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Sell me this pen? This is one of the best scenes in any movie, period. I had a routine KRMC consultation this week, and something came up that I wanted to share. But before I start, let me give you context. I have been in sales my entire career, from selling glasses of wine and caramelized onions at Wood Ranch after college to selling backpacks at Herschel and then selling a vision of the future as a CEO. I believe everything is a form of selling, which is not bad. Therefore, I think I can sell anything. But I live by a clear code of conduct—be transparent. The CEO who reached out, who was looking for help, asked if I had any experience selling SaaS. Therefore, my answer was no. I have not sold SaaS before. However, I am confident I would help this person solve their revenue problems. And here is why... You have a customer and a prospect. They have a problem. Is your product the solution or not? If your product is the solution. You can execute a deal. And if your product is not the solution, you can do one of two things. 1. Change your product (Hard). 2. Change your prospects (Easier). With all this said, do you agree that a sales leader can sell anything with the correct information and context? Or not? Now that my curiosity is sparked, I want to talk to a seasoned SaaS sales leader and hear firsthand how they do what they do. DM me if this is you and if you want to indulge me. If you haven't watched WOLF OF WALL STREET. I would do so immediately. Have a great day!

This is how I increase revenue in a b2b environment! In my experience, adding new customers is the wrong answer—at least partially wrong. And here is why. The odds are that you have not maximized the opportunity with your existing account base. But it's hard to fine-tune the relationship for maximum potential. You have to meet with the buyers, managers, and top brass at the company to unlock that last 20 to 30% of growth. Therefore, the "easier" answer is to try opening a new account. But this comes with its own challenges. New account challenges. 1. The time it takes to convince the account to take on your product. 2. It takes time to go through your first few test orders. 3. The time it takes to align your marketing with their marketing and drive brand awareness. 4. The time it takes to build a trusted-based relationship with the account. While you are doing all of this, I advise my clients to double down on their existing account base and find ways to create more opportunities. Here are a few tactics. 1. Fly to the home office with your senior team and have a Top-to-Top meeting. In this meeting, you discuss the big picture and paint your version of the future and how you can drive more revenue, new customers, and profitability to your account. Be prepared to offer a little extra discount or more marketing dollars. It has to be a win-win! 2. Explore special products for your current account base—exclusives, etc. 3. Explore new categories outside of your core offering. 4. This is the most important one: ask your contacts how you can grow the business. 5. Bonus: Ask them what they need for their customers that the market doesn't offer, and find a way to fill that gap. Yes, there are more ways, but this is your starter pack. After doing all of this, you can open new accounts. Extra credit: If you are the head of sales, founders and visionaries are key to the top-to-top meeting. This is where they can shine. But make sure you all have the same talking points. Otherwise, it can get off the rails quickly. You got this!

Five ways you are sabotaging your trade show experience. I learned this after being the first employee of Agenda Show and Co-Founding The NTWRK Agency and LA Men's Market. Before # 1, build a beautiful booth! That does not mean it is expensive. It must look great and emphasize your brand. If your booth looks dirty and poorly designed, you lost before the game started. I got inspired to write this post after buying a pair of Stand Shoes. These would be perfect for the hard floors of a trade show. 1. Lack of preparation. The buyer walks into the booth. "I love this (Fill in the blank, shoe, pizza, robot vacuum). How much is it?" Brand person. "I don't know. Let me check the price." Or, I want to write an order. And the brand person does not have the documents, iPad, etc, ready to go. Correction. Brand person, "We love it too, for all these reasons; here is the price and 5 more reasons you should buy. And we can get your account set up right now." 2. No Greeting: A person walks up to the booth, and no one greets them. Follow the 20-second rule. Everyone should be greeted within 20 seconds of arriving at the booth. At crowded shows, this can flex up. Correction: Have a greeter(s) welcome everyone in, politely ask who they are if the badge is not visible, and get them to the right person on the brand team. 3. Being on your phone. This should be # 1. I get it; a business must be run during the trade show. There is nothing more disappointing than walking by a brand at a show and seeing multiple people's heads down on their phones. I can't tell you how many times I saw someone walk by and have to jump into the aisle to get their attention. And that often would lead to a relationship. Correction: If you must use your phone. Excuse yourself from the booth. Let a colleague know you have to step away and will be back. 4. Sitting down. Buyers are walking by, and the brand team should be up, energetic, and say hello to everyone. People sitting down makes the booth look like it has no energy. Motion creates emotion. Correction: Stand up! Wear comfortable shoes. And if you have a business where you need to sit with people at the show, factor that into the booth design. 5. Low energy. It is very true; much business happens before and after the trade show, at dinner, at the bar, etc. I am sorry; no excuses. If you are at the booth, you need to look alive. Correction: Get some rest, eat breakfast, drink some coffee, go for a run, or do whatever gets you going. Bonus: Anticipate what a buyer would have to leave the booth. For example, have a phone charger ready, have water, snacks, etc. If the buyer says, I need to go to get water and charge my phone, your reply is, I've got you covered. What are your keys to success at a tradeshow? Let’s discuss. KRMC

I saw this great post about how running the new Streetwear is. So I wanted to give a short history lesson. This all started around 2013 with a handful of run clubs. These clubs merged the fashion world with the running world. You know I am telling the truth because of how low-res these photos are! One of the first clubs in LA was MIP from Samantha Jo Alonso Valerie Julian, Nai Vasha Thomas Sophia Chang™ NY, and AFE in Tokyo. I mention these clubs because I ran with all of them. There were others, of course. And then the torch was handed off to the next generation of clubs like Michael Pak, who started https://lnkd.in/gRF3iRB7 If you were there, share some pics and stories. I love seeing how the world has progressed and all the new running brands out there! Shout out to Harry Salmons for inspiring this post. If you were there, share some pics and stories. Alero Akuya Roderick Hunt Kristen Tambara Kamauri Yeh Rocky Xu https://lnkd.in/gRQ_XafH KRMC

“I know at the end I'll be more upset about the risks I didn't take. Then I will about the fallout from the ones I did. “ Scott Galloway The Algebra of Wealth If you keep your eyes and ears open, the universe will show you exactly what you need. I am 41 years old and have been blessed with great luck and success. This did not come without hard work and hardship. If I follow my parent's path, I won't live beyond my 60's. I don't mention this for sympathy or to be morbid. I say it because it's my motivation to push beyond what is comfortable. The clock is ticking. Who else needs to hear this right now? What are you not doing today because of a perceived risk? That on your death bed, you will look back and wish you just did it? I needed to hear it. Thank you, Scott Galloway, for showing up and putting things into perspective. One thing I want to do more of but have yet to be fully committed to is doing more podcasts and speaking engagements. Frankly, I love speaking in front of people. I find that the majority of people hate it. Until now, I have been worried about what others might think. It sounds stupid typing it, but that's the truth. Here it is. I want to do more podcasts and speaking engagements. If you want to talk, reach out, and let's set something up. Eventually, I can make it to the Prof G or Pivot Show. I did this interview last year with Chris Denson on Masters of Craft and want to share it with my community. Thanks for allowing me to tell some stories. P.S. I plan to live well beyond my 60s and take steps towards that goal daily! KRMC

Is your 2024 financial forecast in line with your expectations? If yes, scroll to the next post. If not, see below. There are 263 days left in the year to figure it out. This is why I started KRMC: to share my experience and help you win. There is no silver bullet. However, in my many years as a sales leader and company leader, I have faced a down year and figured it out with strategic planning, creativity, and some guts how to turn it around. I started my consulting company to share that knowledge with you. I refuse to take on clients that won't see a return on their investment. Step one is to set up a time for an assessment. This is where we both find out if this is a match. If yes, we are off the races. If not, I will be crystal clear why. And try my best to recommend someone who will be a better fit. Book a time for an assessment here: https://lnkd.in/dzN6RmtB Ok, Let's win! P.S. My services do not come with flowers.