As a GTM leader, you’re probably working every day to improve your playbook and you’re not alone. If improving your sales motions is a serious priority, you should probably check out this episode. Doug Landis is the CEO of DL Advisory and both a renowned sales professional and storyteller. Doug joins Co-Hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson for a B2B sales and messaging masterclass, including an explainer of his Hypothesis Selling methodology. Doug dives into why outbound sales motions have become so ineffective, the value of verticalization in competitive markets, and how much of an impact the "Thought-Leadershipization" of your Executive Team can have on your win rate.

Also, Craig is locked in a life-or-death struggle against the internet and Matt shares his personal insights on Nick Mehta and Doug’s fashion choices.

Takeaways:

Outbound sales reps need to earn the right to have a conversation with buyers before they share more about who they are and what they do. Sellers need to show buyers that they know them and understand the problems they’re facing, more so than the product solutions and features the buyer thinks they need.
The core idea of Hypothesis Selling is for sellers to communicate that they understand the problems a buyer is facing by providing them with a hunch or a hypothesis of what the seller thinks the buyer’s world might be like.

Chapters:

00:00 Triassic Tattoos
02:44 Introducing Doug Landis: A Beacon of Sales Wisdom
05:36 How has the GTM Playbook Changed in the Past 4 years
11:34 The Art of Outbound: Rethinking Sales Strategies
25:16 Unlocking the Secrets of Killer Products
26:16 Survival Tips for Inferior Products
27:37 The Art of Execution: From Market Demand to Customer Conversations
34:24 The Impact of the "Thought-Leadershipization" of your Executive Team
41:49 Who’s the Best-dressed in B2B?

Quote of the Show:

“If you're going to earn the right to actually share more about who you are and what you do, then you've got to build that.” - Doug Landis

Sponsor:

Ringmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored and produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Connect with Doug Landis:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglandis/
DL Advisory Website: https://www.douglandis.com/

Shoutouts:

Maria Pergolino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariapergolino/
Arc'teryx logo tattoo: https://www.tiktok.com/@kjadeg/video/7337453935013252394
Arc'teryx response: https://www.tiktok.com/@kjadeg/video/7345316691762711851
Lavender: https://www.lavender.ai/
Norwest Ventures: https://www.nvp.com/
Doug’s post about Norwest Ventures report: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/douglandis_kudos-to-norwest-venture-partners-for-this-activity-7179189994635370496-LULM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Kyle Coleman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyletcoleman/
Copy.ai: https://www.copy.ai/
Infor: https://www.infor.com/
Chris Ball: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-ball-010/
Veeva: https://www.veeva.com/
Peter Gassner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgassner/
Nick Mehta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmehta/
Gainsight: https://www.gainsight.com/
Amy Chang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changamy/
John Barrows: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/
John Barrows’ episode of The Transaction: https://thetransaction.substack.com/p/augmenting-automating-the-transaction
Robert Koehler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rkoehler/
Brandon O’Sullivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tailwindsales/

Phrases Minted in this episode:

The Honest, Truthful, Ideal Customer Profile
"Thought-Leadershipization" of the Executive Team

Follow the Show:

Craig’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigrosenberg/
Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-amundson-91657236/
The Transaction on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-transaction/
The Transaction Website: https://thetransactionpod.com/
Substack: https://thetransaction.substack.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3i3r3WLacRZiSa7dOaOgDz
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-transaction/id1734518309

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTransaction?sub_confirmation=1

Overcoming Outbound Challenges with Doug Landis - The Transaction - Ep # 9

The Transaction