Growth Enablement Madness: Recent Episodes
BrainSell
In modern business, success is measured by growth. But how should businesses enable themselves to efficiently grow? There are so many answers to that question that it can make you feel crazy! The Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, hosted by BrainSell Founder Jim Ward, offers a go-to source for growth enablement strategies, stories, and technologies.
In part two of our conversation with James Ochoa, we dive deeper into the world of business leadership and ADHD. James, an expert in ADHD management and leadership, shares insights on identifying traits of leaders with ADHD, the diagnosis process, and how ADHD can impact one's ability to lead effectively.
During this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, our host Jim Ward and James explore strategies for working with leaders with ADHD, problem-solving techniques, challenges they face, and tips and tools for thriving in the workplace. Tune in to learn about:
- The positive and negative impacts of ADHD on a leader's ability to perform and succeed.
- The challenges leaders with ADHD may face and how it can hinder their effectiveness
- Valuable insights on collaborating with leaders with ADHD to ensure smooth operations and success.
- Tips and tools for leaders with ADHD to create a thriving work environment for themselves and their teams.
RELATED LINKS
- Follow James here!
- Get James’ book here!
- Special Offer: First 18 visitors - Get one free 30min conversation with James here!
When considering business growth opportunities, partnerships with diverse businesses are an increasingly promising prospect.By collaborating with diverse businesses, you not only promote inclusivity; but you can also bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and unique experiences to the table.
During this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, our host Jim Ward chats with Heather Cox, Co-Founder of Certify My Company. With a proven track record of transforming Fortune 1000 supplier diversity programs into profit centers, Certify My Company empowers diverse businesses to unlock their full potential through certification and increased market visibility. Jim and Heather discuss why partnering with diverse businesses is a crucial strategy for growth and provide insightful tips on how you can get started.
Tune in to learn about:
- Challenges faced by diverse business owners and tips to overcome those hurdles
- The true revenue impact of supplier diversity
- How corporations can find and work with diverse businesses
RELATED LINKS
- Take this assessment to learn whether your company is genuinely data-driven.
- Schedule your free data discovery call to ensure you find the value in your data.
- Follow Heather on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Certify My Company
On our show, we usually talk with authors and technology companies about how to grow and scale businesses. But for this episode, we're talking to James Ochoa, a licensed professional counselor who helps adults with ADHD overcome challenges and pursue their passions. He uses imagination, life history, and inner resources to help his clients. James has worked with executives, indie film producers, college students, and religious leaders. He's also an author working on a book about handling the chronic stress of ADHD.
During this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, our host Jim Ward chats with James about how ADHD can positively and negatively impact businesses. Tune in to learn:
- The differences between ADHD and ADD, as well as how they impact your work in different ways;
- Mindfulness strategies for people with ADHD; and
- Find suitable support systems if you believe ADHD affects your business.
RELATED LINKS
- Follow James here!
- Learn more about James’ work here.
- Check out our other episodes!
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Liz Saville, Senior Solutions Consultant at BrainSell. We discussed why most CRM implementations fail, as well as the additional problems that usually arise during these types of projects. We also shared our perspective of BrainSell’s Solution Blueprint methodology and how it helps alleviate those implementation concerns right from the start.
Other talking points from the episode include:
- The crucial roles of process and change management in any tech implementation.
- What exactly a Solution Blueprint is and why you’d want to do one.
- What businesses this type of consultation is suited for, and not suited for.
- Interesting customer stories and use case examples highlighting how these blueprints mitigate risk and help companies home in on short- and long-term goals.
RELATED LINKS
- Learn more about BrainSell’s blueprinting methodology here!
- Check out these YouTube videos detailing BrainSell’s consulting work.
- Follow BrainSell on Twitter and LinkedIn!
Featuring: Marcus Sheridan, Author of “They Ask, You Answer”
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with
Marcus Sheridan, Industry Thought Leader, Speaker, and author of "They Ask, You
Answer.” We discussed what buyer trust looks like in today’s business world, as well
as how it’s a customer experience disruptor in a post-COVID world. We also took an
in-depth look at the “They Ask, You Answer” methodology and how companies can
make it a part of their business culture.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Mike Paton, Industry Thought Leader, Speaker, and author of the upcoming book "Process: How Discipline and Consistency Will Set You and Your Business Free." We discussed Paton's new book and how his work with Gino Wickman's Enterprise Operating System (EOS) has evolved along with the market. We also talked about businesspeople's fears when reassessing their business processes—and how a consistent game plan can help alleviate those worries.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Dan Tyre, an industry thought leader and author of the book "Inbound Organization: How to Build and Strengthen Your Company's Future Using Inbound Principles." We discussed how businesses can get started building inbound strategies that go beyond the marketing department. We also discussed what inbound truly is (and isn’t) and where focus points should be if you want to grow and scale your business with an inbound mentality.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Lisa McLeod, an industry thought leader and author of the book "Selling with a Noble Purpose." We discussed how business leadership has changed over the years and how having a noble purpose is vital now more than ever. We also discussed how work has changed for everyone and how we can ensure employees don't lose sight of the customer.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Shruti Kapoor, CEO of the conversation intelligence and sales education platform Wingman. We discussed Shruti's leadership approach to promoting growth and scale at Wingman, as well as how the platform helps sales leaders promote their team’s professional growth. We also discussed the role of data and AI in modern business growth, specifically around strategic decision-making and simplifying sales workflows.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Shruti on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Learn more about Wingman.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Joe Ippolito, Principal for Sandler Training. We discuss the Sandler approach to sales training and how it differs from other traditional approaches. We also talk about how Joe has seen many companies across a variety of industries scale their sale initiatives through proper training.
Other talking points during the show include:
- How the sales process has evolved over the last several years, along with where ke emphasis has shifted.
- The role technology plays in helping sales teams scale effectively.
- What business leaders should focus on if they are looking to grow and scale their business.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Joe on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Learn more about Joe’s work with Sandler Training here.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Anne Janzer, of Acme Company. We discussed her book, Subscription Marketing: Strategies for Nurturing Customers in a World of Churn, and why the businessworld is gravitating towards this type of model. We also discuss why subscription models work so well for growing businesses, whether they be new startups or long-time mid-market companies looking to move up market.
Other talking points during the show include:
- How subscription models change the narrative focus from the product to the customer relationship;
- How this go-to-market approach fuels customer trust and increases the value of the relationship.
- Tips and best practices for companies looking to incorporate subscription models and ensure they get it right the first time!
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Anne on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Take a look at Anne’s published books and blogs.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Eliav Cohen, Founder of The Bot Lab. We discussed how chatbots position companies to fuel growth and scale across multiple business functions. We also discussed how businesses can incorporate chatbots into their business strategy that provides a personalized experience for each customer.
Other talking points during the show include:
- What most businesses are overlooking with chatbot usage in modern go-to-market initiatives.
- How to identify where in your business chatbots can help fuel growth and scale.
- An update on The Bot Lab’s latest startup, Helium, a new chatbot experience designed to help companies engage with prospects on third-party publisher websites instead of having display ads redirect prospects to your website.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Eliav on LinkedIn.
- Learn more about The Bot Lab.
- Learn more about Helium.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Jeff Baumet, Co-CEO at the branding solutions company Club Colors. We discussed what Jeff and his team were doing to position themselves for growth with a “scaling up” mentality. We also discussed how Club Colors fared during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as lessons learned from working with BrainSell on a migration to a new ERP solution.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Club Colors on LinkedIn.
- Learn more about Club Colors here!
- Give the In the Club Podcasta listen!
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Aaron Harris, Global CTO at Sage. We discussed what Aaron has learned during his time at Sage and what comes to mind when he reflects on his work. We also discussed how AI trends are impacting the growth and evolution of Account and ERP solutions for growth-focused businesses, as well as how it is one of the most exciting factors helping companies grow at scale.
Other talking points during the show include:
- What’s new at Sage and the ongoing initiative to scaling up Sage Business Cloud.
- How the acquisition of Task Sheriff impacts these scaling initiatives at Sage.
- Aaron’s recent job as a judge during the “Girls in AI Global Hackathon,” including memorable uses of AI from the event that can be applied in business today.
- Forward-looking thoughts on how Sage will continue to grow and scale its business management and account platforms.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Aaron on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Check out the Girls in AI Global Hackathon!
- Learn more about all the cool things going on at Sage!
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Craig Charlton, CEO of SugarCRM. We discussed Sugar’s recent branding and positioning change and how Craig has seen the software industry evolve during his time at the company. We also discussed how SugarCRM envisions itself enabling your customers and potential customers to grow their business.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness podcast, we sat down with Nancy Harris, the EVP for Sage North America. We discussed how SMBs are rebounding in this economy after the pandemic, as well as the important role back-office teams play in it. We also discussed Nancy’s upcoming retirement and hear her reflections on the ERP world during her time at Sage.
Other talking points during the show include:
- How the Sage product has evolved to strengthen accountants with automation and other tools to scale workload.
- The three main pillars of business sustainability, and how SMBs can promote growth strategies in their own businesses.
- How employers can create an environment for employees to be appreciated, respected and heard.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Nancy on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Check out the latest research from Sage on business sustainability.
- Read more about Sage’s Sustainability & Society Strategy.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, we sat down with Latané Conant, Chief Market Officer at the account engagement platform provider 6sense. We discussed the reception of her recent book, which covers the next generation of account-based sales and how companies can battle the “Dark Funnel” to engage buyers when and where they want.
Other discussed during the episode include:
- What exactly the “Dark Funnel” is, why companies tend to lose buyers there, and how this has grown into a bigger concern over the past couple of years.
- The role of data in helping companies gain clearer visibility in the Dark Funnel.
- How 6sense tackles the urgency for better data and insights in the market.
- How business leadership has changed over the last several years, especially in the software/SaaS industry.
- Tips for business leaders looking to fuel growth and scale!
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Latané on LinkedIn and Twitter!
- You can find a copy of her book here.
- Learn more about 6sense here.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, we sat down to chat with Laura Fitton, the Founder of Enough.co! Laura helps companies better understand how their earnings, spending, savings, and investments impact the ongoing climate crisis. The goal is to help educate businesses on climate-friendly business growth with the hopes of slowing, stopping, and eventually reversing the climate crisis.
Other topics discussed during the podcast include:
- Why it is vital for companies now more than ever to make climate-friendly business decisions.
- Where the climate economy currently impacts modern growing businesses.
- Tips and strategies on how to create a climate plan for your business.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Laura on Twitter and LinkedIn!
- Learn more about Enough.co here.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the COVID-19 pandemic caused rampant disruption within the business community. As offices closed and some employees began to work remotely, businesses rapidly began looking for ways to compensate for the uncertainty impacting everyone’s lives.
Industry expert, author, and thought leader Todd Caponi says that we’re now in an era where the emotional cost of change is “zero.” Changing jobs is like changing your cable provider. So, how do businesses create a work environment that matters to their employees?
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, our host Jim Ward and BrainSell’s VP of Marketing Sarah Reed chat with Caponi about how business leadership changed over the last 16 months. The group also shared their thoughts on the importance of creating strong business functions with a mission-based work environment to help employees like the work they do.
Other topics discussed during the episode include:
- How a desire for certainty impacts employee — not just customer — relationships.
- How to create a mission-purpose work environment within your company.
- Examples of companies that created a mission-purpose work environment.
- An in-depth look at Todd’s new podcast that chronicles the history of the sales profession.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Todd on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Learn more about Todd’s work here.
- Listen to Todd’s new “The Sales Historian” podcast here.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
Moving to the cloud gave growth-focused businesses a wealth of data to help fuel their go-to-market initiatives. With traditional technology like telephony now grabbing a firm hold of the Cloud, there is even more data for growing businesses to use.
As the GM and Head of North America at Aircall, Gianna Scorsone is at the front of the charge helping educate companies on the growing importance of data-fueled businesses. Tools like Aircall make it easier for salespeople and other users to track engagement with prospective customers and offer more genuine, contextual customer experiences.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, our host Jim Ward and BrainSell’s VP of Marketing Sarah Reed sit down with Scorsone to discuss how Aircall is leveraging data and insights to help its customers grow. The group also discusses what is going on at Aircall and how they are building a cloud-based call center for growth-focused businesses.
Other discussion topics from this episode include:
- What growth enablement means to Gianna in her own words!
- The overwhelming amount of data that can be collected from a cloud-based telephony system.
- How Aircall is positioning itself as a growth enablement partner for its clients.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Gianna on LinkedIn!
- Learn more about Aircall here.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
A growth mindset is vital to continued success in modern business. However, focusing solely on growth is not the best way to streamline your business for continued success in the future.
As the Senior Director of Partner Development and Strategy for North America at Sage, Ed Kless develops and delivers the curriculum for the Sage Consulting Academy, a course designed to educate Sage Software partners on the art and practice of small business consulting for growth-focused organizations. He also facilitates the Sage Leadership Academy, a yearlong program designed to assist Sage Software partners develop a continuous process of improvement in their organizations and serves as liaison to the Sage Leadership Academy Alumni Association.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, our host Jim Ward and BrainSell’s VP of Marketing Sarah Reed sit down with Kless to chat about the importance of not having growth be your only desired outcome for your business, while also providing examples of why this is the case. They also discussed how “all change is linguistic” within a company, and how that language shift creates a mentality shift to promote better, more predictable growth.
Other discussion topics from this episode include:
- The "Market Share Myth" and how that creates false positives for business growth.
- Why change management in a company requires a change in language.
- The role of technology in that mindset change for a business.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Ed on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Check out Ed’s podcast called “The Soul of Enterprise”.
- Read more of Ed’s work on his personal blog.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
To successfully position your company to grow and scale, you must have to know your customer. No, we don’t mean “know of” them. We mean that you must have a 360-degree customer view with crystal-clear fidelity. This allows businesses to offer a high-definition customer experience (HD-CX) that enables companies to rewind to the past, gain better situational awareness about the present, and make data-driven decisions for the future.
Clint Oram, Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer at SugarCRM, has dedicated his career to accelerating everything customer-related with technology. This can be seen in the exciting, ongoing innovations taking place at SugarCRM. Now, SugarCRM is helping growing companies obtain HD-CX so they can effectively help them grow and scale.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, our host Jim Ward and BrainSell's VP of Marketing Sarah Reed chat with Clint about how taking an HD-CX approach with your business is how you effectively enable it to grow and scale. They also discussed the ongoing innovations taking place with SugarCRM’s offerings and how practical applications of AI are helping provide time-based insights to give customers what they need, when they need it.
Other talking points throughout this episode include:
- What is HD-CX? How does it help companies grow?
- Why CX has been so tough to grasp over the years, and how SugarCRM addresses all this.
- New exciting things at Sugar, like SugarPredict!
- What's next for Sugar? Anything on the roadmap?
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Clint Oram on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Learn more about what BrainSell helps clients achieve with SugarCRM.
- Read up on HD-CX on SugarCRM’s blog!
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
Business growth strategies are an endeavor that executives cannot take lightly. Business leaders must align the entire organization for the initiative to bear fruit. But many businesses tend not to incorporate their functional business efforts into their growth strategies, leading to unnecessary hurdles, growing pains, and limited results.
Carter Hinckley, Chief Marketing Officer at Blue Ridge Partners, has spent years focusing on helping companies improve their revenue engine through effective business growth strategies. But it is vital to align those strategies with the business's functional strategy so that you don't hamstring your departments' ability to do their jobs.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, our host Jim Ward is joined by BrainSell's VP of Marketing, Sarah Reed, to chat with Carter about the difference between a business growth strategy and functional strategy. The group also discussed the importance of aligning your functional and business growth strategies to better position a company for success.
Other talking points throughout this episode include:
- What exactly is a business growth strategy.
- Carter's history in business growth strategy.
- What happens when functional and business growth strategies aren't aligned.
- Examples of how misalignment impacts businesses.
- Tips and best practices to ensure alignment.
- What C-level executives should do to ensure alignment.
RELATED LINKS
- Connect with Carter Hinckley on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Learn more about Blue Ridge Partners.
- Read up on business strategy on Blue Ridge Partner's blog.
- Check out the BrainSell blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
It feels like it was only yesterday when we began to see the significant impact COVID-19 has had on the world. One year later, we are continuing to find ways for businesses to move forward and drive growth in a rather uncertain climate.
Becc Holland, Founder of Flip the Script and former Head of Sales Development at Chorus.AI, and John Barrows, industry thought leader and CEO and Founder of JB Sales, recently participated in BrainSell’s Watercooler Series, where we talk shop and highlight how timely trends are impacting the way businesses go to market. The conversation revolved around this topic of selling in a “new normal,” and what companies can do to ensure their sales teams have what they need to succeed.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, we look back at a conversation between our host Jim Ward, Becc, and John where they explored how to successfully prospect, make connections, and fill pipeline in today’s “new normal” business environment.
Other talking points throughout the podcast include:
- Sales thought leaders you should be following.
- What it truly means to sell “smarter” in a volatile market.
- What process changes need to happen to sell better.
- The growing importance of relevance in the art of selling.
RELATED LINKS
- Check out the full discussion with Becc and John in our recent Watercooler Series webcast!
- Connect with Becc Holland on LinkedIn.
- Connect with John Barrows on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Check out BrainSell's blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have gotten their fair share of buzz in the business world over the past decade. That buzz can be labeled both positive and negative; however, industry experts agree that AI and ML have changed the game for businesses looking to grow efficiently.
Jim Kaskade, CEO of the conversational AI company Conversica, is at the front of the pack when it comes to uncovering AI's real role in the evolving workplace for modern and growth-focused businesses. With years of experience running data, identity management, and IT service organizations, Kaskade helps lead a company at the forefront of digital data innovation and assists companies in growing in the process.
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, Kaskade chatted with host Jim Ward about how tech innovations in AI and ML are positioning businesses to streamline their processes and drive growth with less. The two also discussed how AI augments aspects of the workforce rather than replacing employees and ruining livelihoods.
Other talking points throughout the podcast include:
- How the application of AI has expanded immensely over the last several years.
- Which industries and verticals are benefitting from the early adoption of AI.
- What AI conversations sound like with members of the C-suite.
RELATED LINKS
- Learn more about Conversica and its Integrated Virtual Assistants!
- Connect with Jim Kaskade on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Check out BrainSell's blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
Using valuable data and insights to make strategic growth decisions is vital to being successful with your efforts in modern business. Businesses that do not prioritize their data strategy are in for a world of struggle in coming quarters and years. For Jordan Berry, one of BrainSell’s go-to data analysts and Co-founder of Interloop.ai, companies must be forward-thinking with their data initiatives to ensure investments and processes reap the most benefit—and drive growth from the start!
In this episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, Jordan sat down with host Jim Ward to discuss what the phrase “data-driven growth” means to them. They also shared thoughts on the technologies that are helping position businesses to be data-driven and on companies leading the data-driven charge by example.
Other discussion topics include:
- Why businesses struggle to look “beyond their rearview mirror” when analyzing their data.
- How to start reassessing your data-driven mentality.
- A six-step overview of becoming a data-driven company.
- How to overcome disparate and overwhelming databases.
RELATED LINKS
- Learn more about Interloop’s Sidekick capabilities.
- Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn.
- Check out BrainSell’s blog for all things Growth Enablement!
- Intro and Outro music by Sam Ward.
Normally, tech drives business decisions. This is especially true for the marketing automation space, where many people tend to invest heavily in a solution that they are not maximizing to their fullest potential. But Nick Ezzo, VP of Marketing at the finance and ERP automation company Auditoria.ai, has found a unique way to turn his colleagues in the marketing department into a force multiplier that leads the company to profitability through the help of all-in-one automation.
During the first episode of the Growth Enablement Madness Podcast, Nick sat down with host Jim Ward to chat about how a growth enablement mindset has helped position Nick to help Auditoria have the biggest impact in the ERP space with the smallest group of people. The pair also discussed Nick's philosophy of marketing automation and its role in growing businesses. Other discussion topics include:
- How Nick’s background in IT helped him find success in the marketing world, with notable positions at Equilar, Host Analytics, and Sage Intacct before joining Auditoria as its VP of Marketing.
- How Auditoria is changing the ERP game and how Nick has been helping them do that by taking an all-in-one marketing automation approach to the finance space.
- The tech categories making an impact in a volatile market, such as targeting and personalization tools.
RELATED LINKS
- Learn more about Auditoria.ai.
- Connect with Nick on LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Check out BrainSell’s blog for all things Growth Enablement!