Decoding Sales
A podcast where an engineer (Alex Allain, CTO @ U.S. Digital Response) and salesperson (Peter Ahn, Tech sales coach) demystify what it means to build meaningful business relationships in the modern age.
Episodes
39 episodes
Episode 39: Founder-led sales from a founder (Tido Carriero, CEO Koala)
Having all worked together on Dropbox for Business, Tido, Alex, and Peter share a special bond and respect for building the foundational elements of enterprise sales at Dropbox when it was still seen as a consumer brand. Now, as fou...
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47:33
Episode 38: When not to chase shiny logos
Peter and Alex discuss founder-led sales mistake #2: Spending too much time on bad-fit leads. They dive into:What makes a bad-fit lead? How do you qualify for fit and what questions can you ask to get clar...
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26:03
Episode 37: Avoid this founder-led sales mistake
Peter and Alex discuss one of the most common founder-led sales mistakes he's seen early stage founders make: assuming they have a brand when initiating outbound sales. They dive into: Why establishing a digital fo...
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34:21
Episode 36: Scaling authentic sales
Peter and Alex discuss the state of sales at large companies and what it means to scale authentic sales. They explore the following questions and topics:Can startup sales be relevant at large companies?Why sales training is...
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42:28
Episode 35: The pitch
Peter and Alex review the elements of an effective pitch:The elevator pitch and leaning into your origin story (regardless of what VCs will tell you)What makes a compelling pitch deck and how not to bore your prospect with ...
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45:11
Episode 34: ...And we're back!
After a break from recording, Peter and Alex are back at it with regular recordings. Catch-up to hear what Peter and Alex have been up to and how the state of play has changed within startup enterprise sales. Peter a...
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Episode 34
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35:52
Episode 33: Micro-negotiations in everyday life
Every day you're presented with moments where you can decide whether to take what's offered, or you can negotiate. Most of us take what's offered because it's comfortable and easy, but are you leaving something on the table? Peter and Alex shar...
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48:56
Episode 32: BANT and MEDDIC
BANT and MEDDIC are two popular sales methodologies. Learn what each of them are for, how to apply them, and how they help you create a more effective sales process.This episode is sponsored by our friends at Salesroom who are building ...
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38:11
Episode 31: Cold outreach - love or hate?
Sales and marketing teams need to be able to reach out to prospects cold. But prospects hate getting bombarded by irrelevant messages. What do you do with this necessary channel for building awareness for your company? Peter and Alex deba...
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22:51
Episode 30: Recession-proof sales
High inflation, negative GDP - possible recession? It doesn't matter what you call it, it matters what you DO. In this episode:👀 Peter shares his view of the state of play and how sales teams should be reacting🎯 How a recessionary envir...
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39:06
Episode 29: Decoding subtle cues
* How body language and subtle cues can tell you if a deal is on track - or not* How to take the initiative when you get clues that the conversation is going off-track* Cues to look for in a virtual sales environment* How to recreat...
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49:47
Episode 28: Dealing with the competition
Competition is a fact of life and business; in this episode, learn how to sell and win against your competitors.* How to understand what the competition is saying about your weaknesses - and turn it to your favor* Why understanding ...
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36:52
Episode 27: Virtual sales is here to stay
Virtual-first selling is here to stay--what does the future hold?How virtual-first and in-person sales will merge into a hybrid sales processWhen to stay virtual and when and how to leverage face-to-faceHow virtual...
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27:56
Episode 26: Selling over Zoom
Zoom fatigue, everyone has it because it's taken over our lives. But what makes a seller successful over Zoom?- Zoom etiquette for dealmakers.- Peter's stack rank of Zoom backgrounds (including the weirdest Zoom background he's ever...
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24:38
Episode 25: Modern outbound sales
If you build it, will they come? Maybe not. How do you build a modern outbound sales motion that brings in new customers?- Peter's moment of insight about the modern sales motion- How to go beyond cold prospecting- ...and how to do ...
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32:18
Episode 24: How to scale your sales org
💸 How do you organize your sales team to scale?🔗 The importance of aligning your product roadmap and sales org design.📞 How do you share knowledge across sales teams and offices?📍 The ways sales teams can specialize and how to tell ...
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25:31
Episode 23: Accelerating your sales using modern tools
How to navigate the modern sales tools suite to accelerate sales🛫 What tools do you need beyond your CRM?🤼 How to close deals faster by bringing data out of Salesforce and into your workflows🌎 How to pull in publicly available d...
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32:07
Episode 22: Effectively managing a sales team
🛤 Career tracks in sales vs engineering.🏁 The importance of staying in the trenches to be a sales leader.💲 Setting and managing the sales team's quota.💸 How to manage + raise quotas as a team grows.😰 How to tell if your sales le...
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28:42
Episode 21: How to debug a broken sales process
What to do when you aren't making the sales.❓ The first question to ask when debugging the process. 🎎 How to figure out the right buyer persona for your product.🪓 How to tell you should fire your sales leader.🔬 The impo...
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Episode 21
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30:59
Episode 20: Rookie mistakes
What rookie salespeople get wrong - and how to avoid them.Key mindset shifts for new salespeople - and how to know you're making themKey rites of passageHow new salespeople throw away leads too quicklyHow ...
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34:00
Episode 19: Emails that get results
How to write emails that get results - and when to switch to other channels. - How do you know when an email you're writing is too long - How Peter uses the "phone test" to tell if his email is going to get...
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32:45
Episode 18: Sales myths
Facts and myths about salespeople What really motivates salespeople (it's not just the number!)What shapes customer perceptions of sales (it's not the average sales person)Peter confesses that as a professiona...
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41:47
Episode 17: Sales and legal
Signing a deal is a legally binding agreement - and legal negotiations can kill deals. Learn the ins-and-outs of navigating the landmines separating you from the prize: how to avoid complex legal negotiations in the first place...
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30:54