Interview

973: Regal.ai: AI-Driven Success in B2C Sales to Hit Your Sales Growth Goals with Alex Levin

October 9, 2023

With businesses becoming accessible online, it could feel like there is a lack of personalized and human interaction experience being delivered to consumers, holding down business growth. However, technology such as AI-powered platforms transforms and improves the way businesses interact with their customers, giving them more personalized experiences, and leading to better growth sales.

Alex Levin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Regal.ai, a B2C sales platform that helps businesses engage with customers through personalized outbound phone calls. In this episode, Alex discusses how Regal's AI-enabled technology can help companies in industries like healthcare, insurance, and education improve their customer conversion rates by providing a more personalized and human-centric sales experience. Alex further shares his thoughts on the importance of embracing a human touch in digital sales, the common mistakes businesses make with outbound calling, and the value of a data-driven, experimental approach to marketing.

Quotes

"Think about how email marketing works. The challenge is that marketers understand it well, but salespeople often don't have that same experience." - Alex Levin

“The most successful businesses fail very fast, a lot of times. It's not about reducing the amount of failure; it's about increasing how quickly you can fail so you can move forward faster.” - Alex Levin

“The first thing to do in any test is to create the most extreme version to see if there's any signal. If something's moving, you'll quickly see if it's in a good or bad direction. Then, you can intervene, but don't make a small test.” - Alex Levin

Takeaways

01:54 Embracing a human touch in digital sales can lead to better customer engagement and higher conversion rates.

10:31 Businesses need to avoid the common mistakes of treating outbound calls like cold calling or linear B2B sales, and instead adopt a more personalized, data-driven approach.

19:15 Adopting an experimental mindset and being willing to fail fast can help businesses iterate and improve their sales and marketing strategies more quickly.

22:42 Carefully considering the unique characteristics of a business, including its risk tolerance and the speed of its sales cycle, is crucial when designing effective testing and experimentation strategies.

24:38 Midsize and larger businesses in industries like healthcare, insurance, lending, local services, and education can benefit from Regal.io's AI-enabled B2C sales platform.

Resources

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972: Epic Life: The Visionary Blueprint to Abundance, Investment, and Purpose with Justin Breen

October 8, 2023

Have you ever found yourself questioning whether you're destined to be an unstoppable visionary, shaping the world's future, or just another face in the crowd, struggling to find your purpose and direction? In this episode, successful visionaries share how their unique perspectives drive happiness, fulfillment, and success.

Justin Breen is the founder and CEO of the global PR firm BrEpic. He is also the author of the book "Epic Life," which focuses on finding one's "E-key guy" and setting big goals to reach one's full potential. Today, Justin talks about his work connecting visionaries from various industries and shares the knowledge he has gained from these interactions, including the unique mindset and challenges often faced by entrepreneurs and visionaries.

Quotes

"If I'm not the dumbest person in the room, I'm in the wrong room." - Justin Breen

“No failure, you're either winning or learning.” - Justin Breen

“Things were meant to be exactly how they're meant to be. I'm glad for everything I've been through, both the ups and downs. It's the downs where you really learn something, and they make you appreciate the ups much more.” - Justin Breen

Takeaways

06:21 Visionaries are a unique breed, often driven by past trauma and challenges, but possess exceptional coping skills and the ability to create transformative change.

11:33 Entrepreneurs and business owners operate in separate worlds, with little overlap or understanding between the two mindsets, making it crucial for visionaries to find their tribe.

13:21 Failure is not a concept recognized by true visionaries, who view setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth on the path to achieving their worthy ideals.

15:01 Maintaining a mindset of abundance, gratitude, and viewing investments rather than costs is essential for visionaries to thrive and make a lasting impact.

16:58 The role of a "sheepdog" or "shepherd" is to guide and support other visionaries, while prioritizing one's own family and personal life as the ultimate investment.

Resources

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971: 88Stacks: Cultivating The Power of AI Stable Diffusion Image Generation with Jason Toy

October 6, 2023

Although they say that "a picture is worth a thousand words,” finding the right image to express our thoughts and ideas is not always possible. Fortunately, this is where AI image generation comes in handy, offering a limitless array of opportunities to bring our ideas to life through images.

Jason Toy is the founder of 88stacks, an AI image-generation platform that generates images for various purposes and a growth-focused startup generalist who works in technology, marketing, operations, and growth. He spends a lot of time working with machine learning and artificial intelligence in production environments and research. Today, Jason discusses his passion for building technology and products, as well as his thoughts on the current state of AI, including the use of APIs, language models, and image generation tools.

Quotes

"I'm obsessed with learning new things. I'm always trying to up my skills. I know I won't be the best at everything, but at least everything I touch that's related to my projects and work is slowly but surely improving." - Jason Toy

“Success is a few simple disciplines practiced every single day.” - Jason Toy

“If you want to succeed in life, figure out the one or two simple things that are holding you back, and work on them every single day. Your life will change.” - Jason Toy

Takeaways

00:55 Successful entrepreneurs are often passionate about building technology and products, and are constantly learning and exploring new ideas.

03:29 The current state of AI is focused on language models and image generation tools, with many companies leveraging APIs to integrate these capabilities into their applications.

10:19 Faster feedback loops and learning mindsets are key to building successful businesses, as they allow for quick iteration and continuous improvement.

14:12 Pursuing one's passions and taking action on ideas, even in small steps, can lead to meaningful personal and professional growth.

19:39 Developing simple daily disciplines and focusing on the key factors holding you back can be a powerful path to success.

Resources

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970: Buyer Persona: The Best Practices to Get Qualified Leads, Increase Conversions and Grow Sales with Jim Kraus

October 4, 2023

In the complicated world of B2B sales, the key to ensuring your products or services meet your customers' exact wants is understanding their unique pain points, preferences, and decision-making processes. With this information, you can better match your marketing and sales strategies and build trust and credibility with possible clients. By addressing their specific concerns and making the buying process easy, you not only make it more likely that you'll close the deal, but you also make it more likely that pleased customers will become loyal brand advocates. This practical way of getting to know your B2B customers can help you make more money, keep more customers, and keep your business growing.

Jim Kraus is the President of Buyer Persona Institute, a division of KS&R, which was founded in 2010 to give B2B companies insight into what their prospective customers need to know and experience before they will buy. With three decades of experience managing high-performing market research teams on the client and supplier side, he's worked on hundreds of studies that directly inform marketing, sales, and product strategy, focusing on understanding buyer attitudes and behaviors.

Jim's focus is championing the "voice of the buyer", particularly in helping clients improve the ROI of all their marketing and sales activities, including thought leadership, demand generation, lead nurturing, and sales plays. Today, Jim will talk about redefining the concept of buyer personas and how it differs from the traditional understanding, the importance of structuring buyer personas around specific buying decisions to inform and improve marketing and sales strategies, and ultimately helping listeners understand how these insights can influence their decision-making processes in marketing and sales.

Quotes

"The best way to capture buyer insights is by talking to recent buyers. There's no better way to do it." - Jim Kraus

“If you have a natural curiosity and are open to probing, resources can later help you structure interviews. You'd be surprised how much you can learn from them.” - Jim Kraus

“Make sure you really understand the job, as well as the frustrations and challenges that others on the same mission face. These insights are invaluable.” - Jim Kraus

Takeaways

01:21 Developing buyer personas that provide deep insights into the actual buying decisions of your target customers is more valuable than creating fictional profiles.

03:57 Conducting in-depth interviews with recent buyers is the best way to capture key insights about their buying process, including their priorities, success factors, perceived barriers, and decision criteria.

13:54 Buyer quotes add credibility and depth to your messaging and communication, allowing you to better connect with and understand your target audience.

24:19 The buyer persona approach can be a game-changer, leading to increased qualified leads and conversions by helping you better differentiate from competitors.

25:15 Empathy and understanding the challenges and frustrations of other teams within your organization can unlock new opportunities to make a meaningful impact.

Resources

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969: Twibi Agency: Digital Marketing, Lead Generation, SEO and AI Strategies with Brenton Thomas

October 2, 2023

Achieving marketing goals demands a multifaceted approach, and a good strategy often encompasses multiple tactics such as paid search, which enables instant visibility and precise targeting, ensuring your message reaches the right audience at the right time. Paid social leverages the vast user base of social media platforms, allowing for engaging and highly targeted campaigns. Meanwhile, SEO forms the bedrock of your long-term online presence, organically elevating your brand's visibility in search results and cementing its authority in your industry. Using these strategies, businesses can unlock a powerful synergy that propels them toward their marketing goals.

Brenton Thomas is the founder of Twibi Agency, a digital marketing agency based in Portland, Oregon, amd is a digital marketing expert with over seven years of experience in paid search, paid social, organic social media, and SEO. He has worked with clients ranging from small mom-and-pop shops to billion-dollar companies like Magic Eden. Today, Brenton explains his focus on driving leads and revenue for his clients, as well as his use of AI in content creation and the challenges he's faced in building his agency.

Quotes

"My team is great. I really enjoy working with them and find the things happening in their lives fascinating. I want to keep working with them and help them grow." - Brenton Thomas

“I'm interested in AI and want to see how we can work in this scope. We can figure out this whole AI blog posting thing. A lot of time and focus of the entire team is going into this so if we can figure it out, sky's the limit.” - Brenton Thomas

“Sometimes the downs can actually slingshot you higher up. Whatever you're going through, or whatever you're about to go through, it's just a season. If you work hard, you can uplift yourself from a lot of it.” - Brenton Thomas

Takeaways

02:08 Focusing on leads and revenue is crucial, even if a client's initial goal is brand awareness.

04:45 Choosing the right marketing strategy depends on the time horizon and speed of growth needed to reach a client's goals.

05:28 Utilizing AI for content creation can be beneficial, but it's important to maintain the brand's personality and voice.

11:53 Building a strong network through organized business networking groups can lead to valuable client referrals.

17:15 Embracing the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and seeing challenges as opportunities for growth can lead to the best outcomes.

Resources

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968: Maly Marketing: Strategic Data-Driven Marketing Campaigns and Multi-Channel Media Buys with Steve Maly

October 1, 2023

Creativity and ingenuity are the lifeblood of brand development. They enable a brand to stand out in a crowded marketplace by crafting a unique identity that resonates with its target audience. It's about finding that distinctive angle, that fresh perspective, and that innovative approach that captures attention and creates lasting impressions. Harnessing creativity and ingenuity can not only help brands differentiate themselves but also forge deep emotional connections with customers, fostering loyalty and long-term success.

Steve Maly, the CEO and Founder of Maly Marketing leads a dynamic full-service marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. At Maly Marketing, their core strength lies in creative problem-solving, a skill honed and proven across a wide spectrum of industries. Their portfolio spans from comprehensive branding initiatives to cutting-edge digital campaigns, all of which are crafted with ingenuity and innovation to consistently yield substantial and lasting impact. Today, Steve will talk about the mechanics of traditional marketing, the key to all marketing, marketing budget, and shed light on the vital role of KPIs. Stay tuned!

Quotes

"The way the meta was set up initially, you could be a pretty bad marketer but still get good results because costs were so cheap back then." - Steve Maly

“Part of it kind of reminds me of a circumstance. How do you track marketing? That's always the question you get: how do you prove this? Various sources will show you data, like Google, but the traditional side is different. With a traditional setup, you can't click on a billboard to see the full path.” - Steve Maly

“Business truly is about being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that right room costs money, but it's worth investing in getting into that room and connecting with higher-level people.” - Steve Maly

Takeaways

03:10 Balancing traditional and digital marketing strategies can lead to better results, as traditional channels like billboards and TV ads can provide credibility and increase engagement with digital ads.

08:12 Direct mail can be a surprisingly effective tactic, especially in the B2B space, where it can drive high conversion rates to meetings.

12:13 Tracking marketing performance across multiple channels can be challenging, but using tools like Google Data Studio can help provide a more holistic view of campaign effectiveness.

12:32 Introducing new marketing channels can often lead to a 30% bump in performance on existing channels, highlighting the importance of a multi-pronged approach.

19:21 Networking and building relationships with industry peers and thought leaders can be a valuable investment, as it can lead to new opportunities and insights.

Resources

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967: Noble Studios: Entrepreneurial Operating System and Growth Mindset with Jarrod Lopiccolo

September 29, 2023

Having an entrepreneurial mindset centered on growth is essential for success in today's dynamic business landscape. It involves adopting a proactive approach, continuously seeking opportunities, and being open to innovation. Entrepreneurs who prioritize growth are constantly looking for ways to expand their reach, develop new products or services, and enter new markets. They understand the importance of resilience, adaptability, and learning from failures.

Jarrod Lopiccolo is the CEO of Noble Studios, a company renowned for its creative digital performance. Joining him as a guest with William Crozer, their Senior Digital Marketing Manager. Noble Studios stands as a prominent figure in the industry, boasting collaborations with giants like Adobe, Google, and Disney. Their approach to achieving inspiring results emphasizes the importance of patience, data-driven processes, and, above all, an unwavering passion for what they do. Today, Jarrod and William will focus on the intricacies of marketing to decision makers and CEOs, nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset, and fostering a growth-oriented perspective. Stay tuned!

Quotes

"Entrepreneurs, we always joke that we're cut from a different cloth or we're a different breed. It comes down to attitude. At the end of the day, you need to lead with a very positive, can-do attitude. Never give up; anything is possible." - Jarrod Lopiccolo

“Don't be complacent. Be content, but don't be totally satisfied. Your business is only yours if you're providing value.” - Jarrod Lopiccolo

“Having the discipline to say no more often will keep you focused on your path. You'll get to your vision a lot faster because you're not chasing all these other opportunities that don't squarely relate to your concept.” - Jarrod Lopiccolo

Takeaways

01:22 Successful entrepreneurs maintain a positive, can-do attitude and surround themselves with like-minded individuals who will support and challenge them.

08:50 Disciplined goal-setting, from long-term visions to daily habits, is crucial for achieving entrepreneurial success.

15:24 Staying adaptable and avoiding complacency is key - being content but never fully satisfied allows entrepreneurs to continuously improve and grow.

18:57 Treating your own business with the same care and attention as client work is essential for remaining relevant in a rapidly changing landscape.

21:00 Learning to say "no" more often can help entrepreneurs stay focused on their core vision and path forward.

Resources

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966: Respona: SEO Organic, Backlinks and Keywords with Farzad Rashidi

September 27, 2023

In the ever-evolving landscape of business, the key to success lies not in stagnation but in continuous growth. To effectively market yourself and your business, it's crucial to stay adaptable and embrace change. Engaging with your audience through various channels, from social media to content marketing, can help expand your reach and influence. Additionally, fostering innovation, seeking new opportunities, and consistently delivering value to your customers are essential strategies for sustainable growth.

Farzad Rashidi is the Lead Innovator at Respona, an all-in-one digital PR and link-building software that seamlessly blends personalization and productivity to empower businesses in their outreach efforts. Farzad brings a wealth of expertise in this field, and today he's here to shed light on link building, organic traffic generation, company bootstrapping, marketing strategies, search engine optimization, methods to enhance business growth, avoiding stagnation, and so much more!

Quotes

"If it were an easy plug-and-play solution where you just press a button and it's done, everyone would have done it. It would become meaningless." - Farzad Rashidi

“If you've never done any sort of outreach, don't purchase all these fancy tools from day one. Start doing some manual outreach yourself to experience the process and understand the challenges better.” - Farzad Rashidi

“Good things take time. As long as you put in your best effort every single day, consistency is key. Wait for the results to come in over time. Don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate satisfaction.” - Farzad Rashidi

Takeaways

09:52 Building relationships with authoritative publications in your industry is key to improving your search engine rankings.

16:23 Hands-on experience with manual outreach can help you better understand the challenges and nuances of effective link building.

17:29 Automating the process of outreach and link building can save significant time and resources compared to manual efforts.

22:47 Providing value to potential partners, rather than just seeking backlinks, is crucial for successful link building campaigns.

29:20 Patience and consistency are essential when implementing long-term SEO strategies, as the benefits may not be immediately apparent.

Resources

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965: Appvance: The Innovator of Generative AI with Keynote Speaker Kevin Surace

September 25, 2023

Harnessing the potential of AI is similar to unlocking a treasure trove of opportunities for businesses. AI can optimize operations, improve decision-making, and enhance customer experiences like never before. With some expertise, companies can tap into this transformative power, driving innovation and staying ahead in the dynamic landscape of AI-driven business evolution.

Kevin Surace is an AI innovator and the founder of appvance.ai, a company that uses AI to find bugs in web and mobile applications. He has been involved in the AI industry for over 25 years, working on projects like the first AI-based virtual assistants and building management systems that use AI to reduce energy usage. Today, Kevin talks about the current state of AI, including the hype and fear surrounding it, and how AI can be used as a tool to enhance human productivity rather than replace jobs.

Quotes

"Unless someone hooks an AI to our nuclear arsenal and asks it to launch the nukes, it's not going to end the world." - Kevin Surace

“These code assistants excel at providing interesting choices for code. They function as assistants, acting like amplifiers for your coding capabilities.” - Kevin Surace

“We need to be on the good side of AI. While bad actors may try to use AI in harmful ways, we are here to prevent them from carrying out ransomware attacks and other malicious activities.” - Kevin Surace

Takeaways

04:09 AI language models like ChatGPT are not intelligent, but rather sophisticated math models that generate language based on patterns they've learned from vast datasets.

07:23 Using AI assistants like ChatGPT can boost productivity by providing a starting point for tasks like writing and coding, even though the output may require significant editing.

19:36 The hype and fear surrounding AI is part of a typical technology hype cycle, and the real value of AI will emerge as it becomes integrated into various industries and applications.

17:10 Safeguards and rules are necessary to prevent AI from being used for malicious purposes, such as creating fake content or assisting in cyberattacks.

22:19 The future of AI will likely involve it becoming a ubiquitous tool, much like calculators and spreadsheets, rather than a technology that will replace all human jobs.

Resources

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964: Ginni Media: Podcasting Growth and ROI with Ginni Saraswati

September 24, 2023

Podcasting has emerged as a valuable tool for business growth in the digital age. It offers a unique platform to connect with your target audience, providing a more intimate and personalized experience compared to traditional marketing channels. Consistently delivering valuable content and insights through podcasts can help position yourself as an industry authority, fostering trust and credibility among your listeners. Moreover, podcasts enable you to reach a global audience, expanding your business's reach and potential customer base significantly. Embracing podcasting as a part of your marketing strategy can effectively enhance brand visibility, generate leads, and ultimately drive business growth.

Ginni Saraswati is the owner and founder of Ginni Media, a New York City-based internationally recognized podcasting production house providing multiple podcast services, and the host of the Ginni Show. Today, Ginni brings up the importance of being present and elevating diverse voices through audio media. She shares her journey as an entrepreneur and the growth she has experienced, especially in the last two years. Ginni also talked about the challenges her clients face when starting a podcast and how her team helps them overcome those hurdles.

Quotes

"I loved the platform of podcasting way before podcasting was actually podcasting." - Ginni Saraswati

“The biggest achievement that I'm going to brag about is I have learned so much about myself in the last two years post pandemic than I have ever before.” - Ginni Saraswati

“Don't be so fixated on buying the house and the things. I didn't think about the practicality of that. I would have eventually gotten there myself. But if someone had told me that at 17, I would have saved a lot of time.” - Ginni Saraswati

Takeaways

03:39 Developing self-awareness and addressing personal growth areas can positively impact an entrepreneur's ability to show up consistently and effectively in their business.

04:29 Building a remote team with diverse perspectives can be a significant achievement for an entrepreneur, fostering creativity and strong team dynamics.

09:47 Podcasting is a powerful communication tool that can help businesses deepen their connection with their current customer base or grow their client and customer base.

17:10 Overcoming the initial hesitations around podcasting, such as feeling overwhelmed, technical challenges, and concerns about monetization, is key to successful podcast implementation.

18:01 Embracing one's authentic voice and unique perspective, rather than trying to emulate others, is essential for creating an engaging and successful podcast.

Resources

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