Lou Ellman's guest appearances

Lou Ellman

Creatives Meet Business

Working Life Project

David Harris

Ashley Thompson

Kara Perez

Billy Moyer

McGarrah Jessee

Claire Siegel

Jen Spencer

Ahna Hendrix

Ryan Johnston

Jon Lebkowsky

Rachel Clemens

Alexis Davis

Kyle Ali

Sarah Marloff

James Renovitch

OwlTail

David Harkins interviews Lou Ellman of RoyaltyZone

Lou Ellman - RoyaltyZone

Bootstrap Entrepreneurship

Hi there folks! Creatives Meet Business is an event and podcast series based out of Austin, Texas for artists and creatives to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship. This episode features Lou Ellman who joined us in November during our roundtable event on Bootstrap. This episode outlines the Valley of Death Stage of Bootstrap Entrepreneurship and includes so much amazing info on how to SELL your way out. This episode is chock full of sales tips, tricks, tactics, and much much more. Without further ado, let's hop in and hear what he has to say! Notes:  0:00 to 1:42 - Ashland Opening Remarks and Intro of Lou Ellman, Founder of RoyaltyZone  Like what you hear? Join us for CMBXP (9/20 to 9/22 in Austin, TX) for Lou's workshop on "Sales Skills to Grow Your Business"   1:48 to 2:39 - Introduction of Topic - Valley of Death  Only way out is to sell your way out No outside funding in bootstrapping, the only way to get funding is through sales   2:40 to 6:06 - Three Concepts for Selling  Hunting - traditional sales prospecting, finding targets and closing deals  Cold calling, emailing, events, trade shows, networking, social media - identify your ideal prospect and engage with them Ideal prospect - intersection of two circles; the people who want to buy your product and the people that you want to sell to   Fishing - marketing  Content is king Partnerships - a way to really move the needle for bootstrappers   Farming - once you have a client, keep them happy to be a referral source and to stay a client  Service your clients as best as you can Keep educating them   Lou's original business plan:  Get a customer Make that customer ridiculously happy Repeat     6:07 to 8:38 - Techniques for Selling to your Ideal Prospect  Qualifying - early and often Two ways you win: by losing early and winning Qualified prospect = willing AND able to buy your product / service BANT (IBM acronym) = Budget, Authority, Needs and Timeline How do you learn this info? Through a conversation!   8:39 to 10:47 - Navigating the Sales Cycle  Actually a Buying Cycle, not Sales Cycle Important to overcome objections, uncover their needs and concerns Find out what and who the competition is and differentiate yourself You have to drive the process forward Negotiating and closing are key for bootstrappers! As the person who sold the product, be part of the delivery process!   10:48 to 14:47 - Tips and Tricks  No one cares what you think about the status of the deal. What you really want to know is what THEY think about the status of the deal Listen more than you talk. Work questions in at every phase of the proposal / pitch Always ask for next steps, never leave a conversation without understanding the next steps in the process from their perspective  Get before you give  Work backwards from the end to establish a calendar of events Save the proposal / contract until the very end (discuss pricing and budget early on). Once you send this, you've lost all your leverage.   14:50 to 16:48 - Ashland Closing Remarks  Want to come to CMBXP (9/20 to 9/22)? Great, get your badge today! Like this podcast? Great! A rating and review is so helpful! Stay in touch, email us (ashland@cmbatx.com) or connect with us on social (@createmeetbiz on Instagram and Twitter // Creatives Meet Business on Facebook) Big thanks to Jamal Knox (audio engineer) and Chris James (composer)!    If you like what you hear, share the podcast with your friends, and rate and review. To stay in the loop - follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or subscribe to the newsletter. More on Bootstrap, so stay tuned! Thanks! Ashland, Creatives Meet Business

Hi there folks! <a href="http://www.cmbatx.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Creatives Meet Business</a> is an event and podcast series based out of Austin, Texas for artists and creatives to learn the ropes of entrepreneurship. This episode features <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/louellman/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Lou Ellman</a> who joined us in November during our roundtable event on Bootstrap. This episode outlines the Valley of Death Stage of Bootstrap Entrepreneurship and includes so much amazing info on how to SELL your way out. This episode is chock full of sales tips, tricks, tactics, and much much more. Without further ado, let's hop in and hear what he has to say! Notes: <ul> <li>0:00 to 1:42 - Ashland Opening Remarks and Intro of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/louellman/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Lou Ellman</a>, Founder of <a href="http://royaltyzone.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">RoyaltyZone</a> <ul> <li>Like what you hear? Join us for <a href="http://www.cmbxp.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">CMBXP</a> (9/20 to 9/22 in Austin, TX) for Lou's workshop on "Sales Skills to Grow Your Business"</li> </ul> </li> <li>1:48 to 2:39 - Introduction of Topic - Valley of Death <ul> <li>Only way out is to sell your way out</li> <li>No outside funding in bootstrapping, the only way to get funding is through sales</li> </ul> </li> <li>2:40 to 6:06 - Three Concepts for Selling <ul> <li>Hunting - traditional sales prospecting, finding targets and closing deals <ul> <li>Cold calling, emailing, events, trade shows, networking, social media - identify your ideal prospect and engage with them</li> <li>Ideal prospect - intersection of two circles; the people who want to buy your product and the people that you want to sell to</li> </ul> </li> <li>Fishing - marketing <ul> <li>Content is king</li> <li>Partnerships - a way to really move the needle for bootstrappers</li> </ul> </li> <li>Farming - once you have a client, keep them happy to be a referral source and to stay a client <ul> <li>Service your clients as best as you can</li> <li>Keep educating them</li> </ul> </li> <li>Lou's original business plan: <ol> <li>Get a customer</li> <li>Make that customer ridiculously happy</li> <li>Repeat</li> </ol> </li> </ul> </li> <li>6:07 to 8:38 - Techniques for Selling to your Ideal Prospect <ul> <li>Qualifying - early and often</li> <li>Two ways you win: by losing early and winning</li> <li>Qualified prospect = willing AND able to buy your product / service</li> <li>BANT (IBM acronym) = Budget, Authority, Needs and Timeline</li> <li>How do you learn this info? Through a conversation!</li> </ul> </li> <li>8:39 to 10:47 - Navigating the Sales Cycle <ul> <li>Actually a Buying Cycle, not Sales Cycle</li> <li>Important to overcome objections, uncover their needs and concerns</li> <li>Find out what and who the competition is and differentiate yourself</li> <li>You have to drive the process forward</li> <li>Negotiating and closing are key for bootstrappers!</li> <li>As the person who sold the product, be part of the delivery process!</li> </ul> </li> <li>10:48 to 14:47 - Tips and Tricks <ul> <li>No one cares what you think about the status of the deal. What you really want to know is what THEY think about the status of the deal</li> <li>Listen more than you talk. Work questions in at every phase of the proposal / pitch</li> <li>Always ask for next steps, never leave a conversation without understanding the next steps in the process from their perspective </li> <li>Get before you give </li> <li>Work backwards from the end to establish a calendar of events</li> <li>Save the proposal / contract until the very end (discuss pricing and budget early on). Once you send this, you've lost all your leverage.</li> </ul> </li> <li>14:50 to 16:48 - Ashland Closing Remarks <ul> <li>Want to come to <a href="http://www.cmbxp.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">CMBXP</a> (9/20 to 9/22)? Great, get your badge today!</li> <li>Like this podcast? Great! A rating and review is so helpful!</li> <li>Stay in touch, email us (<a href="mailto:ashland@cmbatx.com">ashland@cmbatx.com</a>) or connect with us on social (@createmeetbiz on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/createmeetbiz/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CreateMeetBiz" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a> // Creatives Meet Business on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CreativesMeetBusiness/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a>)</li> <li>Big thanks to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamalaknox/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jamal Knox</a> (audio engineer) and <a href="https://www.chrisjamesaudio.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Chris James</a> (composer)!</li> </ul> </li> </ul> If you like what you hear, share the podcast with your friends, and rate and review. To stay in the loop - follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/createmeetbiz/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/CreateMeetBiz" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CreativesMeetBusiness/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or subscribe to the <a href="http://www.cmbatx.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">newsletter</a>. More on Bootstrap, so stay tuned! Thanks! Ashland, Creatives Meet Business

Ep. 41 - The Valley of Death Stage of Bootstrap Entrepreneurship with Lou Ellman