Selling with Simplicity: Helping Customers Make Decisions with Bob Marsh, Sales Keynote Speaker & CRO at Bluewater

This week on the Revenue Insights Podcast, we are joined by Bob Marsh, Sales Keynote Speaker & CRO at Bluewater

In this episode, Lee and Bob discuss the importance of being genuine, thoughtful, and helpful in sales. Bob delves into the shift towards simplicity in sales and the importance of personalization in communicating with prospects. He shares valuable insights on defining ideal customer profiles, the characteristics of top performers, and the use of data to enhance sales performance.

Bob spent his career in high-growth companies and currently serves as Chief Revenue Officer at Bluewater Technologies, a design-forward technology company that helps craft moments that connect and inspire. He helps a team of 250+ experts guide brands through their storytelling process using audio-visual technology at both live events and in the workplace.

Throughout his career, Bob has transformed both businesses he’s led and clients he’s served, from HP Enterprise to Verizon and hundreds more. He’s brought his message to leading events, including Dreamforce, SaaStr, and Inbound. He’s recently been focusing on helping to educate other companies on how they can build a high-performance, customer-centered culture. 

• Bob Marsh on LinkedIn
• Bluewater Technologies Website

Time Stamps:

• 00:40 – Bob’s journey into sales
• 04:10 – Bob’s philosophy of “selling with simplicity”
• 08:01 – Error of not focusing on the customer
• 09:12 – The problem with long and unclear written messages
• 12:17 – How to write concise and impactful messages
• 15:26 – Importance of relevant and specific communications
• 19:54 – The need for a data-driven approach and identifying the ideal customer profile
• 23:01 – The “bull’s eye” of ideal customers
• 25:47 – Key characteristics of top performers
• 29:40 – Asking thoughtful questions for  specific customer insights

Highlights:

Selling with Simplicity

Bob dives deep into the crucial concept of simplifying sales messaging. He explains that while simplifying seems easy, it requires significant effort and an understanding of customer needs. Bob explains that simplicity is not about dumbing down the message but about focusing on the essentials and communicating them in a clear and concise way that appeals to the customer..

Characteristics of Top Performers

According to Bob, top performers share a quality of belief in their product and value proposition and project this confidence in their interactions with prospects. He highlights 4 characteristics of top performers

1. They carry themselves with confidence and communicate with clarity and conviction.
2. They go very deep on understanding the customer’s need
3. They have a mindset of helping and not selling, taking the customer through the buying process
4. They have the mentality of “impact management”, not just “time–management.” They identify and schedule their most impactful activities into their calendars as non-negotiable commitments. 

Leveraging Data for Sales Success

Bob opines that most valuable data for sales success often comes from within your own company. You get that by analyzing your top customers to understand their characteristics and identify the ideal customer profile. He advises using tools like LinkedIn and Zoominfo to find prospects who share the characteristics of your ideal customers. Bob advises investing in data-driven sales tools and strategies but balancing high volume and personalized outreach.

Building a Customer-Centric Sales Culture

Throughout the conversation, Bob emphasizes the importance of building a sales culture focused on the customer. He encourages salespeople to understand their ideal customers, tailor their messaging to address specific needs and challenges and build genuine relationships based on trust and value. By prioritizing the customer, sales organizations can create a more sustainable and profitable business model.

Subscribe to the Revenue Insights Podcast:

• Apple
• Spotify
• YouTube
• RSS

Recommended Episodes:

• A New Focus For CMOs: Achieve More with Less with Jeff Marcoux of Bombora
• How to Prevent Deal Slippage in 2023 with Brad McGinity at Hone
• Mastering the Art of Relationship Building with Jaime Konzelman, Vice President, Sales at Unisys
• Establishing a High-Performance Business through Efficient Change Management with Zach Gropper, Founder, and CEO at Insight Revenue