
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/39-3-more-email-templates-i-use
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Feb 14, 2023
12. Bottom Up Sales Strategies
What if instead of reaching out to major decision-makers, you started your sales efforts by reaching out to individual contributors? In the episode today, we talk about how a bottom-up sales strategy has more advantages than disadvantages. Individual contributors can be a source of valuable information about the company's needs, and they can also serve as that foot in the door you need to close with the decision-makers.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:38] Why reach out to individual contributors before decision-makers
[2:16] Positioning your messaging for individual contributors
[6:27] How to transition to talking to a decision-maker
[9:03] Potential pitfalls to the bottom-up strategy
[12:58] Incentivizing individual contributors to respond to you
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/40-my-bottom-up-strategy
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Feb 7, 2023
11. Moving from Sales Rep to Manager
It's often said that the best sales rep doesn't always make a good sales manager. That's because the two different roles have vastly different day-to-day requirements. So on the show today, Jed shares what it was like for him to move from a sales rep role to a manager role. He talks about shifts he had to make to how he prioritized his time and how he thought about his work.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[0:48] Moving from a team member role to a manager role
[4:06] Defining a successful day as a manager
[9:18] Managing priorities with a busy todo list
[13:26] Being reactive vs proactive as a manager
[17:55] The mindset shift required when moving to a management role
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/my-experience-going-from-rep-to-manager
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Jan 31, 2023
10. Cadence Strategy
On the show today, we are talking about cadence strategy for outreach emails. Thinking about this big picture is so critical to getting the most responses possible. Listen to learn about how to structure your overall cadence strategy, so you can grab and keep the attention of your prospects.
Timestamps
[0:01] Intro
[1:03] Why it’s important to look at cadence in a marketing sequence
[3:37] Structuring an effective email sequence
[6:20] Modifying language for different buyer personas
[9:00] Leveraging multiple contact points to increase open rates
[11:44] Organizing emails into clusters
[14:01] Measuring results and adjusting the strategy
[15:18] The process for A and B testing
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/42-my-cadence-strategy
Cold Email Subject Lines: https://mailshake.com/blog/cold-email-subject-line-sales/
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Jan 24, 2023
9. Getting Referrals from Your Customers
Only 1% of sales reps ask for referrals, but 99% of customers report that they would be happy to refer new businesses to services when they are satisfied. This is a huge missed opportunity for almost every business out there. In the episode today, we are talking about how you can set up a referral structure in your business and make it easy and painless to ask for referrals. A lot of sales reps get nervous about making the ask, but having the right strategy behind it will help boost your confidence and your business prospects.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[1:00] A huge missed opportunity in most businesses
[2:54] Why you shouldn’t be nervous about asking for referrals
[6:02] Setting up a referral structure in your business
[9:05] Increasing chances of customers making the referral
[12:31] Referral success stories
[15:27] What the top 1 percent of sales reps always do
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com…
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Jan 17, 2023
8. Messaging Strategies To Engage Prospects
In this episode, we talk about how to craft your messaging for the different stages of the buyer's journey. Each of your potential buyers are in a different phase of their own decision-making process, and the marketing messages you create should reflect that. Listen to this episode to learn about aware vs unaware prospects and how to target your marketing messages directly to their thought process.
Timestamps:
[0:01] Intro
[1:19] The stages of the buyer’s journey
[4:04] Messaging for unaware and aware prospects
[9:44] The challenges of unaware messaging
[11:45] Getting into the head of your buyer
[14:24] Using bump emails to increase visibility
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/44-unaware-vs-aware-messaging
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Jan 10, 2023
7. Structuring Cold Emails
In this episode we're going to dive into structuring your cold emails. When focusing on the structure of cold emails, find out where most reps get the structure wrong. Jed shares his most successful trigger play and where people fail with their value propositions. Let's go!
Timestamps:
(0:00) Intro
(0:58) Where reps get the structure wrong
(3:59) The structure/framework explained
(10:15) Where do people fail the value proposition
(12:45) One pain point per email
(14:08) Don't get fancy with your CTAs
(17:25) How PS gives you higher reply rates
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/45-how-i-structure-cold-emails
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Jan 3, 2023
6. How To Beat the Goliath in Your Space
In this podcast we take a look at how to beat the Goliath as a sales rep in your space. Don't try to hide the fact that there are bigger competitors out there and use G2 crowd to your advantage. Jed outlines the advice he would give a rep moving from a industry leader to a smaller player in the market. Let's go!
(00:00) Intro
(02:08) Differentiating yourself from the Goliaths
(05:40) How can you use G2 to your advantage
(8:59) Roleplay: Calling out the elephant in the room
(10:55) Assuming your prospect is using a competitor
(14:07) Being afraid to bring up a competitor
(15:36) Reps moving from a Goliath to an underdog
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/47-how-to-beat-the-goliath-in-your
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Dec 27, 2022
5. What the Best Sales Reps Do
In this week's podcast we look at what the best sales reps do that the majority of reps don't do. The SDR game is ever evolving but some of the same principles still remain. Having worked with tons of sales reps, Jed shares his knowledge on the factors that sets the best ones apart. Let's go!
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:10) What sets the best sales reps apart
(04:08) How to tell good advice from bad advice
(06:24) How to find the best person to follow in Linkedin
(08:20) Why should I follow one specific person?
(09:17) Testing a process
(12:58) Getting more and more efficient over time
(14:44) Managing SDRs
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/45-what-the-best-reps-do-that-most
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Dec 20, 2022
4. LinkedIn Content Ideas
LinkedIn is a long game but it all starts with consistency. You don’t need to be a top performer to create valuable LinkedIn content. You just need to know who your audience is. A lot of sales professionals struggle knowing what to post. In this episode we'll share content ideas to use for your next LinkedIn posts. Let's go!
(00:00) Intro
(00:46) Three content ideas to use on LinkedIn
(03:35) Sharing your expertise in something
(05:33) Experimentation posts
(07:34) How these LinkedIn posts turn into booked meetings
(08:31) How to build your brand on Linkedin
(10:04) Putting potential leads data into a cadence
(11:54) Advice on building your brand
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/49-3-linkedin-content-ideas
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Dec 13, 2022
3. Intentional Prospecting
Welcome to the third episode of the Practical Prospecting Podcast. This episode is all about how to work smarter not harder when it comes to prospecting. There can be some patterns to outbound sales if we are being intentional about our outreach. Jed outlines what patterns SDRs should look for. Let's go!
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:32) Intentional prospecting
(02:52)Identifying patterns that work
(05:41) Coming up with strategies to get your numbers up
(09:33) The importance of list building
(14:29)Time blocking
(17:10) Recap
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/48-intentional-prospecting
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Dec 13, 2022
2. Simple Messaging is Best
Welcome to the second episode of the Practical Prospecting Podcast. No prospect is going to ask for clarity if they don’t understand something, they’ll ignore it. So make sure sure your messaging is simple. Let's jump into it.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:54) Keeping your messages simple
(03:26) Why pitch slapping is actually a good thing
(07:17) The Mouse Trap email
(10:43) Be creative with your emails
(11:59) Talking to your manager about creative freedom
(13:51) What helped Maggie as an SDR
(16:15) Final Thoughts
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/51-simple-messaging-is-best
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Dec 13, 2022
1. This Question Got Me 3 Demos in 1 Day
Welcome to the first episode of the Practical Prospecting Podcast. In this episode Jed shares a question he asked prospects that landed him 3 demos in 1 day. Let's jump into it.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:16) Asking the question: What would it take?
(03:18) Customers vs non-customers feedback
(05:23) How to reach out to non-customers and get their feedback.
(07:16) Is the question more important if you are selling SaaS
(08:33) The results of getting feedback
(13:13) Conclusion
Follow us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mailshake/
Jed's Newsletter: https://jed.substack.com/p/50-this-question-got-me-3-demos-in
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