• Transform Your Health and Sales Success With Proud Posture feat. Josh Hulsebosch
    2024/09/26
    Sales professionals are always looking for fresh strategies to boost their performance and outshine the competition. Surprisingly, one key factor that’s often neglected is their physical fitness for sales. On this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount discusses how physical fitness impacts sales success with online fitness coach Josh Hulsebosch. Key Takeaways – Importance of Posture: Maintaining a "proud posture" is crucial for both physical health and psychological confidence during workouts and daily activities. – Habit Formation: Developing a consistent awareness of posture and practicing corrective habits over time can help shift one’s natural stance to a more aligned position. – Physical and Mental Energy: Maintaining a proud posture can reduce fatigue and boost energy levels, leading to increased confidence over time. Deep diaphragmatic breathing, facilitated by good posture, can boost energy and reduce fatigue, impacting both physical and mental performance. – Long-term Muscle Growth Strategies: Prioritizing recovery, nutrition, and consistent resistance training, while focusing on proper form, is essential for sustainable muscle growth and overall fitness improvement. – Proper Posture Enhances Breathing and Communication: Maintaining proud posture expands the chest, improving breathing and vocal projection, which is especially important for professionals like salespeople who rely on strong communication. – Sleep and Recovery: Adequate sleep and nutrition, particularly protein intake, are vital for muscle recovery and growth, especially as one ages. – Mindset and Stoicism: Emphasizing control over actions and reactions, rather than focusing on external outcomes, can improve mindset, productivity, and overall well-being. – Regular Posture Self-Checks: Developing good posture habits requires consistent self-checks throughout the day. Simple reminders can combat the effects of prolonged sedentary activities like desk work. Instead of pulling the shoulder blades back unnaturally, focusing on lowering the shoulders can alleviate tightness and promote better posture. – Tempo Training for Muscle Control: Slowing down the eccentric phase of exercises like squats enhances muscle stabilization, control, and strength, supporting better posture and overall fitness. – Muscle Strengthening: Strengthening the posterior muscles is essential for supporting good posture. Recommended exercises include rows, lat pulldowns, and hip flexor stretches. – Core Engagement: Exercises like planks are emphasized for their role in core stabilization, essential for maintaining proper posture and functional strength. – Resistance Band Training: Resistance bands are effective tools for muscle building, especially when access to traditional gym equipment is limited. Compound exercises are preferred over isolation movements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlJdAEZ86cI A Path to Better Health and Confidence Many people struggle with maintaining proper posture. Whether sitting at a desk, driving, or working out, poor posture can lead to discomfort and fatigue. The concept of "proud posture" plays a crucial role in both fitness and daily activities. Understanding how to achieve and maintain this posture can significantly enhance physical well-being and confidence. Understanding Proud Posture Proud posture involves standing tall with shoulders back and chest open. This position not only makes a person appear more confident but also contributes to better physical health. Unfortunately, many individuals often find themselves hunching over, especially when engaged in everyday tasks. This common issue can lead to energy loss and discomfort, making it essential to focus on posture throughout the day. Common Posture Mistakes It is important to have correct shoulder positioning to achieve proud posture. Many people mistakenly pull their shoulder blades back too much,
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    1 時間 12 分
  • Go-to-Market & Partnership Strategies: Mastering Sales Training with Barrett King
    2024/09/19
    In this episode of The Sales Gravy podcast, Jeb Blount Jr. hosts Barrett King, Senior Director of Revenue and Partnerships. In this episode they dive into key insights on building effective sales training, the importance of a well-defined go-to-market strategy, and the power of partnerships to drive customer success. Barrett's approach to how sales enablement and partnerships can dramatically reduce the time it takes for a sales team to become proficient, creating stronger, faster results. Key Takeaways: – Training vs. Coaching Distinction: Successful organizations differentiate between training (knowledge transfer) and coaching (enhancement of skills). Training provides the foundational knowledge, while coaching develops and fine-tunes the skills that have been learned, allowing individuals to apply them effectively. – Proficiency Framework: Organizations that excel in training have a clear framework for progression—from theory to practice and application. This framework accelerates skill development, enabling employees to achieve in two months what typically takes twelve, improving overall organizational efficiency. – Ongoing Development: Training doesn’t stop at onboarding. Continuous development and management of employees' growth are crucial. Organizations that treat training as a continuous process, rather than a one-time event, maintain higher levels of talent retention and skill proficiency. – Value of Partnerships: Partnerships in a go-to-market strategy are about delivering exponential value to customers by combining the strengths of two businesses. The "value triangle" concept emphasizes that a business, its partner, and the intersection of their services create more value for the customer than each could individually. – Customer-Centered Strategy: A customer-first approach drives effective go-to-market strategies. Partnerships, particularly for startups, should focus on aligning with partners who already have customer trust. By understanding customer needs and other solutions they’re using, organizations can better strategize and offer more meaningful, value-driven collaborations. – Listen to Customer Patterns: Even with a small customer base, patterns emerge in how customers use your product or service. Identifying and understanding why certain customers adopt similar practices helps inform product strategy and go-to-market approaches, ensuring you're addressing real needs. – Customer-Centric Messaging: When reaching out to partners or customers, focus on how your solution will improve the customer’s experience, rather than simply pushing your product. It's crucial to show how you can add value to the customer’s existing operations, rather than expecting them to sell or adopt your product without a clear benefit. – Keep Outreach Simple and Genuine: Authentic, straightforward communication is often the most effective. Instead of overcomplicating messages with details about your offerings, a simple approach that highlights shared networks or experiences can open doors to meaningful conversations and partnerships. – Ego Can Be a Barrier: In the early stages of a sales career, ego can cloud judgment. It’s crucial to focus on genuinely helping prospects rather than trying to prove oneself. Authentic engagement is key to fostering successful partnerships. – Timing and Personalization Matter: Sending emails at unconventional times (e.g., evenings or early mornings) can improve response rates. Tailoring outreach to when your prospects are more likely to be free and receptive helps break through the noise of their day-to-day work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KExatzKuSkQ Build Strong Partnerships Building meaningful partnerships can be a game-changer for your growth. But how do you move beyond just pitching products and get partners genuinely interested in what you offer? It’s not just about numbers or features. It’s about people working together for a shared purpose.
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    41 分
  • Navigating Sales Objections: Brian Parsley’s Secrets to Shifting Focus from Price
    2024/09/12
    On this episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, host Jeb Blount sits down with sales expert Brian Parsley to tackle one of the most common objections faced by sales professionals—price. Brian shares actionable strategies on how to shift conversations away from price and towards value, helping salespeople overcome objections and close more deals. Key Takeaways: - Understanding Communication Styles: Everyone has their own unique communication style, whether direct, indirect, consensus-building, or energizing. Tailoring communication to these styles is essential to engage the prospect effectively. - Importance of Questions Over Solutions: Instead of focusing on presenting solutions and features, salespeople should prioritize asking the right questions. This approach differentiates them and drives the conversation forward. - Multi-directional Listening: Listening is not just about hearing words but involves observing body language, tone, and using intuition. Salespeople should engage all senses to truly understand the prospect's needs. - Detachment from the Outcome: Salespeople should detach from the outcome of a deal by maintaining a full pipeline. This mindset reduces pressure, allowing them to focus on the conversation rather than the result. - Ego Management: Ego can be a significant barrier in sales. Salespeople need to manage their ego, especially when they feel the urge to impress or react defensively. - Precision and Eloquence in Communication: Words should be simple yet precise. Overcomplicating language can alienate prospects, while clarity and simplicity enhance understanding and trust. - Observing Behavioral Cues: Salespeople can learn a lot from observing behaviors and body language. These cues offer insights into how a prospect prefers to communicate and consume information. - Redirection in Responses: Instead of immediately responding to a prospect's questions or concerns, salespeople should redirect the conversation to uncover the underlying pain or challenge, leading to more meaningful dialogue. - Intentional Language: Being intentional with words, especially in text or written communication, is crucial. The impact of words goes beyond their meaning; it's about how they are perceived by the prospect. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_lLkJtC1aM Mastering the Human Connection In sales, one thing is clear: communication is key. But it’s not just about what you say—it’s about how you say it, how you listen, and how you adapt to the unique styles of the people you’re engaging with. Every person you interact with has their own communication style. Whether they’re direct, indirect, focused on building consensus, or full of energy, understanding these styles is crucial for any salesperson. But here’s the catch: your communication style doesn’t matter if you’re not speaking the language of your prospect. It’s only when you start talking and really connecting with them that your style becomes important. If you jump straight into talking about your product’s features and benefits, you’re just like every other salesperson out there. What sets you apart isn’t your product, but the questions you ask and how you communicate. The Power of Questions One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is focusing too much on their solution. They think that if they just explain how great their product is, the prospect will automatically see the value. But the truth is, it’s the questions you ask that drive the conversation forward. Instead of talking about your solution, ask questions that uncover the prospect’s needs, challenges, and goals. This approach not only differentiates you but also builds trust and rapport. Listening with All Your Senses We often talk about the importance of listening in sales, but listening is more than just hearing the words someone says. It’s about observing their body language, paying attention to their tone of voice,
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    37 分
  • Mastering Sales in Latin America: Insights and Strategies with Pablo Pefaur
    2024/09/10
    On this episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount Jr.had the pleasure of speaking with Pablo Pefaur, a seasoned sales professional who specializes in the Latin American market. Pablo shares some key insights on prospecting, the importance of follow-ups, and cultural nuances that every salesperson should know. Key Takeaways: - Value of Outbound Conference: The Outbound Conference 2024 is a critical event for sales professionals, focusing on productivity, prospecting, and performance. - Help Announcement Strategy: The concept of a "help announcement” is introduced, where sales professionals should approach prospects with a specific, value-driven message to solve a particular problem, rather than overwhelming them with multiple pitches at once. - Systematic Approach to Prospecting: Effective prospecting requires a systematic approach, focusing on delivering a clear, single message to avoid getting lost in the noise and to resonate with the prospect. - Importance of Follow-Up: Following up after initial contact is crucial. We discuss the strategies to help sales professionals improve their follow-up processes, ensuring continued engagement with prospects. - Cultural Considerations in Latin America: Understanding cultural differences is key to successful prospecting in Latin America. These cultural nuances and how they impact sales strategies are highlighted. - Continual Learning: Sales professionals are encouraged to continually learn and adapt their strategies by attending events like the Outbound Conference and by engaging with thought leaders in the industry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7mtPgiAFRA Latin America’s Unique Market Challenges Latin America is a diverse and rapidly growing market with unique opportunities for businesses looking to expand. However, many sales professionals struggle with the challenges of entering this market. These challenges include understanding cultural differences, navigating language barriers, and tailoring sales pitches to resonate with Latin American prospects. Pablo has spent years mastering these elements, and his expertise is invaluable for anyone looking to succeed in this region. Latin American culture places a high value on relationships and trust. Unlike some other markets where sales can be more transactional, in Latin America, building a genuine relationship with your prospect is crucial. This means taking the time to understand their needs, showing empathy, and demonstrating that you are there to help them, not just to close a deal. The Power of a “Help Announcement” A key strategy for successful prospecting is a concept called a “help announcement.” This is a simple yet powerful concept. When reaching out to a potential client, your goal should be to offer a specific piece of help or a solution to a problem they are facing. The idea is to be clear and direct about how you can add value to their business. For instance, instead of bombarding a prospect with a long list of services or products, focus on one particular area where you know you can make a difference. This approach not only makes your message more effective but also helps in establishing trust with the prospect. They’ll see you as someone who genuinely wants to help, rather than just trying to make a sale. Being too broad or trying to cover too many points in one pitch can overwhelm the prospect. It’s better to address one issue at a time, making sure your help announcement is relevant and tailored to the prospect’s specific needs. This targeted approach increases the chances of your message being heard and appreciated. Systematic Follow-Up is Key Another crucial aspect of successful sales is the follow-up. Making an initial contact is just the first step; what you do afterward is equally, if not more, important. Too often, salespeople make the mistake of either not following up at all or doing so in a way that feels impersonal or generic.
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    18 分
  • From Basketball to Business: Dre Baldwin’s Success Secrets
    2024/09/05
    In the competitive world of sales, adopting the right mindset is crucial for success. On this episode of the Sales Gravy podcast, Jeb Blount Jr. sits down with Dre Baldwin, a former professional basketball player in the NBA turned business guru to discuss why sales professionals who adopt an opportunistic mindset have greater long-term success. Key Takeaways - Importance of Personal Initiative: Personal initiative is crucial for success. It involves taking proactive steps, like attending events or reaching out to potential opportunities, to create paths where none existed. - Mindset Tools: The mindset tools that lead to success—such as discipline, confidence, and mental toughness—are universally applicable, whether in sports, business, or any other area. - Role of Discipline: Discipline acts as the "steering wheel" that keeps you on course, while motivation serves as the "gas" that drives action. Discipline ensures consistent effort, even when motivation wanes. - Cold-Calling and Selling Yourself: Selling yourself is key, especially in scenarios like cold-calling. Being able to present yourself credibly and persuasively is crucial to securing opportunities. - Long-Term Thinking: Adopting a long-term mindset is valuable. It's important to think beyond immediate goals and consider where your actions will lead in the future. - Finding Opportunity in Opposites: There's often opportunity in doing what others are not. Thinking differently and looking for opportunities in unconventional places can lead to success. - Playing the Long Game: Success is a long-term effort. Cumulative actions and consistent effort over time are more important than short-term gains. - Value of Asking the Right Questions: Career transformation often begins with asking the right questions. Reflecting on how to combine your skills into a sustainable career can lead to significant growth and success. - Building a Personal Brand: Building a personal brand is important. Your experiences and successes can establish your credibility and open new opportunities, helping to build trust and expand your influence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvi5ARbDLsQ The Power of Personal Initiative Success is a journey built on a series of steps that anyone can take if they’re willing to put in the effort. It’s about creating opportunities for yourself, rather than waiting for them to appear. Success often begins with a simple decision: the decision to take action, even when the outcome is uncertain. Personal initiative means doing what others might not—like attending events to network, cold-calling potential employers, or pursuing opportunities that seem out of reach. These proactive steps can open doors you didn’t even know existed. The Role of Discipline and Confidence Discipline is the backbone of success. Think of it as the steering wheel that keeps you on track, while motivation is the gas pedal that gets you moving. Motivation might start your journey, but it’s discipline that ensures you keep going, especially when the road gets tough. Confidence isn’t something you’re born with; it’s something you build over time. Every time you take initiative or tackle a challenge, you’re building a little more confidence. This confidence then fuels your ability to take even more initiative, creating a positive cycle that propels you forward. The more you step out of your comfort zone, the more confident you become. This newfound confidence helps you tackle bigger challenges, creating a solid foundation for future success. The Importance of Long-Term Thinking While it’s easy to focus on immediate goals, true success often requires thinking ahead. Where do you want to be in five or ten years? The most successful people make decisions today that will benefit them in the long run, not just in the moment. Asking yourself questions like, “How can I combine my skills to create something sustainable?
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    49 分
  • Why Episodic Sales Training Fails and How to Fix It feat. Dayna Williams
    2024/08/29
    On this episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount Jr. sits down with Dayna Williams to discuss cutting-edge strategies for sales success. She gives expert insights on how to develop a winning sales culture, boost your team's performance, and leverage the power of Sales Gravy University for unparalleled training opportunities. Key Takeaways - Shift from Episodic Training: Traditional sales training has often been episodic, focused on reactive, one-time events that don't drive long-term behavioral change. This model is outdated and ineffective. - Importance of Reinforcement: Learning and development must go beyond the initial training event. Without sustained reinforcement, any skills or knowledge gained are quickly forgotten, leading to little long-term impact. - The 3 P's: Master persona, practice, and product knowledge to transform your team's effectiveness. Build a capability development plan that addresses these critical areas. Hoping for a change without a plan won't cut it. - Four-Step Learning Process: A robust learning and development strategy should follow four steps: strategic planning, design and pilot, sustained reinforcement, and outcome measurement. Skipping any of these steps, particularly reinforcement, diminishes the effectiveness of training. - Cultural Change Required: To move away from episodic training, organizations need to embed learning into their culture, ensuring that training is seen as an ongoing process rather than a one-off event. - Proactive vs. Reactive Learning: Many organizations fall into a reactive mode, responding to immediate needs rather than proactively planning for long-term capability development. This approach limits the effectiveness of training. - Overcoming the Forgetting Curve: Without intentional reinforcement, the majority of what is learned during training is forgotten. Effective learning programs must include strategies to counteract this forgetting curve. - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Sales enablement and training should address the entire sales process, including the often-overlooked handoffs between departments like marketing and sales, where breakdowns frequently occur. - Getting a Seat at the Table: Learning and development teams need to better communicate the value of their work to business leaders. This requires stepping out of their comfort zone and understanding the business's operational challenges and goals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiamtIdNDCQ The Secret to Mastering Your Craft It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeking shortcuts and instant success. We often hear about “overnight sensations” or those who seemed to have made it big with minimal effort. But the truth is, most of these stories don’t tell the whole picture. Behind every “overnight success” is usually years of hard work, dedication, and persistence. Success doesn’t come from cutting corners or avoiding the tough parts of the job. It comes from embracing the hard work, from putting in the effort every single day, and from being willing to do what others won’t. The Role of Hard Work in Sales When we talk about hard work in sales, we’re not just talking about working long hours. It’s about working smart, being strategic, and continuously improving your skills. Hard work is doing the research before making a call, understanding your client’s needs, and finding the best solution for them. You have to follow up, stay organized, and be persistent even when you don’t see immediate results. Sales isn’t easy. It’s a profession that requires resilience, adaptability, and a thick skin. You’re going to face rejection, sometimes daily. You’re going to encounter clients who don’t want to hear from you, who are happy with their current providers, or who simply don’t have the budget. But if you’re willing to push through these challenges, you’ll find that the rewards are worth it. The Myth of Natural Talent
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    36 分
  • How Cheryl Parks Turned Life Lessons Into Sales Success
    2024/08/22
    On this episode of The Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount sits down with sales coach Cheryl Parks to discuss how she used skills like resilience, empathy, adaptability, relationship-building, continuous learning, and goal-setting to enhance sales performance. You’ll learn how to turn every experience into an opportunity for growth and success. Key Takeaways: - Resilience is Crucial: Use rejection as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. Analyze what went wrong and apply those lessons to improve your future pitches. View each experience, whether successful or not, as a chance to grow. - Adaptability is Key: Stay flexible and open to change. New trends and shifts in the market require you to adjust your strategies to remain competitive. Be willing to experiment with new approaches and adjust based on results. - Build Strong Relationships: Invest time in fostering positive relationships with clients and colleagues. Trust and rapport can lead to repeat business and valuable referrals. - Set Clear Goals: Establish specific, measurable sales goals. Breaking them into smaller targets can help you stay focused and motivated. - Be Persistent: Stay committed to your goals, even when faced with challenges. Persistence is often the key to long-term success in sales. - Value Relationships Beyond Sales: Show genuine interest in your clients' success and provide value beyond just closing deals. Active listening and empathetic responses can help you offer the right solutions. Building lasting relationships can lead to sustained success and growth. - Using Breaks for Inspiration: Taking breaks and engaging in activities like walking or listening to music can help reset the brain and inspire new ideas, particularly when facing creative blocks. - Mindset Shifts: Focus on changing your mindset, especially when overcoming shyness and self-doubt, by assessing your reactions and using affirmations such as “be your excellent best.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tlmtfE9fPQ Unlock the Power of Experience Life is full of lessons. We learn some in school, others at work, and many through the ups and downs of daily living. These lessons shape who we are and how we interact with the world. But have you ever thought about how these life lessons can translate into sales success? It turns out that some of the most valuable sales skills aren’t taught in a textbook but are developed through life’s experiences. Here’s how you can turn these life lessons into powerful tools for sales success. Resilience in the Face of Rejection One of the most universal lessons we learn in life is that rejection is inevitable. Whether it's a job application, a proposal, or a personal relationship, we've all faced rejection at some point. The key to overcoming rejection is resilience—and this is just as important in sales. In sales, rejection is a common experience. For every successful pitch, there are countless "no's." However, it’s not the rejection that defines us; it’s how we handle it. Viewing rejection as a step towards success rather than a failure can turn a "no" into a motivator. Rejection teaches us resilience, and resilience leads to persistence. In sales, persistence is often what separates the winners from the losers. Instead of dwelling on a lost deal, take a moment to analyze what went wrong. Learn from the experience and apply those lessons to your next pitch. Use rejection as a tool for growth rather than a setback. Empathy and Understanding Empathy is another vital lesson that can greatly benefit your sales career. Throughout our lives, we learn to understand and connect with others by putting ourselves in their shoes. This ability to relate to others is invaluable in sales. In sales, it’s crucial to understand your customer’s needs, desires, and pain points. Selling isn’t just about pushing a product or service; it’s about solving a problem for your customer. The better you understand them,
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    49 分
  • Navigating The Future With AI & Sales
    2024/08/15
    On this episode of the Sales Gravy podcast, Jeb Blount sits down with Victor Antonio, Sales Gravy University Instructor, to debate the future of human interaction in sales, emphasizing why personal connections remain pivotal in an increasingly automated world. You’ll listen to their engaging discussions and thought-provoking perspectives on the intersection of sales and artificial intelligence (AI). Key Takeaways: - AI and Buying Windows: The conversation highlights the potential of AI in identifying buying windows by analyzing customer behavior across multiple data sources, including websites and databases. - List-Building Challenges: Despite advancements in sales techniques, Victor and Jeb agree that list-building remains a significant challenge for sales teams. - Future of AI in CRMs: There's a strong belief that AI will become integral to CRM systems, consolidating various tools and data to create a hub essential for sales operations. - Automated Data Integration: The future of sales will involve AI automatically gathering and analyzing data from emails, calendars, social media, PR, and more, without the need for manual input. - Personalization by AI: AI will eventually tailor sales processes to individual companies, with larger companies likely adopting these technologies sooner due to their complexity and resources. - Evolving Sales Engagement Platforms: The conversation anticipates the development of comprehensive sales engagement platforms that integrate all business data, including operations and manufacturing, analyzed by AI. - AI vs. Human Interaction: While AI will handle more straightforward sales tasks, human interaction will remain crucial for complex sales, especially when trust and personalized service are needed. - AI-Driven Marketing and Operations: AI will not only influence sales but will also impact marketing and operational decisions by analyzing patterns and suggesting actions to optimize business processes. - Long-Term AI Development: Victor and Jeb foresee that some aspects of AI integration in sales might become operational within five years, particularly in large companies, but acknowledge that widespread, seamless AI use is still a decade or more away. Sales Strategies for Unleashing the Power of AI to Save Time, Sell More, and Crush the Competition The Future of Sales: AI, CRM, and the Evolving Landscape The intersection of AI and sales is rapidly transforming how businesses approach prospecting, lead generation, and customer relationship management (CRM). We're standing on the brink of a major shift that promises to reshape the sales landscape, and understanding these changes can give us a competitive edge. The Power of AI in Sales One of the most exciting advancements in sales technology is the ability of AI to identify a buying window. Imagine AI systems capable of analyzing vast amounts of data from websites, search engines, and various databases to determine when a potential customer is in the market for a product or service. This capability promises to refine our targeting strategies, making the sales process more efficient and effective. We predict that in the future, AI will likely consolidate into CRMs, becoming the central hub for sales teams. This evolution will make CRM systems indispensable, offering insights into buying patterns, competitor activity, and customer behavior. AI will pull in data from emails, calendars, and social media, alerting sales teams to key changes, such as a new decision-maker at a company or shifts in customer needs. The Evolution of CRM Systems Historically, CRM systems have been underutilized. Sales teams often struggle with lead generation and list building, operating with outdated methods that don't leverage the full potential of their CRM tools. But as AI integrates more deeply with CRM platforms, this will change. The future CRM will be more than a repository of customer info...
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    1 時間 34 分