POPULARITY
Hosted by greg head
Hosted by greg head
2 episodes with greg head
2 episodes with greg head
3 episodes with greg head
2 episodes with greg head
Are you building a B2B SaaS andaiming to hit 10M ARR? Then this episode is a must-listen! In this podcast, we talk about how to scale a B2B SaaS business to 10 million in annual revenue (ARR). The episode includes tips from 20 experts in the field, offering useful advice for SaaS founders. Sponsored by Reditus, a platform that helpsmanage affiliate programs for B2B SaaS companies, this episode pulls together key lessons from earlier episodes to guide founders aiming for this big milestone.Key Timecodes(1:07) -Episode 1: Scaling beyond founder-led sales(2:17) -Episode 2: Building a sustainable SaaS business with Ferdinand Goetzen(3:19) -Episode 3: Tim Schumacher's B2B SaaS growth playbook(4:30) -Episode 4: Affiliate marketing for B2B SaaS with Joran Hofman(5:40) -Episode 5: Molding a go-to-market team into a revenue factory with Jacco van der Kooij(6:53) -Episode 6: Leveraging customer success for growth with Mike Dry(8:00) -Episode 7: Building and scaling a micro SaaS with Alex Urquhart(9:53) -Episode 8: Mastering message market fit with Diane Wiredu(11:36) -Episode 9: From agency to SaaS with Chris Out(12:32) -Episode 10: Starting and growing a B2B podcast with Tom Hunt(14:57) -Episode 11: Going global with Gilles Bertaux(17:08) -Episode 12: Path to a successful SaaS exit with Ryan Allis(18:08) -Episode 13: Hiring your first marketing leader with Andrew Davis(20:21) -Episode 14: Building SaaS without big VC funding with Greg Head(22:20) -Episode 15: Leveraging social media for growth with Chris Cunningham(24:43) -Episode 16: Growing a SaaS affiliate program with Adam Glazer(26:27) -Episode 17: Building a brand strategy with Angeley Mullins(28:56) -Episode 18: Positioning for explosive growth with April Dunford(30:10) -Episode 19: Building a profitable SaaS SEO strategy with Sam Dunning(33:20) -Episode 20: Building brand authority with Melissa Rosenthal
Are you building a B2B SaaS andaiming to hit 10K MRR? Then this episode is a must-listen! In this special episode, we've gathered insights from 20 experienced guests from Season 5 of the "Grow Your B2B SaaS" podcast. Each guest shares their top advice to help founders like you reach the crucial milestone of 10K MRR. Hosted by Joran Hofman, founder of Reditus, this episode is packed with practical strategies forscaling your SaaS business in a sustainable way. Get ready for a wealth of expert tips you won't want to miss!Key Timecodes(0:00) - Episode Introduction: Are you growing a B2B SaaS and looking to hit 10K MRR?(1:11) -Episode 1: Kevin Tye on scaling beyond founder-led sales.(2:16) -Episode 2: Ferdinand Goetzen on building a sustainable SaaS business.(3:12) -Episode 3: Tim Schumacher's playbook for early-stage SaaS growth.(4:13) -Episode 4: Joran Hofman on affiliate marketing for B2B SaaS.(5:19) -Episode 5: Jacco van der Kooij on molding a go-to-market team.(6:21) -Episode 6: Mike Dry on leveraging customer success for growth.(7:33) -Episode 7: Alex Urquhart on building and scaling a micro SaaS.(8:30) -Episode 8: Diane Wiredu on mastering message market fit.(9:23) -Episode 9: Chris Out on transitioning from agency to SaaS.(10:14) -Episode 10: Tom Hunt on starting and growing a B2B podcast.(11:05) -Episode 11: Gilles Bertaux on going global with your SaaS.(12:58) -Episode 12: Ryan Allis on outbound strategies for SaaS growth.(14:09) -Episode 13: Andrew Davis on hiring your first marketing leader.(15:26) -Episode 14: Greg Head on building SaaS without big VC funding.(16:22) -Episode 15: Chris Cunningham on leveraging social media for growth.(17:31) -Episode 16: Adam Glazer on setting up a SaaS affiliate program.(18:47) -Episode 17: Angeley Mullins on AI tools for efficiency.(19:57) -Episode 18: April Dunford on positioning for explosive growth.(21:01) -Episode 19: Sam Dunning on building a profitable SaaS SEO strategy.(22:26) -Episode 20: Melissa Rosenthal on building brand authority.
What are the 7 was to build a successful SaaS without big VC funding? In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS Podcast, host Joran Hofman chats with Greg Head, a veteran in the software industry with over 30 years of experience. Greg has played a key role in the growth of multiple companies in the CRM space, such as Act, SalesLogix, and Infusionsoft. Currently, he advises SaaS founders through his Practical Founders group and hosts the Practical Founder podcast. In this episode, they explore his insights into building a successful SaaS business without the need for big venture capital (VC) funding. This episode is essential for any SaaS founder exploring alternative paths to success. Whether you're bootstrapping or considering alternative funding options, Greg Head's insights are invaluable for building a thriving SaaS business. Key Timestamps (2:56) - Understanding the Practical Founder Approach (3:07) - Building a SaaS Without Big VC Funding (4:23) - Should Founders Aim to Sell Their SaaS? (5:49) - Building a Profitable Software Company (7:07) - Seven Paths to Success for SaaS Founders (13:10) - The Cost of Starting a Software Business (14:08) - Understanding the Value of Strategic Exits (16:45) - The Two-Bite Exit Strategy (19:16) - Private Equity vs. Strategic Exits (23:03) - The Startup Flipper Path (28:29) - Later VC Funding as an Option (36:22) - Advice for Founders at 10K MRR (39:11) - Building a Reliable Go-To-Market Motion
Have you ever woken up to find that the SaaS platform you've built your consultancy around has introduced AI features that could automate most of your work? This isn't just a hypothetical situation; it's a reality many of us are facing today. In this solo episode, I dive into the significant impact of AI on our industry, inspired by a thought-provoking conversation with Greg Head, who helps non-VC funded SaaS founders.I discuss how AI is not only changing our workflows but also reshaping the entire value chain for tech consultants and SaaS partners. Industry leaders are suggesting that platforms like HubSpot may eventually replace many agency functions, including strategic roles. However, I want to emphasize that this transformation isn't a death sentence for us; rather, it's a chance to evolve and thrive.Resources and LinksJoin the Tech CollectiveMoonshot PRInsight PartnersSaaStrTomasz TunguzGreg Head486 - Inbound Mastery: How to Use Content Marketing to Become the #1 Zoho Partner in The USA with Brett Martin525 - AI - Death of Developers? With Mark GoodPrevious episode: 580 - From Messy CRM to Revenue Engine: Clay Implementation Secrets with Patrick SpychalskiCheck out more episodes of The Paul Higgins ShowThe Tech Consultant's RoadmapJoin our newsletterSuggested resourcesFind out more about Paul and how he can help you
The Vampire Council podcast returns after a super-slumber for the final season of 'What We Do in the Shadows. We're looking for a hot head from a cool dude for Cravenworth's Monster! Tim-Heads will rejoice for Tim Heidecker's Jordan, joining WWDITS co-producers Jeremy Levick and Rajat Suresh on-screen while they chase the Asian markets and burn the midnight oil. Suck it, Gregg-heads! No offense implied or intended to the real-life Greg Head, The Neighbor! Nadja helps Guillermo climb straight from the mailroom to Jordan's desk at Cannon Capital Strategies, while Nandor, aka Jandy, cleans up "the mess." In Colin's search for friendship, he takes over the Build-A-Monster project with just a little patience. Put on some Latin jazz and keep your monster strapped in for this wild group rideshare! How about them apples? You can have a mouse as a treat, but we're not making a habit of it! MORE - WE BOUGHT A WEBSITE! vampcouncil.com http://www.leaguepodcast.com/vampcouncil http://vampcouncil.com/facebook http://spotify.vampcouncil.com http://vampcouncil.com/podcast http://vampcouncil.com 00:00 Introduction to the Dark Arts of Corporate America 01:51 Laszlo has never heard of Frankenstein or his monster 06:39 Guillermo's New Job at Canon Capital 25:44 Nadja's Working Girl moment 30:59 Everyone loves greeting Jandy 32:41 Guillermo talks up clubbing at Zero Bond 45:46 Final Thoughts and Future Speculations #WWDITS #WWDITSPOD on Twitter and Instagram "@leaguepodcast" --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matt-dursin/support
In this second of two episodes, Practical Founders Podcast host Greg Head discusses the next five important things venture capital investors don't tell new SaaS startup founders. Greg emphasizes that VCs invest in very few businesses and seek big wins. He highlights the importance of understanding the game of venture capital funding and the alternatives available to SaaS founders. Check out last week's episode, in which Greg discusses the first five things that VCs don't tell SaaS startup founders about raising VC capital. Quote from Greg Head, Host of the Practical Founders Podcast “Professional VC investors are expecting very big results when they invest. If you sell a piece of your company to get a $5 million Series A investment, that typically ends up being about 20 percent of your equity. So you've just valued your company after funding at about $25 million. “$25 million is the point where the venture capital investor comes in, so you can't sell your business for $30 million or $50 million anymore. That wasn't why the VC invested. They probably don't even want you to sell your business for $75 million. That's just a 3X exit. “That's not what they invested their precious cash. They're going for a 10x or 20x exit. So even when you just take $5 million from VCs, you can't sell your company for less than $100 million and have everyone win. You have to sell for $500 million or more for everyone to be happy, including the founders.” Links Greg Head on LinkedIn Practical Founders website Practical Founders Podcast Greg Head's blog Part 1 – The 10 Things that VCs Don't Tell Startup SaaS Founders – Greg Head
In this episode, Practical Founders Podcast host Greg Head discusses the most important things venture capital investors don't tell new SaaS startup founders. He emphasizes that VCs invest in very few businesses and are looking for big wins. Greg highlights the importance of understanding the game of venture capital funding and the alternatives available to SaaS founders. Quote from Greg Head, Host of the Practical Founders Podcast “If you're thinking about raising VC investment, do your homework so you know what you are signing up for before. VCs are not evil people, and it's not a bad business model—for them. “The world has changed for SaaS founders in the last 5-10 years, and it's still changing. You no longer need VC funding to start most B2B SaaS software companies. It's 10 times cheaper to create a sellable SaaS product and go to market now. And founders can get higher multiples earlier when they sell their companies. VC funds are also much bigger, so it's riskier for founders to play that game. “You just don't need to make a crazy all-or-nothing bet that your company will create a billion-dollar exit in seven years, which VC investors require to win. The best case scenario for 80 to 90 % of software companies is NOT to raise big institutional venture funding.” Links Greg Head on LinkedIn Practical Founders website Practical Founders Podcast Greg Head's blog The Practical Founders Podcast Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies—without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app.
In this conversation, venture capitalist David Paul and Greg Head of Scaling Point discuss the changing landscape of funding for startups. They explore the drawbacks of relying on venture capital (VC) funding and the benefits of bootstrapping and practical founder approaches. Greg emphasizes that VC funding is not necessary for success and that there are multiple paths to building valuable software companies. They also discuss the role of private equity in acquiring SaaS companies and the importance of profitability in the growth game. Greg offers advice to founders and invites them to connect with him for further guidance. You can watch/listen to the podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.TakeawaysVC funding is not necessary for building valuable software companiesBootstrapping and practical founder approaches can lead to successPrivate equity plays a significant role in acquiring SaaS companiesProfitability is crucial in the growth gameThere are multiple paths to success in the startup worldSound Bites"VC funding should be used in small doses only when it's really appropriate, like opioids.""VC funding is usually misunderstood by founders and overprescribed by big investors.""Getting to product market fit is the universal problem, whether you are funding it yourself or out of a service business or have a little angel funding or get to customer revenues."Chapters03:08 The Changing Landscape of Startup Funding09:15 The Drawbacks of Venture Capital Funding15:37 The Benefits of Bootstrapping and Practical Founders27:31 The Importance of Profitability in the Growth Game29:13 Multiple Paths to Success in the Startup World
Join us as Matt Watson chats with Greg Head about the power of in-person events like the SaaS Open. We're talking about ditching the Zoom fatigue and forging real connections with founders who GET IT. They discuss the value of talking to other entrepreneurs and attending events. They highlight the power of community and the benefits of connecting with like-minded individuals. They also touch on the importance of in-person events and their impact on building relationships. The conversation emphasizes the practical aspects of running a SaaS business and the challenges founders face. In this episode, you will learn about: Talking to other entrepreneurs and attending events can provide valuable insights and support. Building a community of like-minded individuals can be energizing and help overcome challenges. In-person events allow for deeper connections and a different level of understanding. Practical founders focus on the nitty-gritty of growing a business without relying on big funding. Networking and learning from others in the entrepreneurial community is essential for success. Overall, the episode emphasizes the value of networking and learning from others in the entrepreneurial community. Find Startup Hustle Everywhere: https://gigb.co/l/YEh5 This episode is sponsored by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io Visit the Practical Founders website: https://practicalfounders.com Learn more about Greg Head: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheadaz Highlighted Discussion Points Entrepreneurship, community, and networking. 0:31 Entrepreneurship, networking, and growth at SaaS open conference. 1:28 Entrepreneurship, business growth, and SaaS industry insights. 6:00 Business growth challenges and strategies. 9:43 The importance of networking for SaaS founders. 15:39 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are you ready to unravel the secrets of building a valuable company without the stress of big funding? Our latest 'De-stress Your Business' episode features none other than Greg Head, a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the software business. Greg's impact is undeniable, having played pivotal roles in three companies that generated a staggering $2 billion in total revenue. But he's more than a business pro – Greg is the guiding force for 40 practical SaaS founders, the host of the Practical Founders Podcast, and the genius behind Gregslist.com that connects and celebrates local software communities. What truly distinguishes Greg is his passionate advocacy for practical founders to not only build valuable companies but also lead fulfilling personal lives. The conversation covers: The dynamic worlds of VC-funded and practical startups, unraveling funding models, and debunking misconceptions. Keys to successful exits, drawing from Greg's rich experience and insights. What sets practical founders apart and how to build valuable companies while leading fulfilling personal lives. #PracticalFounders #StartupSuccess #BusinessGrowth #FounderLife #PodcastInsights #Entrepreneurship #NoStressSuccess #BusinessBalance #GregHeadInterview #DestressYourBusiness --- Helpful resources: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheadaz/ - Website: https://practicalfounders.com/ - Ebook: https://practicalfounders.com/7-success-paths-to-win-the-startup-end-game/
Greg Head, who has spent the past 30 years leading, growing, and advising software companies, shares why VC funding is misunderstood and over-prescribed, how AI will change the future of marketing, and explains the world of practical founders.
As the host of the Practical Founders Podcast, I have interviewed 46 successful SaaS founders and 6 savvy experts in the first year of weekly episodes. In this episode, I share some of the deeper insights, surprising lessons, and useful perspective that I have learned after so many great conversations. Practical founders are building valuable software companies without big funding all over the world and in every corner of the software business. It's an amazing time to be a practical founder. Practical founders are solving problems, changing the world, and doing it their way. The founder equity value and founder wealth created by just the 46 founders I interviewed this year is over $1 billion. Tune in to this episode where I share what's going on right now and how these founders are succeeding in their own ways. In this episode, Greg explains: What characteristics that all successful practical founders have in common Why there are so many variations and ways to create a successful software company when you don't raise big funding What has happened in the last 5 years that makes it better for most new founders to grow a serious software company without big funding Why we don't see the hundreds of billions of founder equity value and wealth that have been created by practical founders who have grown thousands of valuable software companies without big funding Learn more at practicalfounders.com.
E40: Join Todd Sullivan and Greg Head, a software and SaaS expert with multiple exits under his belt, as they discuss his background building exceptional businesses, the experiences that shaped his view of Venture Capital as a growth vehicle, and his path to becoming a champion for practical founders everywhere.Greg not only explains how venture capital often imposes unrealistic growth requirements, but he also emphasizes how founders who retain their equity experience larger personal financial wins when it comes time to sell their businesses. Greg is a 30-year software industry veteran who was part of the startup-to-scale journeys of three different software companies in the CRM industry, including one IPO. Today, Greg spends his time mentoring SaaS founders on the value of bootstrapping their companies to retain equity, ownership and control of the business decisions. I hope you enjoyed the conversation with Greg Head.Where To Find Todd Sullivan (Host): LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddfsullivan/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Todd_Sullivan Where To Find Greg Head (Guest): LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheadaz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregHead Episode 40 Required Reading, Listening & Viewing: Practical Founders podcast Practical Founders Peer Groups Gregslist.com - Gregslist is the curated up-to-date list of local software and SaaS companies in 12 major cities in North America. Scaling Point - Helping practical software startup founders grow and create valuable companies without big funding. Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to the CASHING OUT PODCAST? Have some feedback you'd like to share? Connect with us on iTunes and leave us a review!
In this episode, Greg Head, Founder at Practical Founders shares:What every founder should know before raising venture capitalThe roles VCs play in your company after writing a big checkWhy VC backed companies need to grow at all costs or risk becoming "zombie startups"Practical Founders is a podcast and peer group designed for practical founders who are building valuable software companies without big funding.ProfitLed host, Melissa Kwan and Amman also discusses:What was your experience with VC funded companies that ultimately gave you the perspective that you have today?How are Practical Founders are different from VC backed?What recommendations would you have for founders who need funding but don't want to go the VC route?Contact ProfitLed Tweet us at @profitledfm. Find show notes of each episode on ProfitLed.fm. Connect with our host, Melissa on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for listening!This podcast was brought to you by eWebinar.
According to this guy, Startup Entrepreneurs are CRAZY! In a remarkably impressive way. In this episode of Tough Talks we get to explore the inner workings of the minds of such entrepreneurs and specifically this particular one, Greg Head. Greg is the Founder of Gregslist.com, a curated up-to-date list of local software companies that is used by thousands of founders, tech execs, investors, job seekers, and community leaders each month which is now available for tech communities in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Austin, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Toronto. He is also the founder of PracticalFounders.com, where he helps crazy software entrepreneurs to change the world – and do it THEIR WAY (ie, without huge VC funding)! This is super cool because I coach SOOO many entrepreneurs in the tech industry but I've never interviewed someone like Greg who exists solely in that world on the mindset of attempting to create big things that, as he says, “usually don't work!” More about Greg: Website: https://practicalfounder.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregheadaz/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/greghead Greg's List: https://gregslist.com/ The Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz The Book: Lost and Founder by Rand Fishkin Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-startup-entrepreneurs-are-crazy-with-greg-head/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list. Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it. --- https://christopherdorris.com/lists --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mental-toughness-podcasts/message
Greg Head joins me this week on the podcast. We talk about connecting people, building networks, building business, and making an impact. There are people who can help you address the acute problem you are working through. Greg's List - Phoenix Greg's List - Dallas Dallas Software Podcast GregHead.com PracticalFounders.com Greg on LinkedIn You can make an impact through helping others. This episode is brought to you by the Catalyst G.A.M.E Plan.
In this episode of Agents Influence podcast, host Jason Cass interviews Greg Head, Founder of Gregslist. Greg shares about his background in the software industry and gives us his insights on InsurTech and software disruption in the industry. Episode Highlights: Greg shares that he is an iPhone user and the last app he downloaded. (3:43) Greg tells us why he loves to win. (4:35) Greg says that he thinks that skill has been a bigger factor in his career. (5:16) Greg shares his background and his story of how he got to where he is right now. (6:31) Greg tells us more about Gregslist.com. (8:27) Greg explains that the software industry has grown over the years. (11:11) Greg shares that insurance and tech experts are the ones who are finding leverage and creating businesses. (18:20) Greg explains that timing and team are two components that make companies strong. (22:06) Greg tells us that the AMS business hasn't changed in so many years. (27:06) Greg shares some of the myths in the software industry. (33:53) Key Quotes: "The software industry has grown since the late 80s, right, we had the software in a box, and then software and servers, and now software in the Cloud. And for the most part, that is all those early phases, it was software for every kind of company." - Greg Head "So there's a horse race to be the best. And that's where most of the capital goes when the horse races on and everybody's trying to get big fast." - Greg Head "There will always be people involved. And the people will finally have the leverage of technology like Steve Jobs's bicycle analogy, right? We were pretty fast humans, you know, relatively bad at running. But when we got the bicycle we were the fastest on Earth." - Greg Head Resources Mentioned: Greg Head LinkedIn Scaling Point Gregslist Reach out to Jason Cass Agency Intelligence
Greg Head is one of the biggest champions of Arizona's tech scene. Even though he's now based out of Dallas, he runs Gregslist in Phoenix, one of the best resources for entrepreneurs, investors and founders in the valley. Not only that, but he has the experience of marketing major startups and helping them scale to multimillion dollar companies. In this episode, Greg tells Hamid some of his best tips for scaling, marketing and getting your company's name and product out in the world.
Resource Links: Visit the Wicked Reports Website (https://www.wickedreports.com/) Greg Head Website (https://greghead.com/) Gregslist Website (https://gregslist.com/) Reaching great growth moments in a business, whether you’re an ecom or a SaaS startup, is an amazing experience. But growth isn’t easily attained as we have seen other companies who have struggled. To help with this, I’ve decided to invite the marketing mastermind behind Infusionsoft’s fast-tracked growth. Greg Head, who is now running marketing consulting business Scaling Point, and SaaS community resource, Gregslist, is here with me today to talk about marketing strategy and tactics for achieving scale. If you want to be on your way to hyperfast growth, then this episode is perfect for you. So tune in. Episode Highlights: Greg’s vision for Gregslist [01:12] His experience of growing companies to $100M [03:04] The biggest challenges for marketers [05:08] The secret to scaling is by narrowing in [08:51] Marketing is about deliberately pushing things forward [10:42] Buyers want a special point that hits them hard [13:20] How Greg’s dashboard looks like [17:05] Which numbers are most important? [19:53] What to do when marketing isn’t working [24:25] To scale, you have to sharpen and focus [28:10] About Our Guest: Greg Head is the CEO of marketing consulting company Scaling Point and also runs Gregslist, a curated up-to-date list of local software companies. Greg is most notably known as Greg Head from Egghead, a software retailer where Greg started his sales career. In his 30-year career in the software and technology business, he has been part of 3 great startups that have scaled and cumulatively created over $2B in total revenue. Feel free to connect with Greg through his LinkedIn. Thank you for tuning in! If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast. Connect with E-Commerce Insights by Wicked Reports: Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtHcqeadfhEzvN_zbQfEzdg Like us on Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/WickedReports Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wicked-reports/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Today, I’m excited to talk to Greg Head, the CEO of Scaling Point and the founder of Gregslist. Greg Head is a 30-year software industry veteran who was part of the startup-to-scale journeys of three different software companies in the CRM industry, including one IPO. He is now an active mentor, advisor, consultant, and speaker helping founders of early-stage software startups all over the world. At Scaling Point, Greg works with startup tech founders on positioning strategy, product-market fit, messaging, and scalable marketing execution. Gregslist.com is the curated and up-to-date list of local software companies used by thousands of founders, tech leaders, investors, and job seekers each month. Gregslist is now available for tech communities in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, and more. Greg and his wife live in the Dallas area. They spent 23 years in Phoenix before returning to her Texas hometown in 2019. Welcome Greg! In this episode… Greg Head talks about how going full circle from selling software to running a software company was a natural progression. He further explains how the way he was asked by a partner, and that it was a logical step in his progression. He knew the journey was still evolving and was a commitment. He embraced being a leader of a large team and a large company. In shifting through the development of the software arena, Greg found that the way companies and entrepreneurs made asks changed. It became a more mature market than a frontier market. To stand out in a “noisy” environment of start-up, you need to be a specialist. Yes, you heard that right. With the market being so much more saturated, you need to specialize in order to make an impact. Buyers want to know you are the “Best” at what you do, your specialty. And, finally, getting traction is how you validate your specialized service. With so many choices, you need to stand-out. Listen in to see how you can stand-out in your specialty. Resources Mentioned in this episode Connect to Gregslist Greg Head on LinkedIn Visit Greg’s Website Finance-Ability Stephanie Sims Stephanie Sims LinkedIn Sponsor for this episode... Finance-Ability is a boutique consulting firm dedicated to helping business owners and startups find their best options for growth funding. Founded by financial strategist and transaction expert Stephanie Sims, Finance-Ability can help any business owner identify the right funding partners and get through fundraising as painlessly as possible. Visit their website to take their online assessment test to help you find out which kind of funding is the best fit for your business right now. They also have a ton of resources to help you understand business processes and financial decision-making that can help you start and build your own empire so be sure to check them out. Stephanie has over 20 years of experience having worked with companies like Goldman Sachs and CSFB. If there’s anyone with their heart in the right place when it comes to championing the dreams of small business owners and startup companies, Stephanie is that person. Let Finance-Ability help you get the funding you need and deserve to get your dreams soaring high towards your own brand of success.
Starting a business has never been easier, but growing and scaling a startup is harder than ever. Greg Head, founder of Scaling Point and Greg’s List and 30 year veteran of the software industry, shares how he helps software companies navigate changing consumer expectations, funding opportunities, experimentation and product/service innovation as they scale… or fail.
In this episode, Chris talks to Greg Head, CEO of Scaling Point which provides consulting and workshops to early-stage tech companies, and the Founder of Gregslist.com, a curated, up-to-date list of software companies and tech jobs in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, and Boston. What I liked about this episode is we talk in-depth about how to create a category, what that means and examples from Trainual, because this is an active conversation we're having right now about creating the category for playbook software. He’s had an amazing career so far with early-stage experience at ACT!, the contact manager millions of people used in the 90s. Then cofounding SalesLogix, the first mid-market CRM software that went public in 1999. Then as the CMO at Infusionsoft where he helped them grow from $15m to $100m. In Arizona, he’s a legend in our startup scene here in Arizona and I’ve been fortunate to learn a lot from him. Find the show notes for this episode here! Watch this episode on Youtube here. Host: Chris Ronzio
The SuccessLab Podcast: Where Entrepreneurs Collaborate for Success
Want to build an effective go-to-market strategy? Get out and talk to your stakeholders. That may not be a novel concept, but it's one that's often forgotten. For Cory Fetter, product marketing and go-to-market leader at Front, it's foundational to an effective go-to-market strategy. And when we're talking stakeholders, it's not just customers, it's also product, sales and customer success teams. In this interview, Cory shares how he approaches building strategies, how he thinks about and uses content to better enable the sales team, increase funnel velocity, and build a loyal customer base, and why he believes effective marketing starts with caring. Tell us about your journey? How did you get into leading go-to-market strategies for SaaS companies? When I started my career, I didn't envision this. I originally was on the corporate communications side and I joined a global technology distributor in Phoenix called Avnet. I loved the value that was put into effective communication, especially around different cultures and geographies and the rigorous review processes they had. Thereafter, I joined Infusionsoft, which is now rebranded as Keep. I eventually led the PR team and focused a lot of my time on messaging and positioning around the product. I eventually transitioned into product marketing and more formally go-to-market strategy. Then I joined a company called Gainsight. Originally, I focused on growing their SMB segment of business and I leveraged a lot of what I learned at Infusionsoft [Keap] in that role. We eventually acquired a company and then I led the go-to-market strategy for that product line. Most recently, I've joined Front where I'm focused on building and leading the go to market across key industries and in different use cases. You recently landed at Front, what were some of the first steps you took to set yourself (and the company) up for success? I'm still very much in the process of this. I view my first 30 days as primarily to understand the landscape. I've been talking with a lot of people in sales within the product team, the success team, support team and marketing. I am focusing on key questions like, what is our primary target market today? Who do we believe to be the ideal customer profile and trying to learn more about our competitors, their strengths and how are they positioning their product? What types of content are they pushing out into the market? Are there gaps or resources the team needs to help accelerate the pipeline? What has worked within our target audience and what marketing channels are we leveraging? Answering those questions within the first 30 days will allow me to effectively craft the go-to-market strategies. How do you determine what niches to focus on and then how do you dig in and learn about them? When you talk to enough people or listen to enough sales conversations, you're going to start finding a pattern. That's usually where I start. I get directional guidance, but then I also look at the data and the usage behind our existing customer base. At Front, I'm fortunate we have some tools that make it easier for me to go in and explore among our customer base and what industries they fall in. Going through that process of narrowing it down with that anecdotal or directional insight from the conversations you've had upfront to more of the analytical data-driven approach, you can layer those on top of each other to get a really good understanding of where you should focus. What role does content marketing play in your GTM strategies? I can have sales enablement sessions with our sales team and make sure that they understand who our target audience is and what key messages should they hit on, but if the team and company doesn't have any content to generate the interest, we're not going to have anyone to talk to. If the sales team doesn't have the content to help facilitate those conversations, you don't have all of the tools in your toolbox to close that deal as effectively as you can. Content is at the core of all of my go-to-market campaigns that I focus on. Are there one or two impactful connections along your journey that made a big impact? I've had several mentors in my career that really did change the trajectory. Rhett Wilson. He is not even in the marketing industry but has provided so much guidance. He works for the White House Historical Association and his advice on how to interact with others in business helped me so much early in my career and still helps me to this day. Others that are in marketing, like Greg Head who was the CMO at Infusionsoft or Terry Hicks, who was the COO, modeled by example and the one-off conversations that you may not think of as being very formative ended up being very formative. Some of the greatest advice that I got from everyone collectively is be intentional with your career and ask yourself every year, every quarter or every month, are you getting what you need within your current role to achieve the goals that you've set out for yourself? If you're not, that's when you have to ask the questions around what can I re-architect or change within my current role? Or, is it time to go look for that next challenge? What's one piece of advice you would give to fellow marketers who may be struggling to scale or operationalize content in their organizations? I'm going to pull from one of my favorite quotes by Theodore Roosevelt, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Have the conversation around why you're doing this and why should they care about your content goals and your go-to-market goals and help them see the value of pushing through a new process or scaling content in a certain way. Speed round: Coffee drinker, yes or no? Yes. One marketing tool you're geeking out over right now? Looker, a marketing analytics tool that enables self-serve analysis. Favorite piece of technology? Front has totally changed the way that I look at email. What's one book you'd pass along to a fellow marketer? Never Eat Alone One person you'd like to make a connection with? Jeff Bezos. Given what's happening in the world and how Amazon is truly allowing us to continue to function, it would be so interesting. What's your favorite ice breaker when introducing yourself to someone (either online or off)? Sharing a stat about Arizona, that it is literally one of the sunniest places in the world. A lot of people outside of the state don't know that and they always find that to be somewhat interesting. How many hours of sleep do you get each night, on average? Six or seven. Connect with Cory on LinkedIn. For Front, check out frontapp.com. (P.S. You can try the software for free!)
Greg Head and Matt Wolach discuss how sales and marketing need to work together and be in sync in order for a software system to thrive. We discuss:Greg's "The Myth of More"How marketing and selling software has changed over timeWhat you need to do now in order to winGreg is world famous for his marketing talent, and he has the resume to prove it. Not only has he created, built, and scaled globally, he has several exits to his credit including going public.His extremely popular and growing list of US software companies, Gregslist.com is a terrific database of information. Find out more about how Greg helps companies go from startup to scale up at https://scalingpoint.com/.------For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/.As part of the founding team in his first SaaS product, Matt owned the sales & marketing processes. But he struggled to sell and gain traction for the company. It took years of learning and tweaking before Matt created The Perfect DEAL Process, an innovative yet easy to implement method for closing more software deals. To find out more, visit https://mattwolach.com/about-matt.
Greg is the former CMO of Infusionsoft and ACT, so he knows a thing or two about scaling companies to unicorn status. I hope you enjoy this exciting conversation on the stages of growth for a startup!
The post Episode 21 // Greg Head on Arizona's Tech Ecosystem appeared first on The Remarkabrand Podcast.
The post Episode 21 // Greg Head on Arizona’s Tech Ecosystem appeared first on AZ Brandcast.
CEO/Founder at Scaling Point Greg Head talks to hosts JP Taxman and Raz Yalov about his history, his view of startups in the area and how to grow a business over time. Check out how Scaling Point helps companies go from startup to scale-up here. Recorded live at Techstars Startup Week PHX 2018 powered by Chase. Head to phxstartupweek.com for more details. Major props to Raz Yalov and his team at ZCast for producing the entire show live all week in near-real time! And a huge thanks to 48 Startups for sponsoring the show. This is #yesPHX Presents: a podcast produced by, for and about entrepreneurs and startups in the Valley of the Sun. #yesPHX is the world's most generous startup community for entrepreneurs. For more information and updates from the #yesPHX community: Visit our website - yesphx.com Join our active Facebook Group Follow us on our Facebook page, Twitter, and/or Instagram Read our Medium publication Join our Slack group Follow the #yesPHX hashtag on Twitter and/or Instagram
In this episode, Greg Head, the former CMO of Infusionsoft and co-founder of SalesLogix, joins us to explain why it’s so important to have a focus and how to target your audience on Facebook. -- Read the show: https://www.thegsdshow.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GSDshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GSD_Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gsd_show/
Greg Head has spent most of his professional life in the world of software, including being part of the startup and growth stages of two major Arizona companies and as the chief marketing officer for Chandler-based Infusionsoft. Today, Greg consults founders and CEOs, curates Gregslist (an active list of Arizona-based software companies...over 300 strong), and has more projects and initiatives on the way. In our conversation, Greg shares thoughts on not only marketing, but focus, intensity, scaling your business, Arizona's technology mindset, and what it means to transition your business from being ADD to OCD. You will want to take notes! SELECT LINKS FROM THE PODCAST Greg Head - LinkedIn Greg Head Consulting Gregslist Clate Mask podcast interview Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry Contact us at the podcast at contact@azoriginals.net
I was struck by one theme that kept appearing in the past 100 Business of Story episodes – How stories transport us. A true story well told connects emotionally and inspires. It moves people. Aligns teams. Connects with customers. Grows revenue. And will amplify your impact. [caption id="attachment_23298" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Image from a favorite Photoshop artists, James Popsys, who explored visual storytelling on the Business of Story podcast.[/caption] Thank you for listening to the Business of Story. I've enjoyed all of your wonderful notes about the impact the show and our guests have had on you. And how you have grown as storytellers to literally nudge the world in any direction you choose. You rock! Now, I want to up the ante, to go all in by refining, clarifying and focusing my own Business of Story story. To help you do the same in your business. From episodes 102 and beyond, nothing in the Business of Story will make sense except in the light of connection: helping purpose-driven leaders like you clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact in the world by connecting you with your audiences, and moving them to action, through the power of true business stories well told. This is my singular focus for the Business of Story, and it has taken me 100 episodes to finally arrive at this focus. Plus, a great deal of help from my good friend, Greg Head. More on that, and him, in a bit. What you’ll get out of this show: How to find and articulate the unique purpose that drives you and your organization. How to clarify that story with lots of examples and resources for you. How to use the impact you’ll make as the launching point for the epic growth of your organization. You see, after 100 amazing guests – story artists from around the world who have been on our show helping you craft and tell compelling stories that sell – this theme of igniting the growth of purpose-driven leaders through the power of story has expressed itself. I realized that some of my favorite episodes were with people whose personal stories were much larger than their brand story, and in fact, influenced the direction of their organizations. Like Vincent Stanley, for instance. He’s the Director of Philosophy for the outdoor retailer, Patagonia. He was one of my first guests back in July of 2015. And he talked about how Patagonia essentially invented story marketing in their first product catalogs when they opened in 1973. Their mission is to turn customers into activists to help protect our wilderness. A pretty important purpose, especially for an outdoor company. Another episode I refer to often is the one I did with Hollywood story consultant, Jen Grisanti. She wrote an amazing book called Change Your Story, Change Your Life. Jen not only teaches and coaches movie and TV screenwriters how to perfect their craft but also how to live into a bigger story. This episode explores the important question: “What is your personal dilemma connected to your professional pursuit?” What’s the conflict in your story and how does your brand help your customers overcome that conflict to get what they want? No conflict no story. How about the conflict around the stuff cramming your home? Michele and I are in the process of a move, and mucking out 30 years of stuff is a major pain in the ass. Brian Scudamore, the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, joined to talk about how he grew the brand to become worth in the neighborhood of a quarter-billion dollars all on the premise that he is not in the junk business, but the leadership business that happens to haul junk. Now that’s a focused, purpose-driven business. I’ve learned that if you truly want to live into a bigger story for your personal and professional brand, then you must find a purpose greater than yourself to serve. The purpose of the Business of Story has always been to help people live into and prosper from their most powerful story. But that line is too vague for some people. It ultimately comes down to helping leaders of purpose-driven organizations clarify their story of growing their revenue and amplifying their impact. I know I’m repeating myself from the top of the show, but I want to be crystal clear with you what this is all about. And, I want to underscore that it is critically important for you, too, to be “crystal clear” with your personal or professional brand story. Because if you’re not, you will drown in the sea of sameness that we all compete in. And I’ve found that when you get your brand story straight, everything else comes into alignment. Everything else gets easier. You say “no” to more things and “yes” to the fewer, but the most important, things. My Origin Story Two years ago I was a total story geek. Ok, I still am. My goal for the first 100 episodes was to help you understand and appreciate the power of storytelling in your business and in your life so that you would become more intentional about it; connect with people at a deeper level; and advance your visions and mission further faster. I had the help of my friend Jay Baer at Convince & Convert who helped me produce and distribute my first year-and-a-half worth of shows with great people like Jess Ostroff of Don’t Panic Management. The past 20 or so shows have been produced by Brian Adoff of Riveting FM out of Philadelphia. He has brought a musician’s ear to the quality of the production and some terrific marketing insight as well. Thanks for that, Brian. Lisa Loeffler of Genuine Media has assisted me in the distribution and advertising for the show, as well as my speaking engagements: an invaluable part of my team. I can’t recommend these two enough if you need to build a virtual team. My focus has been on sharing how stories work, the architecture of epic stories, and how to use them in your business. If you’re an avid listener, then you probably know my story by now. So here’re the cliff notes… I’ve been in advertising for more than 30 years, ran my own agency for 20 years, and for the past 15 years, I have been steeped in business storytelling. My deep dive into brand storytelling began around 2004 when I noticed that our traditional advertising work wasn’t nearly as effective as it used to be. As I often say in my speaking engagements and workshops; “Brands used to own the influence of mass media, but now the masses are the media, and they are your brand storytellers. You and your brand must become the story maker.” One of my favorite examples of a brand doing this very thing is AirBnB. They do a heroic job of placing their customers – both their homeowners and guests – at the center of their brand story. Then they make it easy for them to share their stories. I love their tagline, Belong Anywhere. AirBnB is selling inclusion and freedom: two pretty dynamic concepts, and an especially powerful purpose, given this moment – and let’s hope it’s just a moment – in Trump time. By the way, have you seen Sweden’s latest story marketing campaign? The country just listed itself on AirBnB and its purpose is plain to see: "Explore the Freedom to Roam.” Sure, they’re ultimately going after tourists, but they do it with such a beautiful purpose that plays to the sensibilities of reasonable and fun loving people. Take a listen, and then go to our show notes to see the video. Ok, so I digressed a bit. I get so excited when I come across smart story marketing. I was telling you my story about how I realized the impact you can have when you become an intentional storyteller: Telling stories on purpose. I learned that storytelling held the key to reconnecting with audiences, so I started studying everything I could find on the subject. It really started in 2006. Our middle son Parker went to film school at Chapman University in Orange, CA. I asked him to send me his textbooks when he was finished with them – after all, we were paying for them – so I could learn what Hollywood knew about captivating audiences through story. Plus, I suppose I wanted to vet this college education to see how Chapman prepared eager filmmakers to be competitive in the most competitive storytelling market in the world: Hollywood. I realize now that this was my creative right brain diving into storytelling. At the same time, our youngest son Caed had to undergo brain surgery to reduce swelling in his ventricles. During the run up to survey, Caed went through a battery of tests, and Michele and I read everything we could absorb about the brain and how it functions under the significant stress of encephalitis. One of the books I found, which has become my favorite on storytelling, is The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall. In it, he explores the intersection of story structure with brain structure and how our minds yield helplessly to the suction of story. Jonathan became a long-distance friend of mine, has been kind enough to lecture twice to my students at Arizona State University, and he was also one of my first guests on the Business of Story podcast. In hindsight, I realized that I, too, was living at the intersection of right brain Hollywood storytelling and left brain story mechanics as I was learning from the journeys both of our sons were on. This is when I was introduced to Joseph Campbell and his universal story structure of The Hero’s Journey, and why it connects so powerfully with the deep reaches of our mind: the subconscious where our intuitive decisions are made that shape our beliefs and behaviors. Note: The creator of What makes a her0?, Matthew Winkler, joined us on the Business of Story podcast. Hear how he created one of the most watched videos in the TEDEd library. During this time between 2006 and 2010, I found myself at the crossroads of the neuroscience of storytelling – how we’re pre-wired from birth to make meaning through stories – with the architecture of stories – how to use them to connect with people on a very primal level and move them to action. Since then, our two boys are doing great. Caed is a healthy 23-year-old composer and producer of EDM, or Electronic Dance Music, and a DJ, and Parker is pursuing his dream of becoming a filmmaker in downtown Hollywood. He pays the bills as a sought after motion designer, and you can see his work in the new CBS game show, Candy Crush. Now that I was armed with the why and how of business storytelling, I created the Story Cycle system that is inspired by Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Instead of his 17 steps, I’ve mapped it to 10 steps that any business can use for high-level brand story strategy development right down to tactical creative elements including TV spots, web user experience design, blog posts, print ads, sales presentations… you name it. [caption id="attachment_23305" align="alignright" width="300"] Download your DIY Brand Story workbook.[/caption] I was so excited to share with the world what I had learned, and the success we were having with our clients, that I began pursuing all of the brightest minds in storytelling to share their brilliance with you. To be totally honest, I was being self-serving, too, Because I get to learn right along with you with every episode. That alone makes all of the cost and effort of a podcast worth it. One of my early successes was having legendary screenwriting coach, Robert McKee, on the show. We had such a wonderful conversation, he returned for an encore performance. By the way, you will find links to each of the episodes I mention in our show notes. I first met McKee when I attended his four-day Story Seminar in the LAX Sheraton in 2010. Parker joined me. He was there to advance his filmmaking screenwriting chops, along with about 200 of his competitors, and I was there to learn what a marketer like me could learn about Hollywood storytelling to make our creative more impactful. After the seminar, McKee invited me to his Connecticut home to interview him for my podcast. Now, this was not for the Business of Story, but for my very first flailing attempt at podcasting. I had never done one before and I showed up in his living room with my little Zoom recorder and my wits. I placed the recorder between me and him on the sofa, and away we went. For three friggin’ hours. He was so kind and generous with his knowledge on screenwriting and how we can use it in our businesses, and I was making it up and learning as I went. This remarkable experience underscores a fundamental premise that Joseph Campbell talks about when you follow your bliss, and by bliss, he means the authentic story you have the courage to live into. “When you follow your bliss, doors will open where there were only walls before.” – Joseph Campbell Robert McKee and his lovely wife Mia, open their home and their world to me. And for that, I will be forever grateful. You can still listen to that session, edited into ten 10-minutes segments on Soundcloud. If you don’t know the man and his work, all you have to do is watch this scene in the Spike Jonze’ movie, Adaptation, starring Nicholas Cage as struggling screenwriter, Charlie Kaufman. Actor Brian Cox portrays McKee as he responds to Kaufman’s question during, presumably, his famous Story seminar. Any questions? Ok, take a deep breath. Another one of my favorites was a guy who epitomizes the intersection of science and story, and that is Dr. Randy Olson. He is a Harvard Ph.D. Biologist who also graduated from the USC film school. Randy has produced three documentaries on the environment and climate change and has written three books to help scientist become better communicators through the power of storytelling. His latest book, Houston, We Have a Narrative: Why Science Needs Story, is my favorite scientific look at storytelling. The book focuses on the And, But and Therefore construct to creating stories. It’s so simple and yet so powerful. I call it the DNA of story. I’m honored to say that Randy has become a good friend, and he’s been on my show twice. The first time talking about the ABT. And his most recent appearance was the day after the election. He dissected Trump’s narrative intuition and why he won the election because he out-storied the Democrats. “America used to be great. America is no longer great. I’ll make America great again.” Three acts. Set up, problem, resolution. One that may become the most successful use of the ABT of all time. Olson’s Trump episode is one of my most listened to from around the world. I even had some friends reach out to me in disgust suggesting that I was capitalizing on Trump’s victory for my own Business of Story gain by highlighting his narrative intuition. My response to them, and you if you feel the same way, is that you must understand the magic to combat the spell. Listen to all of Trump’s ramblings through the lens of the basal ABT structure, and you’ll get a whole new appreciation for how he hoodwinks his base, goes against reason and demolishes the Democrats. The Dems simply don’t know how to connect with America through a story. Olson’s purpose is to advance science by helping big thinkers connect with the rest of us. His vehicle happens to be the ABT, the DNA of story. Another of my favorite authors is Lisa Cron, who wrote Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence. Lisa came on the show to explore the art and science of storytelling to help you with your brand narratives. While Lisa’s book is about guiding fiction writers in writing the next epic novel, Lee Gutkind, the founder of Creative Nonfiction and author of several books including, You Can’t Make This Stuff Up: The Complete Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction from Memoir to Literary Journalism, is the foremost authority on the art of sharing true stories well-told. These two approaches are important to brand storytelling because you want to tell true stories about how your product or service have empowered and leveled up your customers while using brain science to understand and appreciate how to craft and tell your stories. Clarify your story, amplify your impact and simplify your life We’ve used the 10-step Story Cycle system to help Clinica Adelante reframe its brand story from a 30-year-old community health center to a national leader in sustainable healthcare, and they have grown by 300 percent in the past five years. Goodwill of Central Arizona has used or Story Cycle system to grow from 17 stories doing $24 million in annual sales in 2003 to nearly 100 stores doing north of $140 million in sales today, with the proceeds going to workforce development programs that help put a record number of Arizonans back to work. Their purpose? Good stuff, good work, Goodwill. Coca-Cola used our storytelling to launch an eco-driving program with its 60,000 fleet drivers and their staff in 2010. They double their expected gains in fuel efficiency in the first three months of the initiative. What do these three clients have in common? They all pursued a purpose greater than just selling products and services and making money. And they used intentional storytelling – telling stories on purpose – to achieve epic growth. That is the power of a purpose-driven organization over its traditional, status-quo competitor who focuses on the bottom line, short-term gains and investor returns over empowering the people and the communities it serves. Tell your stories on purpose That’s why now, as we move into our third year of producing the Business of Story podcast, our sole focus is to help leaders of purpose-driven organizations like yours clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact. What we make is the proven Story Cycle system with tools and techniques to help you become an intentional storyteller. But what we make happen is helping you become a more powerful communicator, connect with audiences like you never have before, motivate and inspire people to action, and advance your mission, initiative or cause further, faster than you ever imagined. What we make happen is what drives our purpose: to help people live into and prosper from their most powerful stories. Learning moment: Are you telling brand stories about what you make, or what you make happen? Stories about the human impact you are having; how you are leveling them up. Stories about how you deliver on your ultimate brand purpose. You see, when you tell stories about what you make, your are immediately commoditizing yourself and your offering. You start to drown in the sea of sameness. But when you tell stories about what you make happen, then you will rise above the noise and be heard. Red Bull doesn’t sell you a highly addictive concoction of caffeine, taurine, and sugar. Their story Gives You Wings. Actually, the higher brand purpose was defined by its founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, when he started his company: “Red Bull gives wings to people and ideas.” Now isn’t that a bit more compelling than selling just an energy drink? It must be because Red Bull not only invented the category. They still own nearly half of the worldwide market for energy drinks. Let’s face it, without a good story that connects on a primal, visceral level with your audiences – making them truly feel something – then you’re just more noise in the cacophony of communication we all swim – and drown – in. Without a focused story that clarifies the uniqueness, relevance, and urgency of your brand offering you will be marooned in the sea of sameness that we all encounter in this age of abundance. Your customers – just like my customers – simply have too many choices to choose from. What’s going to make you rise to the top of your food chain? Without a defined point to your story – a supreme focus on what you do better than anyone else buttressed by a compelling purpose – you will languish in the land of commoditization. In fact, declaring your number one position in the marketplace, what you do better than anyone else in terms of features and benefits, is your first step out of the primordial muck of commoditization. And your defined purpose is your lifeline. So I’m taking my own advice. As I mentioned, my friend Greg Head, who was the head of marketing for Infusionsoft and helped them become a $100 million dollar company in 10 years because of their extreme focus on sales and marketing software for small business, helped me define my brand focus of working with purpose-driven leaders. It’s important, too, because I am competing in an increasingly crowded industry of business storytelling. Some of my competitors I admire most – some friends, some acquaintances, and some strangers – include Donald Miller and his StoryBrand process. I’ve done his program myself for my Business of Story brand. StoryBrand’s focus is to help small business grow their sales by clarifying their story on their websites. My interesting connection to Don, even though I’ve never met him, is that his best-selling book. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and it’s overall theme of “What makes a great story also makes a great life,” had a profound impact on me as I was creating the Story Cycle system. In fact, I went to Don’s very first seminar in Portland in 2010, long before he created his StoryBrand process, to guide my thinking on how to help people live into their most powerful stories. In fact, I went to Don’s very first seminar in Portland in 2010, long before he created his StoryBrand process, to guide my thinking on how to help people live into their most powerful stories. Another terrific professional in the storytelling game, and a guy I count as a friend is Michael Margolis of GetStoried. When I think of Michael and the international work he does, I think of storytelling around innovation. He works with large, global brands, including the likes of Google, Deloitte, and NASA, to help them further innovation within their organizations. Michael is definitely the innovation story guy in my book. If you’re looking for business storytelling in the tech world with a twist, then I’d definitely send you to Kathy Klotz-Guest. If you’ve ever seen HBO’s Silicon Valley, Mike Judge’s hysterical TV series about, well, Silicon Valley, then you’ll get a sense of Kathy. She is a technology veteran, stand up comic and marketer extraordinaire who uses storytelling to help her clients curb what she calls, “jargon-monoxide,” you know, that curse-of-the-expert malady that puts audiences to sleep, or worse, with their inane use of jargon. She coined one of my favorite terms in Business Storytelling, Jargon-monoxide. These are just three of many fellow storytellers, each with a focused brand position: Don Miller’s StoryBrand for small businesses. Michael Margolis’ Get Storied for large organization innovation, and Kathy Klotz-Guest for the tech world. By the way, you can hear both Michael and Kathy on my Business of Story show – again, see the show notes for links. And Don, consider this an open invitation to come on my show. Like Michael and Kathy, I admire your work and what you stand for. Hey, I even invested in your Blue Like Jazz movie. That was a brilliant crowd-sourced move, by the way, to raise your final quarter million to get the movie finished. Michele and I loved the movie, and it was great fun seeing our names among the thousands of executive producers. I help leaders tell their brand stories on purpose And me? My purpose is to help leaders of purpose-driven organizations like you clarify your story to drive revenue and amplify your success. And I deliver on my purpose in three different ways… I help you clarify your brand story through our proven Story Cycle system. In fact, if you tuned into my show two weeks ago, you heard me take Jonathan Barney through the Story Cycle system to clarify his brand story around his restaurant service training platform and focus his purpose of helping people live a tastier life. In addition to clarifying your brand story, I also offer the Storytelling for Leaders and Storytelling for Sales 6-month deliberate practice training programs. Once your brand story is crystal clear, these programs help you find and tell the stories that shape the behaviors that create the culture that drives epic performance. Around your purpose. Essentially, we help you find the true stories within your brand and show you how to tell them well in your advertising, marketing and sales to connect with your audiences. True stories well told. The Storytelling for Leaders and Storytelling for Sales deliberate practice programs come from another amazing story outfit, this time in Melbourne, Australia. Shawn Callahan and Mark Schenk created these programs 13 years ago and have worked with brands around the world to build storytelling cultures. This offering is the ideal extension to the Business of Story, and I have become a certified partner delivering these proven programs. Why do purpose-driven organizations need to practice business storytelling now, more than ever, to amplify your impact? Because business is more complex than ever. How do you describe your place in the world to your staff, employees, customers, shareholders and other stakeholders when so much external chaos impacts you? Chaos like growing competition in this time of abundance A widening economic divide between the haves and have-nots The significant environmental and social impacts of climate change Social injustice and unrest A White House and its cronies that appear hell bent on alienating America from the rest of the world In fact, I spent 12 days in The Netherlands a couple of weeks ago working with our ASU students. Guess what the prevailing sentiment is towards our president? I heard this from business leaders, bureaucrats, and bartenders. They ask all in their own way: “How did you Americans let this happen and what are you going to do about it?” You don’t think this president is going to impact your business, think again. And what stories are you telling your employees to keep them all focused on your purpose to grow your sales and amplify your impact: the three things you actually have control over? I’m afraid power points, infographics, snapchats and tweets aren’t going to do it for you anymore. By the way, I reminded our students in Amsterdam that power points don’t kill audiences. Presenters using bullets in power points do. Don’t believe me? Just listen to Janine Kurnoff of the Presentation Company on Business of Story to learn how to bring storytelling to all of your communications so you can cut through the clutter and connect. Or tune into Nick Gray of Museum Hack on how to bring adventure to your brand through storytelling. And on that note, take in my conversation with the ultimate conspirator to business success, Robert Rose on why you must turn your adjectives and adverbs into adventures in your story marketing. Stories connect in our disconnected world Another reason why story is more important now than ever is that our uberly connected world has created a massive malady. Attention Deficit Disorder is now a communicable disease, and we’re all the viruses. Our connected world has ironically made us all less connected in human terms. I had a fascinating guest on about a month ago. His name is Jordan Bower, a Transformational Storytelling Consultant, and Corporate Intimacy Expert. Ahhh, see his unique positioning… his fine point… his focused purpose: Transformational Storytelling Consultant and Corporate Intimacy Expert? On my show, Jordan told me about his girlfriend breaking up with him in the summer of 2010. Devastated, he did what we would ALL do in this circumstance: he walked from Seattle to Mexico along the Pacific Ocean. Right? During his four-month odyssey to find himself, Jordan came across thousands of people. He shared coffee, meals, campfires, and beers with folks from all walks of life: from hobos and hillbillies to surfer dudes, to housewives, tech titans and I’m sure there was a social media guru or two in there as well. I asked him what the common theme was among these disparate people. What do you think he said? I asked him what the common theme was among these disparate people. What do you think he said? Jordan told me that to a person, the common sentiment was alienation and loneliness. He learned on his trek that these dopamine pumps we call iPhones and Androids, that promise to connect us with the world, actually create greater isolation. One intense symptom is FOMO, or the fear of missing out. What we’re missing in our over-communicated world is authentic, person-to-person interaction. If Gottschall said, “Our minds yield helplessly to the suction of story,” then I believe our hearts crave bonding with real people. Jordan’s point of people feeling alienated and lonely is not the first time I’ve heard this theme. But it struck me hard on this show. I even created a manifesto of sorts just to help me get my head around this phenomenon. I call it: The Virtual Connection Myth. "Our digital dopamine pumps artificially reward us for superficial online interactions masking an epidemic of alienation and loneliness people suffer as their storytelling skills atrophy in the absence of authentic human connection in the real world." OMG, am I suffering from jargon-monoxide? My point is this: The most powerful story will ever tell is in-person. If you can’t be in front of the water cooler with your audience, then the second most powerful story you can tell is first person, online. Tell me a story with a time stamp, when did it happen, a location stamp, where did it happen, real people as the characters. Give me action and adventure, surprise me, and then deliver your business point! And believe it or not, you can do this in 60 seconds or less. On Thursday, June 26, I was giving a storytelling workshop for a bunch of Dutch professionals who specialize in sustainability and the circular economy in Haarlemmermeer, Holland. A young man named Max is an intern for one of the organizations and is about to graduate with his business degree in sustainability. I asked the gathering who their toughest audience was so we could work on stories to connect with them on their terms. Max told me it was his granddad. You see, his grandpa didn’t understand sustainability, didn’t believe in man-made global warming and told Max he was wasting his time with his foolish degree. I could tell he was crestfallen by not having his grandfather’s approval. So I instructed Max to use the Story Cycle to craft a story from his grandpa’s point-of-view and then challenged him to share his story over the weekend. I ran into Max four days later when our ASU cohort returned to Haarlemmermeer for another session. He had the widest smile on his face. I asked him “What’s up, dude?” He told me about having the conversation with his grandpa about climate change and how he used a hockey stick to demonstrate to the old man how carbon in our atmosphere has remained relatively balanced for millennia and then pointed to the curve end of the stick to demonstrate the man-made carbon we have pumped into the system over a short amount of time. “This was the first time my granddad ever understood what I was talking about,” Max proclaimed through his smile. “And I told him that fixing this problem is important to me and that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.” I asked Max if his granddad likes hockey. “Loves it,” he said, with his smiling growing even wider. Smart young man, that Max. Understanding his audience and having such empathy for their point-of-view that he found a way to use a story to connect, change his beliefs, and earn his approval. By the way, I learned this basic structure to story with time and location stamps, characters, action, a surprise and point from my friends at Anecdote. And we cover it in great detail in our 6-month deliberate practice programs. The most invaluable FREE advice you'll ever get Now I’d like to help you clarify your brand story strategy, focus your purpose of growing your revenue and amplifying your impact. When I told my producer, Brian, who you met earlier in the show, about what I’m about to do, he actually said it might not work because it sounds too good to be true. Well, maybe. You’ll have to be the judge of that. What I am offering to you, with no strings attached, is a complimentary 30-minute phone call to demonstrate how quickly you can get your brand story straight. I promise it will be the most invaluable free advice for you, your business and organization that you have ever received. Register for your FREE Impact Call. I’ll help you clarify your story in 30 minutes or less. You have nothing to lose. What’s in it for me? I get to connect with real people, in real time and learn about your real needs. Our conversation, while helping you clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact, will also help me better understand exactly what the market needs. What’s in it for me? I get to connect with real people, in real time and learn about your real needs. Our conversation, while helping you clarify your story to grow revenue and amplify your impact, will also help me better understand exactly what the market needs. This is a total win/win consulting call. You will be doing me a huge favor by helping me dial in my purpose: To help you live into and prosper from your most powerful story. This is a limited time offer, and I can tell you that not everyone is going to get the free impact call. If you’re in business just to make money, then I’d recommend you reach out to some of the other storytelling consultants. But if you’re into to truly amplifying your impact and empowering the people around you to live into and prosper from your story, then I’m your guy. Register now at our new and improved website, businessofstory.com. And if you want to get the most of the call, download your DIY Brand Story Workbook first. Outline yourstory. Then let's chat. And thank you for listening to this special, one hundred first episode of the Business of Story podcast. Gag, you’re probably hoping that I don’t return solo for another hundred shows. And one last request. We have 74 reviews on iTunes, and I’d love to push that over the 100 mark in celebration of our one hundred and first episode. Would you do me a huge and be one of those listeners that pushes us over the top of the century mark in reviews. It only takes minutes and would mean the world to me. I appreciate it. Finally, I want to remind you that regardless of what you do with your business, leadership and sales storytelling, that... "The most potent story you will ever tell is the story you tell yourself. So make it a good one." Thanks for listening, and until next Sunday, have a wonderful life.
The SuccessLab Podcast: Where Entrepreneurs Collaborate for Success
The search for talent is one of the top challenges facing the Valley's burgeoning tech community. In this episode of TechTalent, guest Greg Head, CEO of Greg Head Consulting and founder of Gregslist, talks about what truly makes for a rockstar employee in the tech world and where up-and-coming tech talent should focus their attention. What qualities should top tech talent possess? One trait is the mastery of their specialty. There's a lot of people who say they do the roles, but aren't really intensely focused on mastering those things. You've got to be able to figure it out at a very high level. The other thing I look for is people who admit they don't know something but who learn really fast. If you give someone an idea or homework, and they never circle back, or figure it out, or they keep asking the same questions –– that's going to be slow going. The most talented folks are the ones who dedicate themselves to learning something and keep coming back for more, but at a higher level. Is there an employee you can think of in your past that really stood out? If so, why? Everybody starts off at the bottom, but people can move up really fast. Lindsay Bayuk, who I worked with at Infusionsoft, is now the VP of Product Marketing of Pluralsight, a $100M company in Utah. I knew her seven years ago when she was a student at ASU and was asking how to start a company and what things she needed to do to get there. She was really savvy and intensely interested in it. So, she went from being a college student to a VP at a $100M company in seven years. It was more about her tenaciousness and her attitude and approach to it than any innate thoughts. She's smart, but there's a lot of smart people out there that haven't done what she's done. People can really move fast if they go for it. What roles do local tech companies have the toughest time filling? Senior talented engineers to make their software –– that's the brutal fight, to find those people and then have to compete with others who are trying to take them. Leadership roles are also in demand. Companies might need someone to be their first sales manager, which is very different than being a VP of sales with 15 people under them. If you were mentoring a group of tech up-and-comers, what's one thing you'd want them to know? There are serious problems and opportunities all over the place. Focus on finding problems in the world that haven't been solved yet that you care about. Get in and start helping them. Don't worry about jobs, politics, salaries –– the games. Just worry about solving the actual problem.
Accelerate! Expresso. It's a weekly round-up show that contains snippets from each interview from the previous week's slate of guests. These clips have been edited into tight, short show that will give you just a taste of the insights you missed if you didn't catch every episode of Accelerate! In this episode, you'll hear from excerpts from my conversations with the following experts: Larry Broughton, Barbara Giamanco, Keith Rosen, Mark Ripley, Bridget Gleason, and Greg Head
In this episode, we unearth the meaning of personal productivity in ways that most sales reps have not considered. Greg Head, CEO of Greg Head Consulting, and former CMO of Infusionsoft, joins me on this episode.
The SuccessLab Podcast: Where Entrepreneurs Collaborate for Success
On the path to growth, nearly every CEO battles some sort of head game no matter the stage or size of the company. Greg Head knows these all too well. He's been an integral part of several rapid-growth companies as they climbed their way to $100M and an IPO, and now as a consultant and coach to early stage CEOs (he worked with more than 300 in the last year). Having been inside some of these rapid-growth companies, and now working with CEOs, is there a common block you see that stand in the way? One big block I see is the misperception that when you're getting started and you're trying a lot of things and experimenting, when you reach $1M or $1B you have to change your game. And it's not doing more, it's actually doing less and getting really focused. CEOs also have to narrow their focus and essentially focus on three key things in the business: vision, leadership, and making sure there's enough cash to keep going. As you grow up, it's hard to relinquish control or learn a new skill such as raising money. You talk a lot out the “head game” and how that impedes many business owners, what are some ways you can identify if you are playing the head game with yourself? Everyone deals with these things. Our beliefs and thoughts and motions...just because we're human. Founders and CEOs like to put on a face like they've got it figured out, but ...sometimes they're fears: what if I'm not the right person, what if we run out of cash, what if I can't do this, what if this doesn't work out. All those beliefs humans have...those are the biggest levers for making movement. And the myth is, ambitious entrepreneurs want to change the world, and as we go through the journey, the biggest surprise is we have to change ourselves. All those beliefs we've had since we were in high school, some are holding us back and we need to get rid of them. How do you start to overcome those limiting thoughts? The first rule is to know which game you're playing. You have to recognize there's an inner game going on. Often we already know the answers, but many of us don't follow them and that's because we're human. It's not the answer or the facts that's the problem, it's where it meets the human. Since you work with so many CEOs and have the inside track on what holds them back in terms of growth, is there one piece of advice you can pass along? It is a challenge as your business starts to grow. IT can feel more out of control because there are more people and you don't have your hands on the keyboard for everything in the business. Founders and CEOs get all the hard issues collected at their desk that they can't delegate, and one of the struggles they have is their senior leaders are not really available for the call about “My head is exploding and I'm not sure exactly what to do here.” They don't always have a lot of help for this, so that's where being around trusted peers, coaches and advisors can help open up that conversation about what might be at the root of the issue. Speed round: Coffee drinker, yes or no? Yes One business tool you're geeking out over right now? iPad Pro so I can do the whiteboard thing remotely on the phone. I'm a whiteboard junkie. Favorite piece of technology? My iPhone What's one book you'd pass along to a fellow entrepreneur? “Crossing the Chasm” by Geoffrey Moore. One person you'd like to have dinner with? Warren Buffett, but his price is pretty high. How much sleep do get a night? Seven hours consistently.
Greg Head of www.greghead.com is interviewed by David Cogan of Eliances Heroes.com. Greg and David talk about the early CRM industry wiht ACT! software and Saleslogix of which Greg was a part of both. He later joined another well-known small business CRM offering, Infusionsoft, as Cheif Marketing Officer. Greg now does speaking engagements and coaches business owners about the pitfalls to avoid in running a startup.
Greg Head of www.greghead.com is interviewed by David Cogan of Eliances Heroes.com. Greg and David talk about the early CRM industry wiht ACT! software and Saleslogix of which Greg was a part of both. He later joined another well-known small business CRM offering, Infusionsoft, as Cheif Marketing Officer. Greg now does speaking engagements and coaches business owners about the pitfalls to avoid in running a startup.
It’s often thought that keeping a business's focus more general is a positive way to stay open to more business. But in reality, generalizing actually weakens your brand story. Learning how to be super focused and specific in your brand story’s unique offering will help strengthen your messaging, grow your business, and bring success to your brand. Today’s guest will help you focus your brand story. He’s been marketing high-tech for more than thirty years. He’s taken companies from the early startup stage to hundreds of millions of dollars of sales through focused storytelling. He was most recently the head of international marketing for Infusionsoft, where he helped grow the company from $15 million in annual sales to $100 million. He did this by narrowing the company's brand story, then helping the Infusionsoft team and its customers live into and prosper from that story. Greg Head is now a strategic growth advisor to a number of emerging companies. On today’s show, he’ll share some of the secrets he has gained by interviewing 300 executives over the past year about the growth of their companies. He’ll explain why you need to move from the attention deficit disorder that plagues most startups into the obsessive compulsive disorder mindset required for a focused leader to grow their company. Primary Points: Why being more narrow in your message actually makes it more powerful How to tune into the most important and unique part of your brand story How to grow your business exponentially by lasering into one message Key Quotes: “The simple answer is the right one and the useful one.” —@GregHead (click to tweet) “You can’t say everything to everybody.” —@GreagHead (click to tweet) “The more you say no, the more the world hears you.” —@GregHead (click to tweet) Mentioned in This Episode: Greg Head Greg Head on Twitter, @GregHead Infusionsoft Egghead CRM Act Software Amazon Seed Spot Jeff Bezos Pagemaker Saleslogix Salesforce
Greg Head helps founders and CEOs develop stronger growth strategies for their businesses. He has helped three software companies grow from startup to global scale in more than 25 years in the software industry. Most recently, he worked with Infusionsoft growing it from $15 million to $100 million in revenues in five years as Chief Marketing Officer, leading the company's marketing strategy, demand generation, communications, partner marketing and product marketing functions. Greg also held leadership positions at the startup through acquisition stages of two other highly-successful CRM software businesses, ACT! and SalesLogix, which have generated more than $1 billion in total revenue. Show Highlights: You have to figure out what your message is for the world. @GregHeadThings that scale up do so by narrowing down. @GregHeadSuccessful companies start with one customer, doing one thing massively well, usually with one tactic. @GregHeadGoing from ADD to OCD is a requirement for scaling up. @GregHeadIf you don't narrow down exactly who you serve, you are just another mediocre player. @GregHeadKnow what game you're playing. @GregHead8 action steps to help you get more strategic marketing clarity for your business.It's easier than ever to start a business but harder than ever to capture people's attention. @GregHead"Mindshare precedes market share" – @ScottMcCain Visit Greghead.com to learn more about Greg and his insights. The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation's top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!
Greg Head - Entrepreneur, Marketer, Founder of Greg Head Consulting
Interview with author Greg Head, best selling author of the book "Secrets of the Canadian Real Estate Cycle".
You Need Sales & Marketing Automation So You're Not a Slave To Your Business, With Greg Head. Without Automation and Systems You Cannot Grow. Sales and Marketing Automation Software Helps You Grow Your Sales. Hear the complete interview on The Sales Podcast ( http://thesaleswhisperer.com/podcasts/ ) with Wes Schaeffer, The Sales Whisperer® ( http://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/ ). Greg Head, CMO of Infusionsoft, has been in the business software / CRM space for 25 years. With tremendous experience at ACT!, SalesLogix and now Infusionsoft, Greg has unique insight into what makes entrepreneurs tick and how they can and should be using sales and marketing technology to grow their sales in the years to come. If you liked this episode, be sure to let me ( https://twitter.com/saleswhisperer ) know on Twitter. Grow your sales with this book ( https://info.thesaleswhisperer.com/way-book ). Thank you for checking out this session of The Sales Whisperer® podcast. If you haven't done so already, I would love if you left a quick rating and review of the podcast on iTunes ( https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-whisperer-sales-marketing/id655310847?mt=2 ) by clicking on the link below! It would be extremely helpful for the show! Get the professional help you need to grow your sales via these resources: * Sell More This Month ( https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/30-day-sales-growth ) * Hire Better Salespeople ( https://talentgenius.simplybook.me/v2/ ) * Hire The Best Keynote Speaker ( https://www.wesschaeffer.com/ ) * Find Your Best CRM ( https://info.thesaleswhisperer.com/best-crm-quiz ) * Join the Free Facebook Group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/theimplementors/ ) Check out episodes 21 to 30 of The Sales Podcast here ( https://www.thesaleswhisperer.com/blog/sales-podcast-episodes-21-30 ). Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-sales-podcast/exclusive-content Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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