The Transaction

By: Matt Amundson & Craig Rosenberg
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  • Summary

  • Welcome to The Transaction. The #1 Go-To-Market podcast on the planet. Hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson, two legendary go-to-market leaders in their own right, talk weekly with the best sales, marketing, operations, and product leaders in the B2B SaaS world to understand what's working in the new playbook of the post-ZIRP market. But Craig, Matt, and their guests don't just talk theoretically, they share the stories and actionable tips, tactics, and strategies behind what's driving revenue growth that you can take and implement in your own go-to-market roles. From ABM to PLG, from MEDDIC to MEDDPICC, the world of business is constantly evolving. We’ll cover the who, what, where, when, why and most importantly how you get… The Transaction.
    The Transaction
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Economics
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Episodes
  • Identifying & Developing a Champion Buyer with Krysten Conner - Ep. 43

    Identifying & Developing a Champion Buyer with Krysten Conner - Ep. 43
    Feb 20 2025
    There’s a lot of confusion about how to find the champion of your product within a buying group.To help sort things out for B2B sellers, we invited Krysten Conner on the show! Krysten is an extraordinary sales coach who is hired by top SaaS revenue organizations to train their sales teams into incredible teams. Krysten has also made a number of courses available for purchase through her website and through pclub.io. Krysten joins co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to break down three ways to identify and develop strong champions within the buying group to help you close more deals. Krysten also shares the secrets to mastering multi-threading for sellers and how to maintain deal momentum with prospects so they become customers.Also, Craig shares the playbook he used to land his first girlfriend, Matt adds an “s” where he shouldn’t have, and Sam the Producer puts his foot squarely into his big mouth.Critical TakeawaysThere are three ways to proactively discover a champion within a prospect's buying group: 1. Do they do work asynchronous of your meeting with them? 2. Do they bring other people to follow-up meetings? 3. Do they have a point of view on the next steps?The first person to reach out or take a meeting with a seller is not necessarily the champion within that organization for your product or service. Don’t make the mistake of assuming they are the champion. Talking with you makes them a contact, not a champion, by default.“Typically” is a magic word to use in your sales calls. Buyers are very risk-averse and want to be sure they’re not doing something wrong that will get them fired. By sharing what other buyers “typically” do when it comes to things like next steps, you can give buyers peace of mind. Buyers aren’t experts at buying your product, so you need to teach them and guide them to make the right decision. This process of educating buyers and helping them avoid common pitfalls makes them feel much more comfortable.Sponsored SegmentRingmaster Conversational Marketing - The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact thetransaction@samguertin.comChapters00:00 - Intro03:44 - The "Let Me Help You Get this Car" Story07:24 - Krysten’s Embarrassing Sales Stories13:22 - Develop a Champion, Don’t Wait For Them to Show Themselves18:39 - Examples of Asynchronous Work that Champions will Do25:58 - Champions will Bring More People to Follow Up Sales Calls32:36 - Craig Details how he Landed his First Girlfriend33:35 - Who Should be Doing Asynchronous Work Within The Buying Committee41:54 - Does Your Buyer have a Point of View on the Next Steps44:54 - Mass Email Does Not Count as Multi-Threading51:10 - Who a Champion Is and What They Will Do in The Buying CycleSign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/Epic Quotes“ You multi-thread, by single threading.” - Krysten Conner“ When I'm sending actually any email, if it's no one's baby, it's an orphan.” - Krysten ConnerConnect with Krysten ConnerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystenconner/ Website: https://krystenconner.com/ Access the Free Slides Krysten Shared in this Episode: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DOf9bsPh0m7WtQxwhlJfT7Yg22LkD3iukivIk0W1cOA/edit?usp=sharing ShoutoutsChris Orlob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisorlob/ Chris Orlob's Episode of The Transaction:Krysten’s Multi-Threading Course with pclub: https://go.pclub.io/multi-threading-masterclass Mark Kosoglow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkosoglow/Mark Kosoglow's Episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/unlocking-sales-success-creativity?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=falseScott Barker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/Scott Barker's Episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/selling-like-a-real-human-being-with?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!
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    56 mins
  • Positioning is a Key Pillar of SaaS Growth with Bob Wright - Ep. 42

    Positioning is a Key Pillar of SaaS Growth with Bob Wright - Ep. 42
    Feb 14 2025

    Without a real point of view, your company, your product, and all of your amazing features will drift into irrelevance amidst the soothing currents of the sea of sameness we see in the state of SaaS. (Just learned about this thing called alliteration!)


    To help you avoid that terrible fate and aid you in developing your positioning, we are thrilled that Bob Wright, the Founder of Firebrick Consulting, joined co-hosts Craig Rosenberg and Matt Amundson on the show. Bob has helped hundreds of B2B companies define and refine their positioning over the last several decades and is one of the foremost authorities on the subject working today.


    In this episode, Bob illuminates the criticality of ‘selling the problem, not the solution’, why positioning should be a CEO-led initiative, and the three questions that your positioning must answer for buyers.


    Also, Craig eats the world’s loudest piece of chocolate and Matt tries to hire another guest while live on the podcast.


    Critical Takeaways

    • Sell the Problem, Not the Product. Focus on identifying and articulating the key problem your product solves for the customer. This creates urgency and relevance in the buyer's mind, making them more likely to engage with your solution.
    • Your positioning should answer three key questions: 1. Why now? 2. How are you different? 3. Why does it matter to the customer? These answers create a compelling narrative that drives customer interest and action.
    • Stop focusing on the features. Emphasize the broader business impact and outcomes rather than detailed product features. This approach resonates better with executive buyers who are more concerned with strategic advantages.
    • Shift from explaining how your product works, to inspiring the customer on why it matters to them. This makes your message more compelling and memorable, driving stronger customer engagement and commitment.


    Sponsored Segment

    The Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

    Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact thetransaction@samguertin.com


    Chapters

    00:00 Highlights

    01:56 Introducing Bob Wright, the Founder of Firebrick Consulting

    07:36 Differentiate or Die

    17:22 Portfolio Positioning Challenges

    22:00 Targeting the Right Buyers

    23:55 Expanding into New Markets

    28:56 Maintaining Focus While Growing

    31:06 The Importance of CEO Involvement

    33:34 Effective Positioning Strategies

    37:15 AI’s Impact on Positioning

    41:52 Measuring Positioning Success

    42:48 Analyst Influence and Market Trends

    44:51 Explaining Positioning to the Board

    47:11 The Role of Storytelling in Positioning


    Join our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/


    Epic Quotes

    • “Sell the problem, not the product.” - Bob Wright
    • “ Don't waste all your go to market investments on shitty messaging.” - Bob Wright


    Connect with Bob

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/findurtruegenius/
    • Website: https://firebrickconsulting.com/


    Shoutouts

    • AJ Gandhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjaigandhi/
    • Okta
    • Microsoft
    • Oracle
    • SAP
    • HPE
    • Gartner


    Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!
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    50 mins
  • Selling like a Real Human Being with Scott Barker - Ep. 41

    Selling like a Real Human Being with Scott Barker - Ep. 41
    Feb 6 2025
    Selling B2B has always been hard. The crazy buying frenzy of the ZIRP era was the exception, not the rule, so if you’re expecting the current buying climate to change any time soon, you need to readjust your perspective.Scott Barker, Partner & Co-founder of GTMfund and Host of The GTM Podcast, joins Host Craig Rosenberg and special guest-host Scott Albro to talk all things sales, venture capital, and go-to-market. Scott (Barker) shares why focus can give sales reps superpowers, the outsized impact of warm introductions when building pipeline, and how focusing on uniquely human skills can help you excel in sales. There’s also some great discussion around the importance of accountability and ownership throughout your go-to-market team.Also, Craig pitches both Scotts on launching a legal practice, Scott Albro relives the glory days of selling TOPO services, and Sam the Producer attempts to crack the case and catch the Bottle Cap Culprit.Critical TakeawaysInvest time in becoming an expert in the problems you are solving for your customers. Offer valuable insights that make clients see you as invaluable.Focus on the human side of sales, including trust-building and relationship management; that’s what closes deals. Rely less on pure automation or technology and more on human connections.Sellers can emulate what works in founder-led sales by using personal testimonies about why they joined the company or how the product solved a problem for them. This can make their pitch more relatable and compelling.Warm introductions are the best way to build pipeline in what is quickly becoming an AI-dominated selling landscapeSponsored SegmentThe Transaction is sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through Branded podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact thetransaction@samguertin.comChapters00:00 Intro00:26 Retreading Brent Adamson’s Maggots on a Plane Story02:30 Introducing Scott Barker05:10 Funny Fundraising Stories08:33 The Importance of Humanizing Sales12:59 Overcomplicating Pipeline Generation16:25 The Human Side of Sales19:39 How to Build Trust in Sales22:08 Expertise in Sales: Lessons from TOPO29:46 The Concept of “Opinionated Software”34:39 Overcomplicating Pipeline Generation38:19 The Power of Warm Introductions43:36 Scaling Founder-Led Sales52:59 The Value of Human Skills in the Age of AISign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/Epic Quotes“ If you even have the thought of an excuse as a sales leader, as a seller, as a marketer, you're already dead in my books.  It requires full and complete accountability.” - Scott Barker“ If there are things that are stopping you from doing your job, it is nobody else's problem, but your own” - Scott BarkerConnect with Scott BarkerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssbarker/ GTMfund Website: https://www.gtmfund.com/ GTMfund’s new fundraising announcement: https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/04/how-max-altschuler-accidentally-founded-a-vc-firm-that-just-raised-another-54m/ GTMnow Website: https://gtmnow.com/ The GTM Podcast: https://gtmnow.com/tag/podcast/ ShoutoutsBrent Adamson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentadamson/ Brent Adamson’s Episode of The Transaction: https://open.substack.com/pub/thetransaction/p/reframing-b2b-sales-to-drive-buyer?r=3iae7z&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Max Altschuler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxaltschuler/  Javier Soltero: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsoltero/ ZendeskAnthropicMicrosoftGoogleNeil Harrington: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neildharrington/ Jim Cyb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcyb/ Vinny Pazienza, AKA Vinny Paz and Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil" PazienzaBleed For This (2016, Ben Younger)Love the show? Give us a shoutout on LinkedIn and tell us what you loved!
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    56 mins

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