024: Being the Best You, Finding a Mentor, and Growing Confidence with Seth Thompson and Kyle Steele

Outcome Studio Podcast - Marketing & B2B Technology Talk

This episode highlights that being a fearless professional can be easier with a confidant or mentor.

Occasionally, we luck out and get a company that invests in our training and us as a person. We might get a perfect boss.

Other times, bosses don't help us grow. Our companies might not gel with our styles. What if our management doesn't have the bandwidth to help level us up?

Can a peer mentor you? Can you proactively seek out a mentor? Should you find that individual who's learning and mentor him or her? Seth Thompson (Time Payment) and Kyle Steele (SEO Expert) share how being colleagues evolved into a mentorship and now a friendship, and they highlight how helping each other has made each of them prolific at content and creating professional brands. We also discuss the cross over between sales and marketing and tips for using LinkedIn to build relationships with interesting strangers.

Show highlights:

00:30 - Finding a mentor, stories from Kyle (mentor) and Seth (mentee) meeting in 2013 when Seth was right out of college. Mentor learns as much from the mentee, as Seth was a grinder former athlete and Kyle doesn't do well with routine

04:30 - Deal sizes roughly $30k through 100% Channel Sales, so deals can close in a few months, but the relationship can be about a year long before that deal hits the pipeline

08:00 - Finding a mentor, find someone that aligns with your style, proactively seek out relationships; mentor needs to be self aware that he or she has something to help a younger person or someone that is learning

12:00 - Find who is looking for help "Help who is swimming towards you"

16:00 - The "locker room" presence in the office, may not be manager but energy has to flow through that person to get full team buy-in; what do the senior reps know that I don't when they question management? Should I pay attention?

18:00 - Self awareness, Kyle did you annoy anyone and how did you handle it?

19:30 - cutoff, Kyle talking about hate me cuz they ain't me. "Seth, go be the best you that you can and no one can beat you." -Kyle

26:00 - Authenticity and positive intent, people can feel it in both sales, customer support, and finding the answer when you don't know it all

32:00 - Salepeople knowing marketing, and marketing people knowing sales, how is that helpful?

36:00 - Creating your own demand as a salesperson with content

41:00 - Salespeople know messaging best, marketers invent stuff because they don't have the customer relationships…"The only stopping you from winning is you."