#Smallbizchat Podcast LIVE is a monthly video interview show where small business owners can get answers to their questions.

The focus of #Smallbizchat is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as your own boss.

Please join us live every third Wednesday of the month from 8-9 pm ET Live on my SmallBizLady Facebook Page, YouTube Channel and LIVE on Twitter. 

Bernadette McClelland is a High Content Speaker on Sales Leadership and StorySelling. Bernadette offers her clients a unique experience in helping them sell in this new Connection Economy. She is a natural storyteller and very inspirational speaker on leadership, sales, and motivation. She is currently a Sales Mentor for Harvard MBA students. She has been rated as one of the Top 50 sales speakers, been the Master Coach for Anthony Robbins and the US Government has recognized her in the top 1% of sales leaders globally. Her new book is SHIFT and DISRUPT: Stop Selling Widgets. Start Selling Wisdom. For more information: www.BernadetteMcClelland.com

SmallBizLady: What is the biggest challenge in sales right now?

Bernadette McClelland: I believe we are at a point in time where we NEED to shift and disrupt our own thinking to shift and disrupt our buyer’s thinking – because they seriously want us to!

71% of buyers are saying sellers are not bringing them value and 63% of sellers have no idea how to do it anyway!  So, if that’s feedback from the market that salespeople as a collective are NOT doing what they need to, then we have a serious problem and what we’ve done in the past won’t cut it – so what can we do differently that is not just mutton dressed up as lamb or same horse, different jockey!

SmallBizLady: In Your New Book, you say that Shift and Disrupt is predicated on the philosophy of StorySelling. What does that mean?

Bernadette McClelland: Story is our oldest form of communication and Selling is our oldest form of commerce so how can we marry communication and commerce in a way that creates commercial cut-through?  So, I sat down and thought about the different disciplines that are needed to achieve that outcome and it has to be more than value props, overcoming objections and pre-canned scripts. It must include the strategy of story, the magic of mental models, and being able to draw your buyer into a conversation (figuratively and literally) to truly collaborate, it means tapping into the nuances of neurolinguistics, the power of psychology and the complexities of coaching through what we refer to as our coach approach. Marry these disciplines together and you have a B2B seller who transcends all others. 

SmallBizLady: What is the StorySelling philosophy? 

The StorySelling philosophy is based on the premise that StorySelling is the most effective way to create the right level of connections, have the right depths of conversations resulting in accelerated rates of pipeline conversions.  How we do that is tap into three story categories – the internal stories (the stories you tell yourself about the buyer), the external stories (the stories you show and tell your buyer) and the essential stories (the stories you elicit from your buyer). In total, there are nine story modes that sit under those three categories, and it is within those nine story modes where the practicalities are found, and those nine story modes form the chapters within my new book, Shift and Disrupt.

How to Reinvent Your Business in Uncertain Times

Ted Santos is skilled at reinventing companies. Over the past 25 years, he has reinvented himself several times. He has experience as a sales trainer, executive manager, entrepreneur, and executive coach, and is currently Chairman & CEO of Turnaround Investment Partners in New York City which provides high-value consulting services to midsize and large corporations. Mr. Santos coined the term Disruptive Leadership Model, which is designed to empower companies to innovate and penetrate untapped markets. He uses this proprietary methodology to work with CEOs who are committed to driving innovation at the enterprise to support a new strategic direction. For more information: https://www.turnaroundip.com/

SmallBizLady: How can a small business identify innovative strategies to turn things around in their business?

Ted Santos: Innovation is a creative act. It is even more so when the intent is a turnaround. The most innovative companies invent the future from the future. Most businesses focus on improvement. For improvements, you take what you know and do more, better, or different from what you have or know. Innovative organizations are committed to breakthroughs. Often breakthroughs are found in the domain of things you didn’t know you did not know. The mindset of breakthroughs is a world apart from the mindset of improvements. Therefore, you do not identify innovative strategies. You invent them.  

SmallBizLady: What is the disruptive leadership model?

Ted Santos: The disruptive leadership model was created for businesses that are committed to breakthroughs.  The philosophy is as follows: if your CEO is not intentionally creating problems, they should be fired or retrained immediately.  In almost every case, breakthroughs are found on the other side of breakdowns.  In other words, you must go through the breakdown to get to the breakthrough.  Breakthroughs are possibilities your organization has never accomplished.  Therefore, there is no blueprint.  Without a blueprint, there is a good chance everyone involved will have to face uncertainty, chaos, problems, disruptions, etc.  These are the things most avoid.  It is also why most corporations focus on improvements.  

The disruptive leadership model is designed to provide executives, managers and staff with tools to create problems for the company to solve intentionally.  Once the problem is solved, it is a breakthrough and alters the future of the enterprise forever, like the iPod did for Apple.  The tools in the model empower people to be able to effectively navigate themselves through the imminent chaos that accompanies the pursuit of intentional breakthroughs.  

SmallBizLady: How can a business stay innovative without becoming obsessed with the competition?

Ted Santos: Staying innovative is a mindset that is very different from those who come to work just to collect a paycheck.  A business would invest in staff and management for mindset training.  That way the CEO can intentionally create problems for the organization to solve.  Train people to also be able to intentionally create problems for themselves and their direct report to solve. 

How to Grow Your Business Brand

Barry Moltz is a small business expert, who gets owners growing again by unlocking their long-forgotten potential. With decades of entrepreneurial experience in his own business ventures as well as consulting countless other entrepreneurs, Barry has discovered the formula to get stuck business owners unstuck and marching forward. As a small business expert, Barry applies simple, strategic steps to facilitate change. www.barrymoltz.com

SmallBizLady: How do you define a strong brand, and what elements are crucial for building a compelling brand identity?

Barry Moltz: A strong brand is one that a customer can quickly say what that company does, who they serve or make them stand out. Key elements are a clearly articulated mission/ values and what makes them different from the competitor. 

SmallBizLady: What strategies or techniques can small businesses implement to communicate their brand message to their target audience effectively?

Barry Moltz: Any outreach on social media, email marketing, or online or traditional advertising needs to be targeted at prospects where you target their pain plus done on an ongoing and consistent basis to find out what works and what does not. 

SmallBizLady: What are some common mistakes that small businesses make when it comes to branding, and how can they overcome these challenges?

Barry Moltz: Common mistakes are that they don’t know who their target customer is (their avatar) and what pain they solve for them. Others include that their brands are too complicated and not easily remembered or identified. 

SmallBizLady: How can businesses build brand loyalty to fuel long-term sales growth?

Barry Moltz: Treat your customers well. Too many companies spend a lot of money to bring a customer in and do not invest anything to keep them. Build long-term customers who buy from you consistently and refer others like them to your company.

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Would you like to be a guest on #Smallbizchat Live?

If you are a small business owner, author, or subject matter expert, we’d love to have you appear as a guest on #Smallbizchat LIVE. Submit your name, headshot, Twitter handle, bio, website, topic and 3 questions and answers in paragraph form to demonstrate your expertise. To submit your materials to be a guest on #Smallbizchat click here.