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Are you struggling to connect with potential clients? The answer might be hiding in your understanding of customer personas. In this illuminating episode, sales coach Evan Polin and marketing expert Craig Andrews reveal how developing detailed customer personas can transform your sales approach from scattershot to laser-focused.

"Personas are only important for salespeople and companies that want to close sales," declares Evan, setting the tone for a conversation brimming with practical wisdom. This isn't just theory – it's battle-tested advice from professionals with decades of experience. They reveal how to identify your ideal prospects by analyzing past successful clients, understanding what made those relationships work, and finding more opportunities with similar characteristics.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn when Evan introduces the 70-30 rule – the prospect should speak 70% of the time while you speak just 30%. This simple principle unlocks the power of active listening, allowing salespeople to identify pain points and determine qualification. "If you are talking, you are not learning anything about what your prospects' issues are," Evan emphasizes, highlighting how excessive talking prevents discovering whether you can actually help them.

Perhaps most importantly, Evan and Craig stress the critical alignment between sales and marketing. When your messaging is inconsistent, you confuse potential clients and damage credibility. Their three key takeaways provide a roadmap for success: develop clear personas, do your homework before meetings, and ensure sales and marketing are telling the same story. Whether you're new to sales or looking to refine your approach, this episode delivers actionable insights that will help you close more deals with less wasted effort. Subscribe now to transform your sales strategy!

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Have you ever felt like your marketing dollars are disappearing into thin air? Or wondered why your sales team struggles to convert seemingly good leads? The answer might lie in how well you understand who you're actually selling to.

In this enlightening episode, Craig Andrews and Evan Polin tackle the often misunderstood concept of customer personas and why they're fundamental to business success. As Evan aptly puts it, "If you don't know what a good prospect looks like, you're never going to find them." They reveal how properly defined personas serve as your business compass, guiding every marketing decision and sales conversation toward greater profitability.

The hosts share practical strategies for developing detailed personas, from conducting client interviews and analyzing historical data to exploring psychographic elements like communication preferences and lifestyle choices. Their baseball analogy brilliantly illustrates the problem many businesses face: being a pitcher with twenty catchers behind the plate means you might eventually hit one, but that's not an efficient strategy. Instead, they show how focusing on specific, profitable personas creates that "sweet spot" where marketing and sales align perfectly.

Craig and Evan don't just theorize—they provide real-world examples from their own businesses. Evan explains how he markets differently to attorneys versus commission-based salespeople, while Craig shares insights about targeting home service professionals. Their examples demonstrate that effective personas go far beyond basic demographics to include how prospects think, where they spend time, and what language resonates with them.

Whether you're struggling with unfocused marketing efforts or frustrated by low conversion rates, this episode offers concrete steps to transform your approach. Listen now to discover how well-crafted customer personas can turn your business from throwing "spaghetti at the wall" to precisely targeting the prospects who will become your most profitable clients.

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What if everything you thought about your ideal customer was wrong? In this eye-opening conversation with Kevin O'Connor, Vice President of Strategic Coaching and Consulting for Align5 and scaling up business coach, we uncover the crucial difference between high-revenue customers and truly profitable core customers that can transform your entire business strategy.

Kevin challenges conventional thinking by defining core customers as those who not only generate maximum profit but are also genuinely passionate about your product or service. This distinction proves revolutionary for businesses struggling to grow efficiently. "Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity, and cash is monarch," Kevin explains, highlighting why chasing revenue alone can lead businesses astray.

The episode takes a fascinating turn when Kevin discusses applying "Moneyball" principles to business metrics. Just as the Oakland A's discovered that traditional baseball statistics weren't predictive of wins, your business may be focusing on the wrong indicators of success. Through compelling examples from his experience with call centers, Kevin demonstrates how conventional wisdom about quality scores completely inverted reality—the centers with the highest internal quality scores actually had the worst customer retention.

Perhaps most valuable are Kevin's actionable takeaways: calculate customer-level profitability, correlate your KPIs with actual outcomes, and align sales and marketing based on real customer feedback and data. For entrepreneurs looking toward an eventual exit, implementing these systems can dramatically increase business valuation, potentially transforming standard industry multiples of 3-5× into premium valuations of 10-15×.

Ready to revolutionize how you identify, serve, and profit from your core customers? Listen now and discover the data-driven approach that might just transform your business growth trajectory forever.

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The trade show is over. You've collected business cards, scanned badges, and had promising conversations. Now what? In this final installment of our trade show trilogy, Evan Polin and Craig Andrews reveal the most critical—and most commonly neglected—phase of trade show strategy: the post-show follow-up.

We begin with the clear signs of on-floor success that should set you up for effective follow-up. From high booth traffic and qualified leads to social media buzz and positive brand recognition, these indicators help you prioritize your post-show efforts. But here's the shocking truth: the biggest mistake companies make after investing thousands in trade shows is failing to follow up promptly, effectively turning warm leads into cold calls.

The secret to post-show success? Plan your follow-up strategy before you even attend. Block dedicated time in your calendar for the days immediately following the event, prioritize your leads based on conversation quality, and personalize every follow-up. Generic "thanks for stopping by our booth" emails scream insincerity—especially when sent to people who never visited you.

We explore the critical collaboration between sales and marketing teams after the show, sharing strategies for maintaining prospect engagement through targeted content, social media, and even the increasingly rare but effective handwritten note. Learn how to calculate your true ROI beyond immediate sales, understanding that a single significant client from a trade show might justify years of attendance costs.

Don't leave your runners stranded on base—this episode gives you everything you need to knock your trade show investment out of the park. Whether you're in sales or marketing, you'll walk away with actionable strategies to transform trade show expenses into powerful drivers of business growth.

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Breaking into new markets demands more than just cold calling and digital prospecting—it requires strategic relationship building. In this episode, we dive deep with Brendan Dodge, networking extraordinaire from VC3, who reveals exactly how he successfully entered the Philadelphia/New Jersey marketplace by leveraging his existing connections.

Brendan shares the game-changing mindset shift that transformed his networking approach: switching from "what's in it for me" to "how can I help you?" This giving-first philosophy created a foundation for meaningful relationships that naturally evolved into business opportunities. He explains his tactical approach to categorizing contacts into previous clients and centers of influence (COIs), with specific strategies for engaging each group effectively.

The conversation reveals practical time-saving methods, including Brendan's 30-minute virtual screening calls that qualify potential connections before committing to longer in-person meetings. You'll learn why being specific about your target industries dramatically increases quality referrals, and how tracking the ratio of introductions you make versus those you receive creates predictable networking outcomes.

Most compelling is Brendan's three-part formula for networking success: join strategic professional groups that allow for cross-pollination of connections, adopt a giving mindset in every interaction, and make only worthwhile introductions that genuinely benefit both parties. These principles apply whether you're an established professional entering a new territory or a company expanding into unfamiliar markets.

Ready to transform your approach to market expansion? Listen now for actionable strategies that will revolutionize how you build relationships and generate opportunities in new territories. Your network truly is your net worth—discover how to maximize it today!

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Former architect Alice Dommert reveals how she transformed her corporate wellness company Prasada Whole Being through strategic data management and relationship building. From her first days as an entrepreneur, Alice implemented CRM systems that allowed her team to track every client interaction, analyze engagement patterns, and make data-driven decisions about sales and marketing approaches.

Alice's architectural background instilled a deeper understanding of systems thinking that she applies to business growth. "When you're trained as an architect, you are all about systems because systems build the foundation of any building," she explains. This perspective led her to invest in robust tools like HubSpot that provide comprehensive insights into client behavior and preferences.

What makes her approach particularly effective is how she leverages relatively small data samples to identify meaningful trends. By tracking which email topics clients engage with and analyzing social media interactions, her team can personalize outreach and focus on content that resonates. This methodology proves that businesses don't need massive resources to implement smart, data-driven strategies.

Beyond technical systems, Alice explores the concept of "whole being" wellness that encompasses physical, mental, emotional, relational, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. She shares compelling evidence that companies investing in comprehensive wellness programs before COVID experienced better retention and less burnout during the pandemic. The science-backed strategies she teaches aren't merely feel-good initiatives—they're practical tools for building resilient organizations.

Alice offers three powerful tips for listeners: invest in consistent whole-being programs, create intentional opportunities for team connection, and embrace simple practices like breathwork to transform workplace dynamics. As she aptly observes, "AI is a Ferrari of a tool, but we still need a driver." In a world of accelerating technological change, developing human capacity for creativity and decision-making has never been more crucial.

Connect with Alice and discover how whole-being approaches can transform your workplace culture and drive sustainable business growth.

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Trade show season is upon us, and success requires much more than simply showing up with a booth and some brochures. Sales expert Evan Polin and marketing strategist Craig Andrews dive deep into what really makes trade shows work for your business during the crucial "at-show" phase.

The foundation of trade show success begins before you ever reach the event. Without proper preparation—researching attendees, scheduling meetings in advance, and preparing your team with strong elevator pitches—you're already at a disadvantage. As Evan vividly explains, your booth's appearance directly impacts perception: showing up underprepared is like "bringing a bow and arrow to a gunfight." Prospects make swift judgments about your competence based on your visual presentation compared to competitors.

The podcast reveals common pitfalls that sabotage trade show efforts, like staff sitting behind tables absorbed in their phones rather than engaging visitors. The experts share proven engagement strategies including interactive activities (like putting greens or scratch-off contests) that create memorable experiences and draw crowds. These elements transform your booth from a static display into a dynamic hub of activity that attracts attention and generates conversations.

Craig offers innovative marketing approaches that extend beyond the show itself—capturing testimonial videos, leveraging social media to share real-time excitement, and using technology to enhance follow-up opportunities. The hosts emphasize how these tactical elements work together within a comprehensive strategy spanning pre-show planning, at-show execution, and post-show follow-up.

Ready to transform your trade show results from disappointing expenses into powerful revenue generators? Listen now for actionable insights that will help you stand out on the show floor, create meaningful connections, and set your business up for a successful year ahead. Subscribe for our upcoming episode on post-show strategies that complete this powerful three-part trade show success formula!