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Improve Performance, Provoke Thought, Think Critically.

You are constantly striving to improve.  You are looking for practical tips you can apply to your daily work that will impact your performance.  You are looking for advice from professionals who do the work. You want to engage with professionals who have been in your shoes.

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The Find My Catalyst Podcast is published weekly.  We take listener questions at @catalystsale on twitter or hello@catalystsale.com via email.

Topics discussed - Revenue Operations, Customer Success, Goal Setting & Execution, Mindset, Performance, B2B Sales, Sales Training, Product Market Fit, Growth, Hiring, Recruitment, Sales Process, Business Acumen, Startups, Leadership.

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  2. Listener question - How do you survive as a salesperson in a siloed organization? - 118

Listener question - How do you survive as a salesperson in a siloed organization? - 118

Nov 27, 2018

How do you survive as a salesperson in a siloed organization?

This week on the Catalyst Sale Podcast, we have a listener question.  James wonders, how do you survive as a salesperson in a siloed organization?

Many of us have dealt with this challenge at one point or another.  Lack of access, lack of awareness, lack of engagement across functional areas within an organization.  In many organizations, this is by design. In others, it is a function of the culture.  Silos create an alignment risk and do not let you leverage the collective intelligence and expertise of the broader team.  

We discuss this, and a couple of other items, including survival on the podcast this week.

Thanks for listening.  If you know someone who could benefit from this conversation, please share the episode.

Questions Addressed

  • If we have a question for the podcast, where can we send them?
  • How do you survive as a salesperson in an organization, with no marketing systems?
  • What is a 'siloed' organization?
  • Can you control the silo?
  • Can you leave your silo, and reach across the line?
  • Survival skills in the wilderness - what are some of the things you need to keep in mind?
  • How does this apply to us in business?
  • What can you do about silos?

Key Takeaways

  • How to Ask Catalyst Sale Questions
  • Silos are a result of the walls that exist between functional areas within organizations
  • They can lead to a lack of alignment or disconnect
  • Control what you can control - here are some of the things you can control as a sales professional.
    • The interactions you have with customers
    • Direct outreach
    • The way you go about doing your job
    • The way you engage with others
  • Success breeds success - Bring others into the success equation
  • Invite product or marketing to customer calls
    • Define the call plan
    • Leverage their expertise
  • Empathize with the needs of the product team
  • Identify the person who cares within your team
  • Build your network - don't waste their time.
  • Just because the organization creates the silo, does not mean you have to operate in that manner. 
  • Build the relationships, find common ground
  • Networking inside your organization is as important as networking outside of your organization.
  • You can incrementally tear down silos
  • "Things aren't the way they are, they are only the way you let them be" - Lee Cockerell
  • It does not have to be that way. 
  • Keep in mind, you may be dealing with cultural issues.
  • The path to change begins with one step.
  • Survival in sales
    • Make your number
    • There are other things you can provide back to the organization that go beyond the number - i.e. providing customer feedback
    • Continue to look at the data that is in front of you.
  • Survival skills in the wilderness - what are some of the things you need to keep in mind?
    • Take stock of what you have
    • Figure out where you are
    • Know where you are going
  • These skills, survival, project management, communication, they apply.
  • Leverage your OODA loop
  • Sales is a thinking process
  • If you are operating in an organization that enables or supports silos and you would like to change this, you can start with the following questions.
    • What are you doing about it?
    • What's the current state?
    • What's the desired state?
    • Where are the gaps?
    • What can you control?
  • Differentiate between what you can control and what you can influence?

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Catalyst Sale

In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal.  There is a Catalyst.  We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high-growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do. 

Sales is a Thinking Process.