Let’s start here... If you’re even considering attending the ExecuGrowth Formula on April 29, stop reading and grab your ticket now.
Seats are moving quickly, and this is the kind of event you'll want to say you were part of, not one you heard about after the fact.
www.octanteag.com/execugrowth-formula-4-29-2025
You’ve probably been to events before.
Linda Ockwell-Jenner welcomes back Tom Reilly on today’s episode of the SBCN Small Biz Podcast. Tom and Linda discuss the difference between Influence and Persuasion.
Nothing Kills Deals Faster Than Assumptions
Assumptions don’t just clutter your pipeline—they derail deals. In every deal review I conduct, I’m constantly on the lookout for them. Why? Because there’s a big difference between what we know and what we only think we know.
There are three master keys that, when properly leveraged, can enable almost anyone to do almost anything.
These are the same three keys that cause wealthy, educated people to join cults.
They are the same three keys that cause people to vote for political parties.
They are the same three keys that create brand loyalty.
And they are the same three keys that cause people to buy.
When you can decode and leverage all three keys for an individual, you will maximize your ability to influence their decisions and actions.
So here they are:
Andrew Leith, President & Founder of Octant Executive Advisory Group joins SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner. Andrew has had a distinguished career in sales roles and his journey brought him to realize the differences in leadership for neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals. His work now helps leaders enhance their impact through better understanding the individuals in their teams.
Most sales reps I have worked with sit in client meetings with a huge elephant in the room. And, like most elephants, they completely ignore it and jump straight into their sales process. By doing so, they miss out on a wealth of valuable information and start the meeting on a different page than the client.
94% of B2B buyers self-educate through online research before engaging in the sales process.
Yet, very few reps acknowledge this with their buyers.
It’s one of the most powerful ways to stay competitive and grow your revenue. Yet, surprisingly, almost no one does it.
Here’s the game-changing question I ask Fortune 100 companies, SMBs, and startups:
Why did the customer say no?
Not what your marketing team thinks.
Not what your product team guesses.
And certainly not what your sales rep assumes.
I mean straight from the customer.
Proper discovery is the most important part of any sales cycle. Properly gathering information during this phase about your customer, their pain points, and decision-making processes will enable you to better understand their goals and challenges so you can help them get where they want to go.
Although it is true that in-depth knowledge of your customer, your solution, and the pain points it solves will enable you to conduct a much better discovery at the beginning of a sales cycle, you do not need to have mastered all of this information before you begin.
SBCN Co-Founder Linda Ockwell-Jenner is joined by Tom Reilly from Reilly Sales Consulting to talk about non-verbal communication. There so much that’s ‘unsaid’ that we can pick up on to help understand those who we’re interacting with.
As someone who loves learning, I've been through countless sales training programs throughout my career. Each one usually offers a golden nugget or two that becomes a lasting part of my approach.
Most sales trainings focus on a process or methodology, often paired with some unique strategies or tactics. While these are helpful, I’ve always noticed a critical gap: the development of underlying skills that sales professionals need to truly excel in influencing prospects and customers.