Rethinking the Sales Process from the Ground Up, with Ian Altman

Episode 12:

As a CEO for two decades, Ian Altman started, sold, and grew his business-services and technology companies from zero to over one billion dollars in value. Ian has since spent years researching how customers make decisions. His modern approach to sales and marketing is known for helping organizations around the world achieve explosive growth.

A leading authority on accelerating business growth, Ian is currently recognized as one of the 30 Global Gurus on Sales. He’s a co-author of the bestselling book Same Side Selling, and hosts the weekly Same Side Selling podcast. Hundreds of his articles can be found on Forbes and Inc.

Ian lives in the Washington DC area with his two adult-ish children, a dog, and a wonderful wife he doesn’t deserve.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why integrity is the cornerstone of a successful sales strategy, and why common stereotypes about what “sales” means are harmful.
  • Why the way sales methodology has been taught in the past is focused on persuading and manipulating the client, and why getting to the truth as quickly as possible is far more effective.
  • Why businesses of every kind and size base their buying decisions on the same three questions. What problem does it solve? Why do I need it? And what is the likely outcome or result?
  • Why answering those three questions is the key to improving the sales process and better aligning your business to the needs of your client.
  • What important topics Ian’s book Same Side Selling addresses in helping organizations improve their sales processes.
  • Why service-based businesses need to address the sales process differently than transactional businesses.
  • Ian offers examples of real-world businesses that were able to adopt his sales philosophy and the dramatic growth that resulted.
  • Why Ian’s “Same Side Selling” methods can powerfully integrate into a company’s business culture, and why even people who don’t like “sales” often succeed using his methods.

Additional resources:  

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